TORONTO - Hydro One has been ranked Canada's best corporate citizen in 2009, according to Corporate Knights magazine.
The eighth annual "Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada" ranking said Toronto-based Hyrdo One topped the list for its strong pension plan, number of female executives and the implementation of its smart metre program across Ontario.
Petro-Canada (TSX:PCA) ranked second, followed by Canadian National Railway Company (TSX:CNR), Vancouver City Savings C.U. and Hydro-Quebec.
Seventeen companies from Ontario made this year's top 50 list, followed by 11 each in Alberta and Quebec, seven in B.C. and one each in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The list also included two U.S. companies that trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
The survey ranks corporate citizenship based on pension fund quality, executive diversity, CEO-pay fairness, tax dollar generation as well as renewable energy investments and human rights considerations in certain sectors. Aboriginal relations were added as a performance indicator in this year's survey.
"The Best 50 Corporate Citizens are essential champions in our country's march toward sustainable prosperity," stated Corporate Knights editor Toby Heaps.
"They do the best job keeping their end of the social contract, while innovating solutions for the problems that will determine whether our civilization succeeds or fails."
