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Canadian National, Imperial Oil, and Suncor to Rebuild Steen River Rail Bridge

General News

Canadian National Railway (“CN”) announced that it will rebuild the rail bridge over the Steen River in Alberta. Imperial and Suncor are contributing funds to the reconstruction effort. This rail bridge is the commercial link for many communities near Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories and CN, Imperial, as well as Suncor are committed to helping communities rebuild after a difficult fire season.

The bridge spans approximately 360 feet from end to end. The approaches on both ends of the bridge will be rebuilt with concrete and steel and the bridge deck of the steel span across the river will be replaced. Construction should be completed by mid-August 2019.

“We are proud to be working with Imperial and Suncor in rebuilding this important link which connects northern communities to Canadian and international markets,” said Buck Rogers, vice president, Petroleum and Chemicals at CN. “We take our role as the backbone of the North American economy to heart and we are committed to serving the communities across our network.

“The Government of the Northwest Territories is pleased that CN is moving forward with plans to rebuild the Steen River Rail Bridge in Alberta,” explained Wally Schumann, Minister of Infrastructure, and Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment from the Government of the Northwest Territories. “The Mackenzie Northern Railway is part of a transportation network extending from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. This network has historically connected Northern resources to southern markets and plays a key role in the transportation of fuel and other essential goods that are forwarded by truck and barge to communities and industries throughout the NWT, and across the Western Arctic.”

“Reliability of supply is crucial for our company, we are committed to the North and we value the relationships we have with our customers and with CN,” explained Jon Wetmore, vice-president downstream, Imperial. “Helping CN resolve such a challenging and unpredictable issue that came as a result of the forest fires is a reflection of that.”

“Suncor is acutely aware of the devastation wildfires can create. It’s also vital that Canada’s northern communities be able to receive product by rail,” said Kris Smith, executive vice president, Downstream, Suncor. “We are pleased to be able to participate in the Steen River rail bridge reconstruction and help return rail service to the Great Slave Lake area as quickly as possible.”

As part of CN’s Aboriginal Vision, CN is focused on growing its Aboriginal Procurement efforts and integrating more Aboriginal businesses into its supply base. In the awarding of business, where suppliers meet the same requirements and expectations in areas such as, cost, quality, expertise, and delivery, CN takes a preferential position with suppliers that are Aboriginally owned, have significant Aboriginal content or are a certified business under the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business’ Progressive Aboriginal Relation program.

About Canadian National Railway

CN is a true backbone of the economy, transporting more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN – Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries – serves the cities and ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the Company’s website at www.cn.ca.

Contact:

Pual Butcher – Vice President Investor Relations – (514) 399-0052

Source: Canadian National Railway Company