LaFleur Minerals Acquires McKenzie East Gold Project Expanding Val-d’Or Gold Portfolio; Advances Aggressive Drilling at Swanson Gold Project
VANCOUVER, April 28, 2026 - LaFleur Minerals Inc. (CSE: LFLR, OTCQB: LFLRF, FSE: 3WK0) ("LaFleur Minerals" or the "Company") announces it has entered into an arm's-length agreement to acquire the McKenzie East Gold Project, strategically located in the prolific Val-d'Or mining district of Québec, Canada's largest gold producing region.
Strategic Acquisition in a Proven Gold Camp: McKenzie Gold Area
The McKenzie East Gold Project is contiguous with the McKenzie Break Gold Deposit, currently owned by Fresnillo plc, the world's leading primary silver producer and a major global gold miner, listed on the London Stock Exchange and a constituent of the FTSE 100. Fresnillo acquired the McKenzie Break asset as part of its takeover of Probe Gold Inc. in January 2026 (Link).
Fresnillo's McKenzie Break Deposit hosts a historic high-grade indicated resource of 146,000 ounces of gold at 3.2 g/t and an inferred resource of 250,600 ounces at 3.1 g/t *(NI 43-101 Technical Evaluation Report On The Mckenzie Break Property, Monarch Mining Corp. February 2021). The deposit spans 183 mineral claims over 78.5 km2 and benefits from established infrastructure, including underground development to ~80 metres depth and year-round road access, located approximately 20 km north of both the Novador Project and LaFleur's wholly-owned Beacon Gold Mill.
Underexplored Upside, Mill Feed Optionality: McKenzie East Gold Project Acquisition
The McKenzie East property comprises 46 mineral claims across 1,781.18 hectares issued by Québec's Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests (MERN), covering a prospective land package immediately east of Fresnillo's McKenzie Break Gold Deposit. Historical exploration at McKenzie East by the First Atlas Resources Corp. (the "Vendor") and predecessors includes induced polarization (IP) geophysics, MMI soil geochemistry, airborne magnetics, and diamond drilling.
Notably, a 2021 drill program completed by the Vendor (2,587 metres across 8 holes) identified anomalous gold mineralization. Drill hole MKE-21-03 intersected visible gold, returning a weighted average grade of 0.61 g/t Au over 1 metre, including a coarse fraction grading 8.01 g/t Au, indicative of a coarse gold component and underscoring the need for further targeted drilling.
LaFleur plans to undertake systematic, aggressive exploration to define gold resources at McKenzie East, with the objective of advancing potential feed sources for its nearby Beacon Gold Mill. The Company also recognizes the strategic importance of the adjacent McKenzie Break Gold Deposit and may evaluate future acquisition or partnership opportunities; however, no discussions have been initiated with Fresnillo at this time.
Under the terms of the agreement, LaFleur will acquire a 100% interest in the McKenzie East Gold Project through a cash payment of $30,000 and the issuance of 175,000 common shares of LaFleur Minerals Inc. to the Vendor, subject to exchange approval.
The acquisition of the McKenzie East Gold Project is a strategic, value-accretive addition to LaFleur's Val-d'Or portfolio, complementing its wholly owned Swanson Gold Project and Beacon Gold Mill within the same district. Located adjacent to the McKenzie Break Deposit owned by Fresnillo plc, the property offers strong discovery potential within a proven gold system while benefiting from reduced geological risk. Importantly, McKenzie East represents an additional potential source of mill feed for the Beacon Gold Mill, reinforcing LaFleur's vertically integrated mine-to-mill gold production strategy and enhancing the opportunity for near-term monetization. Combined with existing exploration data and low acquisition costs, the project provides meaningful upside leverage to resource growth within an established infrastructure corridor.
