Canadian Immigrant and RBC Royal Bank Launch Popular Vote to Uncover Canada's Most Inspiring Immigrants

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 14, 2012) - Canadian Immigrant magazine and RBC Royal Bank (TSX:RY)(NYSE:RY) have kicked off the voting for the fourth annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant awards. Canadians are encouraged to visit www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25 until April 13, 2012 to cast their vote for the most inspiring finalists who represent diverse ethnic communities and cultures across Canada.

The awards program serves to uncover and celebrate the inspiring stories and remarkable achievements of Canadian immigrants from all walks of life who strive to make this country a better place. The call-for-nominations phase that launched the 2012 awards program last November garnered hundreds of submissions over a two-month period.

"This year's Top 75 finalists are a dynamic mix of people who have been nominated for their extraordinary contributions to Canada - from improving the economy to sparking meaningful conversations," Margaret Jetelina, editor of Canadian Immigrant Magazine. "It's going to be difficult to choose just 25 who are the most inspiring."

More than 25,000 Canadians voted in last year's awards program. Among the winners were internationally known entrepreneur and television personality Robert Herjavec, social entrepreneur and author Nick Noorani and Canadian Football League superstar Michael "Pinball" Clemons.

"These awards are a great opportunity for communities to come together to recognize new Canadians," said Paul Sy, director, Multicultural Markets, RBC. "We encourage you to read about the finalists and cast your vote for the new Canadian who inspires you the most."

The Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2012 will be announced in May. Each of the Top 25 will receive a commemorative plaque and a $500 donation from RBC Royal Bank toward an authorized Canadian charity of their choice.

The program is also supported by the Toronto Star, Metro daily newspapers, the Chinese-language newspaper Sing Tao, and Suhaag magazine.

About Canadian Immigrant magazine and canadianimmigrant.ca

Attracting more than 287,000 readers each month, Canadian Immigrant magazine is distributed in Toronto and Vancouver and helps new Canadians build a successful life and home during their first years in Canada. Its mandate is to inform, educate and motivate. The magazine provides easy-to-access content for newcomers who are looking for information, from careers, education and settling in to culture, money and business. Our website, www.canadianimmigrant.ca, offers daily editorial, forums, tools and resources to help newcomers across Canada. Canadian Immigrant is a division of Star Media Group, which is broadly based with interests in print and digital media, led by its flagship property, the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper, which is read in print and online by 3.0 million readers every week.

About RBC Royal Bank

Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY)(NYSE:RY) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are one of Canada's largest banks as measured by assets and market capitalization, and are among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis. We employ approximately 74,000 full- and part-time employees who serve close to 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 56 other countries. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com.