The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec acquires Class A shares of Noveko International inc.

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (the “Caisse”) announces that it has acquired, by way of private placement, (the “private placement”), ownership and control over 4,000,000 Class A shares of Noveko International inc. [TSX: EKO.TO] (“Noveko“), representing approximately 4.80% of Noveko’s currently outstanding shares, at a price of $ 0.60 CA per share.

Prior to the private placement, the Caisse held 6,183,200 Class A shares of Noveko and 550,000 warrants (“warrants”). Each warrant entitles Caisse to purchase a Class A share at a price of $3.00 CAD per share for a period ending on October 8, 2012 (the “exercice period”), subject to acceleration of the exercise period which, depending on the Noveko Class A share price, may be decreased to a period of 30 days.

Through the private placement, the number of Class A shares of Noveko held by the Caisse will be 10,183,000 class A shares or, 12.22% of such shares outstanding.

In addition, if the Caisse were to exercise its privilege with respect to the warrants underlying, its holding would represent a total of 10,733,200 Class A shares of Noveko, or 12.80% of such shares outstanding, on a partially diluted base.

“The Caisse is pleased to join forces with other financial partners in support of Noveko’s business plan. The Caisse plays a proactive leadership role in Québec companies. This investment is an example of our commitment to the growth of a promising company,” said Jean-Luc Gravel, Caisse Executive Vice-President, Equity Markets.

Noveko International Inc. is a Montréal-based company that offers innovative environmental and medical solutions worldwide. The Québec Company specializes primarily in the development, manufacturing and marketing of products derived from its patented antimicrobial filtration technology and those with antibacterial properties — in addition to the development, manufacturing and marketing of medical equipment.

This transaction was made for investment purposes and the Caisse could increase or decrease its investments in Noveko, depending on market conditions or any other relevant factor.

ABOUT THE CAISSE DE DÉPÔT ET PLACEMENT DU QUÉBEC
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is a financial institution that manages funds primarily for public and private pension and insurance plans. At December 31, 2009, it held $131.6 billion of net assets. As one of the leading institutional fund managers in Canada, the Caisse invests in the main financial markets as well as in private equity and real estate.
For more information: www.cdpq.com.