Figure 1: McKenzie Break Property and McKenzie East Gold Project Claims Package
Swanson Gold Project: Continued Strong Drill Results Demonstrate Scale and Depth Potential
LaFleur continues to deliver strong drilling results and a recent large-scale gold discovery at its wholly-owned Swanson Gold Project, further confirming the presence of a large-scale and expanding gold system in the Val-d'Or district. Recent diamond drilling has intersected broad, continuous zones of gold mineralization extending well below the limits of the current 2026 Mineral Resource Estimate, highlighting significant expansion potential at depth (refer to press releases dated April 21, 2026 and March 3, 2026).
A series of four drill holes, targeting down-dip continuity over a 120-metre strike length at vertical depths of approximately 300 to 450 metres, successfully confirmed that the Swanson mineralized system remains robust and laterally continuous beyond the existing resource envelope.
Recent drilling highlights include:
- 2.29 g/t Au over 68.30 metres (SW-25-079)
- 1.18 g/t Au over 255.04 metres (SW-25-080)
- 1.65 g/t Au over 136.1 metres (SW-25-081)
These results demonstrate the presence of extensive mineralized halos at depth, supported by consistent grade distribution over significant widths. Importantly, drilling also intersected localized high-grade zones, including assays up to 86.8 g/t Au over 1.0 metre, occurring outside the currently defined mineralized domains and indicating potential for additional high-grade shoots.
These results build on previously reported intercepts, (refer to press release dated February 4, 2026), which included:
- 2.05 g/t Au over 158.25 metres (SW-25-066)
- 1.15 g/t Au over 80.3 metres (SW-25-073)
- 1.37 g/t Au over 80.8 metres (SW-25-074)
- 2.97 g/t Au over 66.0 metres, including 91.1 g/t Au over 1.5 metres (SW-25-075)
Building a District-Scale Resource Base Around the Beacon Gold Mill
LaFleur's exploration success at Swanson, combined with the addition of the McKenzie East Gold Project, located approximately 6 km to the south reinforces the Company's strategy of systematically expanding its footprint while building gold resources within trucking distance of its wholly-owned Beacon Gold Mill. By advancing and consolidating multiple mineralized sources, including Swanson and McKenzie East, LaFleur is positioning itself to establish a scalable, district-focused production platform. In addition, LaFleur is seeking to acquire other gold resources in the vicinity of the Beacon Gold Mill through M&A activity and has initiated initial target identification procedures with strategic advisors. This vertically integrated mine-to-mill approach is designed to maximize the value of existing infrastructure, supporting its near-term Beacon Gold Mill restart scenario, while building ounces surrounding the mill to enhance the Company's ability to generate sustainable gold production from the Val-d'Or district, and subsequently upgrade Beacon Gold Mill's capacity leveraging terms received from Trafigura Canada Limited (refer to recently announced news release "LaFleur and Trafigura Enter into Term Sheet for C$30 Million Prepayment Facility and Gold Offtake Agreement" dated April 15, 2026). These developments are well aligned with the Company's strategy to restart gold production at the Beacon Gold Mill, expand its gold resource in the same region as its wholly-owned mill and upgrade Beacon's capacity towards 3,000-4,000 tonnes per day in the coming 1-2 years.
* Indicated open-pit constrained resource at the McKenzie Break Property is 71,444 ounces of gold at a cut-off grade of 0.55 g/t Au (1,048,167 tonnes grading 2.12 g/t Au). The underground mineral Indicated resource is 61,217 ounces at a cut-off grade of 2.61 g/t Au (368,534 tonnes grading 5,17 g/t Au). Inferred open-pit constrained resource at the McKenzie Break Property is 78,249 ounces of gold at a cut-off grade of 0.55 g/t Au (1,470,570 tonnes grading 1.66 g/t Au). The underground mineral Inferred resource is 142,387 ounces at a cut-off grade of 2.61 g/t Au (1,020,804 tonnes grading 4,34 g/t Au). Mineral Resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 0.55 g/t Au for the pit-constrained and Underground mineral resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 2.40 g/t Au within reasonably mineable volumes. These cut-offs were calculated at a gold price of C$2,000 ounce.
