Behind Every New Canadian is a Great Story

BMO Celebrates Canada Day by Inviting Newcomers to Share their Stories

VANCOUVER, July 2 /CNW/ - In the spirit of Canada Day, BMO Bank of Montreal invites New Canadians to share their 'Journey to Canada' stories of achievements and newfound opportunities.

"As Canada's first bank, BMO has a long and proud history of serving the financial needs of multicultural communities," said Doris Chang, Vice President, New Canadian Markets, BC and Yukon division, BMO Bank of Montreal. "We understand that moving to a new country takes courage and the journey along the way can be marked with many ups and downs. We're asking customers to share their experiences and celebrate what it means to be Canadian."

To help encourage customers to share their 'Journey to Canada' stories, BMO is offering a chance to win one of three $1,000 cash prizes.

"Listening to Newcomers share their stories reminds us of how privileged we are to call Canada home," added Chang. "These are moving stories of perseverance - of having a dream and making it come true".

BMO customer Kim Zhang wrote...

I had left behind all my family - my wife, young child and parents - to come to Canada as an exchange student. I lived in a basement room in downtown Toronto. I didn't know a soul and I was terribly lonely. By the early 1990's my wife and son were by my side and I founded a travel agency that specializes in helping North American investors explore the Chinese market. Today I oversee an enterprise that operates 11 offices across North America and China.

About the 'Journey to Canada' promotion:

The Journey to Canada promotion runs until August 31, 2009. Contestants submit their stories to mycanada.story@bmo.com. In 250 words or less, stories can be guided by the following sample questions:

    
    -   What made you decide to come to Canada and how is your new life
        unfolding?
    -   What do you love about Canada and what are your dreams for the
        future?

    BMO's Support for New Canadians

    -   To support New Canadian customers, BMO recently introduced a Welcome
        to Canada Banking Package that provides a wide range of financial
        products and services to meet the unique needs of customers new to
        Canada.
    -   BMO regularly supports multicultural community events including its
        recent sponsorship of the Mandarin Profile Entrepreneur Award
        Presentation.
    -   BMO's workforce mirrors the diversity of the Canadian mosaic and
        wherever possible we try to provide services in the language of our
        customers' choice. For example our staff at our main branch in
        Vancouver speaks over 16 different languages. We have Chinese, Korean
        and Punjab glossaries and tools on our website and our customer
        communication material is available in multiple languages.
    -   BMO is the only Canadian bank with branches in Beijing, Shanghai,
        Guangzhou and Hong Kong and has spent more than 20 years assisting
        customers with advisory services and immigration banking services.
    

For a complete list of participating branches and full details, please visit www.bmo.com/mycanadastory

Contacts

Media Contacts: Kasia Lech
Toronto
kasia.lech@bmo.com
(416) 867-3996

Lucie Gosselin
Montréal
Lucie.gosselin@bmo.com
(514) 877-8224

Laurie Grant
Vancouver
Laurie.Grant@bmo.com
(604) 665-7596