To participate in the conference call, please dial one of the following numbers:

SOURCES:

Fortress Paper Ltd., and Marketwire

Upon completion of the acquisition of the LSQ Mill, the Corporation intends to invest estimated capital expenditures of approximately $222 million to convert the non-operating northern bleached softwood kraft pulp mill into a low cost, high quality dissolving pulp mill and to increase the capacity of the cogeneration facility. In connection with the proposed capital expenditures, Fortress Paper has arranged certain financing initiatives to fund the conversion and cogeneration projects.

The LSQ Mill is planned to have an annual production capacity of approximately 236,000 air dried metric tonnes (ADMT) and is expected to be completed in late 2013. The LSQ Mill would significantly increase Fortress Paper’s annual dissolving pulp production capacity to over 437,000 ADMT, initially targeting viscose fibre (rayon) products.

Chad Wasilenkoff, Chief Executive Officer of Fortress Paper Ltd. , states, “The acquisition of the LSQ Mill and its planned conversion into a dissolving pulp operation represents an important milestone towards Fortress Paper becoming a leader in the global dissolving pulp industry. This project demonstrates the insight and perseverance of the Quebec Government and Fortress Paper Ltd.  in developing a unique opportunity which has been latent for several years, but when completed will revitalize the community of Lebel-sur-Quevillon and the surrounding areas of Northern Quebec. We are very pleased to be able to partner with Investissement Quebec on this project to build from our recent successful conversion of the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill, and also look forward to working closely with the city of Lebel-sur-Quevillon.”

Pursuant to the terms of the APA, at closing Fortress Global will pay a nominal cash amount and agree to contribute pursuant to a trust agreement in escalating tranches over the next 5 years an aggregate of $7.5 million and an additional contingent amount of $2.5 million only in the event of a permanent closing of the LSQ Mill in respect of environmental remediation costs. The closing of the APA is subject to various conditions, including (i) Fortress Global entering into a collective agreement with the unionized employees of the LSQ Mill, (ii) Fortress Global entering into a loan agreement with Investissement Quebec securing financing to implement its proposed business plan at the LSQ Mill, (iii) the parties to the APA entering into a trust agreement, (iv) Fortress Global and 9109 entering into satisfactory lease and other ownership and access agreements, (v) Fortress Global finalizing satisfactory fibre supply arrangements with the Quebec Government, (vi) an order in council by the Quebec Government authorizing the transaction, and (vii) Domtar completing its agreement with the City of Lebel-sur-Quevillon in respect of certain property taxes. The closing of the APA is expected to occur within 75 days.

The cost structure of the LSQ Mill will be materially impacted by the ability of Fortress Global to upgrade the cogeneration facility and to service the facility through a long-term power supply agreement with Hydro Quebec on satisfactory terms. In addition, Fortress Global is negotiating with the City of Lebel-sur-Quevillon for a mutually beneficial, long term municipal tax arrangement in respect of the capital expenditure program at the LSQ Mill which will assist in revitalizing the Northern Quebec region. Training and relocation grants discussions are ongoing with various government agencies, although no formal commitments have been provided at this time.

Investissement Quebec (“IQ”) has committed, by way of an agreement in principle, to grant Fortress Global a loan in the amount of up to $132.4 million comprised of two tranches to support Fortress Paper Ltd. proposed business plan in respect of the LSQ Mill. The loan will be secured by the capital assets of Fortress Global and will accrue interest at a fixed rate of 5.0% per annum for the first five years, followed by a rate not to exceed 5.5% per annum for the remaining five years, and will include an equity compensation in the form of 715,000 share purchase warrants of Fortress Paper Ltd. on terms to be determined. The first tranche of $102.4 million will have a term of 10 years and the second tranche of $30 million will have a term of three years. The loan is subject to completion of definitive documentation. As no definitive agreement has been entered into with respect to the IQ financing, there can be no assurance at this time that such financing will be completed on terms acceptable to Fortress Global or at all.

