WGI Heavy Minerals Appoints New Board Members and Officers

WATERDOWN, ON, and COEUR D'ALENE, ID, Sept. 6, 2012 /CNW/ - Opta Minerals Inc. ("Opta Minerals") (TSX: OPM) and WGI Heavy Minerals, Incorporated ("WGI") (TSX: WG) jointly announced today that, in connection with the take-up by Opta Minerals of approximately 94% of the outstanding common shares of WGI pursuant to its take-over bid offer for all of the outstanding shares of WGI, Gordon Fear, Robert Ackerman, Gregory Emerson, Patrick Hodgson and Richard Stoneman have resigned as directors of WGI and Jeremy Kendall (Chairman), David Kruse, Steve Bromley, Victor Hepburn and Joseph Riz have been appointed as directors of WGI.

In addition, David Kruse has been appointed as Vice Chairman of WGI and Peter Fryters has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer of WGI.

About Opta Minerals

Opta Minerals is a vertically integrated provider of custom process optimization solutions and related materials for use primarily in the steel, foundry, loose abrasive cleaning and municipal water filtration industries. The company currently has production and distribution facilities in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Louisiana, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Kosice, Slovakia, and Romans-sur-Isere, France and has one of the broadest product lines in the industry.

About WGI Heavy Minerals

The principal business of WGI is the processing and sale of industrial abrasive minerals and the sourcing, assembly and sale of ultra-high pressure waterjet cutting machine replacement parts and components. The company, through its subsidiaries, markets and sells abrasive products and services and waterjet replacement parts globally.

SOURCE: WGI Heavy Minerals, Incorporated

For further information concerning Opta Minerals contact:

David Kruse, President and Chief Executive Officer
Peter Fryters, Chief Financial Officer
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail: investor [email protected]
Website: www.optaminerals.com

For further information concerning WGI Heavy Minerals contact:

Greg Emerson, President and Chief Executive Officer
Telephone: [phone]
E-mail : [email protected]
Website: www.wgiheavyminerals.com