VANCOUVER — Telus Communications today reaffirmed its goals to address some of “the most pressing social challenges” facing Canadian communities today and in the future.
Drawing on its “let’s make the future friendly together” branding message, Telus wants to “inspire Canadians, customers, team members, and retirees across the country to join us in creating a friendlier future for generations to come by continuing to use our technology and human compassion to help make the world a better place,” according to a Telus press release.
Specifically, Telus is setting out the following social purpose goals:
- Let’s make healthcare more accessible by providing care for 25 million Canadians.
- Let’s make better quality food to help feed the 800 million hungry people around the world.
- Let’s make opportunities equal by expanding Telus’s Connecting for Good programs to 3 million Canadians in need.
- Let’s make our planet healthier by using 100% renewable energy by 2025.
- Let’s make our communities stronger by giving $1.4B and counting.
“At Telus, leveraging our technology innovation and human compassion to improve the outcomes of our fellow citizens is foundational to our leadership in social capitalism,” said Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of Telus, in the press release.
“Against the backdrop of an ever-challenging environment, we are committed to connecting Canadians to the technology, digital services and data analytics that enable us all to work, learn, and access vital medical care from our homes or when we are on the move; stay connected to family and friends no matter the distances that keep us apart; and help ameliorate the health of our planet.
“Importantly, as we continue to navigate the ongoing pandemic and look ahead optimistically toward a period of economic and social recovery, our globally leading broadband networks will drive the innovation that empowers the diversity and competitiveness of our country’s private sector and improves economic equality in our digital world,” Entwistle said.
“Guided by our social purpose, propelled by the passion of our team, we are striving to answer the most pressing challenges and exciting opportunities in health, education, agriculture and the environment, helping to make the future a friendlier place for all Canadians.”
In November 2020, Telus launched Telus Agriculture to leverage the company’s technology “to provide innovative solutions to support the agriculture industry to improve the global food system and deliver better outcomes,” the press release says.
“Over the past 10 years, Telus Health has grown into the country’s largest health technology company, pouring $3.2B in capital to help transform our healthcare system and bring essential virtual and digital healthcare capabilities to the industry, which was catapulted to the forefront during the pandemic,” the release says.
Telus has also committed to become “100 per cent carbon neutral for our operations by 2030 and procure 100 per cent of our electricity requirements from renewable or low-emitting sources by 2025,” according to the release.
“As we start off the new year full of new opportunities, our ambitions today, and every day, are to put our compassion and technology to work for good, using our core business to answer some of the most pressing social issues,” said Jill Schnarr, chief social innovation officer at Telus.
“We want Canadians everywhere, including our team members and customers to be proud of the incredible impact they are helping to create globally. From building the local health and well-being of our communities, to bridging digital divides and actively addressing climate change, our ambitions are a testament to the difference we can make when we come together. Setting concrete measures of success will make a meaningful difference in our communities.”
Since 2000, Telus has contributed $1.3 billion to charitable organizations in Canada, including $85 million during the past year, according to the press release. Also in 2021, Telus employees and retirees volunteered 1.3 million hours in their local communities.
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