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Revised
Barrick Offer to Purchase Placer Dome
Exchanges:
Barrick:
(NYSE, TSX: ABX); Placer: (NYSE, TSX, ASX: PDG)
New
Expiry:
12:00 midnight (Toronto time) on January 19,
2006
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Hello,
my name is <insert your
name>, and I’m calling on behalf of Barrick Gold
Corporation to provide <insert shareholder
name> with an update concerning his/her investment in
Placer Dome Inc. <wait for
response> Can we discuss the
Revised Barrick Offer briefly?
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IF
YES
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IF
NO
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Thank
you.
Barrick
Gold Corporation and Placer Dome have reached an agreement pursuant
to which Barrick has among other things, (i) increased its offer
price to acquire Placer Dome and (ii) extended the expiry of the
Offer to
January 19, 2006. Following an extensive review of strategic alternatives
and the opinion of its financial advisors, the Board of Directors
of
Placer Dome has unanimously recommended that its shareholders accept
the
Revised Barrick Offer. The terms of the purchase and the reasons
why you
should accept the Revised Barrick Offer are discussed in the Notice
of
Extension and Variation dated January 4, 2006 and Placer Dome's
Directors Circular dated January 4, 2006 that has been mailed to you.
These documents can be found online at www.barrick.com/offertoplacer,
www.sedar.com
or
www.sec.gov.
Here
are a few reasons why you should accept the Revised Barrick
Offer:
1.
The
Revised Barrick Offer represents improved value to Placer Dome
shareholders at a premium of 39% based on the average closing price
of the
last ten trading days on the NYSE prior to the announcement of
the Initial
Barrick Offer. This is an increase of over 12% to the Initial Barrick
Offer and is consistent with the premium in comparable gold industry
acquisition transactions;
2.
Placer
Dome shareholders will receive either US$22.50 (the cash alternative)
or
0.8269 of a Barrick common share and US$0.05 in cash (the share
alternative) for each common share of Placer Dome, in each case
subject to
pro ration;
3.
Additional
Reasons to Accept the Revised Barrick Offer:
· The
Placer Board has concluded that the Revised Barrick Offer is the
best
alternative available;
· Creation
of a Highly-Respected Global Gold Mining Company:
· Substantial
Anticipated Cost and Related Synergies:
· Unrivaled
Pipeline of Projects:
· Scope,
Scale and Financial Strength:
· Value
Creation for All Shareholders:
(See
Notice of Variation and Extension and Placer Dome Notice of Change
to
Directors’ Circular for more information)
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May
I please give you our toll-free number and website address if you
have any
questions?
Call
Kingsdale:
1-866-877-2571
MacKenzie:
1-800-322-2885
or
visit us online
at:
www.barrick.com/offertoplacer
Thank
you for your time.
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Please
remember that in order for you to accept the Revised Barrick Offer
you
must tender your shares by no later than January 19, 2006, but your
broker
may require your instruction well in advance of this date. Contact
your
broker directly with your instructions and assistance in tendering
your
shares to the Offer. If you are a shareholder in the U.S., you may
also
accept the Offer by following the procedures for book-entry transfer
and
having your shares tendered by your nominee through The Depository
Trust
Company.
If
you have any questions we can be reached at [Kingsdale: 1-866-877-2571]
[MacKenzie: 1-800-322-2885].
Thank you very much for your time. Have a nice day/night!
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Answering
Machines Message:
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“Hello,
this message is for <insert
shareholder name>.
This is <insert
your name>,
and I’m calling to provide you with an update concerning your investment
in Placer
Dome Inc. Barrick
Gold Corporation and Placer Dome have reached an agreement pursuant
to
which Barrick has among other things, (i) increased its offer price
to
acquire Placer Dome and (ii) extended the expiry of the Offer to
January
19, 2006. The Board of Directors of Placer Dome has unanimously
recommended that its shareholders tender their shares to the Revised
Barrick Offer. The terms of the purchase and the reasons why you
should accept the Revised Barrick Offer are discussed in the Notice
of
Extension and Variation dated January 4, 2006 and Placer Dome's
Directors
Circular dated January 4, 2006 that has been mailed to you. If
you have
any questions or require further assistance in depositing your
shares, we
can be reached at [Kingsdale:
1-866-877
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2571]
[MacKenzie: 1-800-322-2885]. Thank you very much for your time.
Have a
nice day/night!”
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J
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Remember:
Speak slowly, especially when providing a phone
number
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J
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