A Big Night for Water: Musicians, Artists and Canadian Leaders Gather for Second Annual Waterkeeper Gala presented by TELUS
Acclaimed photographer Edward Burtynsky to anchor charity gala in Vancouver on October 13 to raise funds for Swim Drink Fish Canada and B.C.'s Fraser Riverkeeper
TELUS Talks speaker series to be hosted at TELUS Garden on October 12 in support of Gala
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- Oct. 6, 2016 - Award-winning Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky will present the keynote remarks at the second annual Waterkeeper Gala Vancouver presented by TELUS on Thursday, October 13, 2016.
The Gala intends to raise funds to support innovative programs that protect "swimmable, drinkable, fishable" waters for everyone, including Swim Guide, Watermark Project, and Water Literacy.
A Swim Drink Fish Ambassador, Edward Burtynsky is known as one of Canada's most remarkable and respected photographers. Recipient of the TED Prize and the Governor General's Award, his depictions of industrial landscapes are included in the collections of over sixty major museums around the world, including the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid.
Burtynsky will be joined by host Denise Donlon; Canadian actor and broadcaster Terry David Mulligan; musicians Jacob Hoggard (of Juno-award winning band Hedley); Barney Bentall; Shari Ulrich; Jim Byrnes; singer-songwriter and activist Rachelle Van Zanten; and Canadian survival expert and creator of the television series Survivorman, Les Stroud.
"The waters around Vancouver are what make it one of most beautiful and abundant regions in world," said Fraser Riverkeeper executive director Lauren Hornor. "The Waterkeeper Gala Vancouver presented by TELUS is a chance to celebrate our connections to those waters, and get inspired about protecting them."
This second annual Waterkeeper Gala presented by TELUS builds on the inaugural 2015 launch of the Waterkeeper Gala in Toronto and carries on its legacy. The venue sponsors are Delta Land Development and the Forbes five-star rated Rosewood Hotel Georgia Hotel; the event will be held in its stunning Spanish ballroom.
"Canada is a water nation, directly connected to a third of the world's water and has more coastline than any other country in the world. As such, we are obligated as custodians to ensure our water supply is not negatively impacted by human activity," said Andrea Goertz, Chief Communications and Sustainability Officer, TELUS. "The Waterkeeper Gala is a unique opportunity for TELUS to partner with other like-minded organizations and form a community of people who are passionate about our planet and raise much-needed funds so our water is swimmable, drinkable and fishable today, and for our future generations."
"There is no more urgent cause in Canada than protecting the waters that make Canada the best place to live in the world," said Mark Mattson, President of Swim Drink Fish Canada and founder of the gala series.
The Gala will be preceded by a TELUS Talks speaker series event held on Wednesday, October 12, 2016 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on the 24thfloor of TELUS Garden in the heart of downtown Vancouver, where exceptional speakers spanning the worlds of science, communications, non-profit, and the arts examine ways that digital technology can be used to connect Canadians to nature. TELUS' Andrea Goertz and Swim Drink Fish Canada's Mark Mattson will welcome speakers including Les Stroud, Jennifer Baichwal, Rich Michos and Joseph Boyden to kick off this exciting series.
Silent Auction is Now Open!
Visit http://frkgalaauction.ca to bid on exciting auction packages with all proceeds going to support program ensuring a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future for all Canadians!
Social Media Links
Hashtag for Twitter & Instagram: #WaterkeeperGalaYVR
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @fraserrivkeeper
Social Media Summary
The second annual Waterkeeper Gala Vancouver presented by TELUS is coming to the Rosewood Hotel Georgia on October 13, 2016. Internationally renowned photographer Edward Burtynsky will be delivering the keynote. All proceeds support Fraser Riverkeeper's efforts to protect and promote swimmable, drinkable, fishable water.
Hosted at TELUS Garden on Wednesday, October 12 and moderated by James Riley, CEO, Kumu Agency, TELUS Talks is a series of exceptional panelists spanning the worlds of science, communications, non-profit, and the arts examining the ways that digital technology can be used to connect Canadians to nature.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX:T)(NYSE:TU) is Canada's fastest-growing national telecommunications company, with $12.6 billion of annual revenue and 12.5 million subscriber connections, including 8.4 million wireless subscribers, 1.6 million high-speed Internet subscribers, 1.4 million residential network access lines and 1.0 million TELUS TV customers. TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video, and is Canada's largest healthcare IT provider.
In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $440 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered more than 6.8 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Created in 2005 by President and CEO Darren Entwistle, TELUS' 12 Canadian community boards and 5 International boards have led the Company's support of grassroots charities and have contributed more than $54 million in support of over 4,900 local charitable projects, enriching the lives of more than 2 million children and youth, annually. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.
For more information about TELUS, please visit: telus.com.
About Fraser Riverkeeper
Founded in 2004, Fraser Riverkeeper is a registered Canadian charity that uses law, research, citizen engagement, and digital media to protect a swimmable, drinkable, fishable future. A founding partner of the National Water Centre, we are dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Fraser River and its watershed- and our encompassing mission is to ensure the right of all citizens to safely swim, drink, and fish in BC waters.
For more information about Fraser Riverkeeper, please visit: fraserriverkeeper.ca.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Tyee Bridge
Board member, Fraser Riverkeeper
604.879-2203
tyee@tyeebridge.com
Art Credit: Detail of 'The Hydrological Map of Canada' courtesy of artist Joy Charbonneau