In the News

[Jeffrey Reed]

For Immediate Release:

December 11, 2006



2006 CN CANADIAN WOMEN’S OPEN RAISES $413,000 FOR CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF WESTERN ONTARIO



- Major CN donation and nearly $8 million in economic activity for the City of London crown successful debut for Canada’s only LPGA Tour event -



London, Ont. (RCGA) – CN and the Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) are proud to announce that CN and the 2006 CN Canadian Women’s Open raised a total of $413,000 (CDN) for the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario at London Health Sciences Centre.



"Our inaugural year as title sponsor of this tournament was a huge success,” said Mark Wallace, CN assistant vice-president, Public Affairs. “The competition was exciting, the fans and volunteers were great, and the hospitality was outstanding. The Open generated nearly $8 million in economic activity for the City of London. Most importantly, CN was able to help a great hospital."



The RCGA has completed the overall donation on behalf of the CN Canadian Women’s Open to the Children’s Hospital by contributing $100,000 based on a portion of proceeds from the tournament ticket sales.



Earlier this year, CN announced that the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario would be the beneficiary of a new tournament charity program aimed at supporting children’s charities in local communities. Through the CN Miracle Match program, CN had committed to match dollar for dollar any funds donated by fans online and on-site at the London Hunt and Country Club during tournament week.



At the conclusion of the tournament, E. Hunter Harrison, CN president and chief executive officer, increased CN’s donation by presenting a cheque for $250,000 to the Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario. The donation was also topped with the $63,000 donated by fans through the CN Miracle Match program.



“We are surprised and ecstatic,” said Debbie Comuzzi, president and chief executive officer, Children’s Health Foundation, which raises and grants funds to Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario. “CN and the Royal Canadian Golf Association have been incredibly generous throughout this entire tournament and continue to be so supportive in their commitment to children’s safety and health care. This additional $100,000 donation from the tournament proceeds will help ensure sick children and their families throughout Southwestern Ontario have access to the best hospital and hospital care possible.”



The 2006 edition of Canada’s only LPGA Tour event marked a successful debut with CN as title sponsor. Residents of London and Southwestern Ontario helped set record attendance numbers for the event. During the final round, 16,500 patrons made their way through the gates at London Hunt and Country Club for a tournament-total 61,000 spectators for the week — setting a new tournament week attendance record for the Canadian Women’s Open.



In addition, more than 1,300 enthusiastic volunteers devoted countless hours of time to make the championship an overwhelming success. The 2006 edition of the event also attracted local, national and international media attention as over 275 media members representing almost 90 outlets were accredited for the event.



The event also generated a total estimated economic activity of $10.1 million in Ontario, including $7.9 million in the London region. The RCGA conducted the economic assessment using the Sport Tourism Economic Assessment Model (STEAM), which measures the economic benefits of a sport event on a community. The study estimates the level of spending directly attributed to the 2006 CN Canadian Women’s Open, as well the run-off economic impacts generated in the local community by participant and spectator spending, capital spending and the operational costs of conducting the event.



“We are very pleased with the incredible success of this year’s CN Canadian Women’s Open,” said Rick Desrochers, chief operating officer and managing director, Championship Division with the RCGA. “As organizers, the ability to provide significant economic contributions to our host communities gives us incredible momentum as we move the CN Canadian Women’s Open across Canada. We are also extremely proud of the tremendous goodwill that comes from the support of our spectators, volunteers, sponsors, media partners and the LPGA Tour.”





ABOUT THE 2007 CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN
Stars of the LPGA Tour will be featured at the $2.25 million (US) CN Canadian Women's Open from August 13-19 at the Royal Mayfair Golf and Country Club in Edmonton, Alta. This year marks the championship's 35th season on the LPGA Tour. The CN Canadian Women's Open is proudly sponsored by CN as well as Molson, Penfolds and the Host City of Edmonton. For updated corporate hospitality, sponsorship opportunities, daily tickets, and volunteer information please visit www.cncanadianwomensopen.com.



ABOUT CN

CN is the only transcontinental railroad in North America whose network spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key cities of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Memphis, St. Louis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For further information please visit www.cn.ca.



About Children’s Health Foundation

Established in the early 1900s by the I.O.D.E, the Foundation has been raising money for specialized children’s health care for nearly a century. Children’s Health Foundation supports specialized equipment, programs and services at Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario at London Health Sciences Centre, and breakthrough research into the causes, preventions and cures of childhood diseases at the Children’s Health Research Institute. Children’s Health Foundation is leading the way to raise funds to help build the NEW Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario, now under construction at Wellington and Baseline Roads in London. To learn more, visit www.childhealth.ca.

About Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario
Children’s Hospital of Western Ontario at London Health Sciences Centre is the regional paediatric referral centre for all of Southwestern Ontario, parts of Northern Ontario, and periodically sees children from other provinces as well. Children's in London has the only 24 hour emergency room between Winnipeg and Toronto staffed with paediatricians around the clock. With over 18 different medical specialties and sub-specialties, Children's provides expertise from paediatric critical care to multi-organ transplants.

We are now building a NEW Children's Hospital of Western Ontario. This new building will be home to both the Grace Donnelly Women's Health Pavilion and the NEW Children's Hospital of Western Ontario - the first of its kind in Canada to house both women's and children's health care under one roof. When completed in late 2009, it will provide the most advanced specialized health care environment with optimal conditions for healing children.



ABOUT THE ROYAL CANADIAN GOLF ASSOCIATION

The Royal Canadian Golf Association (RCGA) is the governing body of golf in Canada, representing close to 400,000 members at over 1550 clubs across the country. Some of the RCGA’s core services include the Rules of Golf, handicapping and course rating, support of turfgrass and environmental research, the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum and CN Future Links, Canada’s national junior golf program. In addition, the RCGA conducts Canada’s most prestigious golf championships. The Canadian Open and CN Canadian Women’s Open attract the best professional golfers in the world, while six regional junior championships, 10 national amateur championships and the CN Canadian Women’s Tour showcase the best of Canadian golf. For more information please visit www.rcga.org.