Midland Amends Its Lithium Option Agreement with Rio Tinto with the Addition of the Wookie Project

23 April 2024

Montreal, April 23, 2024.  Midland Exploration Inc. (“Midland”) (TSX-V: MD), is pleased to announce the execution of an amended option agreement on April 22, 2024 (the “Option Agreement”) with Rio Tinto Exploration Canada Inc. (“RTEC”) and the addition of the Wookie project to the option agreement signed with RTEC in June 2023 (see press release by Midland dated June 14, 2023). The Wookie project is located in Eeyou Istchee James Bay area. The amended option agreement now consists of eleven (11) projects totalling 2,208 claims covering a surface of about 1,139 square kilometres. These projects include Galinée, Corvette, Mythril East, Chisaayuu, Moria, Shire, Komo, Warp, Sulu, Picard and Wookie (the “Properties”).

Highlights:

  • Addition of the Wookie project to the option agreement with RTEC;
  • Additional $1,5M of expenditures for the initial 50% and $4,0M for 70% interest, with additional $100,000 cash payment upon execution and another $250,000 over a 4-year period.

Under the amended Option Agreement, RTEC may acquire an initial 50% interest (the “First Option”) in the Properties over a period of five (5) years, subject to the following conditions:

  • Additional cash payment of $100,000 within 45 days of the amendment execution and additional cash payment of $250,000 over a 4-year period.
  • Additional exploration expenditures of $1,500,000 for a new total of $16,000,000, including a firm commitment to spend not less than $2,000,000 in the first 18 months following the lifting of the wildfire restrictions in Quebec last August 2023.

After acquiring an initial 50% interest, RTEC will have the option to increase its interest in the Properties to 70% (the “Second Option”) over a period of five (5) years following the exercise of the First Option, subject to the following conditions:

  • Additional exploration expenditures of $4,000,000 for a new total of $54,000,000.

The Properties are wholly-owned by Midland and all located within he Eeyou Istchee James Bay region, Quebec. RTEC will act as project operator under the Option Agreement during the First Option period and the Second Option period.

The signing of the amended option agreement follows a new evaluation of the lithium potential of the Wookie project and its favorable geological context. The Wookie project is located within the La Grande geological subprovince of the lithium-rich Eeyou Istchee James Bay region, which hosts most of the lithium deposits, including deposits such as Corvette (Patriot Battery Metals Inc.), James Bay Lithium (Arcadium Lithium), Whabouchi (Nemaska Lithium), and Adina (Winsome Resources), among others.

The Wookie project consists of 188 claims and is located about 40 kilometres north-northwest of the James Bay Lithium deposit. The Wookie project is underlain by a lower Amphibolite facies metamorphosed bedrock, recognized to be the most favorable metamorphic facies for lithium pegmatites worldwide. Furthermore, most of the lithium deposits in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay area are found in pegmatites emplaced within mafic volcanic or intrusive rocks units. The Wookie project covers more than twenty (20) square kilometers of mafic volcanic rocks that have not been extensively explored for lithium. Finally, several historical Quebec government rock samples of pegmatites collected close to the project have returned anomalous tantalum, cesium and rubidium values. While these samples were not analyzed for lithium, this element suite is strongly suggestive of favorable LCT (lithium-cesium-tantalum) pegmatites. The favorable environment is strengthened by the discovery of a spodumene pegmatite that returned up to 3.9% Li2O (selected grab sample) by Quebec Precious Metals Corporation near the Wookie project (see press release by Quebec Precious Metals Corporation dated January 18, 2024).

An initial summer exploration program is currently being planned and will include prospecting and geological mapping combined with a LiDAR survey.

An initial drill program targeting some new lithium showings is also currently in progress on the Galinée project.

All amounts are in Canadian Dollars, unless otherwise advised.

Cautionary statements

Grab samples are selective by nature and may not be representative of mineralized zones.

Lithium mineralization occurring at deposits mentioned in this press release is not necessarily indicative of mineralization that may be intersected on projects held by Midland and mentioned in this press release.

About Midland

Midland targets the excellent mineral potential of Quebec to make the discovery of new world-class deposits of gold and critical metals. Midland is proud to count on reputable partners such as RTEC, BHP Canada Inc., Barrick Gold Corp., Wallbridge Mining Company Ltd, Probe Gold Inc., Agnico Eagle Mines Limited, Electric Element Mining Corp., SOQUEM Inc., Brunswick Exploration Inc., Nunavik Mineral Exploration Fund, Cosmos Exploration Limited and Abcourt Mines Inc. Midland prefers to work in partnership and intends to quickly conclude additional agreements in regard to newly acquired properties. Management is currently reviewing other opportunities and projects to build up Midland’s portfolio and generate shareholder value.

Qualified Person and Chief Geologist Jean-François Larivière, P. Geo, Ph. D, prepared this press release and verified the Galinée project data as Midland’s qualified person (QP) within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101. 

For further information, please consult Midland’s website or contact:

Gino Roger, President and Chief Executive Officer
Tel.: 450 420-5977
Fax: 450 420-5978
Email: info@midlandexploration.com
Website: https://www.midlandexploration.com/

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from targeted results. Such risks and uncertainties include those described in Midland’s periodic reports including the annual report or in the filings made by Midland from time to time with securities regulatory authorities.

