Press Release

MINT ANNOUNCES NORMAL COURSE ISSUER BID

MIDDLEFIELD High Income Trust ("MINT") announced today its intention to make a normal course issuer bid for its units through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the "TSE"). This normal course issuer bid is intended to commence on December 23, 2001 and will terminate on December 22, 2002. In accordance with the Trust Agreement by which MINT is governed, market purchases pursuant to its normal course issuer bid may only be effected if unitholders are offering their units for sale at less than net asset value per unit.

At December 10, 2001 there were 5,214,354 units issued and outstanding including 5,113,495 units in the public float. MINT may, during the 12 month period commencing December 23, 2001, purchase on the TSE up to 511,350 units, being 10% of the public float of the units. MINT will cancel all units purchased pursuant to the bid. Since December 23, 2000, MINT has purchased and cancelled 588,300 units at an average price of $6.37 per unit under its previously approved normal course issuer bid.

MINT has been trading at prices which are less than the net asset value per unit. As a result, depending on future stock price movements and other factors, MINT believes that its units may represent an attractive investment for MINT and a desirable use of its available funds. Any normal course purchases made by MINT will also afford an increased degree of liquidity to those unitholders of MINT who wish to dispose of their units.

MINT trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "MID.UN".

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

Nancy Tham
Vice President
(416) 362-0714, Ext. 277

December 18, 2001

 

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