Toronto, Ontario, February 18, 2014 ¨C Primero Mining Corp.
(¡°Primero¡± or the ¡°Company¡±) (TSX:P; NYSE:PPP) and Brigus Gold Corp (¡°Brigus¡±
(TSX:BRD; NYSE:BRD) today announced that
both Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (¡°ISS¡±) and Glass
Lewis & Co. (¡°GL¡±), two leading independent proxy advisory firms, have
recommended that shareholders support the plan of arrangement between the two
companies at their special meetings scheduled for February 27, 2014.

Endorsing the plan of arrangement for both Primero and Brigus
shareholders, ISS highlights the sound rationale of the arrangement and the
favorable market reaction.

ISS further recommended in favour of the reduction in Brigus
stated capital, stating ¡°¡­this accounting request will not affect the value of
the company or the shares, and will better reflect the company¡¯s actual
capitalization and shareholders¡¯ equity.¡±

ISS is the world¡¯s leading provider of corporate governance
solutions to the global financial community. More than 1,700 institutional
clients rely on the expertise of ISS to help them make more informed investment
decisions on behalf of their shareholders

GL is a leading, independent, governance analysis and proxy
voting firm, serving more than 900 institutional investors globally.
  GL¡¯s research focuses on the long-term financial impact of
investment and proxy vote decisions and assists institutional investors in
making sound decisions by uncovering and assessing governance, business, legal,
political and accounting risks.

All Primero and Brigus shareholders are encouraged to read their respective
information circulars with respect to the arrangement, which were mailed to
Primero and Brigus shareholders of record as of January 27, 2014 and are
available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on
the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.  The
information circulars issued by both Primero and Brigus contain a detailed
description of the arrangement and a description of Primero after giving effect
to the arrangement.  The boards of directors of both Primero and Brigus
have each unanimously recommended that their shareholders vote in favour of the
arrangement at the meetings.

Primero shareholders are reminded to vote
before the proxy cut-off of 5:00 pm (Toronto time) on February 25, 2014.

Brigus shareholders are reminded to vote
before the proxy cut-off of 11:00 am (Halifax time) on February 25, 2014.

Proxy Solicitation

Kingsdale Shareholder Services Inc. has been retained by Primero
and Brigus as the information agent and proxy solicitor in connection with the
proposed transaction.  Shareholders with questions can contact Kingsdale
Shareholder Services Inc. North American toll free: 1-866-228-2532, or via
email at [email protected].

*Permission to quote from ISS and GL¡¯s
report was neither sought nor obtained.

About Primero

Primero Mining Corp. is a Canadian-based precious metals
producer and owns 100% of the San Dimas gold-silver mine and 100% of the Cerro
del Gallo gold-silver-copper development project in Mexico. Primero offers
immediate exposure to un-hedged, low cash cost gold production with a
substantial resource base in a politically stable jurisdiction.  The
Company has intentions to become an intermediate gold producer by building a
portfolio of high quality, low cost precious metals assets in the
Americas. 

Primero¡¯s website is www.primeromining.com. 

For further information, please contact:

Tamara Brown
VP, Investor Relations
Tel: (416) 814 3168
[email protected] 

About Brigus

Brigus is a growing gold producer committed to maximizing
shareholder value through a strategy of efficient production, targeted
exploration and select acquisitions. Brigus operates the wholly owned Black Fox
Mine and Mill in the Timmins Gold District of Ontario, Canada. The Black Fox
Complex encompasses the Black Fox Mine and adjoining properties in the Township
of Black River©\Matheson,
Ontario, Canada. Brigus also owns the Goldfields Project located near Uranium
City, Saskatchewan, Canada, which hosts the Box and Athona gold deposits. In
the Dominican Republic, Brigus has signed an agreement to sell its remaining
interests in three mineral exploration projects. In Mexico, Brigus owns the
Ixhuatan Project located in the state of Chiapas.

Additional information about Brigus and its projects is
available on the Brigus website at www.brigusgold.com
and on SEDAR.

For further information, please contact:

Morgan Tyghe
Director of Investor Relations
Tel: (416) 214 9867
[email protected]