Cautionary Statement
This press release includes references to visual observations of mineralization encountered in drill core. Such observations are preliminary in nature and should not be relied upon as a substitute for laboratory analytical results. The presence, nature, and extent of mineralization, including the content of gold or other metals, cannot be determined solely by visual inspection.
Visible mineralization, including sulphides or visible gold, does not necessarily indicate the grade or continuity of mineralization and may not be representative of the overall mineralized interval. Assay results are required to determine the actual grade and thickness of mineralization and may differ materially from visual estimates. Accordingly, the Company cautions investors that any references to visible mineralization should not be interpreted as an indication of mineral grade or economic viability until such time as assay results have been received and verified.
This press release may also reference historical mineral resource estimates. These estimates are considered relevant as they provide an indication of the exploration potential of the property; however, they were prepared by previous operators and have not been verified by the Company's Qualified Person. The historical estimates were not prepared in accordance with current standards as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and should not be relied upon.
A Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves, and the Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Additional work, including verification drilling, sampling, and data validation, would be required to upgrade or verify these historical estimates as current mineral resources.
The Company cautions that mineralization observed on adjacent or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of similar mineralization on its own properties. While such occurrences may provide regional geological context, they do not imply continuity of mineralization, similar grades, or the presence of economically recoverable resources on the Company's claims. Exploration results and geological interpretations on neighbouring properties have not been verified by the Company and should not be relied upon as an indication of the potential of the Company's projects.
Qualified Person Statement
All scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared and approved by Louis Martin, P.Geo. (OGQ), Exploration Manager and Technical Advisor of the Company and considered a Qualified Person (QP) for the purposes of NI 43-101.
About LaFleur Minerals Inc.
LaFleur Minerals Inc. (CSE: LFLR, OTCQB: LFLRF, FSE: 3WK0) is focused on the development of district-scale gold projects in the Abitibi Gold Belt near Val-d'Or, Québec. The Company's mission is to advance mining projects with a laser focus on our PEA-stage Swanson Gold Project and the Beacon Gold Mill, which have significant potential to deliver long-term value. The Swanson Gold Project is approximately 19,214 hectares (192 km2) in size and includes several prospects rich in gold and critical metals previously held by Monarch Mining, Abcourt Mines, and Globex Mining. LaFleur has consolidated a large land package along a major structural break that hosts the Swanson, Bartec, and Jolin gold deposits and several other showings which make up the Swanson Gold Project. The Swanson Gold Project is easily accessible by road allowing direct access to several nearby gold mills, further enhancing its development potential. LaFleur Minerals' recently refurbished Beacon Gold Mill is capable of processing over 750 tonnes per day and is being considered for processing mineralized material from Swanson and for custom milling operations for other nearby gold projects. LaFleur recently released the results of a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") results for the Company's Swanson Gold Project and the planned restart of the Beacon Gold Mill (refer to press release dated March 3, 2026).
LaFleur Minerals Inc.
1500-1055 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 4N7
Website: www.lafleurminerals.com | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram
Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
Cautionary Statement Regarding "Forward-Looking" Information
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the results of the Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") on the Swanson Gold Project, the contemplated refurbishment and restart of the Beacon Gold Mill, projected production rates, mine life, capital and operating costs, economic returns (including NPV and IRR), development timelines, permitting, financing and other economic and technical parameters. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by words such as "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", and similar expressions.
The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as Mineral Reserves. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized.
Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions, including with respect to Mineral Resource estimates, gold prices, exchange rates, capital and operating costs, metallurgical recoveries, the ability to obtain required approvals, the availability of financing, and the successful refurbishment and operation of the Beacon Gold Mill. Actual results may differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including those related to resource estimation, cost escalation, commodity price fluctuations, permitting, financing, operational risks and general economic conditions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e820b44a-58c1-44dd-8a23-8b1cb839d508
