Sean Roosen, COO of Osisko Exploration, Ltd., describes the company's exploration of the historic Malartic underground mine in Quebec, and details plans to move forward with an open-pit mine at the site.

Montreal, March 17, 2006 - Osisko Exploration, Ltd. has completed a flurry of agreements with independent prospectors to purchase 100% interests in 14 claims contiguous to the company's existing Malartic project in Quebec. Funding for the acquisitions is coming largely from insiders. Added to two additional claims acquired by Osisko through staking, the result is an area covering three past-producing gold mines with a total production to date of four million ounces. New understandings of area geology point to economical open-pit mining.