WINNIPEG, June 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - CN (TSX:CNR) (CNI) today announced a major sponsorship of the Transcona Centennial Square, honouring joint centennial celebrations by the community of Transcona and CN's Transcona Shops.

CN will contribute $250,000 to erect a Centennial Clock Tower on the Transcona Centennial Square, in recognition of the long-time and continuing relationship between the town and the railway. The announcement was made today by CN President and Chief Executive Officer Claude Mongeau, while visiting the CN Transcona Shops and employees during the centennial celebrations.

"The bond between CN and Transcona goes back to the early days of the 20th century," said Mr. Mongeau. "The town grew around the Shops complex that was being built on the open prairie. Over the decades, generations of CN workers made their homes and raised their families here. I am immensely proud that the tradition carries on today, 100 years later, and to be recognizing the ties between us in this highly visible manner."

"On behalf of Transcona, I want to sincerely thank Claude Mongeau for his tremendous leadership and dedication to communities such as ours," said Transcona Ward Winnipeg City Councillor Russ Wyatt. "As the success and proud history of Transcona and Winnipeg are directly linked to the development and growth of this great railway company, we are forever grateful."

The Tower will be built on the Centennial Square now being established in the heart of downtown Transcona. The Square will be a tribute to the history, pride and strong spirit of the community as it gathers together to celebrate its 100th Anniversary.  The construction and development of this quarter acre urban park will create usable green space which will be enjoyed by all.

"Today's announcement of CN's generous sponsorship will enable  the construction of a Clock Tower that will be a community beacon that pays tribute to the strong history and spirit of Transcona, " said Kent Davis, President of the Transcona Business Improvement Zone which is overseeing the development of both the Square and the Tower. "It is truly fitting our partner here today is CN. Transcona is a railway town and this celebrates that long and strong connection.  Today and well into the future, Transcona citizens will enjoy this beautiful Town Square and all of its elements."

CN employs approximately 500 people at its Transcona Shops complex. They perform heavy repairs to CN's Canadian-based locomotives and railcar fleets and supply the whole network with freight and locomotive wheels and traction motors. More than 300 of these workers have joined CN in the last five years. In addition to the workforce renewal, CN has invested some $10 million of improvements to the Shops in the same time period, upgrading lighting, ventilation, employee facilities and other parts of the complex.

CN - Canadian National Railway Company and its operating railway subsidiaries - spans Canada and mid-America, from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Gulf of Mexico, serving the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the key metropolitan areas of Toronto, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information on CN, visit the company's website at www.cn.ca.

SOURCE CN