TORONTO, ON - June 05, 2014 /CNW/ - Scotiabank announced today it has been named one of the 2014 Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada by Corporate Knights Magazine. The bank celebrated the honour with other winners at a gala dinner in Toronto on June 4.

"We are thrilled to receive this recognition from Corporate Knights Magazine," says Kaz Flinn, Scotiabank's Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). "This honour shines a light on our commitment to making a difference through ethical banking practices, environmental awareness and dedication to communities."

The Best 50 ranking is now in its 13th year and aims to measure the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) performance of Canadian companies through various ESG metrics including: sustainability reporting, renewable energy financing and, environmental operational efficiencies.

In addition to this honour, Scotiabank was also named to the 2014 Newsweek Green Rankings, Global 500 category. This ranking recognizes the 500 largest publicly-traded companies globally for generating the most revenue with the least amount of environmental impact. There are several factors taken into account for the ranking including, carbon, energy, water, waste, and the extent to which internal governance is geared towards sustainability.

"We are very proud to receive a global ranking for our CSR efforts," says Ms. Flinn. "Doing business in a way that is sound for the environment and our communities is the only way we know how to do business -- and it's what our customers and employees around the world expect from us," she added.

About Scotiabank Bright Future
Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada's most international bank. Through Bright Future, our global philanthropic program, Scotiabank and its employees support causes at a grassroots level across six pillars: health, education, social services, arts and culture, environment and sports. Recognized as a leader for our charitable donations and philanthropic activities, Scotiabank has contributed on average some $50 million annually over the last five years to community causes around the world. Visit us at www.scotiabank.com.

About Scotiabank 
Scotiabank is a leading financial services provider in over 55 countries and Canada's most international bank. Through our team of more than 86,000 employees, Scotiabank and its affiliates offer a broad range of products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management, corporate and investment banking to over 21 million customers. With assets of $792 billion (as at April 30, 2014), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York (NYSE: BNS) Exchanges. Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using CNW. For more information please visit www.scotiabank.com.

For more information: 
Scotiabank Media Communications
Devinder Lamsar
T: 416-933-1171
E: devinder.lamsar@scotiabank.com