Direct Energy Salutes 2010 Ontario Junior Citizen Finalists

Toronto, ON (5/13/2011) - On Saturday, May 14, 12 exceptional youth will be honoured as recipients of the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award. The recognition ceremony will be held in Niagara Falls and officiated by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario the Honourable David C. Onley, who will acknowledge and congratulate the finalists for their outstanding work and dedication to their communities.

"These 12 young people have demonstrated the positive power of getting involved in your community, which is something we fully support at Direct Energy" said Hillary Marshall, Vice-President Communications and Corporate Responsibility for Direct Energy. "That's why we're proud to sponsor this program and we continue to encourage our own employees to help us to reach our volunteer goal of 12, 500 hours in 2011."

For the second straight year, Direct Energy has sponsored the award program which is run through the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA). Nominations of eligible youth aged six to 17 were received through the 315 member newspapers of OCNA last fall. The 12 finalists were chosen unanimously by a panel of judges in late-January. This year OCNA received 107 nominations from across Ontario all of which were acknowledged with Certificates of Recognition by their local community newspapers.

"It is impressive to see the number of youth that are recognized through the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards," said Marshall. "All 107 nominees are truly inspiring, as they have all accomplished noteworthy achievements for their communities".

Direct Energy is proud to support community volunteerism and the young leaders who are making a difference in their communities through the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award and local Citizen of the Year Award programs in Alberta and Cleveland.

About Direct Energy

Direct Energy is North America's largest energy and energy-related services providers with over 6 million residential and commercial customer relationships. Direct Energy provides customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE: CNA), one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 46 states plus DC and 10 provinces in Canada.

About Ontario Community Newspapers Association

The Ontario Community Newspapers Association is a non-profit industry association representing more than 310 community newspapers. These newspapers and their dedicated staff are leaders in their own communities. The association takes pride in assisting our members to acknowledge the contributions of outstanding young people across the province.

For additional information, contact:

Emily Richardson
Public Relations
Direct Energy
1-416-758-8979
emily.richardson@directenergy.com

Carla Alexander
Junior Citizen Coordinator
OCNA
1-905-639-8720 ext. 239
c.alexander@ocna.org