Athabasca Minerals Inc ABCAF

THE PERFECT STORM

[Red_Deer]

As I had predicted last year, it has now been confirmed that Tricap will take over and operate all of the Birch Mountain assets at Ft. McMurray.

The main product will be crushed limestone which will be marketed to all the Ft. Mac oil sand companies in direct competition to the ABM/AMI gravel aggregates.

Crushed limestone is a significantly better aggregate for the construction of the tar sand haul roads used by those huge 300 Ton trucks to carry the raw bitumen to the processing plants__the crushed limestone packs much better, has much better load carrying capacity, and has much less friction on the tires, thus not only saving a lot of diesel fuel but also significantly extending the life of the tires__ each of which can cost around 100K to replace.

So the Perfect Storm is about to hit ABM__first, the current very depressed oil price has caused the deferment or outright cancellation of numerous tar sand operations__second, the environmental backlash against the Dirty Oil and the huge amounts of greenhouse gases is now truly becoming a monster which ain't going away anytime soon__and now, direct head to head competition for the tar sands aggegates business from Tricap with their HAMMERSTONE crushed limestone operation.

With the VERY deep financial pockets of Brookfield Asset Management behind them__plus having a superior aggregate product compared to the pit run gravel ABM has to offer__watch for ABM to get literally ''hammered''__nice pun on words, eh CINDY?

So looks like the 3 AMI insiders really lucked out last year by monetizing the next decades worth of their AMI profits by selling their private AMI operation to ABM for $13 plus million__for which ABM took out that $9 million demand bank loan.

Or was it more than just luck that the AMI deal was done likely near the top of the market well before this Tricap storm cloud rolled in?

Tricap Announces Launch of Hammerstone Corporation and Appointment of Its President

09:09 EDT Friday, April 03, 2009

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - April 3, 2009) - Tricap Partners II LP ("Tricap"), part of the Brookfield Asset Management Inc. (TSX:BAM.A)(NYSE:BAM)(EURONEXT:BAMA) group of companies, is pleased to announce that its newly established subsidiary, Hammerstone Corporation ("Hammerstone" or the "Company"), has successfully purchased the assets of Birch Mountain Resources Ltd. from PricewaterhouseCoopers Inc. as Interim Receiver.

Hammerstone's assets include approximately 1 billion tonnes of limestone reserves within the Athabasca oil sands of Alberta to the north of Fort McMurray. These reserves are located in the existing Muskeg Valley Quarry and related "Hammerstone Project" which collectively encompass over 50 years of production life within its 3,600 acres. The Hammerstone Project, which is subject to regulatory approval, contemplates expanded quarry operations together with lime and cement plants. The Company also acquired permits and leases for limestone and other minerals covering over 700,000 additional acres in the surrounding region.

Tricap is also pleased to announce that Terry Owen has been appointed President of Hammerstone. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Owen was the President of Trimac Transportation Services Inc., the leading provider of bulk trucking and logistics services in North America.

In commenting on the completion of the purchase Mr. Owen said: "I am very pleased to be associated with Hammerstone and Brookfield Asset Management. Brookfield has a long and successful history in the mining industry and we are excited about the opportunity to work together with Tricap in launching a new, well-capitalized company and establishing ourselves as a leading supplier of high quality crushed limestone products in Western Canada. The vast limestone reserves acquired by Hammerstone are in the heart of the oil sands area of Alberta where the long-term prospects for growth remain very positive".

Mr. Owen also added: "Our new management team and dedicated group of employees in place at our quarry look forward to working with the First Nations communities and providing our 'Limestone Advantage' products to our customers."

Brookfield Asset Management Inc., focused on property, power and infrastructure assets, has approximately US$80 billion of assets under management and is co-listed on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges under the symbol BAM and BAM.A, respectively and on NYSE Euronext under the symbol BAMA. For more information, please visit the company's web site at www.brookfield.com.

Tricap was established by Brookfield Asset Management to provide a source of patient, long-term capital and strategic assistance to mid-market companies based in North America. With strong industry and financial management expertise, Tricap is well positioned to assist companies in building value over the long-term.