Eagle Plains Resources: former BC Mines Minister Bill Bennett appointed to the Board of Directors

Bill Bennett — Photo courtesy Government of British Columbia

Eagle Plains Resources Ltd. (TSX-V:EPL) (“EPL” or “Eagle Plains”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Bill Bennett, B.A., LL.B., to the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Mr. Bennett recently served as the Minister of Mines for the Province of British Columbia, holding a seat in the B.C. Legislature for 16 years. Concurrent with Mr. Bennett’s appointment, the Board of Directors have accepted the resignation of Mr. Ron Netolitzky, who has served the Company for over 13 years. Mr. Netolitzky will continue to provide direction to Eagle Plains as a member of our Advisory Board, joining Robert Termuende, a founding board member - now retired.

Bill Bennett was a government MLA in BC for 16 years in the Riding of Kootenay East. In addition to holding portfolios for Local Government and Tourism, Bill was named BC Mines Minister 3 separate times over his 16 years. Kootenay East contains five active metallurgical coal mines and there are dozens of active mineral exploration projects in the region. Bill became the "go-to" person in the BC government on mining issues for the BC business community.

Bill has a BA from the University of Guelph and a law degree from Queens University. His first career was as owner operator of fly in fishing and hunting lodges in Manitoba and the NWT. He graduated from law school at 42, practiced law for 8 years, and was elected for the first time in 2001. Bill is known across Canada for his knowledge of the mining industry in BC. He has significant experience with all natural resources issues and with First Nations issues. He led the BC government's efforts over many years to restore BC's competitiveness for exploration investment, including having improved the BC Ministry of Energy & Mines permitting process and helping to launch BC's First Nations mine revenue sharing program. There are few people in Canada who have such a strong combined knowledge of government processes, of the mining industry and of First Nations.

Bill lives in Cranbrook, BC with his wife, Beth.

Mr. Netolitzky, an inductee into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, has played a pivotal role in the affairs of the Company since joining in 2004 and has been an invaluable member and mentor to all, particularly during the spin-out of Copper Canyon Resources and through its eventual merger with NovaGold Resources in 2011. Members of the Board wish to thank Mr. Netolitzky for his service to the Company and its shareholders and wish him well in his future endeavours.

Tim Termuende, President and CEO of Eagle Plains recently commented on the changes to the Board, stating: “We would like to heartily welcome Mr. Bennett to the Eagle Plains Board of Directors. As a Kootenay-based mineral exploration company, we share many of the same values as Bill. His myriad accomplishments, experiences and relationships gained during his tenure as B.C.’s Mines Minister make him a valuable addition to our existing Board. I would also like to personally thank Ron for his services over the years, and look forward to his continuing contributions to the company through his role on the Advisory Board, and equally importantly, his continuing mentorship through a relationship that now spans over four decades”.

Mr. Netolitzky stated recently: “It has been a pleasure for me to have worked with a team of younger geologists that have prospecting skills with the understanding of the importance of acquiring mineral rights prospective for discovery. This is accompanied by an understanding of the state of the art new tools available to the industry.”

Concurrent with the Board appointment, Eagle Plains has granted incentive stock options to directors of the company for the purchase of a total of 500,000 shares at the exercise price of $.20 per share, expiring June 15th, 2022.

Based in Cranbrook, B.C., Eagle Plains continues to conduct research, acquire and explore mineral projects throughout western Canada. The Company is committed to steadily enhancing shareholder value by advancing our diverse portfolio of projects toward discovery through collaborative partnerships and development of a highly experienced technical team. Managements’ current focus is to preserve its treasury while advancing its most promising exploration projects. In addition, Eagle Plains continues to seek out and secure high-quality, unencumbered projects through research, staking and strategic acquisitions. Since 2012, Eagle Plains has added to its portfolio a number of new projects exceeding 130,000 ha targeting mainly gold, uranium and base-metals in Saskatchewan, a highly-prospective mining jurisdiction which was recently recognized by the Fraser Institute as the best place in the world in terms of Investment Attractiveness. Throughout the exploration process, our mission is to help maintain prosperous communities by exploring for and discovering resource opportunities while building lasting relationships through honest and respectful business practices.

Expenditures from 2011-2016 on Eagle Plains-related projects were approximately $16.0M, which was funded by Eagle Plains and, for the most part, by third-party partners. This exploration work resulted in approximately 15,000 m of diamond-drilling and extensive ground-based exploration work facilitating the advancement of numerous projects at various stages of development.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

“Tim J. Termuende”

President and CEO

Forward looking statements apply.