becoming Canada's premier corporate citizen
At TELUS, we are committed to making a sustainable and positive difference in the communities where we live, work and serve. As we progress to become Canada's premier corporate citizen, we are focused on the social, economic, environmental and physical well-being of communities across Canada. We are taking a leadership role in supporting young Canadians – leveraging our funding, technology and expertise to help make a difference. At TELUS, the future is friendly...
...by supporting our communities
To ensure our support makes the most impact, we have strategically focused our efforts on health and wellness, education and sports, and arts and culture. Underlying this focus is an emphasis on supporting youth and enabling technology for young Canadians. Just a few examples of initiatives in 2004 include:
- Science World British Columbia We are promoting technological innovation and have invested in the future of tomorrow's leaders by supporting Vancouver's Science World. This represents a 15-year, $9 million investment that will be a multi-faceted partnership involving outreach and education programs, as well as initiatives to upgrade the facilities.
- TELUS Cybertales™ Utilizing Internet technology, TELUS Cybertales is helping Alberta children develop creative writing and technology skills through an innovative collaborative story-writing project. Participating classes go online to add ideas, and the final story is performed live at the International Children's Festival in St. Albert.
- Operation Enfant Soleil (Children's Miracle Network) Operation Enfant Soleil is dedicated to helping sick children in Quebec by enhancing their healthcare. TELUS has been a strong supporter of Operation Enfant Soleil for the past six years, and in 2004, played a key role in its annual fundraising telethon that raised more than $12.5 million.
- Royal Conservatory of Music TELUS committed $10 million over five years to the Royal Conservatory of Music's Building National Dreams Campaign. A new e-learning and multimedia educational facility in Toronto, the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning™, will open in 2006. Using TELUS' innovative Internet technologies, the centre will provide enhanced online learning and development tools and opportunities to young musicians across Canada.
- Investment in amateur sports TELUS supports sports programs and organizations across Canada, and the development of Canada's amateur athletes from the playground to the podium. In 2004, we announced a number of long-term sponsorships of national and regional sports associations including Hockey Canada, Alpine Canada Alpin, the Canadian Soccer Association and the Canadian Snowboard Federation.
...by continuing our tradition of giving
TELUS, our team members and our retirees have a history of being committed to helping our communities. Through the power of many, we are making a positive impact.
Since 1995,we have been an Imagine Caring Company, a designation by the Canadian Centre for Philanthropy that means we donate a minimum of one per cent of our pre-tax profits to charitable organizations each year. In fact, over the past five years, TELUS and our team members have contributed $54 million of financial and in-kind assistance to a number of charitable organizations across Canada. In 2004 alone, contributions totalled $10 million.
Through the TELUS Employee Charitable Giving Campaign, our team members demonstrate their commitment to the community through pledges, which TELUS matches dollar for dollar. Based on the 2004 campaign, we will donate more than $2 million to Canadian charities in 2005. As well, through the TELUS Volunteer Involvement Fund, TELUS donated $362,800 to Canadian charitable organizations in 2004 in recognition of the 1,814 team members who each volunteered more than 60 hours of their personal time.
In late 2004 and early 2005, TELUS and our team members made significant contributions to the tsunami relief efforts in South Asia. Donations made by team members were matched by TELUS up to $250,000 and, combined, we donated more than $575,000 to the relief activities.
...with economic, social and environmental leadership
We recognize that being a good corporate citizen means operating in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner. Using this triple bottom line approach, we are continuing to implement practices that support our efforts to achieve long-term sustainable growth, while protecting the environment and improving the quality of life in the communities we serve.
For the fourth year in a row, TELUS
was recognized in 2004 for excellence
in corporate sustainability in the
Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI),
a worldwide corporate ranking of
companies. Once again in 2004, TELUS was the only North
American telecommunications company, and one of only
13 Canadian companies, to qualify.
TELUS was again recognized for
leadership and commitment to environmental
stewardship and was named
the 2004 Best Environmental Corporate
Citizen in the Corporate Knights annual
ranking of Canada's 50 best corporate citizens.
To read more about these awards and other recognition TELUS has received, visit telus.com/awards.
