Toronto, ON - At a special awards ceremony held in Toronto last night, ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation presented its seventh annual Joyce Fairbairn, P.C. Literacy Public Awareness Award to Air Canada, for its support of the PGI Golf Tournaments for Literacy and a new in-flight audio-book program called SKYword.

The “Joycee” was established in 1996 by ABC CANADA to honour outstanding private sector support for literacy. Past winners include Maclean Hunter Publishing Ltd., Canadian Yellow Pages Publishers, Southam Inc., Baton Broadcasting System, Royal Bank, Honda Canada, and Taxi Advertising. Last year, the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) and the Canadian Cable Television Association (CCTA) received the award jointly for their support of ABC CANADA print and broadcast public awareness campaigns.

This year, it was Air Canada’s turn to be recognized for its 14-year commitment to the PGI Golf Tournaments for Literacy (PGIs). Founded by the late Peter Gzowski, the PGIs are held annually in every province and territory. Proceeds from the PGIs support local literacy initiatives in communities across Canada. These programs help adults and their families improve their basic reading and writing skills. Now in their 18th year, the PGIs have raised over $7 million, making this initiative the most successful literacy fundraiser in Canada, thanks in large part to longstanding supporters like Air Canada. Since 1989, the airline has donated an estimated 500 travel passes to the tournaments. At first, passes were used by Gzowksi to enable him to travel across Canada establishing tournaments. Over the years, the use of passes was extended to facilitate travel to tournaments for well known celebrities, musicians and key influencers, who help build awareness and a groundswell of support for the PGIs.

“Thanks to Air Canada’s support, tournaments have been able to maximize funds raised by keeping travel expenses low,” explains Maureen Cavan, chair of ABC CANADA. “These savings have been invested back into helping learners find programs, connecting volunteers with literacy providers, and increasing the number of literacy programs in local communities.”

In her congratulatory remarks, the award’s namesake, Senator Joyce Fairbairn, commended Air Canada for its contribution to literacy at the local level: “This generous, community-focused support is the kind of ‘good news’ we don’t hear about often enough these days - particularly in relation to the corporate sector.”

Air Canada was also recognized for its participation in SKYword, a program developed in partnership with Air Canada, ABC CANADA, Amazon.ca and Harper CollinsCanada. This program offers airline passengers access to audio-book excerpts, via a dedicated radio channel aboard all Air Canada flights, and includes book excerpts and tips on the importance of literacy and learning, featured in Air Canada’s in-flight magazine, enRoute.

Montreal-based Air Canada provides scheduled and charter air transportation for passengers and cargo to more than 150 destinations on five continents. Canada’s flag carrier is the 12th largest commercial airline in the world and serves more than 30 million customers annually with a fleet consisting of more than 300 aircraft. In 2002, Air Canada received the prestigious OAG (Official Airline Guide) Awards as Best Airline in North America and Best Frequent Flyer Program for Aeroplan.