ONE-OF-A-KIND FINANCIAL LITERACY PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN EDMONTON

Empower U will help build confident futures for women and their families

EDMONTON, AB. - Thursday, February 12, 2012 marked a day of promise as an innovative and locally
designed initiative - the first of its kind in Canada – was launched right here in our city at EPCOR Tower.

EMPOWER U – Building Confident Futures, was officially kicked off this morning to a crowd of more than
60 people that included program facilitators, sponsors and participants. This unique financial literacy
program combined with a matched savings component will help to positively impact the lives of close to
1,000 women (200 women each year) over the next five years. While financial literacy programs are not
new, Empower U is innovative by bringing together many partners and corporate sponsors, making it a truly
original concept.

Thanks to corporate sponsorship from EPCOR and ATB Financial, Empower U also includes a matched
savings program with a 1:2 ratio, which means every dollar saved by group participants generates two
dollars in matched contributions. Savings may be used only for designated asset purchases related to
improving the quality of life and/or contributing to their self-sufficiency.

“This is a program to be a part of because it offers hope, plain and simple,” says ATB President and CEO
Dave Mowat. “The number that struck me is that almost 65 per cent of low-wage workers in Edmonton are
women. Think about that. And think about the dreams of wanting something better for themselves and their
families that are behind those stats. We want to help with those dreams.”

Program participants are women of diverse backgrounds, many of them who may be vulnerable to financial
inequities. Research has shown that women are at high-risk of experiencing poverty and in fact, 64.6% of
low-wage workers in Edmonton are women. Through the program, participants will have the opportunity to
learn Financial Literacy which includes the ability to make informed judgments and effective decisions about
the wise use and management of money. But the instruction goes beyond budgeting and talks about each
person’s relationship with money.

Mark Wiltzen, Senior Vice-President and CFO, EPCOR, stresses the importance of offering this valuable
program to women in our community. “These women are someone’s mothers, cousins, sisters, nieces,
aunts, grandmothers and friends. It makes sense to focus on this important demographic and give them the
necessary skills and tools to become more financially literate, a necessary element of a successful, stable
household for them and their families.”

To learn more about the program, or to enroll, please contact:

Heather Morrison      or      Joanne Currie
City of Edmonton               United Way of the Alberta Capital Region
780.944.5457                     780.443.8326

About EMPOWER U program partners: All program partners are members of the Alberta Asset Building
Collaborative and include; Candora Society, CEASE, DECSA, Housing Support Services HUB, Elizabeth
Fry Society, Institute for Advancement of Aboriginal Women, WINGS of Providence, Alberta Human
Services, City of Edmonton Community Services, 4 Pillars Consulting, The Family Wealth Academy, United
Way of the Alberta Capital Region.