Canada has Spoken: Top 25 Immigrants of 2011

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - May 16, 2011) - A famous Dragon investor, a former Toronto Argonaut football coach and an influential former cabinet minister are among the winners of the third annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrants awards presented by Canadian Immigrant Magazine and sponsored by RBC. This national people's choice award celebrates the untold inspiring stories and remarkable achievements of immigrants to Canada.

More than 25,000 Canadians voted online for their top choices, some 15,000 more than voted for the first awards two years ago. The award recipients will be honoured at ceremonies held in Toronto on May 16 and in Vancouver on May 26.

"The number of outstanding nominees has made it profoundly clear that immigrants to Canada are having a positive impact on the country," said Margaret Jetelina, editor of Canadian Immigrant Magazine. "The stories of the 25 who were voted as this year's winners are inspirational and serve as wonderful examples for all newcomers."

The winners will receive a commemorative certificate and lapel pin, as well as a $500 donation to an authorized Canadian charity of their choice. Winners will be featured on www.canadianimmigrant.ca and in the June 2011 edition of Canadian Immigrant Magazine.

"On behalf of RBC, it's an honour to celebrate the award winners," said Camon Mak, director, Multicultural Markets, RBC. "Harnessing the strength of our diversity not only enriches the communities where we live and work every day, but gives Canada a true competitive advantage globally. We hope the winners' stories will inspire others to follow their dreams and achieve their full potential."

The 2011 awards program received more than 500 nominations over a two-month period, from which 75 finalists were shortlisted by a panel of Canadian Immigrant Magazine judges. The awards program was also supported by the Toronto Star, Metro and Sing Tao.

Some of the well-known Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2011 are:

To see all the Top 25 winners and their bios, please visit: www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25.

About the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Awards

Canadian Immigrant Magazine, a print and online magazine serving new immigrants to Canada, in association with RBC, is pleased to present the "Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2011" — a people's choice award that seeks to uncover and celebrate the untold stories and remarkable achievements of outstanding Canadian immigrants from all walks of life. To view this year's winners, visit www.canadianimmigrant.ca/top25.

About Canadian Immigrant Magazine and canadianimmigrant.ca

Attracting more than 325,000 readers each month in print and online, Canadian Immigrant Magazine helps new Canadians build a successful life and home during their first years in Canada. Its mandate is to inform, educate and motivate and connect by providing hands-on, easy-to-access content for newcomers looking for information, from careers, education and settling-in, to culture, money and business. The monthly print publication is distributed in Toronto and Vancouver. Canadianimmigrant.ca offers tools and resources that help newcomers across Canada and the globe. Canadian Immigrant Magazine is a division of Star Media Group, which is broadly based with interests in print, digital and broadcast media, led by its flagship property, the Toronto Star, Canada's largest newspaper, which is read in print and online (www.thestar.com) by 3 million readers every week.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:RY)(NYSE:RY) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada's largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial service companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, corporate and investment banking and transaction processing services on a global basis. We employ approximately 79,000 full- and part-time employees who serve close to 18 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 56 other countries. For more information, please visit www.rbc.com.