News Releases
Tony Comper, President and Chief Executive Officer of BMO Financial Group today joined Acadia University Chancellor Arthur Irving and President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Gail Dinter-Gottlieb for the announcement of BMO Financial Group's $750,000 donation to the K.C. Irving Environmental Trust, a priority of the Tides are Turning Capital Campaign.
“I would like to thank BMO Financial Group for its longstanding support of Acadia and for investing in the K.C. Irving Environmental Trust,” said Dr. Dinter-Gottlieb. “BMO's gift not only supports Acadia's vision -- to focus on environmental issues and encourage our students to learn though community engagement -- but also ensures Acadia remains one of Canada's top-ranking primarily undergraduate universities. It also allows us to continue to provide our students with the resources and educational experiences they need to make a significance difference in the world.”
Acadia University and BMO Financial Group have had a business partnership for over a century. During this time, BMO Financial Group has made significant donations to a variety of Acadia fundraising campaigns.
“In keeping with BMO's longstanding and overarching commitment to learning, we are pleased to support Acadia's drive to become a champion of environmental education,” said Tony Comper, President and Chief Executive Officer of BMO Financial Group. Mr. Comper expressed confidence in the future of Canada, noting the unsurpassed quality of our country's post-secondary institutions, such as Acadia, the education they provide and the graduates they produce.
The K.C. Irving Environmental Trust will support the operations of the K.C. Irving Environmental Science Centre and the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens, its various programs and its community outreach. This unique complex serves as an important teaching and resource facility concentrating on the ecology and native flora of the “Acadia Forest Region” of Northeast North America, and as a central campus meeting place and conference centre. The growing K.C. Irving Environmental Trust will bolster Acadia University's ability to be a champion of environmental education at the post-secondary level.
Acadia University is committed to integrating environmental stewardship and community engagement into the undergraduate learning environment. To help achieve this vision, the Tides are Turning Capital Campaign priorities include Campus Redevelopments, the Learning Commons and Academic Initiatives, the K.C. Irving Environmental Trust Fund, Student Life Initiatives including Athletics Excellence, and Student Scholarships and Financial Aid.
Acadia University, in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, has long been recognized as one of Canada's premier undergraduate institutions. With its nationally and internationally recognized research initiatives, small class sizes and technology-rich teaching and learning environment, Acadia offers students an experience that includes academic achievement combined with personal growth and development. For more information about Acadia, visit the website at http://www.acadiau.ca
Since its founding in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group has supported the principles of community reinvestment and corporate and social responsibility to the communities it serves. In 2005, BMO Financial Group contributed $29.5 million in corporate donations, sponsorships and events in Canada, supporting thousands of communities, charities and not-for-profit organizations across the country. BMO was also named Canada's Best Corporate Citizen for 2005 by Corporate Knights. BMO Bank of Montreal operates 31 branches in Nova Scotia and BMO Nesbitt Burns has seven offices in the province.
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