AUGUST 24th, 2000

Fairfield Minerals Ltd. has completed a twelve-hole 1400-metre drill program on its Elk property located in the Okanagan area of Southern British Columbia. The program targeted three gold bearing quartz vein systems in the Siwash mine area. Mineralized structures were intersected in all holes at or near their projected locations.

The WD zone, located 150m north of the vein system mined from 1992 to 1994, has an inferred resource of 18,290 oz (568,800 gm) contained in 6,000 short tons at a grade of 3.05 ounces per ton Au from holes drilled during1996. Four holes ( SND00-298, 299, 303 and 309) were drilled this season to test vein and gold shoot continuity to the east and west of the WD resource block. The two parallel veins, WDa and WDb, were intersected at their projected locations five to ten metres apart as in previous drilling. The new results listed below indicate good structural and grade continuity.
Three holes (SND00-301-303) were drilled on the east side of the area outlined for a proposed open pit, located 250m east of the 1994 pit, in order to increase the sample density to less than 25 metres. The targeted veins were intersected and a new calculation of the contained gold will be carried out at the end of the field season.
Five holes (SND00-304-308) were drilled in the Gold Creek West area (GCW), located approximately 500m southwest of the open pit, to determine vein continuity to the east and west of the 1996 drilling. The vein structure was intersected in all holes and potential for intersecting a high grade shoot remains good.

Drill results averaged over a minimum true width of 0.50 metres are listed below:

All samples were analyzed at Acme Analytical Labs in Vancouver using wet geochemical (WD), fire assay (FA) and metallics (SA) techniques. Blind duplicate and blank samples were included in the samples shipped to Acme and confirmed procedural quality. Prospecting in a new logging clearcut one kilometre to the east of the mine area has resulted in the discovery of two northeast trending structures coincident with anomalous gold soil values. A grab sample of quartz vein float found in a logging road cut across one of these structures returned a value of 99,999 ppb Au (83,239 ppb Au on rerun of same sample). Auger soil sampling along the gullies defining the structures was carried out and results are pending. A more detailed evaluation of this area will be carried out in the fall. The Siwash Mine has produced approximately 51,000 oz (1,586,100gm) from an open pit and underground mine operated between 1992 and 1995 and has an indicated resource of 87,700 oz (2,727,400 gm) Au contained in 61,300 tons at a grade of 1.431 ounces per ton and a probable resource of 45,200 oz (1,405,700 gm) Au in 44,500 tons at a grade of 1.016 ounces per ton. All resource calculations were done in house by Professional Engineers and Geoscientists. A new resource calculation will be done later this year incorporating the 2000 drill program results on completion of check assaying and data compilation. Click to see map Duane Poliquin, P. Eng. President Fairfield is listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange - symbol FFD