CUMBERLAND RESOURCES LTD. - WHISTLE LAKE DRILLING COMPLETED.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia --(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 12, 1994--CUMBERLAND RESOURCES LTD. (VSE:CBD ) CUMBERLAND RESOURCES LTD. (CBD) and International Vestor Resources Ltd. wish to announce that Noranda Exploration Company, Limited has now completed its planned four hole diamond drill program on the Whistle Lake option. Cumberland and Vestor consider the drill results to be encouraging.

The Whistle Lake property, located 80 miles north of Thunder Bay, Ontario is owned 50/50 by International Vestor Resources Ltd. (VSE - IVS) and Cumberland Resources Ltd. (VSE-CBD). The property is 11,000 acres in size and covers a 10 mile long belt of felsic volcanic rocks with excellent potential to host important copper-zinc volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits similar to most of the copper-zinc- gold base metal deposits of Ontario and Quebec. Noranda, as previously announced, has the option to earn 50% interest in 4,700 acres in the western sector of the property. The remaining 6,300 acre eastern sector is not included in the Noranda option.

On the option ground, Noranda completed 2,400 feet of drilling in four widely spaced holes to test four separate geophysical targets which occur over an east-west distance of two miles. All holes intersected stringer and/or massive sulphide mineralization. The best hole was the eastern one (94-4) which intersected a 72 foot zone of massive, semi-massive and stringer sulphide mineralization. Minor copper and zinc sulphides are visible in this hole but values are not expected to be ore grade. Assays returned from holes WL-94-1 and 94-4 indicate anomalous zinc values up to .24% associated with the stringer sulphide zones and anomalous silver values up to 2.4 grams per tonne associated with the massive sulphide zone. Excellent VMS- type alteration is associated with these intersections.

All the critical indicators for VMS mineralization, such as mineralogy, content of zinc and copper sulphides associated alteration and thickness of massive sulphides, improve in an easterly direction from the most westerly to the most easterly drill hole. As a result, the primary focus has now shifted to the eastern sector of the property (not subject to the Noranda option) where a number of airborne EM anomalies are now considered as prime targets for drilling. A minimum 1995 exploration budget of $150,000 has been established for this eastern property and will include ground geophysical surveys over 40 miles of grid commencing in February 1995, to be followed by diamond drilling.

The company is awaiting further assay results from Noranda and will release this data when available.

CONTACT: Glen Dickson

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