BC TELECOM Shareholders Approve Merger With Telus.

BURNABY, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 21, 1999--BC TELECOM Inc. (TSE:BCT.) (VSE:BCT.) (ME:BCT.) shareholders today voted 99.99 per cent in favor of a merger between BC TELECOM Inc. and TELUS Corporation.

The vote took place this morning at a special meeting of shareholders in Vancouver. Earlier this week, TELUS shareholders voted 99.4 per cent in favor of the merger.

"Today's vote in support of a merger with TELUS changes the face of competition in the Canadian telecommunications industry," said Brian Canfield, chairman of BC TELECOM and chairman designate of BCT.TELUS Communications Inc., the company that will result from the merger of BC TELECOM and TELUS. "This merger brings together two great companies, each with a proud past, to create a dynamic new company with a bold future.

"The opportunities for growth this merger presents to our customers, to our employees and to our shareholders are significant. Our combined size and financial strength, along with the expertise and commitment of our people, position us to become a national communications provider of choice for Canadians."

The merger will close on January 31 pending final court approval. Shares of BCT.TELUS Communications Inc. will officially begin trading on Monday, February 1 on the Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Alberta stock exchanges. The trading symbol for the shares in the company is BTS.

More information about the two companies can be found on the BC TELECOM web site at www.bctel.com and the TELUS web site at www.telus.com