November 21, 2008
Toronto, Canada – Smart Commute held its second annual ‘Employer of the Year’ awards last night at St. Lawrence Hall. Ten workplaces from Hamilton to Newmarket to Ajax were recognized for their outstanding efforts to help employees get to work by walking, cycling, taking transit, carpooling and telework instead of driving. 
The Smart Commute awards recognize employer partners who have put forth exceptional effort in implementing their Smart Commute programs.  The awards recognize exceptional committment, leadership and dedication.
 
Amongst the winners was the City of Toronto who has taken impressive strides at integrating sustainbility into its corporate culture.  The implementation of the Smart Commute program has been strongly supported by Mayor David Miller and received full City Council support.  The program is inlcuded in the Climate Change, Clear Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan and the Sustainable Transportation Initiatives Plan - both supported unanimously both City Council.
 
City of Toronto 2008 Smart Commute highlights include:

• Launch of Smart Commute Toronto-Central, a transportation demand management association delivered by the Toronto Environment Office.
• Hiring of 2 Smart Commute Coordinators and a Program Manager to engage and consult downtown Toronto business on sustainable transportation options.
• Offering of over 3,000 discounted TTC Metropasses to municipal employees.
• Marketing & outreach initiatives, like the Clean Air Commute that saw 500 City employees switching to cleaner, active commuting.
• Committment of a corporate wide telework policy and pilot implementation project. 

 Link:  Smart Commute Awards 2008 News Rlease