Joint Corporate Campaign of the CHUM and the MUHC Foundations - National Bank Provides $8-Million Gift: The Largest in its History

MONTREAL, Oct. 5, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - National Bank is giving $8 million to the Joint Corporate Campaign of the Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) and the McGill University Health Centre Foundation (MUHC). Announced today, the donation will support the Montreal projects' goals of enhancing academic medicine, including research. Both centres will be able to acquire state-of-the-art equipment and create ultramodern facilities so as to better meet current and future healthcare needs.

"National Bank is proud to donate $8 million to the CHUM and MUHC foundations' joint campaign; it is the largest gift in our history," declared Louis Vachon, the National Bank's president and chief executive officer. "Whether we are talking about our clients, our employees or the members of the communities we serve, everyone realizes that these projects are important. In addition to supporting health care improvements, they will boost both Montreal's and Quebec's economic and social development."

"Fifteen years after the founding of the CHUM, we continue to reach for the pinnacles of science and academics in order to offer our patients the best care," noted Christian Paire, the CHUM's director general and chief executive officer. "Such care is also guaranteed by partnerships, such as the one we're announcing today, which allow us to pursue our quest for excellence in teaching and in research."

"National Bank's contribution exemplifies the trust and generosity of our community, which we intend to repay with world-class care, research and teaching," stated the Honourable Arthur T. Porter, the MUHC's director general and chief executive officer. "The redevelopment of our hospitals is well underway and will assure that our healthcare professionals have the modern tools to do their best work while our patients have comfortable, family-accessible rooms to support their treatment."

A clear message to the Quebec business community
This generous donation to the joint corporate campaign of the CHUM and MUHC foundations, offered by North America's strongest bank¹, represents another step toward ensuring the success of the two most significant healthcare projects in Quebec. It also gives eloquent voice to the faith that's being invested in these projects.

"We want to express our sincere gratitude to National Bank for this exemplary gesture," remarked Ékram Antoine Rabbat, the Fondation du CHUM's president and chief executive officer. "In showing such generosity, National Bank is sending a clear message about its desire to help provide a healthy future for all Quebecers and its support for the Fondation du CHUM. As a key player in Quebec's economic and social development, National Bank is and has been for many years a major partner with whom we share a vision: to offer patients top-quality personalized care in an environment promoting innovative research and teaching," he concluded.

"This momentous contribution from the National Bank to the joint MUHC and CHUM campaign underscores its leadership role in Quebec society," declared John Rae, the chairman of the McGill University Health Centre's The Best Care for Life campaign. Obviously conscious of the relevance and importance of these two major projects in a field as vital as health care, the business community is demonstrating its commitment to the community. We are extremely grateful for National Bank's big-hearted support."

"This generous gift from National Bank will give a serious helping hand to Quebec's health sector," stated Marc Courtois, the chairman of The Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation's The Best Care for Children campaign, which will benefit from $1.5 million of this gift. "We are very happy to see those at the forefront of the Quebec financial services sector blazing the trail as far as support for our healthcare institutions goes."

¹ Bloomberg Markets Magazine, June 2011

About the National Bank of Canada
The National Bank of Canada is an integrated group which provides total financial services to its private clientele, to small businesses and large companies in its main market, as well as specialized services to its other clients worldwide. National Bank offers a whole range of banking services, including those intended for major corporations along with all the services of an investment bank. It is active in international money markets and through its subsidiaries, security and insurance brokers, and wealth, mutual fund and pension plan management staff. National Bank is a company with assets of more than 153 billion dollars. Together with its subsidiaries, it employs 19,217 workers. Its stocks are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (NA: TSX). For further information, go to the Bank's Website at www.bnc.ca. To access the National Bank's financial education portal, go to www.jecomprends.ca.

About the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) and its foundation                               
The Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) is the largest francophone teaching hospital in North America. Known for excellent care and the expertise of its specialists, every year it welcomes more than half a million patients not only from the greater Montreal region but also the entire province of Quebec. The essence of its mission is the application of innovative approaches to healthcare, the search for new knowledge, the promotion of health and the transfer of knowledge. Boasting a rich history, the CHUM is looking to the future with the ongoing construction of new facilities and its research centre in downtown Montreal, a comprehensive project on a single site valued at approximately $2.5 billion. The CHUM Research Centre will open its doors in 2013. It will be followed in 2016 by the unveiling of the new CHUM, a world-class teaching hospital in tune with its community where it plays a major role, in a socially aware perspective of sustainable development and concerted urban approach. It is also an active member of the Réseau universitaire intégré de santé (RUIS) de l'Université de Montréal. chumontreal.com

The Fondation du CHUM's mission is to provide the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal with an ongoing source of private funding to complement its public funding in order to contribute to the continuous improvement of patient care, allow for the acquisition of advanced equipment and support the CHUM's research, education and health promotion activities. www.fondationduchum.com

About the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and The Best Care for Life Campaign
One of the world's foremost academic health centres, the MUHC offers exceptional and integrated patient-centric care, research and teaching. Affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, it is highly committed to the continuum of care in its community. The partner hospitals of the MUHC—the Lachine Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute, the Montreal General Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital and The Montreal Children's Hospital— value multidisciplinary service throughout the lifespan, innovative technologies and practices, strategic partnerships and leadership in knowledge transfer. The MUHC is currently carrying out a $2.25-billion Redevelopment Project on three campuses—the Mountain, Glen and Lachine—designed to provide healthcare professionals with an effective environment in which to ensure patients and their families get the best care for life. The campuses are also anchored in best sustainable-development practices, including LEED^® and BOMA BESt guidelines. www.muhc.ca / www.muhc.ca/construction

The Best Care for Life Campaign is an unprecedented philanthropic effort aimed at raising the funds needed to complete the McGill University Health Centre's Redevelopment Project as well as the Capital Development Plan. www.muhcfoundation.com/

Image with caption: "Mr. Marc A. Courtois, chairman of The Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation's The Best Care for Children campaign; Marie-Josée Gariépy, president of The Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation; Mr. John Rae, chairman of the McGill University Health Centre's The Best Care for Life campaign; the Honourable Arthur T. Porter, MUHC's director general and chief executive officer; Mr. Louis Vachon, National Bank's president and chief executive officer; Mr. Christian Paire, CHUM's director general and chief executive officer; Mr. Gilles Dulude, chairman of the Fondation du CHUM's board of directors; Mr. Yvon Deschamps, Fondation du CHUM's spokesperson; Mr. Ékram Antoine Rabbat, Fondation du CHUM's president and chief executive officer; Dr. François Lespérance, directeur général adjoint - affaires médicales et académiques et directeur des services professionnels du CHUM. (CNW Group/FONDATION DU CHUM)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20111005_C9453_PHOTO_EN_4172.jpg

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