Fortress Paper Ltd. has also signed a subscription agreement with a Quebec financial institution providing for the subscription of an unsecured convertible debenture of Fortress Paper Ltd. (the “Debenture”) in the aggregate principal amount of $25 million maturing in five years with an interest rate of 7% per annum. The Quebec financial institution will have the option to convert its Debenture, in whole or in part, into common shares of Fortress Paper Ltd.  at any time after closing of the APA at a conversion price equal to the volume weighted average price of the common shares of the Corporation on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”) for the five trading days immediately Fortress Paper Ltd. preceding the closing of the APA plus a premium equal to 50% of such trading price. The Debenture will be redeemable, in whole or in part, at the option of Fortress Paper, from the second anniversary date of its issuance at par plus all accrued and unpaid interest, provided that the volume weighted average trading price of the common shares of Fortress Paper Ltd.  on the TSX is not less than 125% of the conversion price. The Debenture financing is subject to various conditions, including the concurrent completion of the IQ financing, the closing of the APA and receipt of the requisite TSX approval.

In connection with the LSQ Mill acquisition, Fortress Paper Ltd.  will be hosting a teleconference to discuss the acquisition rationale in the form of a Presentation which is available by sending a request to info@fortresspaper.com and will also be posted at www.fortresspaper.com in due course. The teleconference will be limited in scope to the subject matter contained in this press release and the Presentation.

PLAYBACK ON DEMAND USER INFORMATION

To listen to a POD call:

1. Dial 1-877-353-9587 from Canada or the USA or dial 403-699-1055 from local Calgary or International.

2. Enter the 6 digit Conference Reference Number, 764917 followed by the # key.

3. Also enter the participant code 98030# when prompted.

SOURCES:

Fortress Paper Ltd., and Marketwire

Chad Wasilenkoff, Chief Executive Officer of Fortress Paper, commented: “We are extremely pleased with the speed at which the ramp up of dissolving production is proceeding at our Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill and are focused on achieving our planned production capacity as soon as possible. With the shipment of our first orders, we have demonstrated our ability to successfully produce dissolving pulp that meets the stringent specifications of our customers.”

SOURCES: Fortress Paper Ltd., and Marketwire

Watch here: CEO and chairman of Fortress Paper, 

‘Talking to Entrepreneurs’ video series:

• PART ONE: Fortress Paper chief turns tired mill into multimillion-dollar venture
• PART THREE: Entrepreneurial paper chief explains contrarian investing strategy

The net proceeds of the financing will be used for repayment of debt, the funding of capital expenditures relating to the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill, working capital and general corporate purposes.

The offering is scheduled to close on or about December 22, 2011 and is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals including the approval of the Toronto Stock Exchange.

A preliminary short-form prospectus will be filed with securities regulatory authorities in all provinces of Canada.

Please refer to the press release issued by the Company on December 7, 2011 for further details with respect to the offering.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities offered will not be and have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”) and may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to exemptions from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

About Fortress Paper

Fortress Paper is a leading international producer of security and other specialty papers and products. Fortress Paper operates three mills, the Landqart Mill located in Switzerland, the Dresden Mill located in Germany and the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill located in Quebec, Canada. Fortress Paper’s security papers include banknote, passport and visa papers and its specialty papers include non-woven wallpaper base products, and graphic and technical papers. Fortress Paper’s pulp business includes dissolving pulp produced at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill.

SOURCES: Fortress Paper Ltd., and Marketwire

Chad Wasilenkoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fortress Paper, commented: “This is a momentous day in the history of Fortress Paper and a culmination of our work at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill since acquiring the mill in April 2010. We are very proud to join the limited group of dissolving pulp producers in the world and look forward to completing our first shipments. We would like to thank all those involved in helping bring this project on line.”

Dresden Mill

The Dresden Mill continues to lead the non-woven wallpaper base market globally. The order book remains strong and its recent upgrades to improve speed and capacity have been successfully implemented. During the past few months, Fortress Paper in its normal course has been reviewing each of its business divisions and assessing all options as part of its strategy to enhance shareholder value. As part of this ongoing evaluation, management identified a potential divestiture opportunity relating to its non-woven wallpaper base division. Given the financial uncertainties and lack of financial confidence in the Euro zone, Fortress Paper management decided not to pursue any divestiture option for the Dresden Mill. With the support of its management team in Germany, Fortress Paper intends to continue to grow this business division organically and potentially through strategic acquisitions.

