Yellow Pages Group Recognizes and Rewards Small Canadian businesses as Part of the Make It Real Program

Montreal (Quebec), June 14, 2006 – Yellow Pages Group today announced the recipients of the Make It Real program, a new national initiative that recognizes and rewards Canadian small businesses that are dedicated to improving the communities they serve.

The winning businesses demonstrated outstanding contributions to their community such as volunteering time, offering visibility, donating personnel and equipment, coordinating fundraising activities and more. Platinum winners received a $5,000 cash prize, with $1,500 going toward their charity of choice. Gold winners received $2,500 with $1,000 going to charity.

“Corporate social responsibility is becoming a business imperative in Canada as more and more companies are recognizing the importance of giving back to the communities they serve,” said Annie Marsolais, Director of Corporate Communications for Yellow Pages Group. “As a partner with Canadian businesses, Yellow Pages Group encourages companies to continue to take an active role in improving their communities.” 

The Platinum winning businesses are:

  • Dot Com Media from Kelowna, BC for its contribution of volunteer time, advertising exposure, hosting services and creative development to organizations like the Women of Distinction Awards, BC Children’s Hospital, the Okanagan Female Athletic Academy and the Kelowna Community Food Bank.
  • Downtown Magazine from Nanaimo, BC which is active in the community and helps charitable organizations such as the Haven Society, Bell Walk for Kids Help Phone, Oceanside Rotary Club and the local Heart and Stroke Foundation.
  • Medicine Hat Monumental Company Inc. from Medicine Hat, AB which regularly donates volunteer time and funds to the Salta Gymnastics Club, and donates personnel and equipment for camp maintenance to the Camp McCoy Association. It also donates funds to the organization, ensuring the camp can accept all children, some without charge. 
  • TigerTel UTR from Red Deer, AB which is active in the community, particularly with the local Crisis Centre, to which it has donated between $25,000 and $45,000 worth of services-in-kind each year. Tigertel UTR operators are also on-line volunteers and have undergone volunteer training to accept initial calls made to the 24-hour crisis line.   
  • Kernels Popcorn from Kitchener, ON which helps charitable organizations such as Women’s Crisis Services, Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society and Reaching Our Outdoor Friends (ROOF).  Kernels also employs two developmentally challenged young adults and regularly offers wholesale products to charities and schools in support of their fundraising efforts. 
  • Northwest Fudge Factory from Sudbury, ON which regularly donates volunteer time and coordinates fundraising activities such as its annual Fudge Fest. This event supports the Onaping Lions Club.
  • Centre de Relaxation Côte-Nord Inc from Baie-Comeau, QC which is involved in the community and helps organizations like l’Unité Domrémy, l’Association des femmes de carrière de Baie-Comeau, le Parc Nature de Pointe-aux-Outardes and l’Association touristique régionale Manicouagan with time and donations.
  • Fredal Solutions from Gatineau, QC which dedicates time and makes donations to many organizations like Camp Gatineau, le Centre l’Escale and the Alzheimer Society.
  • LandrypointCom from Rimouski, QC which helps local organizations by offering them a reduction fee program and many hours of volunteer work.


The Gold winning businesses are:

  • Auto-Star Compusystems Inc. from Medicine Hat, AB - for its voluntary efforts with Big Brothers Big Sisters Association, MS Society,  the Canadian Cancer Society, and the Alan Joys Memorial Fund Society.
  • Houswarmings from Red Deer, AB - for its voluntary efforts with the Red Deer Summer CentreFest Society, the Red Deer and District Allied Arts Council and the David Thompson Health Region Foundation.
  • Straight Street Event Services from Kitchener, ON - for its voluntary efforts with the Alzheimer’s Society, St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation and various Children’s Charities in the Waterloo Region.
  • Bestech from Sudbury, ON - for its voluntary efforts with the Canadian Diabetes Association, the Alzheimer’s Society of Sudbury, World Vision and the Canadian Cancer Society.
  • Club de hockey Le Drakkar from Baie-Comeau, QC - for offering visibility at local hockey games to community organizations.

For more information about this year’s Make It Real program, visit www.ypg.com/makeitreal.

About Yellow Pages Group
Yellow Pages Group is Canada's largest telephone directories publisher. Yellow Pages Group publishes annually more than 330 Yellow Pages™ and residential directories. The Company owns and manages Canada's most visited online directories YellowPages.ca™, Canada411.ca, as well as the CanadaPlus.ca, a network of seven local city sites. For more information about the Company, visit www.ypg.com.

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Media Contacts:

Monika Sniec
Yellow Pages Group
Tel: (514) 934-6894
monika.sniec@ypg.com