OTTAWA, Ontario, Aug. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calian Group Ltd. (TSX: CGY) is pleased to announce that effective today it has acquired Priority One, based in Calgary, Alberta, to support growing demand for the company’s national mental health services.

Calian’s investment in this strategic acquisition expands Calian Health’s mental health services footprint with regulatory and law enforcement agencies across the country.

Priority One provides specialized psychological assessment and selection services. These encompass identifying candidate selection suitability for firearms issuance and psychological fitness-for-duty assessment, as well as pre-placement mental health assessments for organizations requiring safety-sensitive positions.

“This acquisition is aligned with two key pillars of our Four Pillar Growth Strategy: customer diversification and service line evolution,” stated Kevin Ford, President and CEO, Calian. “Calian Health is one of Canada’s largest health services organizations and it continues to grow. I am very pleased to see us expand further into the provision of mental health services, leveraging the superior health support services we have provided to the Canadian Armed Forces for more than 13 years.”

The addition of Priority One expands Calian Health’s mental health capabilities while adding new clients at various levels of government, including the Government of Alberta, Parks Canada and Canada Border Services Agency.

"With annual revenues of approximately $2 million, we expect this acquisition to be EBITDA accretive from day one," stated Jacqueline Gauthier, Chief Financial Officer, Calian. “Priority One’s results will be consolidated and reported as part of Calian’s Business and Technology Services (BTS) Division.”

Added William Barker, President, Priority One: “It is with great excitement that we join Calian as we look forward to sharing and applying our expertise. This enables us, under the Calian banner, to continue to provide expert assessment services to our existing customers while opening the opportunity to expand our business to other law enforcement agencies across Canada.”

About Calian Health
Calian Health is one of Canada's largest national health services companies with over 13 years of experience in the management of health care professionals and health programs, as well as the operation and management of primary care and occupational health clinics. With a network of over 1,800 health care professionals, Calian supports over six million patient visits per year at over 180 clinic locations across Canada.

About Calian
Calian employs more than 3,000 people with offices and projects that span Canada, U.S. and international markets. The company's capabilities are diverse with services delivered through two divisions. The Business and Technology Services (BTS) Division is headquartered in Ottawa and includes the provision of business and technology services to industry, public and government in the health, training, engineering and IT services domains. Calian’s Systems Engineering Division (SED), located in Saskatoon plans, designs and implements complex communication systems for many of the world’s space agencies and leading satellite manufacturers and operators. SED also provides contract manufacturing services for both private sector and military customers in North America.

For investor information, please visit our website at www.calian.com or contact us at ir@calian.com

Kevin Ford                                                                                    
President and Chief Executive Officer                                                
613-599-8600                                                                                     

Jacqueline Gauthier
Chief Financial Officer 
613-599-8600

Media inquiries:
Simon Doyle
613-599-8600 x 205

DISCLAIMER

Certain information included in this press release is forward-looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties. The results or events predicted in these statements may differ materially from actual results or events. Such statements are generally accompanied by words such as “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect” or similar statements. Factors which could cause results or events to differ from current expectations include, among other things: the impact of price competition; scarce number of qualified professionals; the impact of rapid technological and market change; loss of business or credit risk with major customers; technical risks on fixed price projects; general industry and market conditions and growth rates; international growth and global economic conditions, and including currency exchange rate fluctuations; and the impact of consolidations in the business services industry. For additional information with respect to certain of these and other factors, please see the Company’s most recent annual report and other reports filed by Calian with the Ontario Securities Commission. Calian disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. No assurance can be given that actual results, performance or achievement expressed in, or implied by, forward-looking statements within this disclosure will occur, or if they do, that any benefits may be derived from them.

Calian · Head Office · 340 Legget Drive, Suite 101 · Ottawa · Ontario · Canada · K2K 1Y6
Tel: 613.599.8600 · Fax: 613.599.8650 · General Info email: info@calian.com