Protecting salmon stocks becomes part of Caretakers Program

Group forms financial partnership with Pacific Salmon Foundation

Salmon are one of BC’s most enduring natural symbols, and are an integral part of many eco-systems within the province.

On March 20, 2007, Armstrong Group announced that the company was entering into a long-term financial partnership with the Pacific Salmon Foundation (PSF), focusing on the areas of conservation, restoration, community awareness and education programs.

During the PSF’s “Think Salmon” launch, Peter Armstrong, Armstrong Group President and CEO, spoke to a group of dignitaries and PSF supporters, including BC environment minister Barry Penner, at the Rocky Mountaineer station. Armstrong Group’s support of the PSF is part of the company’s Caretakers Program, which promotes the development and implementation of sustainable operating policies and practices throughout the company. As Peter Armstrong noted, Rocky Mountaineer Vacations operates within the watersheds of two of BC’s most productive salmon rivers, the Thompson and Fraser Rivers.

“Our Rocky Mountaineer and Whistler Mountaineer trains and Gray Line West motor coach routes follow some of the largest and most important salmon runs in North America,” he told the crowd. “ We first began to think salmon when we launched Rocky Mountaineer Vacations and were the first train company in North America to install sewage holding tanks in 100 per cent of our cars. Since then, we have learned more about the declining trends of the salmon population. We decided to act, by offering our support - both financially and through the volunteer efforts of our employees - and we will continue to educate our employees and thousands of guests about the importance of protecting our salmon population.”

Over the next eight years, Armstrong Group will contribute $400,000 to support PSF programs in BC. These include support of PSF’s “River Heroes Award Program”, which recognizes regional stewardship, individuals, businesses and corporations, on-going fundraising and educational dinners within the many communities Armstrong Group operates, and assistance in the Gates Creek Recovery Effort, a small and important watershed on the Fraser River.

Partial proceeds of ‘Fraser the Bear’ sales go to Pacific Salmon Foundation

Buy a bear (a stuffed toy bear, of course) and save a salmon.

Among the wide range of souvenirs Rocky Mountaineer offers as possible mementoes of their journey, passengers now have the option to bring Fraser, a cute and cuddly stuffed black bear home. By purchasing Fraser, they will also help raise funds towards the conservation of wild Pacific salmon in BC’s rivers. As part of Armstrong Group’s commitment to the Pacific Salmon Foundation, partial proceeds from all sales of Fraser, retailing for $21.95, will go back to the foundation (www.psf.ca), whose mission is to protect, conserve and rebuild wild Pacific salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest. Working with the Pacific Salmon Foundation, Armstrong Group has made a significant financial commitment over the next eight years – two sockeye salmon life-cycles – to support a wide range of programs, and the sale of the souvenir black bears is one way our guests can support this initiative.

ROCKY Mountaineer Vacations wins BC Tourism awards for sustainability, marketing and leadership

RMV and its founder judged best in three categories by tourism peers

BC’s tourism sector is the second largest industry in the province, and it achieved that partly by providing top-quality tourism experiences for its many visitors.

Each year, everyone involved in tourism in BC gathers to recognize the best in the industry at the BC Tourism Awards. It is a time to acknowledge those companies and the people behind them, who have raised the tourism bar and made the industry better.

That makes the acclaim given to Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (RMV) in February at the BC Tourism Industry Conference 2007 in Victoria, all the more remarkable because awards were given in only 10 categories, and RMV won in three of them.

According to Tourism BC, RMV received the “Foresight Sustainability Award” by “exhibiting outstanding vision, particularly in the midst of formidable challenges in the operating environment, Rocky Mountaineer Vacations demonstrates not only bottom-line success, but also adds significant value to the province in a social/cultural, economic and environmental context”.

RMV was also recognized with the “Best Tourism Marketing Campaign Award” for its highly successful campaign titled “What’s in the Box”, which promoted the Whistler Mountaineer, a new rail route between Vancouver and Whistler.

