Media Release

For Immediate Release

March 22, 2006

BMO Financial Group supports the Hearts & Minds Capital Campaign with a $400,000 gift

Here's the $400,000 cheque! From left to right: Mr. Paul Dyer, Chair of the Board of Governors, Saint Mary's; Mr. Tony Comper, President and CEO of BMO Financial Group; Dr. J. Colin Dodds, President of Saint Mary's; Mr. Zach Churchill, President of the Saint Mary's University Students' Association (SMUSA); and, Mr. Paul Sobey, Chair of the Hearts and Minds Capital Campaign. Droves of people turned out for today's big announcement. Today, Mr. Tony Comper, President and CEO of BMO Financial Group, was on campus to announce a $400,000 gift for the Saint Mary's Hearts and Minds Capital Campaign.   Mr. Tony Comper, President and CEO of BMO Financial Group, and Mr. Paul Sobey, Chair of the Saint Mary's Hearts and Minds Capital Campaign, both unveil the BMO Financial Group Student Lounge, which is located on the second floor of Loyola Academic Complex. Everyone who attended the big event today also attended a special reception which was held at the Fourth Floor Lounge, Sobey Building. Mr. Tony Comper (far left), President and CEO of BMO Financial Group, talks with Dr. Martha Jodrey and Bruce Jodrey at the reception. The Jodrey family are major supporters of Saint Mary's University.

HALIFAX, NS (March 22, 2006) – The Hearts & Minds Capital Campaign is one step closer to reaching its goal thanks to a $400,000 gift from BMO Financial Group.

Over 100 faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of Saint Mary’s gathered on campus for a Celebration Reception at the newly named BMO Financial Group Student Lounge.

The renaming of the lounge, a centre of student activity, was deemed a fitting tribute to BMO Financial Group in recognition of the impact their role in the Capital Campaign will have on the student experience and the Saint Mary’s community.

Dr. J. Colin Dodds, President of Saint Mary’s, applauded BMO Financial Group.

“This generous gift keeps us moving forward towards our overall goal and we are honoured to have BMO Financial Group on board as a partner in our Campaign efforts. We share the common ambition to make education accessible to all students from every corner of the globe. The BMO Financial Group Student Lounge will forever recognize BMO’s investment in Saint Mary’s and their belief in the value of education.”

“I am very pleased that the name of my organization will be associated with such a comfortable, contemporary gathering place on the campus of one of Canada’s most venerable and deeply respected universities,” said Tony Comper, President and CEO of BMO Financial Group. Mr. Comper applauded Saint Mary’s efforts to reach out to and educate students from all parts of the world, adding that the BMO Financial Group Student Lounge feels like a crossroads in the global village.

Many students were in the audience for the gift announcement and unveiling of newly named BMO Financial Group Student Lounge.

"I'm very excited that the BMO Financial Group has decided to support Saint Mary's," said Zach Churchill, President of the Saint Mary's University Students' Association. "It's donations like this one that will help the university create better facilities on campus for students, strengthen our current academic services, and provide more financial assistance for students in need. The students are the direct beneficiaries, and we greatly appreciate this level of support from the business community."

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.

Saint Mary’s University is known for making education accessible to all students and is one of Canada’s oldest and leading post-secondary institutions, attracting students from almost 100 countries around the world. The University has an abundance of community outreach and linkage projects worldwide for students and faculty. In the 2005 Maclean’s University Rankings, Saint Mary’s placed first overall in the undergraduate category for having the highest number of international students in all of Canada.

The Hearts & Minds Capital Campaign is the first major capital campaign in over a decade and has a goal of $40 million. The campaign is built around achieving balance, strengthening focus, and above all, ensuring access — financially, physically and ideologically. The campaign’s $40 million dollar list of priorities includes new and renewed facilities for health and wellness promotion, science education, learning commons space and renewed childcare facilities. It also emphasizes investment in students and faculty through new student financial aid, academic chairs, professorships and other academic and student experiential learning initiatives.

Saint Mary's University is known for its community outreach projects, both in Canada and around the world. Saint Mary's, founded in 1802, is home to one of Canada's leading business schools, a Science Faculty widely known for its cutting-edge research, a comprehensive and innovative Arts Faculty and a vibrant Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.

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For More Information:

Paul Fitzgerald
Public Affairs Officer
Saint Mary's University, Public Affairs
(902) 420.5514
E-mail: paul.fitzgerald@smu.ca
www.smu.ca

Ron Monet

Corporate Communications

BMO Financial Group

(902) 421-3999 or (514) 594-2501

ronald.monet@bmo.com