In the daily pursuit of excellence, we believe it's also important to contribute to the communities in which we operate. CN is committed to helping make these communities safer, stronger and more vibrant through a variety of initiatives.

Community investment program

Our community investment program, Pulling Together, symbolizes CN's commitment to help build safer, stronger communities. While community safety is the primary focus of our program, we also support projects that further educational opportunities, conservation and awareness of our heritage. We focus particularly on initiatives that align with our business. In 2006, we created the CN Rail Studies Fund at the University of Wisconsin-Superior and established a new lecturer position in railway engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign.

All Aboard for Safety

Our ongoing All Aboard for Safety community education program encompasses a wide range of initiatives, including safety presentations to more than 300,000 children and adults, mock train-car collisions, a website for kids and our safety train, Little Obie. Part of the strength of our All Aboard for Safety program is the collaborative relationship we share with law enforcement agencies, firefighters, emergency medical service providers and our community safety partners, which include Operation Lifesaver, Safe Kids Worldwide, Safe Kids Canada, SMARTRISK and Safe Communities Canada. We all share a common goal: to help prevent injuries and save lives.

To promote incident-free transportation of regulated products, we grant Safe Handling awards to customers who meet the strict standards for handling and shipping these goods. Close to 100 customers earned awards in 2006, the program's 15th year. Our commitment to spreading the safety message also extends beyond our rail lines.

In 2006, we donated $500,000 to establish the Agricultural Injury Control Program at the University of Saskatchewan's Centre for Health and Safety in Agriculture. Aimed at preventing agriculture-related injuries and deaths, the program involves research as well as educating farm families and agricultural workers about air, food and water contamination and unsafe working conditions. This year we donated $250,000 to the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI), the largest centre in Atlantic Canada dedicated to cancer research.

Promoting safer, stronger communities through sports

CN knows there are clear links between sports, safe and healthy living, and a strong community spirit. In 2006, we became the title sponsor of one of the top LPGA tournaments, the CN Canadian Women's Open, held in London, Ontario. We are proud that the Open gave us the opportunity to link this world-class event to something important to the community: Children's Hospital of Western Ontario. CN's $250,000 donation was supplemented by $100,000 from the tournament's net proceeds and $63,000 raised in the community through the CN Miracle Match challenge to produce a total of $413,000 for the hospital.

This year CN presented a cheque for $505,000 to the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation resulting from the Miracle Match initiative at the 2007 CN Canadian Women's Open, held in Edmonton. The donation was a combination of funds collected from a variety of initiatives including an online auction for the opportunity to play the CN Canadian Women's Open Championship Pro Am with hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and 2006 CN Canadian Women's Open Champion Cristie Kerr. All funds raised during tournament week were matched by CN.

At CN, we learned that being passionate
about what you do can take you a long way