OMERS and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Quebec purchase

Toronto, Canada, October 24, 2005 OMERS (the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System)  and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec announced today that they joined forces to purchase Cari-All Products Inc., Technibilt Ltd., and Rondi Industries Inc. from Société de Gestion Norderon Inc. for an undisclosed amount.  OMERS investment is being made through OMERS Capital Partners, an OMERS investment entity.

As a leading manufacturer of shopping carts and shelving products in North America, this represents an excellent investment opportunity, said Caisses Senior Vice President, Private Equity, Normand Provost.  We believe the business has great potential for growth, especially in the US, and is an ideal investment for our private equity portfolio.

Cari-All and Rondi are headquartered in Montreal with over 360 employees.  They are the number one manufacturer of shopping carts in Canada with major customers including Wal-Mart and Loblaws.   Technibilt, based in North Carolina, was acquired by Cari-All in 1990 and has approximately 30% of the US market.  Cari-All, Technibilt and Rondi were owned by the Trubiano family and the business has grown to over 600 staff since its beginning in 1969. The Trubiano family will continue to play an active role both as shareholder and as part of the management team.

Cari-All, Technibilt and Rondi are an excellent fit with our private equity portfolio and we have a great partner in the Caisse.  The management teams at the companies will remain in place and we have been very impressed with the professionalism and dedication shown by the staff, said Don Morrison, Senior Vice President, OMERS Capital Partners.  We look forward to working with the Caisse and the management team to find the right opportunities to grow the business and solidify our position in the market.

About OMERS

OMERS is one of Canadas largest pension plans, with more that C$39 billion in assets invested around the globe in publicly-traded investments, real estate, infrastructure and private equity assets.  It provides retirement benefits to 350,000 members on behalf of 900 local government employers across Ontario.

About OMERS Capital Partners Inc.

OMERS Capital Partners Inc. is a Toronto-based private equity firm. It manages a C$1.5 billion diversified portfolio that seeks fund-to-to-fund, co-investment and direct investment opportunities, and is expected to grow to C$4 billion by 2007.

About Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec

Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is a financial institution that manages funds primarily for public and private pension and insurance plans. As at December 31, 2004, it held C$102.4 billion of net assets. The Caisse invests in the main financial markets as well as in private equity and real estate. The institution partners with dynamic companies in various sectors, offering them a full range of debt and equity financing products. As at December 31, 2004, the private equity portfolios held more than 600 investments in funds and companies, for C$10.2 billion of net assets.