"It's our sponsors who make this program possible," says Michael Rosen, President of Tree Canada. "Trees Ontario, BC Hydro , Tenaquip and the Loewen Foundation have made green communities a priority and they all stepped up to the plate to make this happen."

Green Streets Canada is the flagship program of Tree Canada and is the country's only national urban forest innovation initiative. It rewards municipalities that have gone beyond the call of duty and have recognized the importance of ensuring the survival of trees in their urban communities. More than 370 municipalities have participated in the Green Streets program since its inception. The funds are used for projects that develop tools and practices that sustain and promote the health of urban forests, including state-of-the-art municipal planning guidelines, community tree stewardship, outreach and awareness, planting and maintenance programs.

This year's winners are:

1. Burns Lake, BC / BC Hydro - Replant trees lost to Mountain Pine Beetle
2. Penticton, BC / BC Hydro - Replant trees destroyed in windstorm
3. District of Kitimat, BC / BC Hydro - Working with residents to plant mature trees in community
4. Prince George, BC / BC Hydro - Smart Growth on the Ground (SGOG) -sustainable neighbourhood plan
5. Kamloops, BC / BC Hydro - Replant public areas affected by Mountain Pine Beetle
6. Kitchener, ON / Trees Ontario - Urban renewal to create pedestrian-friendly King St
7. Brantford, ON / Trees Ontario - Urban Forestry Program
8. Kingston, ON / Trees Ontario - Creation of an urban forest
9. Windsor, ON / Trees Ontario - Planting around a new recreation centre
10. Ottawa, ON / Trees Ontario - Distribute 20,000 trees to residents
11. Beausejour,MB / Loewen Foundation - Tree Inventory Project
12. Gatineau, QC / Tenaquip - Develop program to assess trees on city property
13. Rosemère, QC / Tenaquip - Reforestation of Tylee Marsh
14. Saint-Lazare, QC / Tenaquip - Greening project for residential areas

This year's winners are among the 54 Green Streets proposals received at Tree Canada.

Green Streets Canada allows municipalities large and small, to take advantage of the benefits trees provide. Every time a new tree is put into the ground, it immediately begins to absorb carbon and produce oxygen while purifying the air we breathe. Green Streets winners understand how trees beautify the area, create natural wind and noise screens and reduce the need to heat and air-condition homes and places of work. They also provide homes for small animals and birds reduce soil runoff from erosion and allow all residents to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

Trees Ontario is committed to the re-greening of Ontario through a range of tree planting activities and is partnering with the Ministry of Natural Resources to help deliver the Ontario government's commitment to plant 50 million trees by 2020. The goal of Trees Ontario is to restore the province's tree planting capacity, especially throughout southern Ontario on private lands, by providing funding and planning support for its tree planting partners. Its goal is to increase tree planting to 10 million trees every year by 2015. Visit the Trees Ontario website at www.treesontario.on.ca.

About BC Hydro

BC Hydro is a Crown corporation, owned by the Province of British Columbia and regulated by the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), an independent body. It is one of North America's leading providers of clean, renewable energy, and the largest electric utility in British Columbia, serving about 95 per cent of the province's population of 1.7 million customers. www.bchydro.com

About Tenaquip

Founded in 1968 by Kenneth Reed, Tenaquip was the first distributor in Canada to sell industrial product through catalogues. Today Tenaquip continues to be a leader in the Canadian industrial marketplace, providing Canadian business from coast to coast with general maintenance, repair and operational and safety supplies. www.tenaquip.com

About the Loewen Foundation

The C. P. Loewen Family Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the support of charitable causes as expressed in its Mission--"Grounded in faith, we will nurture the strength and vibrancy of people, communities and the earth within which we live." The Foundation's Areas of Concern include education, faith, environment, poverty alleviation, and community building in areas in which Loewen employees live and work. The Foundation's granting impacts these areas not only in North America but in other parts of the world as well. www.loewen.com

About Tree Canada

Tree Canada is a charitable organization established to encourage Canadians to plant and care for trees in urban and rural environments. A winner of the Canadian Environmental Award (2007), Tree Canada engages Canadian companies, government agencies and individuals to support the planting of trees, the greening of schoolyards, and other efforts to sensitize Canadians to the benefits of planting and maintaining trees. To date, more than 75 million trees have been planted and more than 450 schoolyards have been greened. www.treecanada.ca

For more information:

Melissa Nisbett
Communications and Marketing Officer
Tree Canada
mnisbett@treecanada.ca
(613) 567-5545, ext. 224