LAURION Mineral Exploration Inc. has provided an update on the environmental, technical, and regulatory work supporting its 100%-owned Ishkōday Gold and Polymetallic Project in Northwestern Ontario. The company is advancing two initiatives related to the historical Sturgeon River Mine: recovery and remediation of a surface waste rock stockpile and a proposed Advanced Exploration Project focused on dewatering and rehabilitating the mine shaft.
The surface stockpile contains mineralized material from historic mining operations. LAURION has applied for a Recovery of Minerals Permit under Ontario's Mining Act, seeking authorization to recover minerals from the stockpile through removal and off-site processing, followed by remediation. The company states that this recovery would not require new infrastructure or underground development.
Separately, LAURION is planning to dewater and rehabilitate the historical mine shaft, which extends approximately 642 metres below surface and has 15 underground levels. The shaft has been flooded since operations ceased in 1942, with about 114,000 cubic metres of static water. The proposed Advanced Exploration Project would involve removing the shaft cap, installing a temporary headframe, and controlled dewatering to allow safe underground access for exploration drilling and sampling. No commercial production is proposed at this stage. LAURION is preparing a Permit to Take Water application for submission to the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks in Q4 2026, and an Advanced Exploration Closure Plan targeted for early 2027.
Over the past five years, LAURION has completed comprehensive environmental baseline studies, including terrestrial ecology, aquatic and benthic studies, groundwater and surface water monitoring, shaft water characterization, and archaeological assessments. These studies support project planning and regulatory compliance. The company has also engaged with Indigenous communities through an Indigenous Joint Steering Committee and project-specific consultation with Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek First Nation, Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation, and Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek First Nation.
Management commentary highlighted the significance of the work. "Five years of rigorous, independent environmental baseline work is not a small undertaking," said Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin, President and CEO. "Recovering potentially economic residual mineralization within the stockpile, and doing so responsibly, is exactly the kind of value-additive, environmentally sound project our shareholders should expect." She added that the dewatering and rehabilitation of the shaft is equally important, as historical records indicate gold-bearing structures on multiple underground levels that were not fully explored. "This phase of work is exploratory in nature, and no ore will be mined, processed or sold," she noted.
Linda Byron, Director at Blue Heron Environmental, commented, "Blue Heron has been pleased to support LAURION with the environmental baseline studies and permitting work required to advance the Ishkōday Project."
The technical contents of the press release have been reviewed and approved by Dr. Trevor Boyd, a Qualified Person under NI 43-101. LAURION's shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, OTCQB, and Frankfurt Stock Exchange. For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.LAURION.ca.
