News Releases
BMO Financial Group today announced that it will be holding its 188th Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Calgary on Thursday, March 2, 2006.
“As Alberta celebrates its 100th anniversary of its entry into confederation, we are extremely proud to bring our annual meeting to Calgary and to continue playing an active role in the province’s economic growth, helping individuals and businesses alike achieve their financial goals and dreams,” said Ted McCarron, Senior Vice-President, Prairies Division, BMO Bank of Montreal.
“BMO has a rich history in Alberta and played a key role as a pionneer supplier of financial services for the early development of Western Canada,” said Mr. McCarron. The Bank of Montreal opened its first branch in Calgary in 1886, some three years after the C.P.R. had arrived and when the streets of Calgary were unpaved, with a population of 1,200 settlers. Mr. McCarron noted, however, that the City was, at the time, bustling, much like today, and was already outgrowing its trading-post status.
Bank of Montreal held its first annual meeting outside of Montreal in 1983, in Calgary, which also marked the first time a major bank held its annual meeting in Western Canada.
“We treasure the relationships we have developed in Alberta and look forward to cultivating many more,” added Mr. McCarron.
In Alberta, BMO has invested more than $18 million in recent years to expand its branch network to 115 locations. In addition, BMO Nesbitt Burns operates 20 offices and the firm’s Energy Group is based in Calgary. Overall, BMO Financial Group employs more than 2,600 people in Alberta who provide personal, commercial and corporate customers, with expertise in many areas, including agriculture, oil and gas, corporate banking, international finance and wealth management. BMO is also an active supporter of community initiatives in Alberta, having supported the Calgary Stampede for a century and as a founding sponsor of Spruce Meadows.
Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified North American financial services organization. With total assets of $290 billion as at July 31, 2005, and more than 34,000 employees, BMO provides a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and solutions. BMO Financial Group serves clients across Canada through its Canadian retail arm, BMO Bank of Montreal, and through BMO Nesbitt Burns, one of Canada’s leading full-service investment firms. In the United States, BMO serves clients through Chicago-based Harris, an integrated financial services organization that provides more than 1.5 million personal, business, corporate and institutional clients with banking, lending, investing, financial planning, trust administration, portfolio management, family office and wealth transfer services.
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