Wheaton River Minerals Ltd. (TSE: WRM) announces today that they will be spending $300,000 in 2002 on a drill program in order to earn an interest in the Crystal Property from Navigator Exploration Corp. The Crystal Property is located 60 km southeast of Lac de Gras in the Northwest Territories.

This expenditure is part of the $1,700,000 in flow through funding raised by the Company last year. The Company expects to spend all of the flow through funding on Canadian exploration in 2002.

For further information please contact Vanguard Shareholder Solutions at 1-800-567-6223 (e-mail: ir@vanguardsolutions.ca) or visit www.wheatonriver.com.