Noront's Offer is the Only One That Will Allow You to Retain Upside in the Ring of Fire - Tender Your Shares

TORONTO, December 8 - Symbol: NOT:TSX-V

Shares Outstanding: 163,631,957

Fully Diluted: 173,461,957

Noront Resources Ltd. ("Noront" or the "Company")
(TSX Venture: NOT) Noront announces dismay at the aggressive and misleading
attempts by Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. ("Cliffs", NYSE: CLF & PARIS: CLF)
in their press release on December 7, 2009 to persuade the shareholders of
Freewest Resources Canada Inc. ("Freewest", TSX-V:FWR) to accept their offer
in the face of mounting support for the Noront offer. Noront is surprised
that a major U.S mining company, with 160 years of experience, feels it is
necessary to mischaracterize and confuse Freewest shareholders with an
attempt to challenge the credibility of Noront's management team and the
validity of Noront's offer; the only clear alternative for any Freewest
shareholders who wish to retain their exposure to the potential upside of
the Ring of Fire.

    Noront would like to briefly respond to their press release by
    clarifying the following facts:

    - Noront and its legal counsel have fully cooperated with the Quebec
      Autorite des Marches Financiers (or "AMF") in response to questions
      raised by the AMF. As of last Friday, December 4, 2009, despite the
      comments made by Cliffs in its December 7, 2009 press release, the
      AMF are satisfied with all responses that Noront has provided, have
      alleged no wrongdoing on the part of Noront and were not pursuing any
      further action. Any suggestion to the contrary by Cliffs' is
      misleading and inaccurate.

    - The notional value of the fractional warrant of C$0.22 per Freewest
      common share is calculated using standard market practices and a
      volatility assumption of 100%. This volatility assumption compares
      conservatively to current Noront one month, three month and one year
      volatilities of 147%, 102% and 135% respectively; and a volatility of
      142% used when Noront last granted options. In effect, this
      calculation places a value on the probability that, upon expiry of
      the warrant in five years time, the Noront share price will be above
      the C$4 per share exercise price. Ultimately, the most relevant and
      important assumptions in attributing value to the warrant is the
      potential value of the Ring of Fire which Noront believes to be
      significant. If the Ring of Fire potential upside is realized the
      value of the warrant has the potential to be materially higher than
      that stated in our offer;

    - Noront's rationale for acquiring Freewest has, amongst other things,
      always been to extract synergies through the sharing of essential
      logistics infrastructure, thereby increasing the development
      prospects of all Ring of Fire discoveries and the overall economics
      of all projects that are developed in the Ring of Fire. Cliffs
      continues to disregard the infrastructure development challenges in
      the Ring of Fire and the value creation for both Noront and Freewest
      shareholders that could result from the consolidation and sharing of
      essential infrastructure;

    - Cliffs' offer does not allow Freewest shareholders to defer their
      capital gains tax liabilities on their investment. We fail to see how
      Cliffs can suggest that allowing Freewest shareholders the
      flexibility to manage their tax affairs has no value. Freewest
      shareholders should seek independent tax advice to assess the
      specific impact that Cliffs' and Noront's offer will have on their
      individual tax position;

    - Noront's disclosure policy is to release material information to the
      market in a timely manner. Any suggestion that the timing of drill
      results and the ensuing performance of Noront's stock price are in
      turn manipulative is misleading and completely without basis; we
      release material drill results as they become available;

    - Noront notes that according to Cliffs, a years' technical work has
      already been completed with respect to Freewest's deposits. We must
      question what technical work has been undertaken by Cliffs on
      Freewest's properties over the last year and why should Cliffs be
      privy to material, non-public, insider information that is not
      available to all Freewest shareholders? We believe that this is an
      issue that all Freewest Shareholders should question; and

    - Noront notes with surprise the complete turn-around by Freewest with
      respect to the change of control payments owed to Freewest's senior
      management. As highlighted by Noront in its original offer to
      Freewest shareholders, the C$6.5 million change of control payments
      are excessive and entirely out of line with market standards. As
      recently as Friday, December 4, 2009, Freewest and its
      representatives were defending the C$6.5 million payments as
      appropriate and as having been confirmed by Freewest's board of
      directors. In its December 7, 2009 press release, Cliffs indicates
      that these payments have now apparently been reduced to C$2.5
      million: This is yet another example of Freewest failing to disclose
      material information to its shareholders and begs the question; what
      other provisions of the Cliffs offer have not been disclosed to
      Freewest shareholders?

