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Economic impacts
The economic contribution we make to society is much more than the earnings we generate. Our contribution includes the benefits that flow from our ongoing investments and operations, including taxes and royalties to governments, as well as payments to our employees, shareholders and suppliers.
| Employees
We provide employment in all areas of Canada. Some of our major operations are in small cities and towns where we are a significant employer. In 2006, our total payroll (including benefits) for our nationwide employee workforce was $1 billion.
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Shareholders
We have more than 119,000 direct registered and non-registered shareholders, most of whom reside in Canada. Many others have a stake in our share performance through ownership of mutual funds or participation in pension plans that hold shares in the company.
Shareholders have benefited greatly from long-term share price appreciation. Since 1996, Imperial has delivered total shareholder return of more than 600 percent. In 2006, $2.1 billion was distributed to shareholders through dividends and share purchases. Regular per-share annual dividend payments were raised for the 12th year in a row.
| Governments
In 2006, governments received $5.2 billion in the form of taxes and royalties from Imperial. These payments help governments fund education, health care and other essential social services throughout Canada.
Suppliers and contractors
We deal with about 6,500 suppliers and, where possible, purchase goods and services from qualified and competitive local suppliers. In 2006, we spent an estimated $3 billion on the purchase of goods and services. In addition, we spent $13.8 billion on purchases of crude oil and products.
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