Bank of Montreal : Media Advisory: Leaders From the U.S. and Canada Gather to Discuss Great Lakes Economy

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS--(Marketwired - Apr 16, 2015) - From April 26 to 28, the Council of the Great Lakes Region (CGLR) will host the first ever Great Lakes Economic Forum, with the goal of launching a new economic agenda and renewing support for regional opportunities in today's borderless climate of global and continental trade. With a GDP of USD $5.5 trillion, the Great-Lakes-St. Lawrence Region is the world's third largest marketplace in economic activity.

Key leaders from business, government and academia from the United States and Canada will gather at the Forum to share ideas that will help shape economic policy in manufacturing, workforce development and mobility, regulatory alignment, energy, infrastructure modernization, logistics and supply chains and the movement of people and goods across the border.

"One of the best ways to foster the economic prosperity and jobs we need is for Canada and the United States to work together on a regional basis," said David Jacobson, Vice-Chair, BMO Financial Group. "Therefore, I am delighted that the Council of the Great Lakes Region is bringing together business and political leaders from both sides of the border to discuss how we can unlock our region's joint economic potential."

"In today's borderless climate of global trade and investment, we must find new ways of working together in the bi-national region of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River if we are to maximize our economic advantages and ensure the region's long-term success," said Mark Fisher, President and CEO, Council of the Great Lakes Region. "The first Great Lakes Economic Forum in Chicago is our moment to define this agenda."

Doug Porter, Chief Economist of CGLR Founding Sponsor BMO Financial Group, will present his State of the Great Lakes Economy address and report at the forum. Other keynote speakers include:

• The Honorable Bruce Rauner, Governor of Illinois
• Ambassador Bruce Heyman, United States' Ambassador to Canada
• Ambassador Gary Doer, Canada's Ambassador to the United States
• Hon. Brad Duguid, Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure

For more information please visit www.greatlakeseconomicforum.com. The event is open to the media. Media may register for event credentials by email at any of the addresses listed below.

About the Council of the Great Lakes Region

The Council of the Great Lakes Region is a bi-national organization that works to enhance regional collaboration and cross-border integration to advance effective, coordinated, and broadly shared responses to the region's common economic, social and environmental policy challenges. The Council is accomplishing this mandate by:

• Conducting high-quality analysis on issues that matter and developing region-wide strategies;
• Bringing together diverse perspectives through conferences, roundtable dialogues and networking events, so that industry, government, labor, academia and the non-profit community can share their knowledge; and
• Generating ideas and providing realistic solutions on how best to reconcile the often divergent challenges of economic prosperity and environmental conservation.

About BMO Financial Group

Established in 1817 as Bank of Montreal, BMO Financial Group is a highly diversified financial services organization based in North America. The bank offers a broad range of retail banking, wealth management and investment banking products and services to more than 12 million customers. BMO Financial Group had total assets of approximately C$672 billion and more than 46,000 employees at January 31, 2015.