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Toronto (May 18, 2016) – Earlier today PortsToronto, the owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Billy Bishop Airport), was announced as a recipient of a National Award of Excellence from the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS.) PortsToronto won an Award of Excellence in the Canadian Media Relations Non-Agency Campaign of the Year category for the multi-year media campaign leading up to and including the opening of Billy Bishop Airport’s new underwater pedestrian tunnel.
The CPRS National Awards of Excellence recognize outstanding achievement in a comprehensive public relations and communications project or program, with judging executed by expert panels of leading public relations and communications management practitioners from across the country. The awards were established in 1962 and are considered one of Canada’s most prestigious public relations honours.
The opening of the new $82.5 million state-of-the-art pedestrian tunnel at Billy Bishop Airport on July 30, 2015, was an opportunity to showcase the airport as a convenient world-class gateway into the heart of Toronto and to celebrate the completion of a major milestone in city infrastructure. The opening of the tunnel resulted in 500 individual media articles, radio clips and television segments – which equated to 7 billion media impressions – and more than 40 media outlets in attendance at the ribbon-cutting event. The tunnel now provides the 2.5 million passengers who travel through Billy Bishop Airport annually with a faster and more predictable way to access to the airport in a less than six-minute walk.
“From breaking ground in 2012 to opening the tunnel in 2015 the communications team at PortsToronto was highly engaged in communicating progress to all of its key stakeholders, updating the community and highlighting the importance of this piece of infrastructure to the city and to the passengers who would benefit from an easier, more convenient way to access Billy Bishop Airport,” said Deborah Wilson, Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs, PortsToronto. “Receiving this award from CPRS is an honour and represents the culmination of years of work, both by the communications team as well as all of those involved in the construction of the tunnel whose stories we told and who helped make this project a success.”
The award recipients will be honoured at the Joint CPRS and Global Alliance Comm Prix Awards Gala on May 31, 2016 in Toronto.
About Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
With flights to more than 20 destinations in Canada and the United States and connections to 80 locations around the world, Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport provides travellers coming into and out of Canada's largest city with a convenient travel option located less than three kilometres from Toronto’s downtown core. In 2015, the airport served 2.5 million passengers, making it the ninth-busiest airport in Canada and the sixth-busiest Canadian airport serving the United States.
About PortsToronto (http://www.portstoronto.com/)
For more than 100 years PortsToronto, (formerly the Toronto Port Authority), has worked with its partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the economic growth of the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which welcomes more than two million passengers each year; the Outer Harbour Marina, one of Canada's largest freshwater marinas; and, Terminals 51 and 52, which provide transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses at the Port of Toronto. PortsToronto is committed to fostering strong, healthy and sustainable communities and has invested more than $8 million since 2009 in charitable initiatives and environmental programs that benefit communities along Toronto's waterfront and beyond. PortsToronto operates in accordance with the Canada Marine Act and is guided by a nine-member board with representation from all three levels of government.
About CPRS
Founded in 1948, the Canadian Public Relations Society (CPRS) is a not-for-profit organization whose members are engaged in the practice, management or teaching of public relations. Members work to maintain the highest standards and to share a uniquely Canadian experience in public relations. CPRS is a federation of over 1,800 members across 14 Member Societies based in major cities or organized province-wide.
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Media Contact:
Erin Mikaluk, Senior Manager, Communications & Media Relations
PortsToronto
Tel: (416) 863-2065
Cell: (647) 298-0544
E-mail:
emikaluk@portstoronto.com