"As a responsible corporation, we take the time to listen to our various stakeholders and develop an understanding of how our activities impact them."

Ula Ubani Director Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability BMO Financial Group

Our Priorities

• Seek out opportunities to engage our stakeholders, including our customers, shareholders, employees and communities.
• Partner with national and international groups committed to furthering the cause of corporate responsibility.
• Partner to encourage dialogue on climate change issues.

Identifying Our Stakeholders

• Customers
• Shareholders
• Employees
• Communities
• Working Groups
• Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Customers

Whether it’s buying their first house, saving for a child’s education, investing for retirement or growing a business, our customers know where they want to go. Our job at BMO is to help them get there as quickly, efficiently and easily as possible. Achieving this objective begins with listening.

Shareholders

We serve the interests of our shareholders by succeeding as a business. Yet meeting the expectations of our shareholders also involves a commitment to being open, accountable and transparent. We educate analysts and investors about our business through regular meetings and financial presentations. And we regularly solicit feedback from the investment community to better understand how our strategy and performance are being perceived and where there are opportunities for improvement.

Employees

To serve our customers exceptionally well, our people must have the environment, skills and training they need to succeed at work and in their personal lives. Particularly, they must have a workplace where everyone is encouraged to communicate their ideas, thoughts and concerns. One of the most important ways we capture employee feedback is through our Annual Employee Survey (AES), which enables us to measure employee attitudes and opinions about workplace issues ranging from diversity to business strategy.

Communities

When communities thrive, life is better for our customers, our employees – and our business. That’s why we are committed to improving the quality of life in our neighbourhood and towns. In 2007, BMO, one of Canada’s top corporate donors, committed $50.4 million in donations, sponsorships and events in Canada and the United States to groups, organizations and programs that help build and sustain resilient, vital and healthy communities.

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Working Groups

Through our ongoing affiliation with global environmental organizations, such as the United Nations Environmental Programme, we continue to contribute to the discussion and use the knowledge we gain to enhance our own environmental management practices while promoting environmental sustainability globally.

BMO was the only Canadian bank to participate in the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative – Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Working Group. This multi-stakeholder group amended the GRI Financial Services Sector Supplement (FSSS) and created clear guidelines for the application of GRI indicators in the financial services industry. This will ensure that the GRI framework covers material sustainability issues for the sector.

In 2007, we collaborated with some of our Canadian peers, Environment Canada and the informal Network on Linking Environmental Performance to Financial Value in the development of a research study examining the role of the financial services sector in protecting and conserving Canada’s boreal forest. We used this exercise to benchmark our policies and programs addressing the protection of biodiversity, ecologically sustainable forest management and indigenous peoples’ rights against those of other financial institutions. As a result, we are working to provide additional guidance in our policies based on the possible effects of lending in the region.

Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs)

At BMO, we make it a priority to enhance our understanding of environmental issues. To that end, examples of stakeholders that we engaged with in 2007 include:

• Canadian Boreal Initiative
• Conservation Biology Institute
• Forest Ethics
• Global Forest Watch Canada
• Nature Conservancy Canada
• Rainforest Action Network

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