Attention Business Editors:

OPTI Canada to present at North American Energy & Power Conference

    /THIS NEWS RELEASE IS NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO
    ANY U.S. NEWS SERVICES/
    
    TSX: OPC

    CALGARY, June 4 /CNW/ - OPTI Canada's President & CEO, Sid Dykstra, will
present at the upcoming RBC Capital Markets North American Energy & Power
Conference in Boston.
    The presentation can be viewed online via live webcast on Monday, June 7
at 9:37 a.m. Mountain Time (11:37 a.m. Eastern Time) at www.opticanada.com.
The webcast will be located in Presentations within the Opportunity section of
the OPTI website and will be archived for 60 days. The webcast can also be
accessed at:                 
www.wallstreetwebcasting.com/webcast/dr22/opc.to.

    OPTI Canada Inc. is an independent, Canadian based company, listed on the
Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "OPC". OPTI and its      
joint-venture partner Nexen Inc. are developing the Long Lake integrated oil
sands project in the Athabasca oil sands of Alberta. Long Lake will be the
first oil sands project to utilize OPTI's proprietary OrCrude(TM) upgrading
process.
    Additional company and project information is available at
www.opticanada.com and www.longlake.ca.

    The securities of OPTI Canada Inc. have not been registered under the
United States Securities Act of 1933 or the securities laws of any state in
the United States and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless
an exemption from registration is available.

For further information: Sid Dykstra, President & CEO, (403) 218-4708, 
George Crookshank, CFO, (403) 218-4710