BMO Extends Wellness Services to Canadian Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

• 45 per cent of Canadians feel the need for mental health support but access to affordable care is a barrier for some, according to a LifeWorks study

TORONTO, July 19, 2021 /CNW/ - With the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns, business owners have experienced new stresses both professionally and in their personal lives. In support, BMO today announced that it is providing the wellness services offered to its team members to Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs across Canada.

"BMO has been a major proponent of championing mental health in the workplace, providing resources and support, and seeing it as part of someone's overall health," said Mike Bonner, Head, Canadian Business Banking, BMO Bank of Montreal. "We saw the challenges and strain that the pandemic was putting on clients and recognized that, in order to help businesses thrive, we needed to do more than just support them financially. We're providing our wellness services to our clients to support Canada's main street businesses more holistically."

The services, provided by LifeWorks, offer resources for overall wellbeing including mental, physical, social, and financial health. With the services, business owners and entrepreneurs can receive:

• 24/7 access to confidential, short-term counselling support and professional advisors for advice and work-life support by phone, online, or mobile app
• Online Wellbeing Resources with articles, toolkits and videos related to family, health, life, money, and work
• Wellbeing Assessment tools and interactive self-guided programs to help manage anxiety, stress, grief, and relationships
• Exclusive online offers from leading brands to help save on things like fitness, nutrition, health, and beauty

Business clients will be able to access the wellness services and resources between July 19, 2021 and December 31, 2021 by visiting bmo.com/lifeworks.

For more information on how BMO holistically supports its business clients, visit:  https://www.bmo.com/main/business/

About BMO Financial Group
Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a highly diversified financial services provider - the 8th largest bank, by assets, in North America. With total assets of $950 billion as of April 30, 2021, and a team of diverse and highly engaged employees, BMO provides a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers and conducts business through three operating groups: Personal and Commercial Banking, BMO Wealth Management and BMO Capital Markets.

SOURCE BMO Financial Group

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