Two New Members Appointed to the Board of Directors of the Business Development Bank of Canada

OTTAWA, April 14, 2008 — The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), today announced the appointment of Ms. Sarah Raiss and Ms. Rosemary Zigrossi to BDC's Board of Directors.

"The support and growth of small and medium-sized businesses in Canada are a vital part of the Canadian economy," said Minister Prentice. "Ms. Raiss and Ms. Zigrossi will assist the Board as it continues to support the financial and consulting services that BDC provides to entrepreneurs, and I welcome them to BDC."

Ms. Raiss is currently Executive Vice-President of Corporate Services with TransCanada Corporation in Calgary. She previously served as Executive Vice-President and Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Public Sector Relations, and as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Prior to this, Ms. Raiss was President of S.E. Raiss Group Inc., a consulting firm specializing in strategy, culture change and merger integration.

In 2007, Ms. Raiss was inducted into Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame.

Ms. Zigrossi is currently Vice-President, Asset Mix and Risk, with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, where she also served as Vice-President of Venture Capital and as Controller. Previously, she was Assistant Vice-President at J.P. Morgan Bank of Canada and a senior auditor with KPMG. Ms. Zigrossi is a member of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute.

BDC is a financial institution wholly owned by the Government of Canada that actively supports the development and growth of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses through its complementary financial, investment and consulting solutions.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Deirdra McCracken
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Jim Prentice
Minister of Industry
613-995-9001

Denise Arab
Director, Communications
Business Development Bank of Canada
514-283-3054