Gaz Métro Donates $1 million to the MUHC / CHUM Joint Corporate Campaign

MONTREAL, June 5, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - The Fondation du Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) and the McGill University Health Centre Foundation (MUHC) announced today that Gaz Métro is donating $1 million to their Joint Corporate Campaign. The funds will be used to support the redevelopment projects of the two academic healthcare institutions.

"Helping to provide an accessible and efficient healthcare network is one of Gaz Métro's community investment priorities," said president and chief executive officer Sophie Brochu. "The CHUM and MUHC Foundations' Joint Corporate Campaign is a project that reflects the fundamental values of both Gaz Métro and these two renowned healthcare institutions. We are very proud to contribute to the cause."

The new CHUM and MUHC facilities, both currently under construction, will meet stringent environmental standards (LEED® Silver certification) and favour sustainable development, energy savings, healthy air flow, efficient water use, waste reduction, recycling and green operations, all with the aim of creating spaces that will lend themselves to healing and an improved work environment. Gaz Métro shares this forward-looking vision with the CHUM and the MUHC. As leaders in environment issues and sustainable development, Gaz Métro is committed to investing in the improvement of long-term quality of life for the community, therefore its involvement in the CHUM and MUHC joint campaign is a natural fit.

"Gaz Métro's generosity is a significant gesture," indicated Christian Paire, director general and CEO of the CHUM. "By lending support to the new CHUM, this Québec business is opting for a healthier population, patients and staff growing together in an organization where the quality of health care is also dependent on the standards of the establishment. The wise choices made in building the new CHUM will make it possible to provide our users with facilities which are both comfortable and environmentally friendly. Recovery and recycling, the management of water, energy resources and waste, along with the more fundamental notion of promoting health, represent the focal point of our concerns. We are deeply grateful to Gaz Métro. Its generous donation will enable us to scale the highest summits of science and knowledge in order to offer the very best in health care to our patients, at the same time giving high priority to sustainable development and the promotion of health."

"Gaz Métro is contributing to more than a hospital," said Guy Savard, chairman of the Fondation du CHUM Capital Campaign Cabinet, "this is truly a project to benefit society as a whole. We are sincerely grateful for your vision, your deep sense of social responsibility and your commitment to health care. We are very happy to have you as one of our partners in this project that will benefit all the people of Quebec. Among other things, the CHUM, with its exceptional reputation, will draw investors from all over the world, which is a point of pride for our entire community. Once again, thanks."

"We applaud Gaz Métro's leadership and vision in supporting health care and research. The fact that they are choosing to associate themselves with the MUHC is testament to their commitment both to world-class health care here in Quebec and to sustainable development," said Normand Rinfret, interim director general and CEO of the MUHC. "The New MUHC will be at the cutting edge of energy efficiency. Ninety-five percent of the project's demolition and construction debris will be either reused or recycled. Protecting the environment is extremely important to us, and we are so happy that Gaz Métro is joining us in honouring our promise of a better future for countless families in Quebec and beyond."

"Gaz Métro's contribution is evidence of the leading role they play in Quebec's society. It is further testimony to the crucial part that the business community has in creating new healthcare centres," said John A. Rae, chair of The Best Care for Life Campaign. "In recognition of Gaz Métro's exceptional generosity, the MUHC is announcing that two family rooms at the Montreal Children's Hospital—at the future Glen site scheduled to open in 2015—will bear their name. We thank them with all sincerity."

The Joint Corporate Campaign is a historic partnership of the MUHC and the CHUM, each of which must raise $300 million for their respective redevelopment projects.

Overview of Gaz Métro
With over $3.7 billion in assets, Gaz Métro is Quebec's leading natural gas distributor. Its 10,000 kilometre network serves 300 municipalities. Gaz Métro has operated in this regulated industry since 1957 and is the trusted energy provider of its customers in Quebec and Vermont, who choose natural gas for its competitive price, efficiency, comfort and environmental benefits. Gaz Métro is also present in the electricity distribution market, natural gas transportation and storage, the development of innovative energy projects such as wind power, natural gas as fuel for the transportation industry and biomethanation. Gaz Métro is committed to the satisfaction of its customers, Partners (Gaz Métro inc. and Valener Inc.), employees and the communities it serves. www.gazmetro.com

Every year, Gaz Métro donates around 1% of its net earnings to charitable organizations, as part of its community investment program. With a focus on high-impact initiatives that aim to improve quality of life over the long term, the program endeavours to maximize the benefits of the funds and efforts invested in the community. For further information on Gaz Métro's social commitment and its community investment policy, go to www.gazmetro.com/donations.

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. 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, teaching and technology assessment. 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 $2.35-billion Redevelopment Project on three sites—the Glen, and Montreal General and Lachine hospitals—designed to provide healthcare professionals with an effective environment in which to ensure patients and their families get the best care for life. The sites are also anchored in best sustainable-development practices, including LEED® and BOMA BESt guidelines. 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. muhcfoundation.com

Image with caption: "John A. Rae, Chairman of the MUHC's Best Care for Life Campaign; Marie-Josée Gariépy, President of the Montreal Children's Hospital Foundation; Normand Rinfret, Interim Director General and CEO of the MUHC; Jean Houde, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gaz Métro; Christian Paire, Director General and CEO of CHUM; Guy Savard, Chairman of the Fondation du CHUM Capital Campaign Cabinet; Ékram Antoine Rabbat, President and CEO of the Fondation du CHUM. (CNW Group/McGill University Health Centre Foundation (MUHC))". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120606_C6454_PHOTO_EN_14795.jpg

For further information:

Gaz Métro
Catherine Houde
Medias and Public Affairs Advisor
[email protected]
514 598-3449

MUHC
Stacy Patenaude
Jonathan Goldbloom & Associates
514 750-0887 extension 100
514 795-9940 (cell)
[email protected]

Fondation du CHUM
Élodie Grange
Director Communications and Marketing,
Fondation du CHUM
514 890-8361
[email protected]