Western Canadian Coal Wins John T. Ryan Safety Award

Vancouver - Western Canadian Coal Corp. is pleased to announce that its Brule mine was recently awarded the 2007 John T. Ryan safety award with zero lost time accidents in the year by the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. The John T. Ryan award has been awarded since 1941 to the Canadian mine with the lowest injury rate per 200,000 hours worked. Separate awards are made for coal mines, metalliferous mines and select mines. This year, the award for coal mines was shared with two Alberta strip mines.

The Brule Mine (then "Dillon Mine") is a previous winner of a John T. Ryan award as well as the provincial Stewart O'Brien and Edward Prior safety awards. This is the fourth consecutive year the mine has earned a safety award.

"We are extremely proud of the safety record at our Brule mine," said John Hogg, President and CEO of Western Canadian Coal Corp. "We have increased production at the mine each year since the Dillon mine started in 2004 thereby indicating that a safe work place is also a productive work place."

"It also recognizes the focus our employees and those of our mining contractor, Pelly Construction, have on safe work practices," Mr. Hogg added.

SOURCE: Western Canadian Coal Corp.