News Releases

BMO Nesbitt Burns to Webcast 6th Annual Auto Parts CEO Roundtable

BMO Nesbitt Burns will webcast its sixth annual Auto Parts CEO Roundtable on Wednesday, March 8 from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. EST.

The North American auto parts sector continues to be confronted by many issues, including the potential re-sourcing of parts to Asian suppliers, high commodity prices, and the potential for additional market share losses and restructuring by Ford and General Motors. In addition, Canadian auto parts suppliers must cope with a strong domestic currency and other competitive issues. The purpose of the Roundtable is to discuss these and other issues in the context of the various stakeholders.

The webcast will provide an opportunity to hear leaders from the global auto parts industry discuss the key issues affecting the sector and the impact on their companies.

The discussion will be moderated by Peter Sklar, BMO Nesbitt Burns' Auto Parts Research Analyst. Peter will be available for media interviews after the conference to discuss industry trends and the state of the auto parts sector in Canada. To arrange interviews please see the contact information below.

To access the listen-only webcast, log on to the following URL as of 8:00 a.m. EST:

http://corporate.bmo.com/conferences/2006autoparts/webcast/default.aspx

The day's agenda is as follows:

8:00 – 8:05 a.m.	Opening remarks Mike Miller, Director of Investment Research, BMO Nesbitt Burns

8:05 – 8:20	Auto Sector Comments and Introductions Peter Sklar, Auto Parts Analyst, BMO Nesbitt Burns

	ROUNDTABLE l – Issues Confronting Auto Parts Sector

8:20 – 8:35	Utilizing Process and Discipline to Remain Globally Competitive Donald Walker, co-Chief Executive Officer, Magna International

8:35 – 8:50	The Case For Low Cost Manufacturing In Low Cost Jurisdictions Brian Robbins, CEO, Exco Technologies

8:50 – 9:05	Issues For a North American Auto Parts Manufacturer Transitioning to a Global Supplier Ed Frackowiak, CEO, Westcast Industries

9:05 – 9:20	Update on Powertrain Technologies and Direction Linda Hasenfratz, CEO, Linamar Corporation

9:20 – 9:55	Panel discussion moderated by Peter Sklar

9:55 – 10:10	Break

	ROUNDTABLE II – Competitiveness of Ontario Auto Industry

10:10 – 10:25	Consider the Cost and Productivity of Automotive Labour in Ontario versus the United States Jim Stanford, Economist, Canadian Auto Workers

10:25 – 10:40	Considerations When Establishing Assembly and Parts Manufacturing In Ontario versus the United States Steven Landry, President and CEO, DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc.

10:40 – 10:55	Consider the Competitiveness of Ontario versus Other Global Manufacturing Locations Dave Carroll, Executive Vice President, Tomkins plc

10:55 – 11:10	What Initiatives Has the Government of Ontario Taken to Assist the Automotive Sector The Honourable Joseph Cordiano, M.P.P., Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Government of Ontario

11:10 – 11:50	Panel discussion moderated by Peter Sklar

11:50 – Noon	Closing Remarks

BMO Nesbitt Burns is a leading full-service investment bank offering corporate, institutional and government clients access to a broad range of products and services including investment and corporate banking, treasury services, market risk management, institutional investing and research. BMO Nesbitt Burns is a member of BMO Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: BMO). For more information, please visit www.bmonb.com.

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