Landqart Mill

The Landqart Mill has continued to experience challenges throughout the fourth quarter as a result of a strong Swiss franc, high raw material costs, and less than optimal production efficiency on its paper machines. The company expects that these issues will continue to materially impact results of operations in the fourth quarter. The Company anticipates that it will overcome many of these challenges with the new banknote paper orders that have recently been placed at the mill and which represent a significant portion of the mill’s 2012 banknote capacity.

SOURCE: Fortress Paper Ltd., and Marketwire.

Fortress Paper Ltd. (“Fortress Paper” or the “Company”) (TSX:FTP) announced today that it has initiated the final stages of the conversion project at its Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill. The mill has commenced its start-up phase with final process testing, which will include cold and hot water trials, together with the testing of safety systems scheduled to occur over the coming days. Production of dissolving pulp beginning with wood chips cooking is expected to commence shortly thereafter.

The minor delay in the scheduled completion of the conversion project has resulted from: (1) the previously announced unexpected walkout in October of construction employees of contractors engaged by the Company; (2) the extra time subsequently required upon the return of the workers to fully ramp-up construction activities at the site; (3) completion of identified improvements to infrastructure relating to buildings, supports and the chip tower inter-connection; and (4) implementation of enhancements to the mill’s safety and control systems.

Chad Wasilenkoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fortress Paper, commented: “We look forward to the imminent production of dissolving pulp, which will signify an important milestone in the history of Fortress Paper. We believe that the implementation of supplemental process control testing will provide for a more efficient ramp-up to commercial production.”

The completion of the conversion project is currently materially on budget, with the exception of costs resulting from the unexpected walkout of construction workers which remain to be quantified. The cogeneration project at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill is proceeding substantially on schedule, and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2012.

About Fortress Paper

Fortress Paper is a leading international producer of security and other specialty papers and products. Fortress operates three mills, the Landqart Mill located in Switzerland, the Dresden Mill located in Germany and the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill located in Quebec, Canada. Fortress Paper’s security papers include banknote, passport and visa papers and its specialty papers include non-woven wallpaper base products, and graphic and technical papers. Fortress Paper’s pulp business includes specialty pulp produced at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill, which is currently in the process of converting this capacity into dissolving pulp production along with the construction of a biomass based cogeneration plant.

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of Fortress Paper with respect to its performance, business and future events, including statements regarding the timing of completion of its conversion project and the commencement of dissolving pulp production. Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the industry and markets in which the Company operates. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks relating to potential disruptions to production and delivery, regulatory requirements, changes in the market, potential downturns in economic conditions, fluctuations in the price and supply of required materials, foreign exchange fluctuations, labour relations, dependence on major customers, and other risk factors listed from time to time in the Company’s public filings. These risks, as well as others, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Fortress Paper does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.

SOURCES:

Fortress Paper Ltd.

Marketwire

Q The economy is on everyone’s mind these days. Are your businesses equally sensitive to growth?
A Our banknote business generally could be considered recession-proof. Banknotes are growing at 4% per year and they’ve done that for decades. Even in a financial crisis there is a little bit of noise, but not very much. Countries used to change over their banknotes every 14 or 15 years, but with the advent of colour photocopiers, scanners and digital processing equipment, they are changing their series every seven or eight years. There is also quite a bit of growth globally in emerging economies. They are all moving up in income status, but they still buy their fruits, vegetables and sandals off street vendors. That means more and more ATM machines on street corners, which is actually a driver for our business.

Q What about the wallpaper business?
A We had a few bad months, but we found it was just our customers reducing inventory. They were uncertain, but once they ran out of product, they quickly came back and had to order more. Historical data show that wallpaper also happens to be somewhat recession-proof. During the recession, people were forced to stay in their existing homes a little bit longer. But they still want to improve their surroundings, so they are do more renovations.

Q What’s the status of your third business?
A We’re going through a major conversion to make dissolving pulp at the mill we bought in Quebec. It will be shipped over to China, go through more conversion processes, then ultimately be made into rayon. The finished product is a substitute for cotton. Typically, rayon trades at a premium to cotton because it is a better product. However, the cost structure is significantly lower than cotton, so there is always going to be some margin whether it is for us, or the rayon producers. We’ve actually pre-sold about 80% of our production — half on dissolving pulp spot prices and the other half on the rayon price. So wherever the margin goes, we’ll be sharing in it fairly consistently.

