BMO Honours Service Members Throughout Canada with Three Donations

• $150,000 provided to organizations that focus on the physical, mental and financial well-being of Veterans, and recognize the service and sacrifice of Indigenous Veterans
• Donations mark Remembrance Day in Canada

TORONTO, Nov. 10, 2021 /CNW/ - BMO Financial Group today announced three donations to organizations in Canada dedicated to the physical, mental and financial well being of Veterans, and that recognize the service and sacrifice of Indigenous Veterans.

"In recognition of Indigenous Veteran's day earlier this week and with the approach of Remembrance Day in Canada, we are reminded of the countless men and women who have given selflessly through their service to their country," said John McNain, Head, Personal Banking Products and Experience, North American Personal & Business Banking, BMO Bank of Montreal. "BMO's commitment to supporting our communities extends to our Veterans who have sacrificed so much for the benefit of all."

One of the most important ways BMO honours this service is by ensuring Veterans are supported, not just once a year but every day. The defence and security community accounts for a higher proportion of the general population in need of mental and physical health support, and homelessness among Veterans is significantly higher. As the official bank of the Defence Community in Canada, BMO makes this donation in line with a long history of support to our service members.

Honouring Indigenous Veterans

BMO has partnered with Last Post Fund who ensure that no Canadian veteran is denied a proper burial, funeral, or military gravestone due to insufficient funds at time of death. BMO's donation will be allocated to a short film that celebrates and recognizes the work of Last Post Fund's Indigenous Veterans Initiative. The Initiative provides grave markers to Indigenous Veterans deceased for over five years and lying in unmarked graves, as well as adding traditional names of Indigenous Veterans to existing military grave markers. Filmmakers include Retired Cpl Desmond Simon, who served as a Combat Engineer in 4 Engineer Support Regiment who is from Elsipogtog First Nation, a Mi'kmaq community in New Brunswick and Nate Gaffney, a Wolastoqiyik filmmaker and photographer.

BMO is the exclusive donor to the film project and this donation reflects its longstanding relationship with the Last Post Fund, which reaches back to the Fund's inception in Montreal over a hundred years ago in 1909.

Supporting Mental Health and Housing Security

BMO's donations also target organizations that help those who are struggling with a range of mental illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and operational stress injury (OSI), those who face such basic needs as finding shelter. These include:

Veterans' House Canada
Veterans' House Canada (VHC) is committed to helping homeless heroes build a better future by providing permanent, affordable, and supportive housing. The organization targets the rising number of unhoused Veterans and combines housing with on-site rehabilitation services. VHC's first housing community – Veterans' House: the Andy Carswell Building in Ottawa – opened in early 2021 and provides a home for 40 Veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

In early 2022, VHC will be launching a national fundraising campaign to build four more homes across Canada, as well as a new website. BMO's donation will support Veterans at the Andy Carswell Building in Ottawa within the Mental Health and Transition Program.

Wounded Warriors Canada
Wounded Warriors Canada is a national mental health service provider that utilizes clinical best practices and evidence-based care to bring healing and hope to injured Veterans, First Responders and their families. 

Recognizing that injuries such as PTSD impact the entire family, the organization created the Warrior Kids Camp and Virtual Program to support the secondary impact trauma has on children living with an injured parent. The BMO donation will fund the participation of 80 children through Warrior Kids. 

Official Bank of the Canadian Defence Community

Since 2008, BMO has served as the Official Bank of the Canadian Defence Community. The bank has created a Canadian Defence Community Banking (CDCB) Program, designed to serve the banking needs of regular force personnel, reserves, recruits, military families, Veterans and retirees, as well as Department of National Defence (DND) and Staff of the Non-Public Funds civilian personnel, the RCMP and the Canadian Coast Guard.

The CDCB Program offers products and services specifically designed to meet the needs of the defence community, such as discounted banking rates and the BMO Support Our Troops Mastercard. A portion of each transaction made with the BMO Mastercard goes to Support Our Troops, the official charitable cause of the Canadian Armed Forces, and has generated over $727,000 to date.

BMO is proud to work with Canadian Defence Community, Last Post Fund, Veterans' House Canada, Wounded Warriors Canada and its many other partners to act on its Purpose-driven commitment to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life.

To learn more about how BMO is helping members of the Canadian Defence Community, visit www.bmo.com/cdcb or www.bmo.com/cdcbbusiness.

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 $971 billion as of July 31, 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

For News Media Inquiries: Kelsey Rutherford, BMO Financial Group, Toronto, [email protected], [phone]