TSX: MFI

www.mapleleaf.com

TORONTO, Sept. 17 /CNW/ - Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX:MFI) today announced that its Corporate West offices and ThinkFOOD! Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, have been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Core and Shell (CS) Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) - making this only the second project to achieve this level in Ontario.

LEED CS is a green building rating system for designers, builders, developers and new building owners who want to address sustainable design for new core and shell construction. Core and shell covers base building elements such as structure, envelope and the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

"We have a strong commitment to environmental responsibility across all our operations and activities and this project reinforces that commitment," said Anne Tennier, Vice President, Environmental Affairs, Maple Leaf Foods.

The 152,000 square-foot building located at 6897 Financial Drive, owned by the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC) and managed by Bentall LP, was designed specifically for Maple Leaf Foods and incorporates many sustainable features including:

• A Thermoplastic Olefin (TPO) white roof to reduce the heat island effect
• Low flow fixtures that result in greater than 40 per cent water savings
• Overall energy performance that is 36 per cent better than a typical model building as a result of:
• Advanced HVAC systems with heat recovery and high efficiency boilers
• Demand control based ventilation systems that improve part load efficiency, indoor air quality and provide greater occupant comfort
• Advanced lighting controls and a design of less than 0.6 watts per square-foot for lighting
• Green energy being purchased for base building loads
  
• More than 75 per cent of construction waste diverted from landfill during construction
• Meter sockets on each floor that measure electricity use for lighting and plug loads, allowing tenants to better understand consumption patterns
• Building materials selected for high recycled and regional content, and low volatile organic compound (VOC) content
• Green management initiatives such as green cleaning and recycling programs, that include organic waste, which will divert over 80 per cent of ongoing waste from landfill
• Eco parking spaces and bike storage facilities for tenants

"Achieving Gold level LEED certification is a major accomplishment-especially for a facility of this size and complexity-and is the product of strong tenant-landlord collaboration throughout the entire project," said Tennier. "All teams were on board and committed from day one to achieving the points needed to secure this internationally recognized certification."

Bentall LP is the largest Canadian-based real estate advisory and services organization, with over $16 billion in assets under management. Bentall's business is built on a solid foundation of real estate knowledge and exacting fiduciary standards. Bentall serves major institutional and private investors, supplying a range of asset management, property management, leasing and development services to over 100 clients.

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a leading food processing company, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. The Company employs approximately 23,500 people at its operations across Canada and in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Asia. The Company had sales of $5.2 billion in 2009.