Liberty Village BIA recognized as one of 10 Smart Commute Employers of the Year
The fourth annual Smart Commute Employer of the Year awards were handed out November 18, 2010, at St. Lawrence Hall in Toronto. This award recognizes employer members or partners who have put forth exceptional effort in implementing Smart Commute programs that encourage sustainable transportation options like carpooling, public transit and cycling.
The Liberty Village BIA (LVBIA) was recognized for reducing parking and congestion and enhancing the economic health and wealth of this business community. The LVBIA distributes discounted monthly TTC Metropasses as part of the TTC’s Volume Incentive Program. Over 300 passes are purchased each month by individual members, by employers as employee incentives and by workplaces providing smart commuting options for business travel. "For Space Database, the Metropass program came at a very good time, when we were re-evaluating our internal office travel costs” says Virge-Kai Lindaja, Space Database, Liberty Village. “As the Metropass is completely transferable, it was logical that two TTC Metropasses each month would more that pay for themselves with the money saved from not taking taxis and paying for parking to visit downtown client sites."
Through the services of Smart Commute Toronto-Central, the Liberty Village Carpool Zone was launched, where Liberty Villagers can register to meet their carpool match. Funding support from Live Green Toronto enabled the LVBIA to install secure bike lockers and artistically designed bike racks, making it easier for members to choose greener commuting options.
Smart Commutes from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) nominated their top employers and 10 local Employers of the Year were selected. Other winning employers include the City of Mississauga, the Town of Caledon, State Farm Insurance, aircraft landing gear manufacturer Messier-Dowty, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Philips Electronics Ltd., Enbridge Gas Distribution, vaccine producer Sanofi Pasteur, and WorleyParsons Minerals & Metals-Toronto.
"It is important to recognize that a BIA can work similarly to private companies to help its employee members to get to work, to enhance quality of life and to make the environment that much greener for now and future generations” acknowledged Marco Iacampo, Smart Commute Toronto-Central. The Liberty Village BIA is a member/partner of Smart Commute Toronto-Central, part of the Toronto Environment office, City of Toronto.
The Smart Commute Employer of the Year award acknowledges that government, business and community are successfully working together on low cost and effective solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “It’s a real honour to be recognized for the actions we’ve taken so far, and it certainly motivates us to continue to work with our Smart Commute partners and our Liberty Village community to add even more environmentally friendly transportation options.” - Lynn Clay, Executive Director, LVBIA.
Smart Commute Awards
The Awards were introduced in 2007 to officially recognize employer members or partners who have put forth exceptional effort in implementing their Smart Commute programs. These awards recognize outstanding commitment, leadership, innovation and results.
Winners were selected by an independent panel of community members from various sectors across the GTHA. Nominations were evaluated based on the employer's commitment to the program, leadership in their communities, innovation and results.
Smart Commute is a program of Metrolinx and the municipalities in the GTHA. To date, more than 150 employers with 350,000 employees have signed on to the Smart Commute program. Services such as the Carpool Zone online ride-matching service are also available to the public at www.smartcommute.ca.
Smart Commute is an initiative of Metrolinx and the Municipalities in Greater Toronto and Hamilton. Metrolinx is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For more information, visit www.metrolinx.com.
Smart Commute Toronto–Central, Toronto Environment Office, City of Toronto…working together to reach Toronto’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. Visit www.smartcommutetoronto.ca.
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