CALGARY, Aug. 15 /CNW/ - Bonterra Energy Income Trust ("Bonterra Trust")
(www.bonterraenergy.com) (TSX: BNE.UN) is pleased to announce that it has
entered into two binding agreements that will result in:1.  The acquisition of a company that presently has production of
        approximately 650 barrels of oil equivalent ("BOE") consisting
        entirely of natural gas and natural gas liquids in the Province of
        British Columbia, 10,000 acres and a right to earn an additional
        approximate 38,000 acres of non-producing lands in Alberta and
        British Columbia, and approximately $74,000,000 in tax pools.

    2.  The conversion of Bonterra Trust into a corporation, Bonterra Energy
        Ltd. ("Bonterra Ltd."), by way of a plan of arrangement.

    What Bonterra Ltd. will look like after these transactions:

    A.  Bonterra Ltd. anticipates that it will pay dividends in the same
        monthly amount as it would have paid in distributions if it had
        remained a Trust (presently $0.32 per month), subject to future
        adjustments due to changes in commodity prices and production
        amounts.

    B.  Bonterra Ltd. will be a high paying dividend company, whereas, prior
        to this change it was a high paying trust. Some shareholders may
        benefit by paying lower income taxes on dividends than taxes
        previously paid on distributions.

    C.  2008 exit production is expected to be approximately 5,200 BOE/day
        consisting of two-thirds oil and liquids and one-third natural gas,
        an increase from approximately 4,400 BOE's production at the present
        time.

    D.  Number of units/shares outstanding will increase from the present
        17,150,000 to approximately 17,800,000 (assuming the exercise of a
        certain percentage of stock options, and the acquisition described
        below), resulting in dilution of 3.8 percent.

    E.  Debt of approximately 10 to 11 months of debt to cash flow.

    F.  Bonterra Ltd. will have tax pools of approximately $450,000,000.

    G.  Reserves are expected to increase by approximately 2,200,000 BOE, an
        approximate 8 percent increase.

    H.  Inventory of undrilled locations in excess of 10 years.Conversion Rationale

    Bonterra Trust's long-term business strategy has been to combine its oil
and gas production technical strengths with planned business strategies to
generate above average results and returns for unitholders. However, since the
October 31, 2006 announcement and subsequent legislation by the Canadian
federal government with respect to trust taxation, Bonterra Trust has been of
the opinion that the trust structure is no longer capable of providing maximum
value to unitholders. The trust taxation regime as well as the continued lack
of clarity in regard to its enactment has continued to negatively impact the
energy trust sector including continued depression in trust unit prices,
decreased access to capital and a limited ability to grow based on the "safe
harbour" rules. As well, Bonterra Trust's ability to fully execute its
strategy has been compromised.
    Bonterra Trust's management and Board of Directors have been examining
the options available to it to lessen the impact of the Federal trust tax
regulations that were legislated by the Federal government in June 2007 and
have determined that an early conversion to corporate status will be
beneficial to its unitholders.

