South Operations Centre Earns PowerStream Another Gold

MARKHAM, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 12, 2011) - Less than three years after PowerStream celebrated having its head office building in Vaughan achieve LEED^® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification from the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC), another one of the company's facilities has now also attained this same designation.

Following a presentation ceremony held here today, PowerStream's South Operations Centre in Markham, opened early in 2010 and a work location that is home to almost one third of the municipally-owned utility's 500 employees, has earned PowerStream the distinction of being the first company in York Region and Simcoe County, as well as the first electricity distribution utility in Ontario, to have two LEED^® gold certified facilities.

Lyle Shipley, Executive Director of CaGBC's Greater Toronto chapter, assisted PowerStream officials with the unveiling of its LEED^® gold plaque and presented them with a corresponding certificate in recognition of the building's numerous energy and environmental features.

"This building's achievement of LEED^® gold certification is consistent with PowerStream's corporate vision of being a socially responsible company, committed to the environment and sustainable growth," explained Frank Scarpitti, PowerStream's Board Chair and Mayor of the Town of Markham. "It's consistent with PowerStream's corporate vision and it's consistent with many of the facilities now being built in the Town of Markham, the largest LEED^® community in North America."

Some of the South Operations Centre's LEED^® features include a white roof to help keep the building cooler during the summer, HVAC systems free of harmful gases, drought-resistant plants and shrubbery and an array of solar panels that can generate up to 16.5 kW of electricity. The new facility also has a water reservoir that will collect and store run-off rain water, funneling it into the wash bay, toilets and urinals.

"Our efforts to ensure that both this facility and our head office building were constructed with energy-efficient as well as environmental considerations is a testament to our commitment to our customers, the communities we serve and the world we live in," stated Brian Bentz, President and CEO of PowerStream. "It also demonstrates how we continue to lead by example as an innovative and forward-thinking company."

Maurizio Bevilacqua, Vice Chair of PowerStream's Board of Directors and Mayor of the City of Vaughan acknowledged PowerStream's leadership in energy-efficiency and environmental initiatives.

"Having recently opened our new Vaughan City Hall, which is also targeted to be a LEED^® gold certified building, I fully understand and appreciate what a tremendous achievement this is for PowerStream," added Bevilacqua. "I salute management and staff for their efforts in reaching this milestone."

About LEED^®

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Green Building Rating System^® encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. It is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. It provides building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance.

About PowerStream

PowerStream is the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, providing service to more than 330,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. The communities served include Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan. PowerStream is jointly owned by the City of Barrie, the City of Vaughan and the Town of Markham.