MINT ANNOUNCES FOURTH QUARTER 2000 DISTRIBUTION

MINT is pleased to announce that a distribution of $0.17 per trust unit will be payable on January 26, 2001 to unitholders of record on December 29, 2000. This equates to an annualized yield of 12.5% based on a unit market price of $5.45.

Unitholders of MINT can acquire additional units by participating in the Distribution Reinvestment Plan. The Plan enables unitholders to reinvest their quarterly distributions in additional units of MINT thereby achieving the benefit of compounding returns. In order to take advantage of the Plan, unitholders should contact their investment advisor or Middlefield.

MINT trades on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “MID.UN”.

For further information visit our website at www.middlefield.com, contact Nancy Tham or the undersigned:

Mr. J. Dennis Dunlop
Senior Vice President
(416) 362-0714

December 14, 2000