    Details about the Transactions

    Silverwing
    ----------
    The first binding agreement relates to the acquisition of all of the
outstanding shares of Silverwing Energy Inc. ("Silverwing"), an Alberta-based
oil and natural gas company (the "Acquisition").
    The gross purchase price for all of the outstanding shares of Silverwing
is approximately $30,450,000, which amount shall be reduced by the amount of
debt and negative working capital of Silverwing and certain penalties payable
to third parties (which is currently estimated to be $16,500,000), at the
closing of the Acquisition. The net purchase price shall be paid to the
holders of common shares of Silverwing, at the election of the securityholder
of Silverwing, on the basis of: (i) 0.002226 (subject to minor adjustments at
closing) of a trust unit of Bonterra Trust (a "Bonterra Trust Unit") at a
deemed price equal to $33.70 per Bonterra Trust Unit for each Silverwing
share; or (ii) cash, in an amount equal to such securityholder's pro rata
share of the net purchase price estimated to be approximately $0.075 per
Silverwing share (subject to adjustments at closing related to Silverwing's
actual cash flow from operations). All dollar amounts in this press release
are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.
    The cash portion of the Acquisition will be funded by Bonterra Trust from
its existing bank line of credit. After closing the Acquisition, Silverwing
will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bonterra Trust and will subsequently be
amalgamated with Bonterra Energy Corp. (another wholly-owned subsidiary of
Bonterra Trust), and holders of Silverwing shares will hold approximately 2%
of the outstanding Bonterra Trust Units, assuming that 100% of the holders of
currently outstanding Silverwing shares elect to receive Bonterra Trust Units
in exchange for their Silverwing shares. This press release does not
constitute an offer of any securities.
    The Board of Directors of Silverwing and the Board of Directors of
Bonterra Energy Corp., as Administrator of Bonterra Trust (in such capacity,
the "Administrator") have unanimously approved the Acquisition.
    Silverwing has agreed that it will not solicit or initiate any
discussions concerning the pursuit of any other business combination.
Silverwing has agreed to pay to Bonterra Trust a non-completion fee of
$1,000,000 in cash in certain circumstances. Bonterra Trust has agreed to pay
to Silverwing a $1,000,000 non-completion fee in certain circumstances. In
addition, Bonterra Trust has the right to match any superior proposal, and
Silverwing has the right to respond to any superior proposal, in the event
such a proposal is made.
    The Acquisition is subject to, among other things, regulatory and court
approval and the Acquisition resulting in Bonterra Trust acquiring 100% of the
outstanding Silverwing shares. In addition the Acquisition is subject to a due
diligence review being completed by both Bonterra Trust and Silverwing to
their sole satisfaction. The Acquisition is expected to close in
November, 2008.
    It is a condition of the Acquisition that all of the directors and
officers, and certain shareholders of Silverwing holding an aggregate of not
less than 51,550,000 of the outstanding shares of Silverwing, enter into
support agreements whereby they agree to deliver into an offer made by
Bonterra Trust, all Silverwing securities held by them or to otherwise support
the Acquisition by agreeing to vote all of their securities of Silverwing in
favour of the Acquisition, as the case may be.
    Complete details of the terms of the proposed Acquisition are set out in
the letter agreement that will be filed by Bonterra Trust on SEDAR
(www.sedar.com) under its profile.

    SRX
    ---
    The second binding agreement relates to a transaction with SRX Post
Holdings Inc. ("SRX").
    Immediately subsequent to the closing of the Acquisition, Bonterra Trust
proposes to complete a proposed plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement")
involving Bonterra Trust, Bonterra Energy Corp. ("Bonterra Corp."), Novitas
Energy Ltd. ("Novitas") and SRX pursuant to an arrangement agreement
("Arrangement Agreement") entered into among Bonterra Trust, Bonterra Corp.,
Novitas and SRX.
    SRX is currently an inactive public company incorporated under the Canada
Business Corporations Act and is subject to creditor protection under the
Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (the "CCAA") pursuant to proceedings in
the Québec Superior Court. The CCAA proceedings will result in: (i) all
liabilities of SRX being extinguished; (ii) Bonterra Trust making an
investment of approximately $11,250,000 in SRX; (iii) the share capital of SRX
being reorganized to enable the redemption of all outstanding common shares
for nominal consideration; and (iv) the corporate name of SRX being changed to
Bonterra Energy Ltd. ("New Bonterra").
    Subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, the
transaction will be carried out as an arrangement under the Business
Corporations Act (Alberta). Under the Arrangement, New Bonterra will acquire
all of the outstanding Bonterra Trust Units by issuing common shares to
holders of Bonterra Units on a one-for-one basis. In addition, Bonterra Corp.
and Novitas, which currently hold the operating assets of Bonterra Trust, will
amalgamate to form a new operating subsidiary of Bonterra Trust. Upon
completion, the Arrangement will result in Bonterra Trust being converted to a
corporation and holders of Bonterra Trust Units becoming shareholders that
own, indirectly, an economic interest in Bonterra Trust's business on the same
basis as at present. Bonterra Trust intends to apply to have the common shares
of New Bonterra listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange at the closing of the
transaction.
    The Board of Directors of the Administrator and the Board of Directors of
SRX have unanimously approved the Arrangement.
    SRX has agreed that it will not solicit or initiate any discussions
concerning the pursuit of any other business combination. SRX has agreed to
pay to Bonterra Corp. a termination fee of $300,000 in cash in certain
circumstances. Bonterra Corp. has agreed to pay to SRX a $300,000 termination
fee in certain circumstances. In addition, Bonterra Corp. has the right to
match any superior proposal, and SRX has the right to respond to any superior
proposal, in the event such a proposal is made.
    The Arrangement shall be subject to, among other things, regulatory and
court approval and the approval by a majority of at least two thirds of the
holders of Bonterra Trust Units and the holders of options to purchase
Bonterra Trust Units, voting as a single class, who vote on the Arrangement.
The mailing of an information circular to the holders of Bonterra Trust Units
regarding the Arrangement and related matters is expected in September, 2008.
    A meeting of the holders of Bonterra Trust Units is expected to be held
in October, 2008. The completion of the Arrangement is expected shortly
thereafter, subject to receipt of necessary regulatory and court approval and
satisfaction or waiver of conditions.
    Complete details of the terms of the Arrangement are set out in the
Arrangement Agreement that will be filed by Bonterra Trust on SEDAR
(www.sedar.com) under its profile.
    Although the closing of the Acquisition and the closing of the
Arrangement are not conditional upon each other, it is anticipated that the
Bonterra Trust Units to be issued to the securityholders of Silverwing
pursuant to the Acquisition will be exchanged, under the Arrangement, for
shares of New Bonterra.

