-   The 15th annual TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup launches
        nationally this Saturday with a record 60,000-plus volunteers
        expected.

    -   Canadians who did not preregister for a cleanup and would like to
        participate can join a local drop-in cleanup site.

    TORONTO, Sept. 18 /CNW/ - There may be plenty of fish in the sea, but
Canadians only have eyes for their local waters as a record-breaking number of
volunteers participate in the 15th annual TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup.
One of the world's largest cleanups, this year's more than 60,000 participants
will remove approximately 100,000 kilograms of litter from almost 1,500 sites
from September 20 to 28, 2008.
    "For 15 years, Canadians have proven their commitment and concern for our
shorelines and this year we've set a new record with more than
60,000 participants," said Roger St. Louis, Regional Manager, TD Friends of
the Environment Foundation. "We've kicked off our national cleanup with events
right across the country and the types of litter we're finding is alarming.
The world's largest fresh water supply is found in Canada and it's important
that we make keeping it clean a priority."
    Together with the Vancouver Aquarium, TD Friends of the Environment
Foundation is hosting cleanup events in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa,
Montreal and Halifax to kick off the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. Here
are a few of the unusual litter items recovered already:

    -   Kitchen sink
    -   Electric scooter
    -   Kid's bike
    -   Oil drum

    "More than 140 marine species have been found entangled in marine debris
and at least 160 marine species have ingested plastic and other debris off
Canada's coasts," said Angela Griffiths, Director, Conservation and
Environmental Affairs, Vancouver Aquarium. "Most of the litter we find is from
land-based sources with cigarette butts and plastic bags leading the way.
Besides the danger it poses to marine life, garbage on our shorelines
negatively impacts our civic pride, tourism and recreation industries. The TD
Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup is the perfect opportunity for Canadians to
get involved in a hands-on conservation program and really make a difference
together."

    How Canadians Can Help

    Canadians who haven't registered for a cleanup can join a public drop-in
cleanup site in their local community. Visit www.vanaqua.org/cleanup for a
list of public drop-in cleanup sites across the country. Canadians are also
invited to attend any of the kickoff cleanups being held in the following
locations on Saturday, September 20:

    Vancouver, British Columbia
    Kitsilano Beach Park
    Starts at 10:00 a.m. PST

    Calgary, Alberta
    St. Patrick's Island
    Starts at 10:00 a.m. MST

    Toronto, Ontario
    Woodbine Beach Park
    Starts at 10:00 a.m. EST

    Ottawa, Ontario
    Mooney's Bay (Saturday, September 20)
    Starts at 9:00 a.m. EST
    Ottawa River at Britannia Beach South (Sunday, September 21)
    Starts at 10:00 a.m.

    Montreal, Quebec
    Parc Promenade Bellerive
    Starts at 11:00 a.m. EST

    Quebec City, Quebec
    Parc Duberger Les Saules
    Starts at 9:00 a.m. EST

    Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Point Pleasant Park (Black Rock Beach)
    Starts at 10:00 a.m. AST

    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 12 years. The Cleanup
began in 1994 as a small beach cleanup with four employees from the Vancouver
Aquarium who wanted to participate in the Ocean Conservancy's International
Coastal Cleanup. In 2007, a record-breaking 50,000 volunteers participated in
the national cleanup and removed 87,489 kilograms of garbage from 1,240 sites
spanning a collective distance of 1,772 kilometres. Now in its 15th year, this
year's TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup takes place from September 20-28,
2008.

    /NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
    the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

For further information: Annette Robertson, MAVERICK Public Relations,
(416) 640-5525 ext. 231, annetter@maverickpr.com; Jacqueline Burns, TD Bank
Financial Group, (416) 308-0177, jacqueline.burns@td.com; Jean Fong, Vancouver
Aquarium, (604) 659-3561, jean.fong@vanaqua.org