Noront's President and CEO Wes Hanson notes: "The Noront Offer is the
only offer that continues to allow a Freewest shareholder to benefit from the
significant upside of the Ring of Fire, a unique mineral district with
tremendous future potential. It allows the Freewest shareholder to join a
company with the largest land position in the Ring of Fire, a company, which
has demonstrated the greatest level of exploration success in the Ring of
Fire, and a company with a vibrant, exciting future. Our Offer is final, will
not be increased and will expire at midnight on December 11th." Mr. Hanson
also notes: "I, like many others, am disturbed that Cliffs has admitted to
having over a years' worth of confidential information on Freewest's chromite
deposits yet none of this information is in the public domain under a Cliffs'
Report or a Cliffs' Press Release. If I were a Freewest shareholder I would
ask myself, have I been allowed to benefit from all of Cliff's findings, and
am I being allowed to benefit now?"

Freewest Offer

Under the current Offer, for each seven (7) Freewest shares held, Noront
will issue two (2) freely tradeable Noront shares and one (1) five-year (5)
purchase warrant with a strike price of C$4.00. The implied value at the time
of the offer was estimated to be C$0.86 per Freewest share and is currently
C$0.95 per Freewest share.

Noront's Offer has been extended and now expires on December 11, 2009.
All Freewest shareholders are urged to tender their shares to the Noront bid,
the only bid that will provide all Freewest Shareholders with the opportunity
to partake in the upside of the Ring of Fire.

About Noront

Noront Resources Ltd. is focused on its significant and multiple,
high-grade nickel-copper-platinum-palladium, chromite, gold and vanadium
discoveries in an area known as the "Ring of Fire", an emerging multi-metals
district located in the James Bay Lowlands of Ontario, Canada. Noront is the
dominant land holder at the Ring of Fire and continues to delineate and prove
up its discoveries with NI 43-101 technical and economic reports and an
aggressive and well financed drill plan for the remainder of 2009 and 2010.
All material information on Noront can be found on the Company's website at
www.norontresources.com or at SEDAR at www.sedar.com

Wesley (Wes) Hanson

President & Chief Executive Officer

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of
applicable Canadian securities legislation, including predictions,
projections and forecasts. Forward-looking statements include, but are not
limited to, statements that address activities, events or developments that
the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including
such things as future business strategy, competitive strengths, goals,
expansion, growth of the Company's businesses, operations, plans and with
respect to exploration results, the timing and success of exploration
activities generally, permitting time lines, government regulation of
exploration and mining operations, environmental risks, title disputes or
claims, limitations on insurance coverage, timing and possible outcome of
any pending litigation and timing and results of future resource estimates
or future economic studies.

Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by
the use of words such as "plans", "planning", "planned", "expects" or
"looking forward", "does not expect", "continues", "scheduled", "estimates",
"forecasts", "intends", "potential", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", or
"belief", or describes a "goal", or variation of such words and phrases or
state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would",
"might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and
assumptions, including, the result of drilling and exploration activities,
that contracted parties provide goods and/or services on the agreed
timeframes, that equipment necessary for exploration is available as
scheduled and does not incur unforeseen break downs, that no labour shortages
or delays are incurred, that plant and equipment function as specified, that
no unusual geological or technical problems occur, and that laboratory and
other related services are available and perform as contracted.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, future events,
conditions, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual
results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any
future results, prediction, projection, forecast, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include,
among others, the interpretation and actual results of current exploration
activities; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined;
future prices of gold; possible variations in grade or recovery rates;
failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated; the failure of
contracted parties to perform; labour disputes and other risks of the mining
industry; delays in obtaining governmental approvals or financing or in the
completion of exploration, as well as those factors disclosed in the
company's publicly filed documents. Although Noront has attempted to
identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or
results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking
statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results
not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance
that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results
and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such
statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as
that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information: on the Freewest Offer, please visit Noront's
website at www.norontresources.com or contact Noront's Investor
Relations Department at +1-416-367-1444. ext 126; To tender your Freewest
shares, please contact; Laurel Hill at Laurel Hill Advisory Group, North
American Toll Free Phone: +1-888-882-6742, Email:
assistance@laurelhillag.com; Outside North America, Banks and Brokers Call
Collect: +1-416-637-4661; For further information regarding this Offer,
please contact Wes Hanson, President and Chief Executive Officer or Joanne
Jobin, Vice President Corporate Communications at +1-416-367-1444, or visit
Noront's website at: www.norontresources.com

Noront's Investor Relations Department at +1-416-367-1444. ext 126; To tender your Freewest shares, please contact; Laurel Hill at Laurel Hill Advisory Group, North American Toll Free Phone: +1-888-882-6742, Email: assistance at laurelhillag.com; Outside North America, Banks and Brokers Call Collect: +1-416-637-4661; For further information regarding this Offer, please contact Wes Hanson, President and Chief Executive Officer or Joanne Jobin, Vice President
Corporate Communications at +1-416-367-1444