    About Bonterra

    Bonterra Energy Income Trust is presently a conventional oil and gas
royalty trust with operations in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Its units are
listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "BNE.UN".

    BOE's are calculated using a conversion ratio of 6 MCF to 1 barrel of
oil. The conversion is based on an energy equivalency conversion method
primarily applicable to the burner tip and does not represent a value
equivalency at the wellhead and as such may be misleading if used in
isolation.

    Certain statements contained in this press release include statements
which contain words such as "anticipate", "could", "should", "expect", "seek",
"may", "intend", "likely", "will", "believe" and similar expressions, relating
to matters that are not historical facts, and such statements of our beliefs,
intentions and expectations about development, results and events which will
or may occur in the future, constitute "forward-looking information" within
the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and are based on
certain assumptions and analysis made by us derived from our experience and
perceptions. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but
is not limited to: expected cash provided by continuing operations; cash
distributions; dividends; future capital expenditures, including the amount
and nature thereof; oil and natural gas prices and demand; expansion and other
development trends of the oil and gas industry; business strategy and outlook;
expansion and growth of our business and operations; and maintenance of
existing customer, supplier and partner relationships; supply channels;
accounting policies; credit risks; and other such matters.
    All such forward-looking information is based on certain assumptions and
analyses made by us in light of our experience and perception of historical
trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other
factors we believe are appropriate in the circumstances. The risks,
uncertainties, and assumptions are difficult to predict and may affect
operations, and may include, without limitation: foreign exchange
fluctuations; equipment and labour shortages and inflationary costs; general
economic conditions; industry conditions; changes in applicable environmental,
taxation and other laws and regulations as well as how such laws and
regulations are interpreted and enforced; the ability of oil and natural gas
trusts to raise capital; the effect of weather conditions on operations and
facilities; the existence of operating risks; volatility of oil and natural
gas prices; oil and gas product supply and demand; risks inherent in the
ability to generate sufficient cash flow from operations to meet current and
future obligations; increased competition; stock market volatility;
opportunities available to or pursued by us; and other factors, many of which
are beyond our control.
    Actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from
those expressed in, or implied by, this forward-looking information and,
accordingly, no assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by
the forward-looking information will transpire or occur, or if any of them do,
what benefits will be derived therefrom. Except as required by law, Bonterra
Trust disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.
    The forward-looking information contained herein is expressly qualified
by this cautionary statement.

    %SEDAR: 00017467E