Q How do you deal with fluctuating commodity prices?
A While there are no synergies between the businesses, we end up with some natural hedges, which helps. For example, when cotton prices take off, it hurts our banknote business. But at the same time, our dissolving pulp — being a replacement for cotton — does exceptionally well. Similarly, as prices go up it’s great for our paper pulp mill, but it hurts margins at our wallpaper division. When cotton spiked at the start of the year, the specialized cotton we use in banknotes was up 350% in the course of four months. It is very, very difficult to try to maintain any margins when you’re bidding on a deal today, and you’re underwater by the time you get the cotton.

Q When you make a pitch to investors, how do you characterize Fortress?
A We’re a growth story and we’re very opportunistic. There are very few synergies between our different segments and businesses, but the similarities are that they have very high barriers to entry, a good macro environment in terms of the growth profile, and supply and demand drivers. I always look at the industry first, then I go and try to find the best assets available in the world. I’m always interested is growing out each of those divisions individually, but at the same time they are also for sale at all times.

Q What is your experience doing business in China?
A I have a strong focus on China. I have been doing business there for about eight years and go there at least once a quarter. But I learned some hard lessons during the first couple of trips. I went over with a Western business style, but never got those return calls. So I’ve since hired cultural coaches to help understand how the Chinese do business. It’s all about developing relationships and trust.

Q How did you break into the ultra-exclusive banknote business?
A It was by far the most challenging investment I’ve ever had to make. It is a very secretive industry. They obviously don’t want a lot of publicity or press in terms of people knowing what is going on with security features and things like that. You have to have clearance. Once we owned a mill and we were part of this closed group, people still didn’t like to talk. A lot of the companies have been around for decades and are still family-owned. The customers — national banks — are very slow, conservative and methodical. You may have a great product and the right price, but everything needs to be absolutely perfect and the timing must be right. Once we develop the relationship and help cultivate it, it is great business because it is very sticky. The national banks are reluctant to change once you’re their supplier.

Q What is the biggest misconception about this industry?
A Most of the forestry sector is going through tough times. They spent a lot of capital and they are high-cost producers, so it is difficult to compete. We get thrown in with forestry companies where everyone says nobody can make money. But we are one of these unique companies in that we are coming in late, picking up assets at next to nothing because nobody else is looking, then turning them around. We have a longer growth profile, so we are not in a hurry. We’re also always looking to be the lowest-cost producer in anything we get involved in, so we can ride out these trends. I don’t know when forestry is going to turn or come back in vogue — if it ever will — but in the meantime we have to be prepared for a long, hard slog through these different businesses.

SOURCE:

Fortress reported an adjusted net loss of $7.8 million for the third quarter of 2011 or diluted adjusted loss per share of $0.54. In the second quarter of 2011 the Company reported an adjusted net loss of $1.0 million or a diluted adjusted loss per share of $0.07. For the third quarter of 2010 the Company reported adjusted net income of $3.7 million or diluted adjusted earnings per share of $0.28.

Similar to the prior quarter, the Pulp Segment produced specialty pulp throughout the quarter which resulted in comparative cost per tonne, but a lower price relative to the prior quarter due to a deterioration in the premium realized relative to the second quarter. As previously disclosed, the necessary shut-down of the mill for conversion to dissolving pulp was re-scheduled and we experienced a temporary work delay as a result of an unexpected walkout by unionized construction employees. As a result, we now expect that dissolving pulp production will commence no later than in mid-November 2011. Dissolving pulp sales are anticipated to provide significantly higher margins than previous NBHK and specialty pulp sales.

The Wallpaper Segment produced another strong quarter which was comparable to the previous quarter result. Sales were strong throughout the quarter and margins remained stable.

The challenges experienced by the Security and Specialty Paper Segment continued in the third quarter. An increase in security paper theoretical capacity at the Landqart mill from 2,500 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes became available at a time where there was a general softening in banknote orders industry wide, due in part to a delay in the re-design of the Euro and Swiss Franc banknotes, resulting in primarily smaller legacy orders being produced at the Landqart Mill. While high raw material prices, a strong Swiss currency together with low utilization have contributed to another difficult quarter, the Landqart Mill is now in the process of overcoming the low utilization with recent new contract orders representing a significant portion of Landqart’s 2012 banknote capacity.

