HOUSTON LAKE MINING INC.

(HLM-TSX.V)

PRESS RELEASE

$200,000 Proposed Financing for West Cedartree Gold Project

December 19, 2002:  Sudbury, Ontario - Houston Lake Mining Inc. (TSX.V:HLM, "Houston Lake") is pleased to report that the Company has received commitments towards a $200,000 flow-through financing targeting the Company’s four gold properties in the Dogpaw Lake/Cedartree Lake area which is located near Kenora, Ontario. The flow-through financing is subject to regulatory approval and would complete the 100 percent earn in on the remainder of Houston Lake’s property holdings in the Cedartree Lake area.

The company will offer a maximum of 400,000 units at a price of $0.50 per unit for maximum gross proceeds of $200,000. Each unit will consist of one flow through common share and one purchase warrant. Each full warrant can be exercised into one non-flow-through common share at a price of $0.60 for the first year and $0.70 for the second year. The proposed offering would have a hold period of 4 months, is restricted to residents of Ontario only and is subject to regulatory approval. The financing utilizes Super Flow-through shares which include tax-based incentives of 100 percent of the investment with an additional 20 percent tax credit. The financing is expected to close in 30 days. Proceeds will be used for working capital purposes to advance exploration on the West Cedartree Gold Project.

Houston Lake has a 100 percent ownership interest in or completed the requirements of a 100 percent ownership interest the West Cedartree Gold Property, the North Block Gold Property, and the Jesse (North) Gold Property subject to Net Smelter Royalties ("NSR") ranging from nil to 2.5 percent. The Company has a 45 percent ownership interest in the McLennan Gold Property and is required to expend a further $180,000 over 4.5 years to complete the 100 percent earn in of the McLennan Gold Property subject to a 2.25 percent NSR. Houston Lake’s total land position now includes approximately 634 hectares (1567 acres).

Gold deposits in the region are associated with the Cameron Lake-Pipestone Bay Fault and include the Shoal Lake Deposit with preliminary reserves of 1,234,069 tonnes of 9.62 g/t Au and the Cameron Lake Deposit with 3,160,148 tons grading 0.168 oz/t Au in the proven, possible and probable categories. Deposits in the vicinity of the Company’s West Cedartree Project include the Dubenski property with a drill-indicated resource of 355,286 tonnes grading 6.32 g/t Au and the Dogpaw Lake property with an indicated resource of 96,650 tons grading 0.43 oz/t Au. Interest in the Cedartree Lake area has increased markedly since Metalore Resources Limited (MET:TSE) reported the results of a 17 hole drilling program from its East Cedartree Lake Gold Property on November 26, 2002 which "yielded significant gold values over substantial widths in nearly every hole". Most of the available ground in the Cedartree Lake area has now been staked by other interests subsequent to the completion of the Houston Lake’s land position in September.

Funds raised in the proposed financing will build upon Houston Lake’s trenching and stripping exploration program conducted past Summer. The surface program will investigate the strike extensions of two gold-bearing structures into the southern portions of the properties, other parallel structures and a number of gold occurrences noted on government maps. The first gold-bearing structure is the McLennan Shear Zone which contains a 280m gold zone (918 ft.) which was drilled by Noranda Mines Limited in 1944-45 and yielded results that ranged from 0.20 oz/t gold over 1.2 ft. to 0.53 oz/t gold over 18.0 ft. A recently discovered structure, the New Shear Zone was investigated this Summer. Channel sampling results varied from trace to 47.1 g/t Au (1.374 oz/t Au) and averaged 1.88 g/t Au (0.055 oz/t Au) in 60 one metre samples. Three complete channels were taken perpendicular to the north-south strike of the NSZ from north to south over the stripped area. Channel 1 at 5m. (16.4 ft.) returned 9.11 g/t Au over 5.8m. (0.266 oz/t Au over 19.0 ft.) including 18.76 g/t Au over 2.5 m. (0.547 oz/t over 8.2 ft.). Channel 2 at 17.5m. (57.4 ft.) returned 5.39 g/t Au over 3.95m. (0.157 oz/t Au over 13.0 ft.) including 9.26 g/t Au over 2.0m. (0.270 oz/t Au over 6.28 ft.). Channel 3 at 75m. (246.0 ft.) assayed 5.71 g/t Au over 5.0m. (0.167 oz/t over 16.4 ft.) including 9.19 g/t Au over 3.0m. (0.268 oz/t Au over 9.8 ft.).

Houston Lake is actively exploring for Gold, Rare Metals, and Platinum Group Metals with a strategic focus on northwestern Ontario. Houston Lake Mining Inc. has a total of 15,460,695 common shares issued and outstanding. The common shares of Houston Lake Mining Inc. trade through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol HLM. For further information on all of the Company's projects, we invite you to visit us at www.houstonlakemining.com.

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The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the information contained herein.