To finish off an amazing evening, Peter Armstrong, founder, President and CEO of the Armstrong Group, owner-operator of RMV, was recognized with the “Tourism Industry Leader of the Year Award”. Now the largest privately owned passenger rail service in North America, Peter Armstrong has built viable tourism businesses and seen them thrive. His businesses also generate jobs and revenue that benefit communities throughout British Columbia,” said Tourism BC.

All in all, a very special night for RMV.

Royal Blue Line now part of Armstrong Group

Growing the Victoria-based company signifies good news for tourism operators there

Armstrong Group was pleased to announce in March that they welcomed another spectacular company to its family of brands - Victoria-based Royal Blue Line Motor Tours (RBL).

RBL is a small owner-operated business and a Victoria tourism icon. Unfortunately, a founding partner of RBL passed away recently and the widow and surviving partner asked Armstrong Group to take over the company. One reason they approached Armstrong Group was that they felt the company would maintain what they had created and grow the business to its full potential. The acquisition of RBL means AG can become further involved in Victoria's strong culture and heritage, as well as an opportunity to help grow tourism in Victoria.

"Royal Blue Line is a Victoria fixture and a significant player in the city's tourism sector, which is a vital economic driver for Victoria. We intend to grow the business to its full potential. By doing so, we will ensure that Royal Blue Line continues to provide jobs in the city, and continues to provide visitors to Victoria with a quality tourism experience so that other Victoria tourism operators -- hotels, restaurants, shops – benefit,” says James Terry, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.

Royal Blue Line is well known and highly respected in Victoria for operating a small fleet of six vintage British Double Deckers. With all tours departing from Victoria's scenic Inner Harbour in front of the Port Angeles ferry terminal, the company has gained recognition for its Open Top City Tour and Butchart Gardens Tour.

Armstrong Group sees Royal Blue Line as a natural fit with its strategy to own and manage British Columbia and Western Canadian travel products and feels it will be a tremendous complement to AG as well as Gray Line West's Victoria-based tours.

Royal Blue Line Motor Tours will operate as a separate brand with its own management team that will spend the next year learning about the business while focusing on creating unique Victoria sightseeing packages.

RMV introduces partnership opportunity for the Cariboo and North Central BC in 2008

New tourism package showcases region, builds local economies


	Rocky Mountaineer Vacations (RMV) is pleased to offer tourism and hospitality operators in the Cariboo and North Central region of British Columbia the opportunity to participate in a new package for 2008. The “Gold Rush, Rails and Rockies Adventure” is designed to highlight the best of the region. This latest initiative is part of the company's on-going commitment to sustainable development, which includes contributing to the economic growth of the communities in which it operates.

"The first operating year for the Rocky Mountaineer Fraser Discovery Route has been a remarkable success and our plan is to build on this by fulfilling our promise to develop tourism packages which further showcase the region," says Ian Robertson, Executive Director of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs for Rocky Mountaineer Vacations. "Our vacation packages are an essential element to a sustainable tourist rail service. We believe that the region has significant tourism potential and the introduction of the “Gold Rush, Rails and Rockies Adventure” is a good business decision which enhances our product options."

In 2006, Rocky Mountaineer Vacations premiered the new Fraser Discovery Route which hosted over 4,500 guests from around the world on its two-day journey from Whistler, BC to Jasper, AB including a one-night stay in Quesnel, BC. With the “Gold Rush, Rail and Rockies Adventure”, Rocky Mountaineer guests will have the opportunity to break up their two-day rail experience by getting off the train in Quesnel, at the end of the first day, and exploring the region for three nights or more.

"We are thrilled with the profile this new initiative will bring to our emerging tourism region. The Cariboo Chilcotin Coast, while relatively undiscovered, offers an abundance of tourism and development opportunities as each community has its own distinct geography, culture, and attractions," says Kim Burgoyne, Executive Director of the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association.

This spring, RMV’s Product Development team will conduct product workshops in the region to introduce the “Gold Rush, Rails and Rockies Adventure” experience, and find out how the communities can become involved. This will not only provide the communities with a chance for local operators to cross-market their product or property with the award-winning Rocky Mountaineer train, but the operators that RMV partners with will benefit from the company's international reputation and sales and marketing infrastructure.

