VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, we are reaffirming our goals to address some of the most pressing social challenges our communities are facing today and in the future. As the global leader in social purpose, we want to inspire Canadians, customers, team members, and retirees across the country to join us in creating a friendlier future for generations to come by continuing to use our technology and human compassion to help make the world a better place:
- Let’s make healthcare more accessible by providing care for 25 million Canadians.
- Let’s make better quality food to help feed the 800 million hungry people around the world.
- Let’s make opportunities equal by expanding our Connecting for Good programs to 3 million Canadians in need.
- Let's make our planet healthier by using 100% renewable energy by 2025.
- Let’s make our communities stronger by giving $1.4B and counting.
“At TELUS, leveraging our technology innovation and human compassion to improve the outcomes of our fellow citizens is foundational to our leadership in social capitalism,” said Darren Entwistle, President and CEO, TELUS. “Against the backdrop of an ever-challenging environment, we are committed to connecting Canadians to the technology, digital services and data analytics that enable us all to work, learn, and access vital medical care from our homes or when we are on the move; stay connected to family and friends no matter the distances that keep us apart; and help ameliorate the health of our planet. Importantly, as we continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic and look ahead optimistically toward a period of economic and social recovery, our globally leading broadband networks will drive the innovation that empowers the diversity and competitiveness of our country’s private sector and improves economic equality in our digital world. Guided by our social purpose, propelled by the passion of our team, we are striving to answer the most pressing challenges and exciting opportunities in health, education, agriculture and the environment, helping to make the future a friendlier place for all Canadians.”
For more than two decades, together with the support of our customers, team members and retirees in Canada and worldwide, TELUS has leveraged the power of our technology to drive social change and create remarkable outcomes around the world for those who need it most. Notably, in 2020, we launched TELUS Agriculture, a new business dedicated to leveraging our world-leading technology to provide innovative solutions to support the agriculture industry to improve the global food system and deliver better outcomes. Over the past 10 years, TELUS Health has grown into the country’s largest health technology company, pouring $3.2B in capital to help transform our healthcare system and bring essential virtual and digital healthcare capabilities to the industry, which was catapulted to the forefront during the pandemic. TELUS is also on a journey to become 100 per cent carbon neutral for our operations by 2030 and procure 100 per cent of our electricity requirements from renewable or low-emitting sources by 2025.
“As we start off the new year full of new opportunities, our ambitions today, and every day, are to put our compassion and technology to work for good, using our core business to answer some of the most pressing social issues,” said Jill Schnarr, Chief Social Innovation Officer, TELUS. “We want Canadians everywhere, including our team members and customers to be proud of the incredible impact they are helping to create globally. From building the local health and well-being of our communities, to bridging digital divides and actively addressing climate change, our ambitions are a testament to the difference we can make when we come together. Setting concrete measures of success will make a meaningful difference in our communities.”
Our team members and retirees have volunteered 1.3 million hours in their local communities, this year alone. Since 2000, we have contributed $1.3 billion to charitable organizations in Canada. Looking back over the past year, we supported Canadians through a variety of programs and initiatives, including:
- Contributing $85 million to local charities in need across Canada
- Committing $1.25M to support British Columbia following the unprecedented fire and flooding.
- Supporting more than 500 charities this year across Canada through our community boards and TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, helping more than two million Canadian youth in need.
- Providing $1 million in funding and advertising to support small business owners across Canada with our #StandWithOwners campaign.
- Expanding our Connecting for Good portfolio of programs reaching even more Canadians in need including:
- Internet for Good expanded to low-income seniors living in B.C. and Alberta, providing access to high-speed internet starting at $9.95 per month, enabling them to stay connected to what matters most from the comfort of their homes
- Tech for Good in partnership with March of Dimes Canada, now reaching over 4,000 people with disabilities.
- Mobility for Good expanded to Indigenous Women at Risk, providing them with free smartphones and data plans in conjunction with select Indigenous organizations in BC and Alberta.
- Health for Good grew to 14 clinics across Canada resulting in nearly 88,000 cumulative patient visits since the inception of the program with the addition of four new mobile health clinics in Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, and Niagara Region.
Canadians can learn more about how we are driving social change across the country, making the future friendlier, here.
About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a dynamic, world-leading communications technology company with $16 billion in annual revenue and 16 million customer connections spanning wireless, data, IP, voice, television, entertainment, video, and security. We leverage our global-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes. Our longstanding commitment to putting our customers first fuels every aspect of our business, making us a distinct leader in customer service excellence and loyalty. In 2020, TELUS was recognized as having the fastest wireless network in the world, reinforcing our commitment to provide Canadians with access to superior technology that connects us to the people, resources and information that make our lives better. TELUS Health is Canada’s leader in digital health technology, improving access to health and wellness services and revolutionizing the flow of health information across the continuum of care. TELUS Agriculture provides innovative digital solutions throughout the agriculture value chain, supporting better food outcomes from improved agri-business data insights and processes. TELUS International (TSX and NYSE: TIXT) is a leading digital customer experience innovator that delivers next-generation AI and content management solutions for global brands across the technology and games, ecommerce and FinTech, communications and media, healthcare, travel and hospitality sectors. TELUS and TELUS International operate in 25+ countries around the world.
Driven by our passionate social purpose to connect all citizens for good, our deeply meaningful and enduring philosophy to give where we live has inspired TELUS, our team members and retirees to contribute more than $820 million and 1.6 million days of service since 2000. This unprecedented generosity and unparalleled volunteerism have made TELUS the most giving company in the world. Together, let’s make the future friendly.
For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com, follow us @TELUSNews on Twitter and @Darren_Entwistle on Instagram.
