Society for the 375th: BMO Financial Group gets involved and becomes the 11th Great Montrealer

MONTREAL, June 14, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - The Society for the Celebration of Montreal's 375^th Anniversary is proud to announce the involvement and partnership of BMO Financial Group as a Great Montrealers. Besides being an active ambassador of the festivities, the financial institution that will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2017, will also contribute to the Council of Governors, alongside 10 other Great Montrealers, to leave a lasting socio-economic legacy for the city's future.

The 11 Great Montrealers are: Bell, BMO Financial Group, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Claridge, Le Mouvement Desjardins, Loblaw Companies Limited, Power Corporation of Canada, Québecor, RBC Royal Bank, Saputo and Sobeys.

"BMO Financial Group is proud to join the ranks of the Great Montrealers and be an integral part of the activities and celebrations that will be taking place in the city next year, when our organization will also be marking a historical landmark, namely its 200th year of existence," stated L. Jacques Ménard, Chairman of BMO Nesbitt Burns and President of BMO Financial Group, Québec. "Moreover, this contribution is in addition to the Montréal en Histoires project, including Cité Mémoire, which we are thrilled to be presenting all year long to Montrealers and to many tourists along Montreal's streets."

This new partnership model was the brainchild of the Society for the Celebration of Montreal's 375^th Anniversary. It stands out for the number and size of the partners involved and also for the fact that it includes companies from the same industry working for a common cause. However, its most distinctive feature is the investment in time and money that the 11 Great Montrealers will be making together. In addition to a financial contribution of $1 million each to support the Society's activities, they will sit on the Council of Governors responsible for developing projects with long-term structure-enhancing impacts on the city.

The Council of Governors, created at the initiative of the Mayor of Montréal, is a logical continuation of the final part of the report Une métropole prospère et inclusive pour un développement durable (A Prosperous and Inclusive Metropolis for Sustainable Development), submitted to the Ville de Montréal last October by a task force on the status of the metropolis. Chaired by Monique Leroux, Chair and CEO of Desjardins Group, the Council of Governors will include the Mayor of Montréal, representatives of the 11 Great Montrealers and other partners, among them the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, the Jeune Chambre de commerce, Montréal International and Tourisme Montréal.

About the Society for the Celebration of Montreal's 375th Anniversary
The Society for the Celebration of Montreal's 375th anniversary is a non-profit organization whose mission is to organize the 2017 festivities. With a focus on promoting Montreal expertise, it acts as a catalyst for different sectors in fulfilling its mandate: mobilizing the community, implementing a funding strategy, carefully managing the funds raised, developing high-quality programming and promoting the festivities. The Society is supported by the Ville de Montréal and the Government of Quebec. 

The Society receives financial support from the City of Montreal, the Quebec government and private funding from the 11 Great Montrealers. For more information: 375mtl.com

To consult the Council of Governors members' list, visit http://www.375mtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Membres-du-Conseil-des-gouverneurs.pdf

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SOURCE Société des célébrations du 375e anniversaire de Montréal

Gabriel Beauséjour, 514-843-2399, 514-962-0850, twitter.com/375Mtl, instagram.com/375mt, facebook.com/375mtl