ORBIT GARANT DRILLING INC. ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP WITH RAINY LAKE
TRIBAL CONTRACTING LTD.

VAL-D'OR, QC, Dec. 17 /CNW/ - Orbit Garant Drilling Inc. (TSX: OGD) today announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Rainy Lake Tribal Contracting Ltd. (RLTC) through Orbit Garant's branch in Sudbury, Ontario.

RLTC is a general contracting company involved in numerous services in Northern Ontario, including the provision of mining and exploration services such as road construction, site preparation and land clearing.  Osisko Mining is a RLTC customer at its Hammond Reef project, where Orbit Garant is now operating 4 drill rigs as a result of its acquisition of Morris Drilling announced earlier this week.  Morris is providing the services to Hammond Reef as a sub-contractor to RLTC.

Since opening a new Sudbury branch earlier this year, Orbit Garant continues to develop strong relationships in Northern Ontario.  In addition to the drill rigs on the Osisko project, Orbit Garant has an additional 3 drills at the Rainy River Gold Project, Rainy River Resources' advance stage gold exploration project near Fort Frances, Ontario. 

Under the strategic partnership agreement, RLTC will provide a number of services for Orbit Garant and through cooperative effort both companies will work to develop mutually beneficial and sustainable business relationships that serve to enhance economic development and employment opportunities for the surrounding First Nation communities. 

"We are very excited to be working with RLTC in Northern Ontario," said Eric Alexandre, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orbit Garant. "RLTC is a highly respected contractor and one of the few wholly-owned aboriginal construction companies in the sector.  We are looking forward to building a strong, lasting partnership with RLTC as we grow our operations in the region."

"This partnership with Orbit Garant is a prime example of our focus on building rewarding relationships across the mining industry." said Larry George, General Manager of RLTC.  "We are ideally located in one of Canada's most prolific mining regions and we continue to establish ourselves as a leader in mining construction. We offer a unique opportunity for First Nations communities in the region to participate in the local economy and we build strong, long-term relationships that enhance our presence and our organization."

About Rainy Lake Tribal Contracting Ltd.
Rainy Lake Tribal Contracting, Ltd. is a wholly owned aboriginal general contracting company specializing in road construction, site development, forestry, transportation, sand gravel and aggregates as well as diamond core drilling in the mining sector.

About Orbit Garant
Orbit Garant is one of the largest Canadian-based drilling companies, providing both underground and surface drilling services in Canada and internationally through its 164 drills and more than 600 employees. Orbit Garant provides services to major, intermediate and junior mining companies, through each stage of mining exploration, development and production.

Forward-looking information
This press release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of applicable securities laws) relating to business of Orbit Garant Drilling Inc. (the "Company") and the environment in which it operates. Forward-looking statements are identified by words such as "believe", "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "plan", "will", "may" and other similar expressions. These statements are based on the Company's expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. They are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's regulatory filings available at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate as actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. Readers, therefore, should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Further, a forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any such statement or to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances.

For further information:

Eric Alexandre        President and Chief Executive Officer     [phone] Ext. 233

Derek Henderson Investor Relations [phone] Ext. 232