My question is simple....Is it a ''will'' or an ''expect to''?

If DM tells me ''we WILL announce'', then I reasonably expect the deal to be done barring something that could not reasonably be expected, like the a principal player involved in negotiations suffering a MAC event.  

If DM is involved in negotiations which are tenuous and uncertain....then he shouldn't be announcing a done deal by the end of the year, which he most assuredly did on at least a couple of occassions.

I've emailed IR asking when we can expect clarification in the form of a SEDAR filing or a PR.