News Releases

• Bart Melek, Global Commodity Strategist, to host conference call for media live from BMO's Metals & Mining conference
• Industry leaders from six continents will attend one of the largest metals and mining investor conferences in the world

TORONTO, February 26, 2010 - Join Bart Melek, Global Commodity Strategist, BMO Capital Markets on Monday, March 1 at 10 a.m. EST for an outlook of the metals & mining sector.

"Investor attitude towards commodities and commodity producers has changed for the better since early 2009, but there are still plenty of speed bumps ahead," said Mr. Melek. "Despite the slowdown, the longer term outlook is favourable. Key drivers for robust activity include double digit growth in China, a synchronized global recovery and the need for substantive restocking spurred by low inventories."

Mr. Melek will address the following topics:

Global Commodity Outlook

• Riding the recovery higher over a bumpy road
• Copper, iron ore and metallurgical coal to top BMO's industrial commodity picks
• Growth, policy and sovereign debt concerns precipitate temporary commodity correction
• Synchronized global recovery to sustain higher demand and prices after the correction
• More U.S. government spending on the way
• Lower probability of commodity price "bust" positive for stocks

Precious Metals Outlook

• Inflation, sovereign risk, currency risk, central banks and de-hedging to keep gold well bid
• U.S. and European public debt, monetization and currency market concerns reasons to buy gold
• Higher interest rates, ETF selling and high speculative positions key risks for gold
• Demand rebound, sluggish supply prompting platinum group metals (PGMs) / silver to outperform

Industrial Metals & Bulks Outlook

• Copper
• Iron ore / Metallurgical coal
• Thermal coal
• Zinc
• Lead
• Molybdenum
• Nickel
• Uranium
• Aluminum
• Rough diamonds

What:
Bart Melek, Global Commodity Strategist, BMO Capital Markets, to host conference call for members of the media only

Q&A to follow the discussion

When:
Monday, March 1, 2010 at 10 a.m. EST

Dial-In Information:

About Bart Melek:
Bart Melek has closely analyzed trends in global financial and commodity markets, as well as in the North American and global economics for close to 15 years. He contributes to BMO Capital Markets' strategic view by providing commentary on commodity markets and how they relate to the sector and economic outlook. Mr. Melek is often quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Barron's The Globe and Mail and National Post. Before joining BMO Capital Markets, he was a senior analyst in treasury and risk management at a major Canadian chartered bank. He was responsible for analyzing and forecasting commodity, industry and global economic trends and advised the bank and clients on opportunities and risks. Mr. Melek holds an MA in economics from York University, with a Specialisation Certificate in International Finance / Banking.

About BMO's Metals & Mining Conference
A record 1,300 people are registered to attend the 19th Annual BMO Capital Markets Global Metals & Mining Conference, one of the largest events in the world for metals and mining investors. The event will be held from February 28 to March 3 in Hollywood, Florida.

The three-day event is being hosted by BMO's Metals & Mining Equity Research team. A list of participating companies and an up-to-the-minute agenda* with presentation times for the conference are available on the web site: www.bmocm.com/conferences/metalsandmining2010

* Agenda subject to change.

Members of the media are required to register directly with BMO's Media Relations Group prior to the conference to gain access to presentations that will be webcast.

About BMO Capital Markets
BMO Capital Markets is a leading, full-service North American financial services provider, with more than 2,200 employees operating in 14 North American offices and 27 worldwide, offering corporate, institutional and government clients access to a complete range of investment and corporate banking products and services. BMO Capital Markets is a member of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO), one of the largest diversified financial services providers in North America with US$359 billion total assets and more than 36,000 employees as at October 31, 2009.