Green Team update

The Green Team comprises enthusiastic employees from every department of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations and parent company, Armstrong Group. We meet monthly to develop ideas and strategies for furthering the sustainability of the operations of Rocky Mountaineer Vacations, Gray Line West and the Thompson Hotel. The Green Team is just one part of Armstrong Group’s Caretakers Program, which is aimed at promoting the “triple bottom line” – social, environmental and economic sustainability.

Following are highlights of what the Green Team is working on right now.

A company-wide waste audit is underway, and the team recently established a benchmark that will guide new landfill diversion initiatives. Connected to that is a new proposed program to re-use and recycle RedLeaf meal trays. This program could result in 100,000 meal trays staying out of landfills this season.
In Kamloops, the team hosted a “Litterless Lunch” for staff in the operations yard. This was a friendly competition to find the best ways to make a ‘sustainable’ lunch, with less waste paper, by buying bulk foods that require less packaging, and by re-using items.
Staff attended a Sustainable Living Expo and brought ideas back to the company for green initiatives such as commuting.
In Banff, the team began a program to recycle water bottles on buses and throughout the operations; they are also exploring options to comply with Banff idling bylaws.

The Green Team is also:

Implementing an aggressive composting program at its head office.
Seeking suppliers for environmentally friendly paper to be used throughout its operations.
Investigating ways to save energy by shutting computers and monitors off at night throughout its operations.
Implementing a small battery-recycling program on all trains.
Monitoring the beverage container recycling program throughout the company’s operations, upgrading it in Vancouver, and investigating new options for Whistler.

Thompson Hotel goes smoke-free

Customers, staff expect healthy and comfortable environment

In keeping with Armstrong Group’s commitment to providing spectacular guest experiences and dedication to offering a healthy, comfortable and productive work environment, The Thompson Hotel is proud to announce that it has become a non-smoking property. This decision is a significant step forward in achieving the hotel’s commitment to increase its three “Green Key” rating.

The announcement coincides with the latest property updates of: luxurious pillow top beds complemented with four-star triple sheeting, pillow choice, in-room bathrobes, video on demand and in-room refreshment and snack service.

Shannon Desmond, Manager of The Thompson Hotel, says the customers were asking for the change. “We are a hotel of 98 rooms, and we were offering 10 per cent of the rooms as non-smoking, which just didn’t make sense. Smoke filters out of the smoking rooms into the hallways, and it’s almost impossible to stop it.”

Offering a truly non-smoking experience to a guest is only possible when the entire property is non-smoking, says Desmond. A smoke-free environment is also critical from a human resources perspective.

“We find that staff really don’t enjoy working in those rooms where smoking was permitted. It’s a challenge to find good housekeeping help, so providing staff with a good and safe work environment for staff is vital,” says Desmond.

STATEMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

Rocky Mountaineer Vacations is dedicated to economic, social and environmental sustainability, with a long-term pledge to achieve the following sustainable development objectives in our business practices:

Contribute to the economic and social well being of the regions which we travel through by developing positive long-term relationships with key community stakeholders.
Take significant steps to protect the environment we travel through and contribute to the protection of Canada's natural resources.
Develop programs and policies that support and acknowledge the history of Canada's heritage in the regions in which our businesses operate.
Support and enhance employee retention programs that allow Rocky Mountaineer Vacations to recruit, hire and retain the best employees and be a company of choice in the tourism sector.
Educate our staff, guests and suppliers about our sustainability goals and objectives and encourage their participation. Be a role model in the North American tourism sector for sustainability goals and objectives and participate in the mentoring of other organizations.

Questions or Comments? Would you like a presentation or meeting? Please email or telephone:

Ian Robertson
Director, Sustainable Development
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations
irobertson@rockymountaineer.com
Phone: 604-606-6346
www.rockymountaineer.com
www.whistlermountaineer.com

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