EBITDA is defined as net income before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, non-operating income and expenses and stock based compensation which the Company considers to be a key performance indicator. Adjusted net income (loss) is calculated as net income (loss) less specific items affecting comparability with prior periods and adjusted net income (loss) per share is calculated as adjusted net income (loss) divided by the weighted average number of shares outstanding in the period. EBITDA, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share are not generally accepted earnings measures and should not be considered as an alternative to net income or cash flows as determined in accordance with Canadian GAAP. As there is no standardized method of calculating these measures, the Company’s EBITDA, adjusted net income (loss) and adjusted net income (loss) per share may not be directly comparable with similarly titled measures used by other companies.

Management’s Outlook

This was our final quarter in the specialty pulp market as the focus now turns towards the shutdown and conversion to dissolving pulp. The fourth quarter of 2011 will be one of significant transition as conversion, testing and ramp up towards full production of dissolving pulp will re-define our Pulp Segment.

EBITDA from the non-woven wallpaper base segment was down only 4% from the prior quarter as we completed an additional upgrade of our facility during the annual August maintenance shutdown. The upgrade was successful and has resulted in over 10% additional capacity compared to the total capacity in 2010. Margins remain strong and the order log is healthy.

The security and specialty paper segment experienced another challenging quarter. The converted PM1 high security paper-machine is performing to specifications; however, similar to the first and second quarter of 2011, the Landqart mill’s third quarter 2011 results were impacted by high raw material costs and industry over-capacity due in part to the postponement of several major currencies. In addition, the strong Swiss exchange rate continues to have a negative impact on the operational cost structure of the mill. With recent banknote orders, utilization will improve and capacity of both paper machines is expected to be required to meet demands through 2012.

Selected Financial Information

The selected financial information presented herein is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, our unaudited consolidated financial statements as at and for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2011 and the related notes thereon and our Management’s Discussion and Analysis filed on SEDAR.

The Company

Fortress Paper is a leading international producer of security and other specialty papers and products. Fortress operates three mills, the Landqart Mill located in Switzerland, the Dresden Mill located in Germany and the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill located in Quebec, Canada. Fortress Paper’s security papers include banknote, passport and visa papers and its specialty papers include non-woven wallpaper base products, and graphic and technical papers. Fortress Paper’s pulp business includes NBHK produced at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill currently in process of converting this capacity into dissolving pulp production along with the construction of a biomass based cogeneration plant.

Conference Call

A conference call to discuss the financial results for the third quarter 2011 will be held on November 8, 2011 at 9:30 a.m. (PST). To attend the conference call, please dial one of the following numbers:

North America: 1-877-353-9586

International: 1-403-532-8075

Participant pass code: 98030#

Conference reference No.: 656044

A replay of the conference call will be available for 7 days. To access the replay, listeners may dial 1-877-353-9587 from North America or403-699-1055 International. The conference reference number is 656044 followed by the number sign and the participant pass code to access the replay is 98030 followed by the number sign.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some information in this news release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of the Company with respect to its performance, business and future events. The reader is cautioned that forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements including, without limitation, those relating to damage to our reputation, competition, maintaining our market position, marketability and price of our products, technology and protection of our intellectual property, dependence on our major customers, fluctuations in the price and supply of raw materials, fluctuations in foreign exchange and other risk factors detailed in our filings with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. These risks, as well as others, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Fortress Paper Ltd. does not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements.

SOURCES: Marketwire, Fortress Paper

To participate in the conference call, please dial one of the following numbers:

A replay of the conference call will be available for 7 days. To access the replay, listeners may dial 1-877-353-9587 from Canada & the USA or dial 403-699-1055 from local Calgary or International. The conference reference number is 656044 # and the participant pass code to access the replay is98030 #.

About Fortress Paper

Fortress Paper is a leading international producer of security and other specialty papers and products. Fortress operates three mills, the Landqart Mill located in Switzerland, the Dresden Mill located in Germany and the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill located in Quebec, Canada. Fortress Paper’s security papers include banknote, passport and visa papers and its specialty papers include non-woven wallpaper base products, and graphic and technical papers. Fortress Paper’s pulp business includes specialty pulp produced at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill, which is currently in the process of converting this capacity into dissolving pulp production along with the construction of a biomass based cogeneration plant.

SOURCE:  MARKETWIRE & FORTRESS PAPER