Check Assays Confirm Economically Significant Results on Pakeagama Lake Rare Metals Property, New Board Appointment

May 31, 2000: Sudbury, Ontario - Houston Lake Mining Inc. ("Houston Lake") is pleased to announce that the Company has received confirmation of economically significant results reported on November 29, 1999 and updated on January 18, 2000 from channel and grab samples taken over the Pakeagama Lake Rare Metals pegmatite. Houston Lake is in the second option year of a three year agreement and is required to expend a further $47,000 in exploration, make $70,000 in cash payments, and issue 75,000 shares to complete the Company’s 100 percent option on the 632 hectare Pakeagama Lake property. The 100 percent earn in is subject to a 2.5 percent Net Smelter Royalty.

The new results of channel sampling from the Wall Zone returned 344 g/t tantalum oxide, 0.90 percent rubidium oxide, 1776 g/t cesium oxide, 68.9 g/t tin, 131.9 g/t niobium oxide, 1.34 percent lithium oxide, 25.9 g/t thallium, and 42.2 g/t gallium over 11 metres. Germanium and beryllium results are pending. The Pakeagama Lake channel sample results compare favourably to Sons of Gwalia Limited’s Wodgina mine which is located in Western Australia. The Wodgina mine is a world-class tantalum-only producer containing 35 million tonnes averaging 402 g/t tantalum oxide.

Interval or Sample Medium	Ta205 (g/t)	Rb20 (%)	Cs20 (g/t)	Sn (g/t)	Nb205 (g/t)	Li20 (%)	Tl (g/t)	Ga (g/t)	Ta/Nb Ratio
Wall Zone:
11.0 m	344	0.90	1776	68.9	131.9	1.34	25.9	42.2	3.06
Incl. 7.0 m	379	0.93	1983	66.0	161.9	1.38	24.0	41.1	2.74
Northwest Zone:
8.0 m	72	0.28	220	44.9	90.0	1.82	17.6	36.4	0.93
Repl. Vein	1126	1.88	241	132.1	331.8	2.97	76.8	101.2	3.97
2m. Aplite	437	0.01	127	1.5	123.0	0.05	1.5	42.7	4.16
1m. Aplite	642	0.09	408	6.5	64.1	0.03	6.5	44.9	11.74
Wall Zone (0.2m)	409	1.13	2534	55.3	122.8	2.33	55.3	72.8	3.90
Wall Zone (0.2m)	403	1.17	2625	60.0	114.5	2.47	60.0	76.9	4.12
Average of 24 Samples	307	0.69	1135	62.9	122.0	1.55	26.1	45.6	2.95

Duplicate samples were submitted by the Ontario Geological Survey ("OGS", a provincial government agency) to their government-owned laboratory, Geoscience Laboratories ("GeoLabs") of Sudbury, Ontario. Methodologies employed were different from that used at Chemex Labs of Mississauga, Ontario as high rare metal values may exceed the capabilities of the ICP-MS analytical methodology usually employed for rare metals. The analytical methods utilized by GeoLabs included custom ICP-MS with special high threshold rare metal standards, IR Spectroscopy, and X-RAY Fluorescence which may be more appropriate for the elevated values encountered in the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite samples. Both labs have sound reputations while GeoLabs has the greater experience with analyzing higher rare metal values. As there are notable variances reported from the different analytical methodologies, a third laboratory will be selected to further verify the confirmed economically significant results.

The Pakeagama Lake pegmatite is already the second largest complex type, petalite sub-type pegmatite in Ontario with 260 metres in strike length and 30 to 70 metres in width exposed at surface. The pegmatite has considerable potential for expansion of its size as the pegmatite is open along strike in both directions and is flanked by a 120 metre wide lithium-cesium anomaly. The anomaly is interpreted to be due to more rare metal pegmatite buried underneath. Dr. Fred Breaks of the OGS notes that "The high tantalum:niobium ratios, and elevated cesium and rubidium values indicate a highly evolved Tanco-type (enriched in tantalum, rubidium, cesium, and lithium) rather than a Bikita-type (lithium-rich and tantalum-poor) mineralizing system." Houston Lake’s management believes that the combination of high rare metals concentration and large size are prerequisites for a potential economic rare metal deposit.

Tantalum markets are currently experiencing severe shortages of tantalum powder used in capacitors in various electronic equipment and cell phones which are in turn causing these high technology items to backorder. Tantalum scrap prices have recently escalated to over $100 per pound due to shortages in supply. Recent mine expansions in Australia coupled with a decline in secondary tantalum supply from tin production are not keeping pace with demand. This shortfall is expected to widen due to new applications such as sputtering (a coating method used in fiberoptics to increase transmission quality). Sputtering is expected to increase from its current annual needs of 90,000 pounds to 400,000 pounds over the next several years.

The Company is pleased to announce the appointment of John G. Kelly, P. Eng. to the Board of Directors. Mr. Kelly brings to Houston Lake over 30 years of engineering experience with Inco Ltd. where he retired with the title of Vice President of Mining, Ontario Division. Mr. Kelly is President of JGK Mining Services Ltd., a engineering consulting firm based in Sudbury, Ontario. Houston Lake’s Board of Directors now encompasses over 100 years of mining experience from project inception to mining production.

Houston Lake is actively exploring for rare metals, platinum group metals and gold in northwestern Ontario. The common shares of Houston Lake Mining Inc. trade through the facilities of the Canadian Venture Exchange under the symbol HLM. Houston Lake Mining Inc. has a total of 12,287,432 common shares issued and outstanding. For further information on all of the Company’s projects, we invite you to visit us at www.houstonlakemining.com.

For more information, please contact:

E. Grayme Anthony B.Sc., P. Geo., F.G.A.C., M. B. A.

Tel: (705) 897-7622

Fax: (705) 897-7618

e-mail: houston@vianet.on.ca

Web Site: www.houstonlakemining.com

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