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CERTIFICATIONS

I, Mark Jarvis, certify that:

|1. | I have reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Hard
      Creek Nickel Corporation;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
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|2. | Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any
      untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
      necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under
      which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
      covered by this report;                                                       
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|3. | Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and
      other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all
      material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash
      flows of the small business issuer as of, and for, the periods presented
      in this report;                                                               
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|4. | The small business issuers other certifying officer(s)
      and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls
      and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e))
      and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act
      Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the small business issuer and
    have:

(a)          
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure
controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that
material information relating to the small business issuer, including its
consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,
particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)         
 Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such
internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision,
to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
with generally accepted accounting principles;

(c)         
 Evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's disclosure
controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the
period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)          
Disclosed in this report any change in the small business issuer's internal
control over financial reporting that occurred during the small business
issuer's most recent fiscal quarter (the small business issuer's fourth fiscal
quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is
reasonably likely to materially affect, the small business issuer's internal
control over financial reporting;

|5. | The small business issuers other certifying officer (s)
      and I have disclosed, based on my most recent evaluation of internal
      control over financial reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors
      and the audit committee of the small business issuer's board of directors
      (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
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(a)          
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation
of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to
adversely affect the small business issuer's ability to record, process,
summarize and report financial information; and

(b)          
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees
who have a significant role in the small business issuer's internal control over
financial reporting.

Date: June 27, 2011

MARK JARVIS

/s/ Mark Jarvis Mark Jarvis, President and Chief Executive
Officer
  (Principal Executive Officer)

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