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Projets

Abitbi
Appalaches
Baie James
Greenville
Nunavik

Projects

Abitbi
Appalaches
James Bay
Greenville
Nunavik

MARIO MASSON, P. GEO.

V.P. Exploration

More than 30 years of experience in mineral exploration in Quebec.

Mario Masson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from the Université de Montréal. Before joining Midland’s team, Mario worked several years has a geologist at Nipadex and Muscocho. In 1990, he started working for Noranda Exploration in Matagami has a Project Geologist and was a part of the team that found the Orchan West and Bell Allars deposits. He was also involved in the discovery of the Perseverance deposit in the Matagami Mining Camp in 2000. After this discovery, Mario and his team win the PDAC Bill Dennis Award in 2001. From 2002 to 2007, he was in charge of the exploration activities in the Noranda Mining Camp has a Senior Geologist for Noranda Inc – Falconbridge ltée – Xstrata Copper. In addition, he was also involved in the discovery of the West Ansil deposit in the Noranda Mining Camp in 2005, which allowed the Falconbridge ltée exploration team to win the Prospector of the Year award at the QMEA. Since January 2008, he is a part of Midland Exploration team as VP Exploration.

GINO ROGER, P.ENG.

President,CEO, Director

Gino Roger has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company since November 1, 2006. Mr. Roger has graduated as a geological engineer from Laval University in 1990. From May 1990 to October 2006, Mr. Roger was a Project Geologist, Senior Geologist and Regional Geologist for Xstrata, Falconbridge and Noranda. During those years he was actively involved in the generation, acquisition and negotiation of many significant projects and discovery of mineral deposits. He worked in Quebec, Ontario, B.C., Yukon and Sweden on a wide variety of projects involving gold, VMS, SEDEX, MVT, and IOCG ore deposits. Mr. Roger and his team received the AEMQ’s prestigious Prospector of the Year Award in 2005, for the discovery of the West Ansil deposit. He is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. He is a director of the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association.

JEAN-PIERRE JANSON

Chairman of the Board

Jean-Pierre Janson joined Richardson GMP in January 2005 as Managing Director, National Wealth Management. As such, he oversees the development of branches nationwide, and seeks new opportunities to bring some of the industry’s Top Investment Advisors to the firm. In addition, Mr. Janson also serves on the Richardson GMP’s executive committee and in that capacity works closely with the Executive Management Team on the firm’s strategic direction.

Mr. Janson was previously Managing Director of CIBC Wood Gundy Financial Services (Eastern Canada Region) and held senior management positions with both Merrill Lynch Canada Inc. and Midland Walwyn Inc. Having built a reputation of trust and respect during more than 30 years in the financial services industry, Mr. Janson continues to demonstrate his involvement through Richardson GMP Limited. He also serves as trustee of BTB Real Estate Investment Trust and as member on the board of Tri-Origin Exploration Limited.

RENÉ BRANCHAUD

Secretary and Director

René Branchaud holds an LLB from Université Laval obtained in 1982. He has been a lawyer since 1983 and is a partner of the law firm Lavery, de Billy L.L.P. He has a vast experience as secretary and director of mining corporations.

INGRID MARTIN

Chief Financial Officer

Ingrid Martin holds a Bachelor in Business Management from the École des hautes études commerciales (HEC), in Montréal, Quebec. She is a member of the Order of Chartered professional accountants of Quebec since 1990 and possesses a vast experience as consultant for public companies. She acts, also, as Chief Financial Officer of Vior Inc. Mrs. Martin is devoting 40% of her time to Midland Exploration.

PAUL ARCHER

Director

Paul Archer has a Bachelor’s degree in Geological Engineering and a Master’s degree in Earth Science. He has more than 35 years of experience in the mining industry, particularly in exploration for gold and base metals in Archean terrains. He developed his expertise working with various companies, including Shell Minerals, Noranda Exploration, Northgate Explorations, Westminer Canada and SOQUEM, where he was Regional Manager for Northern Quebec. On May 1, 1996, Mr. Archer joined Virginia Mines as Vice-President of Exploration and Acquisitions and Director. Mr. Archer was actively involved in the discovery and development of the Eleonore project, from the preliminary field campaign through to the sale of the deposit to Goldcorp. In November 2014, he joined Osisko’s management team following the Osisko/Virginia merger. He was elected President of the Quebec Prospectors Association in 1996 and 1997. Over the years, Mr. Archer has received, on behalf of Virginia, several prestigious prizes, including the Bill Dennis Award from the PDAC in 2006 for the discovery of the Eleonore deposit.

ANNIE DUTIL

Director

Annie Dutil is a member of the Quebec CPA Order and is Nomad’s corporate controller. Ms. Dutil brings over 15 years of extensive mining knowledge, specifically in the areas of public accounting, compliance with financial information obligations and regulatory matters. Prior to joining Nomad, Ms. Dutil has held a number of positions at PwC, including a role as director where she has led the Capital Markets and Accounting Advisory Services group in Montréal. In her current and previous roles, she has assisted several companies in their capital markets activities, including initial public offerings, financings, cross-border transactions and complex accounting and regulatory matters. Ms. Dutil is the co-founder of the Montreal chapter of Women in Mining and is involved in many community and philanthropic activities, currently serving as a member of the Board of Directors of Factry, the School of the Creative Sciences, and Théâtre de la Banquette Arrière.

