Nobel Peace Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus to Visit Toronto

    TORONTO, May 14 /CNW/ - Last year's winner of the Nobel Peace Prize,
Dr. Muhammad Yunus, will visit Toronto on June 9, 2008 to address the annual
conference on the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. This is the first visit
by Dr. Yunus to Toronto since receiving the Nobel Peace Prize.
    Dr. Yunus and the bank he founded, Grameen Bank, were recognized by the
Nobel Committee in December 2006 for their pioneering use of micro-credit to
lift millions of people out of poverty. Since its inception, Grameen has lent
more than $6 billion to over seven million people in developing countries.
Individual loans average less than $100 each and are made mostly to women, who
use the money to set up small businesses. The repayment rate on the loans is
an astounding 95%.
    At the Toronto event, Dr. Yunus will be joined by a group of
distinguished speakers including legendary civil rights advocate and
entertainer Harry Belafonte, Toronto Mayor David Miller and more than a dozen
CEOs and senior executives from this year's list of Canada's Top 100
Employers. The annual event is chaired by the organizers of the Canada's Top
100 Employers project. "It is a privilege to host Muhammad Yunus on his first
visit to Toronto since winning the Nobel Peace Prize," says the project's
Managing Editor, Richard Yerema.
    "The inspirational story of Dr. Yunus and Grameen makes a simple point
that it doesn't take a lot of resources to make a tremendous difference in the
lives of others," says Canada's Top 100 Employers Publisher, Tony Meehan.
    Now entering its 9th year, the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers
competition recognizes the employers that lead their industries in offering
exceptional working conditions and leadership in the community. The annual
conference is presented by Towers Perrin and organized by Mediacorp Canada
Inc., which publishes the Canada's Top 100 Employers list each year.

For further information: For the complete schedule of this year's
conference with Dr. Muhammad Yunus, please visit www.EmployerSummit.ca; For
more information on the event, please call Karen Chow at Mediacorp Canada Inc.
at [phone] or email [e-mail]