For the third year in a row, TSX Venture Exchange gets ready to celebrate Canada’s top emerging public companies with the announcement of the TSX Venture 50.

Tonight, TSX Venture Exchange will showcase the companies that have stood out in their respective industry sectors this past year.

On Friday, selected top ranked companies from each sector have been invited to open trading at the TSX Broadcast Centre, in Toronto.

This year’s top company is Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp., a B.C. oil and gas company.

The top companies in the five industry sectors are:

> Noront Resources Ltd., Ont. (NOT) – Mining;

> Active Control Technology Inc., Ont. (ACT) – Technology/Life Sciences;

> Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp., B.C. (PEG) – Oil & Gas;

> Zongshen PEM Power Systems Inc., China (ZPP) – Cleantech; and

> Noveko International Inc., Que. (EKO) – Diversified Industries.

The TSX Venture 50 includes the top 10 companies in each of five major industry sectors — Mining, Oil & Gas, Technology/Life Sciences, Cleantech and Diversified Industries — based on a ranking formula with equal weighting given to one-year revenue (last reported 12 months), return on investment, market cap growth and trading volume. All data was as at Dec. 31, 2007.

“TSX Venture Exchange provides our emerging companies with a special opportunity to participate in the marketplace,” says Kevan Cowan, President, TSX Venture Exchange. “TSX Venture 50 allows them to rise above it. By celebrating these companies who are setting the bar, we are bringing greater awareness to this dynamic and competitive junior marketplace.”