JUNE 19, 2008 (TORONTO) - For the third year in a row, TSX Venture Exchange gets ready to celebrate Canada's top emerging public companies with the announcement of the TSX Venture 50. Tonight (Thursday, June 19), TSX Venture Exchange will showcase the companies that have stood out in their respective industry sectors this past year. Friday, selected top ranked companies from each sector have been invited to open trading at the TSX Broadcast Centre.

This year's top company is Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp., a B.C. oil and gas company.

The top companies in the five industry sectors are:

• Noront Resources Ltd., Ont. (NOT) - Mining
• Active Control Technology Inc., Ont. (ACT) - Technology/Life Sciences
• Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp., B.C. (PEG) - Oil & Gas
• Zongshen PEM Power Systems Inc., China (ZPP) - Cleantech
• Noveko International Inc., Que. (EKO) - Diversified Industries

The TSX Venture 50 includes the top 10 companies in each of five major industry sectors - Mining, Oil & Gas, Technology/Life Sciences, Cleantech and Diversified Industries - based on a ranking formula with equal weighting given to one-year revenue (last reported 12 months), return on investment, market cap growth and trading volume. All data was as at December 31, 2007.

"TSX Venture Exchange provides our emerging companies with a special opportunity to participate in the marketplace," said Kevan Cowan, President, TSX Venture Exchange. "TSX Venture 50 allows them to rise above it. By celebrating these companies who are setting the bar, we are bringing greater awareness to this dynamic and competitive junior marketplace."

TSX Venture Exchange thanks the following sponsors for support of this program:

Lang Michener and ChitizPathak

The 2008 TSX Venture 50 companies are: