Westaim announces sale of iFire Technology L...( CALGARY Oct. 17 / The Westaim Cor...),Health

CALGARY, Oct. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - The Westaim Corporation announced today a purchase and sale agreement between its wholly owned subsidiary iFire Technology Ltd. and CTS Group Limited. Under the agreement, iFire will sell its equipment, patents and intellectual property for net proceeds of approximately US$8.0 million. The sale is subject to several conditions, including iFire obtaining certain Government of Canada consents and approvals, which are expected to be obtained by mid-November. CTS Group is a Canadian-Chinese joint venture with established operations in Henan province, People's Republic of China.

"iFire management has worked very hard over the past few months to bring this transaction to completion," said Drew Fitch, President & CEO of Westaim. "The sale of iFire's assets will provide Westaim with additional cash resources as the company pursues its goal of strategically transitioning into a new sector."

Westaim previously announced it has entered into a reorganization agreement where it will acquire, subject to shareholder approval, several closely held and profitable businesses that provide products and services in the growing western Canadian construction industry. An information circular was mailed to shareholders on October 15th in advance of a special meeting of shareholders to be held on November 21, 2008. Westaim continues to hold a 74.5 percent interest in NUCRYST Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: NCST; TSX: NCS).

The Westaim Corporation's common shares are listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol WED.

This news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations that are subject to risks and uncertainties, and Westaim can give no assurance that these expectations are correct. Various factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in such statements, including but not limited to statements regarding the sale of as
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