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Menkes Developments and TELUS break ground on TELUS tower in Toronto


WEBWIRE

State-of-the-art building will be the most technologically advanced, environmentally smart building in the city

September 14, 2006 - Toronto, Ontario – Peter Menkes, Menkes President, Commercial/Industrial, and Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO, together with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toronto Mayor David Miller, broke ground today on a new $250 million office tower in the heart of downtown Toronto. The building at 25 York Street will support the evolution of a vibrant business district south of Union Station and will set a new standard for environmental responsibility and energy efficiency for Toronto office buildings.

“TELUS is creating long-term value in Ontario,” said Darren Entwistle, TELUS President and CEO.

“We have invested more than $7.5B in Ontario over the past six years, unleashing the power of technology to enable Ontario businesses to access leading edge connectivity, collaboration and infrastructure solutions,” added Entwistle. “The Toronto building will be a technology showcase, a reflection of the TELUS brand that supports a high-quality working environment for 2,000 TELUS team members and sets a new milestone for energy conservation and environmental leadership in Canada.”

Peter Menkes, President, Commercial/Industrial of Menkes Developments, said, “Menkes is excited to lead a new era in commercial real estate development in Toronto. Our 25 York project will not only be the first new office tower built in the downtown core in over a decade, but we are also establishing a new benchmark for environmentally sustainable development by pursuing LEED Silver status. The TELUS tower will create a new standard for excellence in Toronto real estate.”

The TELUS building is pursuing “Silver” status under Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria. The distinction is a North American consensus standard for the design and construction of environmentally sustainable buildings.

Designed by Adamson Architects with support from Sweeney Sterling Finlayson & Company, the 780,000 square feet, 30-storey building will house an advanced heating and cooling system delivered via a raised floor distribution network which will reduce the cost of energy to heat and cool the building by up to 25%. A built-in cistern will collect and recycle rain water for use in non-drinking water systems. The building is designed to allow more natural light penetration into the workplace environment with floor to ceiling clear glazing. Energy saving measures also include high-performance windows and high-efficiency lighting systems.

Situated adjacent to the Air Canada Centre, the building will feature direct access to the Air Canada Centre galleria and Union Station. The downtown site was chosen for many “green” reasons. It promotes the continued development of the waterfront and is adjacent to multiple convenient and regularly serviced public transit options, including TTC, GO transit and commuter rail lines.

“I want to thank Darren Entwistle, and everyone at TELUS, for making such an important investment in this city and in Ontario,” said Premier McGuinty. “It’s a real vote of confidence in our talented workforce and in the strength of our economy.”

The development of 25 York meets several City of Toronto planning objectives, including expansion of the downtown business district, employment growth, transit-oriented development and revitalization of the area surrounding Union Station. Over the next few years, along with the development of Maple Leaf Square to the south, 25 York will help to create an exciting new mixed-use downtown neighbourhood.

“The construction commencement of 25 York is truly a milestone for the city. This project signals the creation of a vibrant new business and residential community around the Air Canada Centre and represents a dynamic addition to our thriving downtown core,” said Toronto Mayor David Miller.

The project is being developed by Menkes Union Tower Ltd. – a joint venture partnership between Menkes Developments Ltd., Hospitals of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) and Halcyon Real Estate Partners Fund, an institutional real estate equity fund. TELUS will be the lead tenant of the building, occupying approximately 440,000 square feet or 60% of the total rentable area, and will have prominent roof-top and podium signage rights.

Construction on the TELUS tower has begun. A minimum of 50% of the waste generated from construction will be diverted from the landfill and recycled or re-used. The scheduled occupancy date is January 1, 2009.

TELUS tower will be the new Toronto home for TELUS, bringing together over 2,000 employees who are currently based in various locations across the GTA. This new office location will complement TELUS’ presence in Toronto’s East End at Consilium Place where more than 3,000 team members are located primarily to serve consumers.

TELUS employs more than 5,200 highly skilled workers in Ontario and has an annual payroll in excess of $279 million. Ontario is home to TELUS Business Solutions, a business unit led by President Joe Natale, that meets the communications needs of small, medium and large business customers across Canada by providing customized solutions including IP, voice, and data solutions, as well as integrated wireless solutions nationally.

LEED status is designated by the Canada Green Building Council, a building industry coalition that promotes environmentally responsible technologies. LEED building projects are evaluated in six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources that incorporate as much local and recycled content as possible, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.

About Menkes Developments
Menkes Developments Ltd. is a fully integrated real estate company involved in the construction, ownership and management of office, industrial and residential properties. Menkes was founded in 1954 by Murray Menkes, who initially carried on business as a developer of single family homes. Over the years, the company expanded significantly and branched out into other areas of real estate, and is now one of the largest private Canadian developers of residential, industrial and office properties. Menkes has developed a portfolio of high quality, strategically located industrial and office buildings in the GTA, including the Beaver Creek Business Park in Richmond Hill, and the Procter & Gamble building and 5000 Yonge in North York. For more information about Menkes, please visit menkes.com.

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $8.4 billion of annual revenue and 10.4 million customer connections including 4.7 million wireless subscribers, 4.6 million wireline network access lines and 1.05 million Internet subscribers. The company’s strategic intent is to unleash the power of the Internet to deliver the best solutions to Canadians at home, in the workplace and on the move. TELUS provides customers with a wide range of wireline and wireless communications products and services including data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, entertainment and video services.



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