TORONTO and VANCOUVER, July 7 /CNW/ - Canadians continue to register in
record numbers for the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup (TD GCSC) with more
than 1,000 unique shorelines in communities across Canada already set to
benefit from a cleanup this September. The TD GCSC is a national conservation
initiative dedicated to removing harmful litter from shorelines including
ponds, streams, rivers, lakes and oceans and runs from September 19-27, 2009.
To date more than 40,000 Canadians are expected to cleanup shorelines at over
1,050 sites.
    "Participation in our shoreline cleanup has been growing by 20 per cent
annually and in September we expect 75,000 volunteers will remove litter from
more than 2,000 kilometres of shoreline," said Mary Desjardins, Executive
Director, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation. "Despite our efforts,
wherever water meets land is where you'll find garbage. Shorelines suffer from
the actions of others and that's why we'll likely recover over 150,000
kilograms of garbage this year."
    "Canada is home to the world's largest freshwater supply. And plastic
debris found floating in our waterways and on our shorelines can be fatal to
marine life through ingestion or strangling," said Dr. John Nightingale,
President, Vancouver Aquarium. "Thanks to the growing support our cleanup
receives from Canadians, when we all work together, we can ensure the health
and welfare of our wildlife, plants and other marine life."
    "When you factor in the possible impact of local garbage strikes on
beaches, the monumental task of removing litter from Canada's shorelines may
be facing its greatest challenge. The good news is our shoreline cleanup is
well on its way to another record-setting year," adds Desjardins.

    Not registered yet?

    Join the thousands of Canadians who will be participating in this year's
cleanup in a number of ways such as:

    -   Volunteer as a Site Coordinator and lead a cleanup in your community.
        Register online at www.tdgcsc.ca
    -   Join an existing cleanup team in your region by registering at
        www.tdgcsc.ca
    -   Twitter users can follow the TD GCSC at
        http://twitter.com/TDcleanshores
    -   Subscribe to the new TD GCSC e-newsletter at www.tdgcsc.ca/connect
        for the latest cleanup news
    -   Visit www.tdgcsc.ca/connect to download the official TD GCSC e-mail
        signature to help create awareness of this worthwhile cause with
        every e-mail you send; you can also pick-up an official TD GCSC
        banner or avatar as well as site coordinator and participant "badges"

    About the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup

    TD Bank Financial Group has been a proud sponsor of the TD Great Canadian
Shoreline Cleanup, a Vancouver Aquarium conservation program, through its TD
Friends of the Environment Foundation for more than 13 years. The TD GCSC
began in 1994 as a small beach cleanup with a handful of employees from the
Vancouver Aquarium who wanted to participate in the Ocean Conservancy's
International Coastal Cleanup. In 2008, a record-breaking 63,491 Canadians
registered for the national cleanup and removed 135,467 kilograms of garbage
from 1,531 sites spanning a collective distance of 2,152 kilometres. Now in
its 16th year, this year's TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup takes place
from September 19-27, 2009. For more information or to register please visit
www.tdgcsc.ca.

For further information: Matthew Cram, TD Bank Financial Group, (416)
983-1514, matthew.cram@td.com; Aurora Bonin, TD Friends of the Environment
Foundation, (604) 654-8832, aurora.bonin@td.com; Jean Fong, Vancouver
Aquarium, 1-800-375-8776, shorelinemedia@vanaqua.org