IPSCO Minnesota Temper Mill Successfully Installed and Operating

Lisle, Illinois, 27 November 2000, IPSCO Inc. (NYSE/TSE:IPS) said today that its St. Paul,
Minnesota facility had installed a temper mill and performed a major revamp of its cut to length line in record time. The first coil of steel was processed through the temper mill just nine months from the signing of a turnkey contract for its procurement and installation. The materials processed through the mill exhibited superior shape and finish - the hallmark of IPSCO temper levelling.
All of the construction, as well as extensive modifications and improvements to other existing equipment performed simultaneously, were achieved without interruption to customer service for IPSCO's clients. 

First announced in March 2000, the installation of the temper mill proceeded on schedule. The aggressive in-service date was achieved through the combined efforts of a first class contractor, the utilization of available mill stands, and the skills of the IPSCO personnel on-site. The temper mill is able to handle widths up to 96 inches, thickness up to 3/4 inch, and high strength steels up to and exceeding 100,000 pounds per square inch yield strength. Capacity of the facility will be 300,000 tons per annum of cut-to-length product.  

In addition to the Minnesota facility, IPSCO also operates coil processing facilities in Houston, Texas; Toronto, Ontario; Surrey, British Columbia; and Regina, Saskatchewan. The first three include temper rolling mills and all are equipped to handle 96 inch wide coils. The coil processing
facilities act as an extension to the company's steelmaking facilities currently operating in Montpelier, Iowa and Regina, Saskatchewan, and under construction in Mobile, Alabama. IPSCO can service its customers for hot rolled sheet and plate drawing on any of these eight facilities through an IPSCO sales force that ensures that customers receive the most appropriate
product with the least transportation and handling costs. 

"The installation of this equipment reinforces our ability to provide steel with superior shape and surface quality to customers throughout Central and Eastern Canada, the U.S. Northeast, Southwest, and Upper Midwest," said Dave Sutherland, Vice President and General Manager, IPSCO Coil Processing. "This facility will now be a superior source of highly engineered 
materials which find application in very sophisticated end uses as the product has been well received by firms cutting parts out of plate using thermal cutting technologies such as laser and plasma arc," he added. 

IPSCO is traded as IPS on the New York and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Its operational head office is located in Lisle, Illinois and its legal head office is located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. 

This news release contains forward looking information with respect to IPSCO's operations and beliefs. Actual results may differ from these forward looking statements due to numerous factors potential markets and demand for the materials produced, market forces, pricing, and estimated time of completion of projects. These and other factors are outlined in IPSCO's regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including those on IPSCO's Annual Report for 1999, its MD&A and Form 40-F. 

For Further Information Please Contact:
IPSCO Inc.
David Sutherland
Vice President and General Manager,
Raw Materials and Coil Processing
Tel. 630-810-4766
Release 00-39

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