Community investment

Our community investment programs are strategically aligned to promote environmental stewardship, enhance the skill sets of the next generation of industry leaders and support the needs of our communities.

Our approach to community giving is to ensure investment dollars are allocated to programs and organizations that respond to the needs of the communities where we live and work, and provide the greatest strategic relevance for Encana. We invest in the following areas:

Environment

We work hard to limit our operational impacts on air, land and water, and invest in environmental initiatives that target environmental education, land and water stewardship and the environmental benefits of natural gas. Some of the programs and initiatives we have recently supported in this area include:

• educating elementary students on the importance of wetlands through Ducks Unlimited Canada's Project Webfoot in our Canadian operating areas
• unique outdoor classroom experiences through the EcoAction School at Ralph Klein Park in Calgary, Alberta
• a student ground-level ozone monitoring and information sharing program through the GO3 foundation in Colorado and Wyoming

Education

We support the development of a skilled and sustainable workforce through investments in educational programs with a focus on energy literacy, environmental research, industry related scholarships, trades training and the many uses of natural gas. Some of the programs and initiatives we have recently supported in this area include:

• approximately 60 Encana Community Scholarships across our operating areas for students pursuing post-secondary education in an oil and gas industry-related field through a degree, diploma or certificate program
• the empowerment of young women in science, trades and technology through the Techsploration program in Nova Scotia
• a founding grant to the University of Wyoming's School of Energy Resources

Community Life

We live and work in hundreds of communities across North America. As part of our responsibility to our neighbours, we are helping to build and maintain the cultural fabric and way of life in those communities through investments in community wellness, community enhancement, sports and recreation, and natural gas conversions. Some of the programs and initiatives we have recently supported in this area include:

• the Alberta Children's Hospital KidSim Human Patient Simulation program in Calgary, Alberta
• local community food banks through initiatives like the Race Against Hunger in our Alberta and British Columbia operating areas
• county fairs and youth livestock auctions near our Texas operations

Employee programs

We encourage and support employees' efforts to make a difference in their communities through a matching gifts program, which includes a month-long annual campaign, and an employee volunteer program that provides grants to organizations where employees volunteer their time.