Since 2005, TD Bank Group has been supporting Les Amis de la montagne through a variety of programs. In recent years, TD has concentrated its efforts on supporting grassroots environmental projects, To highlight the longevity of this partnership, Hélène Panaïoti, Executive Director, Les Amis de la montagne, and Eric Guay, Associate Vice President, Quebec, and Advisory Board President of TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, met to have a conversation about TD’s commitment to the environment. They also spoke about notable milestones in the relationship between these two organizations, and the role that Mount Royal plays in the everyday lives of Montrealers.
Hélène Panaïoti: Eric, the partnership between TD Bank Group and Les Amis de la montagne has been developing for more than 15 years, with no interruptions. What inspires TD to support our organization’s efforts to conserve nature on Mount Royal, the heart of Montréal?
Eric Guay: Thank you Hélène! TD has had a very good relationship with Les Amis de la montagne since 2005, thanks to a variety of initiatives, including tree-planting days, environmental activities with volunteers, and the awarding of the Prix du Mont Royal. TD Friends of the Environment Foundation has always been proud to support Les Amis’ conservation activities. We truly appreciate that your vision and mission always places citizens and Montréalers at the heart of your environmental stewardship programs.
Hélène: Absolutely, citizens are at the heart of everything we do. At Les Amis de la montagne, we believe that getting citizens involved in the protection of Mount Royal helps them to develop a better understanding of what’s at stake, of what’s needed, and how they can adjust their behaviour to better support natural environments. By participating in our environmental action and educational programs, the community takes on the responsibility of ensuring a more sustainable future for our mountain. And these are the programs we want to continue to develop; ones that will contribute to the health of all natural habitats and green spaces on Mount Royal. This goes beyond the park to include the cemeteries, university campuses and all the other vast terrains that belong to Mount Royal. The plan is to deploy a large group of citizen-volunteers who will become environmental stewards of this entire territory, with the support of established organizations on the mountain… That’s our dream for the future.
Let’s talk about the values that TD and Les Amis share, about our common priorities. Can we talk about the fundamental values that enable us to make decisions that support the community and Canadian society as a whole? Also, how does Les Amis fit into this picture?
Eric: As a financial institution, we know that we have an important role to play, and we want to make a positive impact on the communities that we serve. In 2018, we launched TD Ready Commitment, our corporate citizenship platform that seeks to build a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow. Every decision is made to support this goal, taking into account four drivers of change: vibrant planet, financial security, connected communities and better health. We have been leveraging this platform since 2019 to support the environmental stewardship and citizen engagement programs for Mount Royal.
Hélène: Are there any special moments or milestones that you are particularly proud of, as part of your collaboration with Les Amis de la montagne to protect Mount Royal, that you can share with us?
Eric: There are many! We are proud that the people who work hard to protect the mountain are recognized for that work. For example, the most recent winner of the Prix du Mont-Royal, Mr. Peter Howlett. We see how many people are extremely dedicated to Les Amis de la montagne. I am also proud to see the engagement of my TD colleagues. The TD Tree Days program is an important activity for us each year. I can tell you, after the pandemic, the first questions we heard internally were about TD Tree Days: when could we start them up again? It’s an activity that so many people are attached to. So for me, that’s a big accomplishment.
Hélène: What do the TD Tree Days give your personnel?
Eric: It’s a program that takes place all over Canada. When it comes to Mount Royal, we have often seen up to 300 colleagues show up for the tree-planting day. What appeals to them is the feeling that they’re making a difference and that they’re contributing to reaching our goals; that they’re improving our environment and making it more accessible to our communities. And it’s not an activity for TD employees alone: our people bring their families, friends, young children. We’re able to raise awareness with a larger group of people.
Hélène: Indeed, it’s become a tradition with people of all ages. In fact, TD Tree Days are so extremely popular that, two years ago, Les Amis was inspired to add a “Corporate social responsibility” (CSR) section to our Environmental Stewardship Program. Every year, to thank them for their contribution to Les Amis, we invite a limited number of organizations to send their teams to participate in a volunteer day on Mont Royal; they either plant trees and shrubs, or help with control of invasive species. This year, we welcomed eight groups, and those who came adored the experience,
Do you find that this type of activity helps your collaborators develop awareness about environmental concerns and actions?
Eric: Yes! By participating in these activities, our people, their families, and their children learn that planting trees is important for them and for their community. There’s also an educational aspect. We learn so much about different plant species and the positive impact of planting.
Hélène: That’s very interesting. Every major institution makes choices about what causes they want to support, and I know that TD Bank Group long-ago chose the environment as one of their important causes.
Staying on topic, is it still TD’s goal to plant one million trees?
Eric: Yes, we are working to get that done by 2030.
Hélène: That’s great. And Mount Royal is contributing to that.
If we can circle back, has the partnership between TD Bank Group and Les Amis evolved very much over the years?
Eric: As a matter of fact, TD Bank Group has been supporting Les Amis de la montagne’s initiatives since 2005. But it’s only in 2019, when we launched TD Ready Commitment, our corporate citizenship platform, that we collaborated on a multi-year partnership to make our engagement to Les Amis de la montagne even more concrete.
Hélène: We thank you for it! This approach for long-term support is extremely structuring for us, enabling Les Amis to confidently develop our programs on a longer horizon, with even better results. Thanks to TD’s three-year commitment, we now have the means to make our dreams a reality.
Any closing thoughts?
Eric: These achievements would never have been possible without the vision, creativity and engagement of everyone involved, near and far, with Les Amis de la montagne in the protection and conservation of Mount Royal. Your goals and your actions have helped to build a community that is stronger and more resilient, all the while improving this exceptional green space. I believe that we should consider ourselves lucky to have such a mountain in the beautiful city of Montréal, and that it’s accessible to all. Mount Royal has a special place in the hearts of Montrealers, the hearts of TD employees and in the hearts of those who visit Montréal. Mount Royal is, quite simply, essential to this city.
We are proud to support the goals of Les Amis de la montagne and we hope to maintain this beautiful collaboration, to always find ways to take it to the next level in order to have an even greater impact on our communities.
Hélène: Thank you ever so much, Éric and thank you TD Bank Group! To end on a high note: Mount Royal Park will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in 2026 and we are already planning activities.
Those who visit Mount Royal reflect the diversity of our city. Just take a walk around Beaver Lake on a Sunday and you’ll see it for yourself! We wish to improve the diversity of citizens who participate in our programs as well. It's more natural for those born in Montréal, who have known the mountain since they were children and who have the needed stability to participate in volunteer programs that are known for increasing wellness. We would like to help new arrivals to the city get involved in our volunteer programs, because they will become the future protectors of the mountain, after all.
We look forward to welcoming you and your team to Mount Royal again. See you soon!