Jean des Rivières

Director

Mr. Jean des Rivières holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from Université du Québec à Montréal and a Master’s degree of Science in Geology from École Polytechnique de Montréal affiliated to the University of Montreal. He has over 35 years of diversified experience in the exploration and mining industries while working in more than 50 countries touching base and precious metals. He most recently held the position of global Vice President Metals Exploration at BHP and previously held managerial and technical positions at Rio Algom, BHP, and Noranda. With BHP, Mr des Rivières chaired the Inclusion and Diversity committee of the Americas. After a successful career, he recently joined the board of directors of First Majestic Silver Corp., Montero Mining and Exploration Ltd., and Midland Exploration Inc.

JEAN-FRANÇOIS LARIVIÈRE, P.GEO.

Project geologist

More than 20 years of experience in mineral exploration in Quebec.

Project geologist for Midland Exploration, Jean-François holds a PhD from Université du Québec à Chicoutimi in Mineral resources, specialist in zinc-bearing mineralization with an expertise in metallogeny of metalliferous deposits.

RICHARD ST-CYR, P. GEO.

Project geologist

More than 30 years of experience in mineral exploration in Quebec, British Colombia and Dominican Republic.

Project Geologist for Midland Exploration since 2012, Richard holds a Bachelor degree in Resources Geology from Université du Québec à Montréal. Before joining Midland’s team, he was a Project Geologist for Services Technominex – Aurizon Mines, Sirios and Unigold on several gold exploration projects. Between 1997 and 2006, he worked has a Project Geologist (5 years) and Technical Director (4 years) for the Nunavik Mineral Exploration Fund. At the beginning of his career, Richard worked as a Prospector for SOQUEM, Virginia Gold / Barrick Gold on gold projects in James Bay and Northern Quebec. He was also involved in the exploration of the Eskay Creek discovery in British Colombia.

LOUIS-PHILIPPE RICHARD, P.GEO.

Project geologist

More than 10 years of experience in mineral exploration in Quebec.

Project geologist for Midland Exploration, Louis-Philippe holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology from Université Laval. Prior to joining the team, he worked 4 years for Nemaska Exploration / Monarch Resources / Nemaska Lithium in the Nemiscau area where he managed and participated exploration campaigns for lithium, gold and base metals. He also participated in the development of the Whabouchi lithium project.

Romain Deflin, P.Geo.

Project Geologist

Project Geologist for Midland Exploration, Romain Deflin holds a degree in geological engineering from l’ENSG (École National Supérieure de Géologie in Nancy) and a master degree in Mineral Resource Exploration from Université de Lorraine. He completed a 4 months internship with Midland before joining the team permanently in 2019.

Philippe Allard, Geo. M.Sc.

Project geologist

More than 20 years of experience in mineral exploration in Québec, Canadian Arctic, and Dominican Republic.

Project Geologist for Midland Exploration since May 2019, Philippe holds a Bachelor degree in Geology and a master in Earth Sciences from UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal). Before joining Midland’s team, Philippe worked as an Exploration Geologist for Goldcorp, Ressources Sirios, Unigold and the Nunavik Mineral Exploration Fund (NMEF). At the beginning of his career, he also worked as an assistant geologist and a geologist for Virginia Gold Mines, Cambiex, Miramar Mining, Noranda Exploration, SOQUEM and Services Miniers du Nord on gold and base metals projects, mainly in James Bay. Moreover, he was at the origin of the discovery by prospection of the Cheechoo deposit in James Bay in 2010.

SYLVAIN TRÉPANIER, P.GEO.

Geologist Consultant

More than 20 years of experience in mineral exploration and research in Quebec.

Sylvain Trépanier holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geology, a Master’s degree in Earth Science and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Software Engineering from Université du Québec à Montréal. Sylvain began his career for Noranda in 1995 and worked on various projects in Quebec until 2001. From 2004 to 2012, he worked has a research geologist at CONSOREM. During his years working at CONSOREM, he has carried out numerous research projects applied to mineral exploration and has developed expertise recognized in Quebec in various fields related to exploration: lake-bottom, streams and tills sediments geochemistry, alterations lithogeochemistry, statistical data processing and potential mineral evaluation by artificial intelligence. He is the author of several scientific articles, research reports and public presentations. He designed and developed the Lithomodeleur software for geochemistry treatment, which is now widely used in Quebec by exploration companies, governments and universities. From 2012 to 2016, he worked for Virginia Mines and Osisko Gold Royalties as a Senior Research Geologist and was involved in most of the company’s projects in James Bay and the Labrador Trough. He is co-recipient of the QMEA Jean-Descarreaux Award in 2011 with the CONSOREM team. Mr. Trépanier joined Midland in November 2016 as a VP Exploration James-Bay/Northern Quebec.