News Releases

TORONTO, October 6, 2010 - BMO Financial Group has been named to the list of Canada's 2010 Climate Disclosure Leaders by the Conference Board of Canada.  The Conference Board is the official Canadian partner of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), an independent not-for-profit organization holding the largest database of primary corporate climate change information in the world. 

Companies on the list are recognized for their comprehensive responses and exceptional disclosure practices related to carbon emissions and climate change management strategies.

This announcement follows last month's news that BMO had been named to the inaugural Global 500 Carbon Performance Leadership Index (CPLI) by the CDP.   BMO – the only Canadian-headquartered company named to the Index – was recognized for the actions it is taking to reduce global emissions and mitigate the risks of climate change.

"BMO is proud to be recognized as a leader in the fight against climate change," said Jim Johnston, Director, Environmental Sustainability, BMO Financial Group. “At BMO, we are committed to minimizing the impact of our operations on the environment.  Not only is it the right thing to do, it's an opportunity for us to create value for our customers, employees, shareholders, business partners and the communities in which we operate.”

BMO and the Environment:

BMO has achieved carbon neutrality relative to its energy consumption and transportation emissions across the company, worldwide. BMO accomplished this by targeting emissions reductions, purchasing renewable energy and using carbon offsets for the remainder.

BMO purchases nearly 24,000 megawatt hours of 100 per cent renewable energy annually in Canada, for use by 160 facilities across the country.  In addition, Harris Bank has a three year agreement for the purchase of over 91,000 megawatt hours of 100 per cent renewable energy – enough to power all of its facilities in the U.S.  As a result, approximately 39 per cent of BMO's total emissions footprint is mitigated through renewable energy purchases.

BMO is one of the initial investors in the Greening Canada Fund (GCF), the first-ever voluntary carbon emissions reduction fund aimed exclusively at large Canadian corporations. The fund provides direct access to greenhouse gas emission offset credits and helps BMO support Canadian-based emission reduction projects, particularly those related to social and not-for-profit organizations such as Canadian public schools, hospitals, community housing and others.   In its first year of operation, GCF has invested in energy conservation projects undertaken from coast to coast, including school boards in Montreal and Toronto, the municipalities of Hamilton and Guelph, and a farming operation in British Columbia.  BMO's initial investment commitment in the fund is $10 million.

BMO is listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index, the Jantzi Social Index and the FTSE4Good Series Index. BMO has also been included on the Jantzi/Maclean's list of the 50 Most Responsible Corporations in Canada for two consecutive years, and has been named to Corporate Knights Magazine's Best 50 Corporate Citizens list every year since 2003.

To help customers, investors, employees and other interested parties make sense of it all, BMO's Corporate Responsibility website has a section devoted to addressing climate change (www.bmo.com/environment). The site provides one of the most complete compilations of corporate performance data among its peers.

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News Media Contacts:

Peter Scott, Toronto, PeterE.Scott@bmo.com, (416) 867-3996

Ronald Monet, Montreal, ronald.monet@bmo.com, (514) 877-1873