Egale Canada Human Rights Trust (ECHRT), Canada's National LGBT Human Rights Charity to present leadership award to Ed Clark for his transformational leadership of TD at September 24(th) Gala.

TORONTO, Sept. 14 /CNW/ - ECHRT is proud to announce this year's Egale Leadership Award will be presented to community ally Ed Clark, President and CEO of TD Bank Financial Group (TD). "Recognizing allies in our fight for respect and equality is one of the most important things we can do as a community. Ed Clark is a uniquely deserving individual. He has personally stewarded TD to its place as the single largest supporter of diversity in the workplace and the LGBT community in Canada. This type of visionary leadership comes from the top," says Helen Kennedy, Executive Director of ECHRT.

The award will be presented at the High School Confidential Gala on Friday September 24(th) at the Royal York Hotel. The gala will also feature a performance by legendary Canadian singer, Carole Pope, MC, comedian Elvira Kurt and keynote speaker, trans activist Georgina Beyer, former Member of Parliament from New Zealand. All proceeds from the gala will support the ECHRT Safe Schools Campaign to eradicate homophobic and transphobic bullying and harassment in Canadian Schools. To purchase individual tickets at $195 or corporate tables of 10 at $2,500 please call 416-642-6335 or email rsvp@egale.ca.

According to Kennedy, "Under Ed's leadership, TD has made diversity a pillar of its business model. TD champions so many critical initiatives internally and within the community, I couldn't begin to list them all. For example, they have dozens of LGBTA employee groups, offer extensive LGBT inclusivity training, created materials to help facilitate gender transition in the work place, support Pride celebrations, LGBT community service providers, professional associations, and HIV/AIDS-related charities across Canada, and the list goes on." 

"I am deeply honoured to be the recipient of this award from Egale. I feel strongly this recognition reflects the tremendous amount of work done by LGBT employees and their allies at TD. I'm proud to lead an organization where employees and leaders are so committed to embedding diversity in everything we do," says Clark. "Working to build a more diverse and inclusive environment where everyone is respected and has the opportunity to fulfill their potential is not only the right thing to do, it's critical to achieving our mission to be a top North American bank."

The gala will be attended by many LGBT individuals and their allies from the banking, investment and law firms as well as prominent labour leaders, politicians, and philanthropists. "LGBT human rights in Canada, and in particular the need to protect our young people from homophobic bullying and harassment in schools, enjoy support from all across the social, political and economic spectrums," adds Kennedy.

Egale Canada Human Rights Trust (ECHRT) is a national organization that conducts research and public education initiatives on human rights as they relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-identified people across Canada. Most recently, ECHRT commissioned the first ever national school climate survey to explore the lived realities of LGBT students across Canada. The survey revealed that LGBT youth are subjected to shockingly high levels of homophobic and transphobic bullying and harassment.

The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively known as TD Bank Financial Group. TD Bank Financial Group is the sixth largest bank in North America by branches and serves more than 18 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number of locations in key financial centres around the globe: Canadian Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD Insurance; Wealth Management, including TD Waterhouse and an investment in TD Ameritrade; U.S. Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities. TD Bank Financial Group also ranks among the world's leading online financial services firms, with more than 6 million online customers. TD Bank Financial Group had CDN$603 billion in assets on July 31, 2010. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges.