Press Release

BMO Nesbitt Burns To Donate All Institutional Equity Trading Commissions Earned May 11th to Charities that Support Education

TORONTO, May 3, 2005 – BMO Nesbitt Burns is proud to announce the launch of Equity through Education, a new charitable program designed to raise money for students who demonstrate academic promise but lack the support and means to pursue opportunities that can only be achieved through education.

On May 11th, all of the institutional equity trading commissions earned by BMO Nesbitt Burns across Canada will go directly to four important organizations, whose mission includes improving access to education and training for bright, deserving students who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

“The goodwill generated on May 11th will greatly underscore the personal and professional commitment we all feel toward the important causes of Education and Diversity,” said Eric Tripp, Vice Chair, BMO Nesbitt Burns and Campaign Chair of the special trading day.

“BMO Nesbitt Burns is honoured to assist the selected agencies in their collective efforts to improve lives, strengthen neighbourhoods and enable individuals to achieve their fullest potential through education,” he added.

The four charities BMO Nesbitt Burns’ Equity through Education program is supporting are:

• The National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS)
  NEADS is a national organization that works to achieve full access to education for post-secondary students with disabilities across Canada. NEADS also supports the transition from school to the employment market for college and university graduates with disabilities. The proceeds from Equity through Education will be used to develop training programs for students with disabilities as they prepare to enter the job market.
  www.neads.ca
• Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation (CMSF)
  Founded in 1988, CMSF is an independent and privately funded organization that gives out the largest undergraduate awards to the country’s most promising young leaders. Specifically, the proceeds from Equity through Education will be used to fund awards for women.
  www.cmsf.ca
• Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth (FAAY)
  Administered by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), FAAY is a scholarship and bursary program dedicated to developing the next generation of aboriginal leaders. By encouraging youth to stay in school, FAAY bridges the gap between the reality aboriginal youth face in their communities and the opportunities available to those with higher education. All funds contributed by Equity through Education will be applied directly to bursaries and scholarships for Aboriginal students.
  www.ccab.com
• The Pathways to Education Program
  A unique program of the Regent Park Community Health Centre, serving Toronto’s Regent Park, Canada’s oldest and largest public housing project. Pathways to Education supports “at-risk,” economically disadvantaged youth through high school and inspires them to move on to post-secondary programs. All funds donated by Equity through Education will be used towards the four supports that compromise the trademark Pathways model: tutoring, mentoring, student and parent advocacy, post-secondary bursaries and immediate financial assistance in the form of transit tickets earned through attendance at school.
  www.pathwaystoeducation.ca

“We are grateful to be receiving support from the BMO Nesbitt Burns’ Equity through Education program,” said Rachael Ross, President, NEADS. “This program will enable our organization to launch an exciting series of workshops across Canada for post-secondary students and graduates with disabilities. These sessions aim to promote successful transition to the employment market and enrich the experience of entry into the Canadian workplace.”

BMO Nesbitt Burns, through its parent, BMO Financial Group, has a proud tradition of supporting community reinvestment and corporate and social responsibility to the communities it serves. BMO Financial Group contributed more than $29 million in corporate donations, sponsorships and events in 2004, supporting thousands of communities, charities and not-for-profit organizations in Canada. BMO has committed $9.8 million over the next 10 years to universities and colleges across the country.

BMO Nesbitt Burns is a leading full-service investment bank offering corporate, institutional and government clients access to a broad range of products and services including investment and corporate banking, treasury services, market risk management, institutional investing and research. BMO Nesbitt Burns is a member of BMO Financial Group (TSX, NYSE: BMO). For more information, please visit www.bmonb.com.

Contacts:
Kim Hanson, BMO Nesbitt Burns, (416) 867-3996
Frank Smith, National Educational Association of Disabled Students, (613) 526-8008
Peter-Patrick Baumgartner, Canadian Merit Scholarship Foundation, (416) 646-2120 x 223
Ken Tufts, Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth, (416) 961-8663 ext. 225
Marni Schecter-Taylor, Pathways to Education, (416) 642-1570 x 228