TORONTO,
Feb. 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -
Primero Mining Corp. ("Primero" or the "Company") (TSX:P;
NYSE:PPP) and Brigus Gold Corp ("Brigus" (TSX:BRD; NYSE:BRD) today
announced that both Institutional Shareholder Services Inc.
("ISS") and Glass Lewis & Co. ("GL"), two leading
independent proxy advisory firms, have recommended that
shareholders support the plan of arrangement between the two
companies at their special meetings scheduled for February 27, 2014.
Endorsing the plan of arrangement for both
Primero and Brigus shareholders,
ISS highlights the sound rationale of the arrangement and the
favorable market reaction.
ISS further recommended in favour of the
reduction in Brigus stated
capital, stating "…this accounting request will not affect the
value of the company or the shares, and will better reflect the
company's actual capitalization and shareholders' equity."
ISS is the world's leading provider of corporate
governance solutions to the global financial community. More than
1,700 institutional clients rely on the expertise of ISS to help
them make more informed investment decisions on behalf of their
shareholders
GL is a leading, independent, governance
analysis and proxy voting firm, serving more than 900 institutional
investors globally. GL's research focuses on the
long-term financial impact of investment and proxy vote decisions
and assists institutional investors in making sound decisions by
uncovering and assessing governance, business, legal, political and
accounting risks.
All Primero and Brigus shareholders are encouraged to read
their respective information circulars with respect to the
arrangement, which were mailed to Primero and Brigus shareholders of record as of
January 27, 2014 and are available on
SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on the SEC's website at
www.sec.gov. The information circulars issued by both Primero
and Brigus contain a detailed
description of the arrangement and a description of Primero after
giving effect to the arrangement. The boards of directors of
both Primero and Brigus have each
unanimously recommended that their shareholders vote in favour of
the arrangement at the meetings.
Primero shareholders are reminded to vote
before the
proxy cut-off of 5:00 pm
(Toronto time) on February 25, 2014.
Brigus
shareholders are reminded to vote before the
proxy cut-off of 11:00 am
(Halifax time) on February 25, 2014.
Proxy Solicitation
Kingsdale Shareholder Services Inc. has been
retained by Primero and Brigus as
the information agent and proxy solicitor in connection with the
proposed transaction. Shareholders with questions can contact
Kingsdale Shareholder Services Inc. North American toll free:
1-866-228-2532, or via email at
contactus@kingsdaleshareholder.com.
*Permission to quote from ISS and GL's report
was neither sought nor obtained.
About Primero
Primero Mining Corp. is a Canadian-based
precious metals producer and owns 100% of the San Dimas gold-silver mine and 100% of the
Cerro del Gallo gold-silver-copper development project in
Mexico. Primero offers immediate
exposure to un-hedged, low cash cost gold production with a
substantial resource base in a politically stable
jurisdiction. The Company has intentions to become an
intermediate gold producer by building a portfolio of high quality,
low cost precious metals assets in the Americas.
Primero's website is www.primeromining.com.
About Brigus
Brigus is a
growing gold producer committed to maximizing shareholder value
through a strategy of efficient production, targeted exploration
and select acquisitions. Brigus
operates the wholly owned Black Fox Mine and Mill in the Timmins
Gold District of Ontario, Canada.
The Black Fox Complex encompasses the Black Fox Mine and adjoining
properties in the Township of Black River‐Matheson, Ontario, Canada. Brigus also owns the Goldfields Project
located near Uranium City, Saskatchewan,
Canada, which hosts the Box and Athona gold deposits. In the
Dominican Republic, Brigus has signed an agreement to sell its
remaining interests in three mineral exploration projects. In
Mexico, Brigus owns the Ixhuatan Project located in
the state of Chiapas.
Additional information about Brigus and its projects is available on the
Brigus website at
www.brigusgold.com and on SEDAR.
SOURCE Brigus Gold Corp.