Montreal, QC, June 22, 2022 – Sodexo Canada and Confederation College, Thunder Bay Campus, have joined forces to create a native plant garden in support of Confederation College’s habitat restoration efforts across campus.

The native plant garden is a collaboration between the two organizations and was initiated through Sodexo’s participation in WWF-Canada’s Living Planet at Work employee engagement program, which aims to connect and mobilize employees around protecting and restoring nature.

We are honoured to be part of this initiative and to contribute directly to Canada’s biodiversity conservation. This native garden is a big step into the restoration of the wildlife habitat in the region and especially crucial to protect pollinators and other wildlife species, says Andrea Cantin, CSR Coordinator, Sodexo Canada. As citizens and corporate citizens, it is our responsibility to collaborate with our stakeholders to take action in nature’s conservation and restoration.

The planting event took place on June 3rd, 2022, at Confederation College, Thunder Bay Campus, led by Sandra Stiles, Coordinator, Environmental Technician program, Confederation College, with the support of Sodexo’s on-site team, as well as the college’s staff, faculty, and students.

These plantings are a welcome addition to the riparian zone rehabilitation project and support the goals of Confederation College’s Sustainability Plan. The rehabilitation project enhances urban biodiversity and helps improve the water quality of the McIntyre River which ultimately drains to Lake Superior.  Improving vegetative structure in urban environments and managing stormwater inputs are important steps in adapting to the changing climate, says Sandra.

Native plants are the gold standard for attracting pollinators, restoring wildlife habitat and building healthy natural landscapes that are more resilient to climate change, says Amy Castator, Specialist, WWF-Canada. It’s great to see that the Living Planet @ Work program has inspired organizations like Sodexo Canada to lead initiatives that are benefitting wildlife, nature and people.

The garden of over 200 native plants will provide food and habitat to native species and pollinators of the Thunder Bay area, in addition to supporting wildlife habitat restoration and building healthy natural landscapes, more resilient to climate change.

Sodexo is pleased to contribute to this important awareness project and to help restore wildlife habitats, an initiative aligned with its Corporate Social Responsibility strategy of creating a Better Tomorrow by 2025.

 

About Sodexo Canada

Sodexo delivers a wide range of customized solutions, designed to optimize work and living environments. Sodexo has been providing food and facilities management services in Canada for over 40 years, with a focus on enhancing safety, work process and well-being. Sodexo is a market leader in Canada. Sodexo has been recognized as a top employer for the past seven consecutive years. Sodexo is proud to have created the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, an independent charitable organization that has raised over $3 million to fight hunger and donated more than one million meals to at-risk youth across Canada since 2007. Sodexo is included in the CAC Next 20, CAC 40 ESG, FTSE 4 Good and DJSI indices.

 

Key Figures

  • 10 000 employees
  • Recipient of Canada's Greenest Employer Awards 2021
  • Recipient of Canada's Diversity & Inclusion Employer Awards 2021
  • 1 million consumers served daily

 

About Confederation College

Confederation College has been serving the citizens of northwestern Ontario since 1967 meeting the educational needs of students in a catchment area of some 550,000 square kilometres. Along with its main campus in Thunder Bay, Confederation College has seven regional sites located in Dryden, Fort Frances, Greenstone, Kenora, Marathon, Sioux Lookout and Red Lake, as well as a growing Distance Education division.

Confederation College delivers exceptional education and training to an average of 7,000 combined full- and part-time students per year and currently has a total of 600 full and part-time employees. Confederation’s regional economic impact and contribution are valued at $707.3 million annually.

 

Media Contact

Stéphanie Aubin

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