Baires

I am in full agreement with you. I am just relaying their sentiments. This is how the majority of investors think and partly why the SP stagnates. I got in early in my silver plays and sat tight. That is how I became a ski bum a few years back.

Here is a New Gold 2008 Report briefly mentioning the new direction of First Nations involvement in mine development. A model for Tyhee. For the most part the local Bands are on board. Unlike the way the developers of Sun Peaks (Japanese) trampled the local band. We are still paying the price for lack of negotiations and a favourable deal for them. Can't stress enough how important it is to have them as willing participants in the Tyhee project.

Woody

The New Afton site achieved 339 days without any lost time due to injury to December 31, 2008, and the underground operating team completed 2008 without any lost time due to injury. New site safety orientations, underground orientation and equipment re-training, along with annual mine survival training for underground employees were completed.

The New Afton mine will be an important direct and indirect contributor to the regional and local economy. New Gold maintains effective discussions with local government, First Nations groups, tenure holders, special interests groups and the general public concerning the impact of the New Afton project.

In March 2008, New Gold signed a participation agreement with the two local First Nations Skeetchestn and Tk’emlups bands. This is a ground-breaking agreement in the Province of British Columbia that opens the way for local governments and other organizations to develop their own meaningful agreements with Canada’s First Nations. The main components of the agreement address mining-related educational initiatives within local schools; local hiring practices; band member owned and operated contractor agreements; and financial compensation throughout the developmental and operational stages of the mine.

New Gold undertook environmental baseline studies including air quality, wildlife, hydrology, surface water quality and quantity, soil and vegetation in the areas surrounding the New Afton project. New Gold intends to use reclaimed water from the Afton pit for its operations, in order to minimize fresh water use, and has ensured that the project design includes no surface water discharge from the site. The Company also has initiated extensive plans to ensure that the final reclamation and re-vegetation of the mine site is successful.