Michael H. McCain joins MaRS Board, Founder Dr. John Evans passes chairmanship to RBC CEO Gordon Nixon

MaRS Discovery District is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael H. McCain, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods Inc., to its Board of Directors.

"It is a great honour to welcome Michael to our Board. His business acumen and outstanding leadership capabilities make him an excellent addition to an already stellar Board," said RBC CEO Mr. Gordon Nixon, who this month assumed the position of Chair of the Board from MaRS Founder Dr. John Evans. Dr. Evans - a legendary physician, academic, biotech entrepreneur, businessman and community supporter - remains on the Board as Chair Emeritus.

More than 200 colleagues, friends and family honoured Dr. Evans at a gala dinner on May 13, attended by Hon. Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, as well as Hon. John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation, and a host of MaRS founders and early supporters. The evening brought together a moving collection of tributes, both in-person and on video, which Dr. Evans received with his trademark graciousness and deadpan wit.

For his part, Mr. McCain is looking forward to joining the MaRS Board of Directors as well as its inaugural Fundraising Cabinet, chaired by Hon. John Manley. "I am deeply impressed by the vision of MaRS, and its resolve to bring forth the talents of Canadians in order to build better companies," Mr. McCain said. "MaRS is well-positioned to contribute greatly to the Canadian economy and is an important player in the development of new, innovative businesses. MaRS can also help bring innovation into existing companies, thus making them more competitive globally."

Born in Florenceville, New Brunswick, Mr. McCain was educated at Mount Allison University and received an Honours Business Administration degree from The University of Western Ontario.

In 1995, he joined Maple Leaf Foods as President and Chief Operating Officer. He was subsequently appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in 1999.

About MaRS

MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com ) is a not-for-profit corporation founded by leaders from the business and public sectors, to improve commercial outcomes from Canada's foundation of science and technology innovation. MaRS connects and fosters collaboration between the communities of science, business and capital through co-location in the MaRS Centre and more broadly through catalytic programs, structured networks and the MaRS web portal. The MaRS Centre, located in Toronto's Discovery District, officially opened in September 2005.

MaRS Board of Directors

Mr. Gordon Nixon (Chair); Hon. John P. Manley (Vice Chair); Dr. John R. Evans (Chair Emeritus); Mr. Lawrence S. Bloomberg; Mr. Richard W. Ivey; Mr. Michael H. McCain; Dr. Tim McTiernan; Mr. Geoffrey Matus; Ms. Sheila O'Brien; Mr. Jack Rabinovitch; Mr. Joseph L. Rotman; Dr. Indira V. Samarasekera; Dr. Calvin R. Stiller; Dr. Ilse Treurnicht; and Mr. William B. White.

SOURCE: MaRS Discovery District

Linda Quattrin, Director, Communications, (416) 673-8104 or lquattrin@marsdd.com

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