MONTREAL, Sept. 15 /CNW Telbec/ - For a fourth consecutive year, TD Canada Trust is a partner for the Journées de la culture to be held from September 25 to 27, 2009 with the theme of "La Culture à volonté." In addition to being a major financial supporter, TD Canada Trust is participating actively in the event by providing a free shuttle service allowing people to travel between various locations in the city. And, for the first time, cultural activities are being organized in six TD Canada Trust branches.

"We are very proud to be an active participant in the Journées de la culture, especially by providing a free shuttle service and by giving our customers an opportunity to meet local artists in TD Canada Trust branches," said Éric Morisset, Managing Director and Group Head, Quebec Investment Banking, TD Securities. "Culture is of quintessential importance in a society. It is a reflection of our collective creativity and that's why it is important for us to contribute to its protection and development," he said.

FREE SHUTTLE SERVICE

To facilitate access to cultural activities, TD Canada Trust will provide a free shuttle service to people wishing to take part in this event.

This year, people are being encouraged to take a shuttle to discover a SECRET --something new and different-- at each stop. Many organizations enjoying the shuttle service have also taken up the challenge and are giving visitors the opportunity to witness something new, to see an original procedure and to have a secret revealed.

Shuttles will be running every 15 minutes between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The routes will cover more than 150 activities in proximity to seven stops identified daily. For more information visit: http://www.journeesdelaculture.qc.ca.

SHUTTLE STOPS:

Saturday, September 26 Sunday, September 27

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    Place du Quartier des spectacles     Place du Quartier des spectacles
    Grande Bibliothèque                  CinéRobothèque
    Chat des artistes                    Conseil des arts de Montréal
    Centre de Conservation               Radio-Canada
    École nationale de théâtre           Cirque Éloize
    Mile-End                             Pointe-à-Callière
    Tohu                                 Musée des beaux-arts
    >>

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN TD CANADA TRUST BRANCHES

A series of cultural activities will also be held on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26, 2009 in six TD Canada Trust branches in Montreal and surrounding regions. Six different artists will create works to the delight of bank customers and art lovers. Each artist comes from the region where the works will be created. Artists can be seen in the following branches and regions:

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    -   Montreal, 1401 De Bleury
        Jérôme Fortin (sculpture/installation)

        Developed especially for the 13th edition of Les Journées de la
        culture, Star System (Star Système) is a celestial factory in which
        the artist conjures up starfish, shooting stars, sheriff's badges and
        other starry shapes to pique your imagination. Inspired by 16th
        century curio cabinets - disparate collections of strange, rare or
        exotic objects - he manipulates plastic bottles, books, matches and
        other odds and ends, transforming them into assemblages evoking
        flowers, seashells, jewellery or amulets.
        Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

    -   Montreal, 500 Saint-Jacques
        Adeline Rognon (print-making/drawing)

        Give Me a Kiss (Donnez-moi un bec) is a performance piece in which
        the public is invited to pucker up and make a print of their lips on
        paper. Participants are drawn into a dialogue about lip-painting
        rituals as they watch the artist embellish their lip prints with pen
        and ink to create characters that are both humorous and sensual.
        Friday from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

    -   Saint-Lambert, 572 Victoria
        Patricia Gauvin (sculpture/mixed media)

        Leave Your Mark (Laisser sa trace) consists of three 120 cm x 120 cm
        panels with clay-covered areas in which members of the public can
        leave a print of their hand or other object. A project about social
        organization and the personal space we can occupy within it.
        Friday from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

    -   Saint-Sauveur, 1010 chemin Avila
        Yannick Picard (mural)

        The artist will demonstrate the grid technique he uses to scale up an
        initial sketch that he will transfer to the wall before painting his
        giant outdoor mural measuring 80 ft. x 16 ft. He will also present a
        slide show of murals he has created in Canada, the United States and
        Honduras.
        Friday from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

    -   Hull, 125 boul. du Plateau
        Rosaura Guzman Clunes (photography)

        The artist documents and juxtaposes images of transit locations,
        institutional space and digital text fragments taken from vending
        machines, photocopiers, etc. She uses photography and graphic arts
        techniques to use, transform and digitally manipulate images and text
        to create new meaning and a new coding system.
        Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.

    -   Sainte-Foy, 1260, Autoroute Duplessis
        Valérie Beaulieu (sculpture, installation)

        The artist invites the public to express what they think and feel
        about culture by twisting aluminum wire into words and phrases, which
        she then weaves into a hanging, mesh-like sculpture with a literary
        bent.
        Friday from 1 to 5 p.m.
    >>

TD Bank's contribution to the community: Making a Difference Together

Children's health, literacy and education, and the environment are the three main areas of focus for TD's community giving. The major flagship programs within these areas are: TD Children's Hospital Fund, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation and the TD Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, TD Canadian Children's Book Week, TD Canada Trust Scholarships for Community Leadership, and the TD Summer Reading Club. In addition, through the support of our customers and employees, TD is involved with a host of national, regional and local programs in support of diversity, arts and culture and other causes. In 2008, TD donated $35 million to more than 2,100 organizations across Canada.