Innovation, gratitude and generosity: TELUS recognizes the exceptional commitment of Greater Montreal charities

More than $2 million invested in 2010 to support the work of local charities

Montreal (Quebec) – TELUS celebrated its inaugural Celebration of Giving earlier today in Montréal. More than one hundred representatives of local charitable organizations, TELUS team members and Quebec community leaders, took time out today to honour the tireless work of charitable organizations across the Greater Montreal area. Participants also attended workshops to help them learn new skills to help them foster social innovation within their communities.

The Celebration of Giving also provided TELUS with an opportunity to make a donation of more than $2 million on behalf of its 5,000 Quebec team members and its Montreal Community Board. The funds are drawn from the company’s 2010 community partnerships and are earmarked to support the work of local organizations. Event participants were invited to attend workshops and a panel discussion on innovation which featured philanthropists Simon Brault, Director General of the National Theatre School; Dr. Gilles Julien, Founding President and CEO of the Fondation du Dr Julien; and L. Jacques Ménard, Chairman of BMO Nesbitt Burns and President of the BMO Financial Group in Quebec, the driving force behind the Action Group on Academic Persistence and Achievement.

“At TELUS, we give where we live. Today, the inaugural TELUS Celebration of Giving marks the first time a private enterprise celebrated the success of our community’s volunteers and agencies that work tirelessly for the welfare of their fellow citizens,” said François Gratton, vice-president, Business Markets, TELUS Québec, and vice-chair of the TELUS Montreal Community Board. “While we take great pleasure in this donation of more than $2 million to support Montreal’s communities, we are equally delighted to share our expertise and knowledge. It is critical that our organizations be equipped with appropriate tools, since they are key to creating a bright future for Quebec.”

TELUS also recognized exceptional community projects in the areas of technological and social innovation in each of the TELUS Montreal Community Board’s three key pillars: arts and culture, education and sport, and health and wellness in our environment. The three winning organizations - MU, FitSpirit, and Groupe L’Itinéraire - each received free advertising valued at more than $25,000 to help broaden their missions.

“Innovation is a vital part of TELUS’ community investment strategy,” said Bernard Lamarre, Chair of the TELUS Montreal Community Board. “Our TELUS Innovation Award seeks to encourage local charities to thrive, and to demonstrate creativity and originality. The true winners are the local communities of Greater Montreal which will benefit from new services and programs tailored to their specific needs.”

TELUS’ $2 million financial contribution in 2010 includes funding from the TELUS Montreal Community Board, the Team TELUS Charitable Giving Program, local corporate donations and sponsorships. Recipient organizations include:
- Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation
- the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation
- The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Foundation
- The Société pour les arts en milieux de santé
- The YMCAs of Québec
- Le Centre de répit Philou

About TELUS in Quebec
A vibrant corporate presence in Quebec for nearly 85 years, TELUS currently employs over 5,000 team members in the province. Since 2000, the company has invested nearly $8 billion in the Quebec economy and the development of its infrastructure. A Canadian industry leader, TELUS offers Quebec communities access to state-of-the-art global communication technologies, at home and in the workplace. True to its motto “We give where we live,” since 2005 TELUS has donated more than $20 million to Quebec communities in support of local organizations. Registered charities wishing to submit project funding requests to a TELUS Community Board are invited to apply at any time via the website, at telus.com/community.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $9.6 billion of annual revenue and 12 million customer connections including 6.7 million wireless subscribers, 3.8 million wireline network access lines and 1.2 million Internet subscribers and 228,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed $158 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 3.1 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Nine TELUS Community Boards across Canada lead TELUS’ local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.