TransAlta Receives Prestigious Award for Aboriginal Relations Program

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Sept. 24, 2014) - TransAlta Corporation (TSX:TA) (NYSE:TAC) is proud to receive a silver designation in the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) certification program. The company will accept this award tomorrow, Sept. 25, at a gala event in Vancouver hosted by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB).

"It is a great honour for TranAlta to receive the PAR Silver designation," said Dawn Farrell, TransAlta's president and CEO. "Having a highly respected external body such as PAR assess our performance gives us the confidence that we are on the right track as we build our relationships with the Aboriginal people who touch many of our operations."

PAR Silver companies are those who support the sustainability of Aboriginal populations through investment in communities and people.

"Companies achieving PAR Silver have a robust and proven Aboriginal relations program and have Aboriginal partnerships in place," said JP Gladu, president and CEO of CCAB. "TransAlta recognizes the importance of early engagement and communication, and appreciates the value Aboriginal peoples bring to the workplace as employees and contractors."

TransAlta integrates Aboriginal relations throughout its organization, focusing on sustainable employment, capacity building in communities and support for economic development. TransAlta interacts with over 40 Aboriginal groups across Canada with relationships that include the Paul First Nation, the Stoney Nakoda Nations, the Simpcw First Nation and the Squamish Indian Band.

Examples of TransAlta's community investment include:

• Capital funding
• Sponsorship for pow wows, Christmas celebrations and other culturally important community events
• Support to Aboriginal contractors in the form of coaching and mentoring
• Aboriginal post-secondary and trades bursaries
• A pilot program for students, teachers and elders to learn about and take part in reclamation

Over the years, TransAlta has worked with the Paul First Nation on a number of fronts, including initiatives to help increase employment opportunties and foster economic development.

"Paul First Nation and TransAlta have always used three words to define our positive relationship that we have established - trust, respect and willingness," said Arthur Rain, economic development officer, Paul First Nation.

About PAR

PAR is a certification program that confirms corporate performance in Aboriginal relations at the Bronze, Silver or Gold level. The performance of PAR companies is externally verified with Aboriginal stakeholders.

Since the program's introduction 13 years ago, PAR remains the premier corporate social responsibility program with an emphasis on Aboriginal relations in the areas of Aboriginal business development, community engagement, employment and community investment. PAR reflects the best practices in corporate social responsibility reports that is found in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

About TransAlta:

TransAlta is a power generation and wholesale marketing company focused on creating long-term shareholder value. TransAlta maintains a low-to-moderate risk profile by operating a highly contracted portfolio of assets in Canada, the United States and Australia. TransAlta's focus is to efficiently operate wind, hydro, natural gas and coal facilities in order to provide customers with a reliable, low-cost source of power. For over 100 years, TransAlta has been a responsible operator and a proud contributor to the communities in which it works and lives. TransAlta has been selected by Sustainalytics as one of Canada's Top 50 Socially Responsible Companies since 2009 and is recognized globally for its leadership on sustainability and corporate responsibility standards by FTSE4Good.