TORONTO, CANADA--(Marketwire - Jan. 30, 2013) - Pinetree Capital Ltd. (TSX:PNP), announces that on January 29, 2013, it acquired ownership of 20,000,000 common shares ("Common Shares") and 6,666,666 common share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") of Augusta Industries Inc. ("Augusta"). Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one additional common share at a price of $0.10 until January 29, 2015. In the event that the Warrants are fully exercised, these holdings represent approximately 13.92% of the total issued and outstanding common shares of Augusta Industries Inc. as of January 29, 2013, calculated on a partially diluted basis assuming the exercise of the Warrants only. As a result of this transaction, Pinetree held, as at January 29, 2013, an aggregate of 34,272,112 common shares of Augusta, including the Common Shares, and rights to acquire an additional 13,713,888 common shares of Augusta upon exercise of certain convertible securities, including the Warrants (the "Convertible Securities"). In the event that the Convertible Securities are fully exercised, the holdings of Pinetree represents a total of 47,986,000 common shares of Augusta, or approximately 24.16% of all issued and outstanding common shares as at January 29, 2013, calculated on a partially diluted basis assuming the exercise of the Convertible Securities only.

This transaction was made for investment purposes and Pinetree could increase or decrease its investment in Augusta depending on market conditions or any other relevant factor.

About Pinetree

Pinetree Capital Ltd. ("Pinetree") was incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario and its shares are publicly-traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") under the symbol "PNP". Pinetree is a diversified investment and venture capital firm focused on the small cap market. Pinetree's investments are primarily in the resources sector: Precious Metals, Base Metals, Oil and Gas, Potash, Lithium and Rare Earths, Uranium and Coal. Pinetree's investment approach is to develop a macro view of a sector, build a position consistent with the view by identifying micro-cap opportunities within that sector, and devise an exit strategy designed to maximize our relative return in light of changing fundamentals and opportunities. Pinetree is recognized as a value-added partner in the resource industry.