Steve Snyder Elected Chair of Calgary Homeless Foundation Board of Directors

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - Sept. 20, 2011) - Today, the Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) announced that, as a planned succession, Steve Snyder would become the chair of its Board of Directors, replacing Tim Hearn, who served as Board chair since April 2008.

Both Mr. Snyder and Mr. Hearn served on the Calgary Committee to End Homelessness that developed the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness. Mr. Snyder chaired the Committee and Mr. Hearn chaired the Sub-Committee on Housing.

"It has truly been an honour to serve with the Calgary Homeless Foundation through a period of growth and early success. I am delighted that Steve Snyder is going to lead the Foundation through its next stage of achievement," said Tim Hearn.

"I enjoyed working with a diverse group of community leaders when we built the 10 Year Plan back in 2006 and 2007," said Steve Snyder. "Becoming chair of the Foundation is a natural next step for me and I look forward to taking the baton from Tim Hearn, who was critical to the solid progress made on the 10 Year Plan in the first phase."

"We want to thank Tim Hearn for his five years of service. His business-like, results-oriented approach was instrumental to the progress made on the 10 Year Plan during the past four years," said Tim Richter, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CHF. "We are pleased that Steve has chosen to become our chair, particularly given his passion and knowledge of the issue of homelessness."

Mr. Snyder has announced he will retire as the President and CEO of TransAlta Corporation at the end of 2011, a position he has held since 1996. Mr. Snyder is a director of Intact Financial Corporation and the Calgary Stampede Foundation Campaign. He is an immediate past director of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and served as the chair for the Calgary Stampede Foundation, the Canada-Alberta ecoEnergy Carbon Capture & Storage Task Force, the Conference Board of Canada, the Calgary Zoological Society, the Canadian Electrical Association, the United Way Campaign of Calgary and Area, and the Calgary Zoo's "Destination Africa" capital campaign.

Tim Hearn is the immediate past Chairman and CEO of Imperial Oil Ltd., a position he held from 2002 to 2008. He is Chairman of Hearn and Associates and is a director at ARC Resources Ltd., Viterra, Inc., and the Royal Bank of Canada. Mr. Hearn is past Chair of the C.D. Howe Institute and led fundraising campaigns for the University of Alberta and Tyndale University College. He also chairs the Advisory Board of the Public Policy School and is a member of the Dean's Medical School Advisory Board, both at the University of Calgary. Mr. Hearn also serves for Canada on a tri-lateral commission on North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Environmental Cooperation with the United States and Mexico.

The Calgary Homeless Foundation leads the implementation of Calgary's 10 Year Plan in partnership with the many homeless serving agencies, the private sector, our government partners, the faith community, other foundations and all Calgarians to end homelessness in Calgary once and for all. Calgarians wishing to contribute by making donations or volunteering are encouraged to visit the CHF website: www.calgaryhomeless.com.