PowerStream Encouraging Customers to Participate in Earth Hour

VAUGHAN, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 21, 2011) - PowerStream, the utility which delivers electricity to several communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario, is once again asking its customers to join the company in participating with millions of other people around the world in Earth Hour 2011, being held this Saturday, March 26, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Earth Hour is a global climate change initiative run by the World Wildlife Fund, which calls on individuals and businesses to turn off non-essential lighting for one hour. The aim of the campaign is to express that individual action on a mass scale can help change our planet for the better.

In addition to turning off the lights at its own work locations in Vaughan, Markham and Barrie as well as reporting on municipal power consumption reduction totals in its service territory during Earth Hour, PowerStream will once again be sponsoring a number of local events including the Barrie Earth Hour Music Festival and the Woodbridge Earth Hour Lantern Walk.

The Barrie Earth Hour Music Festival, an all ages free concert, will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in downtown Barrie (outside of Barrie City Hall), and will feature a mix of contemporary country and rock music. At 8:30 p.m. sharp the lights will go out and the Earth Hour concert will continue with acoustical performances. Activities related to the Woodbridge Earth Hour Lantern Walk will begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Woodbridge Memorial Arena (Islington and Highway 7) with the actual walk getting underway at 8:15 p.m.

"The recent disaster in Japan reminds us that we all share the same home. Earth Hour is an opportunity for us to demonstrate that we can all do something positive for our planet," Town of Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti, who also serves as PowerStream's Board Chair, said.

Brian Bentz, President and CEO of PowerStream, agreed that participation in this year's Earth Hour carries an even greater significance than in previous years.

"We are pleased to once again be participating in Earth Hour," Bentz added. "It is a symbolic global event that our customers continue to show their support for by reducing their electricity consumption. It is our hope that participation in Earth Hour will serve as a catalyst to promote further efforts in conservation and protecting the environment."

During last year's Earth Hour event, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on March 27, 2010, PowerStream's System Control reported a service territory-wide 9.1 percent electricity reduction. The reduction represented a savings of 43.3 megawatts in peak demand, or enough electricity to power 1,300 average-size homes over a 24-hour period.

More information about the Barrie Earth Hour Music Festival, the Woodbridge Earth Hour Lantern Walk and other Earth Hour events across Canada can be found at www.wwf.ca/earthhour.

About PowerStream

PowerStream is the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario, providing service to more than 330,000 customers residing or owning a business in communities located immediately north of Toronto and in Central Ontario. The communities served include Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan. PowerStream is an incorporated entity, jointly owned by the City of Barrie, the City of Vaughan and the Town of Markham.

About Earth Hour

Earth Hour is a global initiative in partnership with WWF. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn out their lights for one hour on Saturday March 26, 2011 at 8:30 PM to show their support for environmentally sustainable action. Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia in 2007 through a partnership between WWF Australia, Leo Burnett and Fairfax Media, when 2 million people in one city switched off their lights.

By 2010, Earth Hour had created history as the largest voluntary action ever witnessed with participation across 128 countries and every continent, including the world's most recognized man- made marvels and natural wonders in a landmark environmental action.