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NEW YORK , Oct. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Over the past year, gold, silver and other precious metals have staged a consistent up-move that is reshaping the investment case for the mining sector. Driven by inflation pressures, global uncertainty, central-bank buying and tight supply, the precious-metals complex today offers more than a safe-haven hedge: it presents a credible growth opportunity. While equities remain volatile and many sectors face structural headwinds, mining companies tied to precious metals are emerging as both compelling and relatively stable investment options. Amid this backdrop, the timing of a mining company's transition from exploration to production becomes especially significant. It is precisely when a junior miner pivots into producer status — when it has defined assets, a processing route and imminent cash flow — that the upside potential is often greatest as earlier exploration uncertainty has been resolved and asset value starts to convert from potential into concrete economics. One company offering a striking example of this pivot is LaFleur Minerals Inc.(CSE: LFLR) (OTCQB: LFLRF) (Profile). LaFleur holds a fully permitted and recently refurbished gold-processing mill, is years ahead of many of its peer explorers who have yet to secure production assets, and presently trades at a discount to its asset value. By combining a near-term producer trajectory with undervalued assets, Lafleur is strengthening its position with others operating in the mining space, including Nicola Mining (OTCQB: HUSIF), West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. (OTCQB: WRLGF), ESGold Corp. (OTCQB: ESAUF) and Barrick Mining Corporation (NYSE: B).

• LaFleur Minerals is actively advancing its pivot from explorer toward near-term gold producer status. 
• LaFleur's flagship Swanson Gold Project is a high-quality advanced exploration asset with a strong historical data base and clear upside potential. 
• A critical advantage for LaFleur is the ownership of the fully permitted, recently refurbished Beacon Gold Mill.
• The company has laid out a clear and executable plan to restart the Beacon Mill.
• LaFleur has commenced the permitting process.

Click here to view the custom infographic of the LaFleur Minerals editorial.

Sustained Momentum and Mining's Appeal

Gold and silver are riding one of the strongest rallies in recent memory, and the broader precious-metals complex is showing durable strength. The precious metals are recognized by many investors, who "have turned to both gold and silver because it may provide a hedge in a potential economic or market downturn, as well as during sustained periods of rising inflation."

In addition, platinum and other metals show similar upward trends, underlining how the precious-metals family is broadly in favor.

For investors, this rally reinforces the enduring appeal of the mining sector. Unlike many high-beta industry plays, gold and silver miners offer a hedge against inflation, currency depreciation and macro volatility. As capital markets rethink exposures, mining companies tied to precious metals may be benefitting from scarcity, rising costs and renewed investor interest as precious-metals returns have markedly outperformed the broader commodities space in 2025. 

Mining companies that hold operating or near-operating assets, particularly in safe jurisdictions, are especially attractive. They can offer leverage to the underlying metal price, while also offering tangible asset value such as a permitted mill or producing mine. That scenario is less speculative than pure exploration and more scalable than simply holding bullion. Within this context, LaFleur's business model, owning both a high-quality mill and a mineral deposit in a prolific gold district, becomes salient.

LaFleur Minerals controls two critical production pillars: a fully permitted, refurbished gold mill and a mineral project within Canada's most prolific gold-producing region. That dual ownership and integration advantage is rare among juniors. As many peers remain stuck in permitting or exploration phases, LaFleur is positioned ahead of the curve. This progression into the production phase offers both the potential for upside and the relative stability of turning assets into economics.

Near-Term Production Pivot, PEA Underway

LaFleur Minerals is actively advancing its pivot from explorer toward near-term gold producer status. The company is focusing on restarting the Beacon Gold Mill, a fully permitted processing facility, which will be fed by mineralized material from LaFleur's 100 %-owned Swanson Gold Deposit in Québec'sVal-d'Or district. The company is eyeing a key milestone with the upcoming Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA).

Being prepared by ERM's Technical Mining Services Group, the PEA will cover mineral resources, mining plans, metallurgical testing, cost components and other critical inputs required to validate production restart timelines and economics. Because LaFleur's mill has a operational history (last active in 2022) and the deposit is located an estimated 60 kilometers from the mill, many uncertainties that typically plague juniors are materially reduced here. The proximity of the feed source means trucking ore is feasible and economical, which enhances the confidence in cost modeling.

The fact that the mill was recently upgraded, with approximately C$20 million invested, also supports more realistic cost assumptions in the PEA. Alongside recent ore-sorting initiatives via the Saskatchewan Research Council to preconcentrate material, the company is deploying modern operational enhancements that further de-risk the transition. By advancing the PEA now, the capital-markets narrative shifts from "exploration dream" toward "production plan," and that is when valuation rerating often occurs.

LaFleur's pivot toward production is meaningful because it bridges exploration and revenue by integrating a precise asset base and leveraging an existing mill. The coming few quarters are critical: the delivery of the PEA, followed by financing and mill restart, will mark the transformation in the story.

Swanson Gold Project: Advanced Exploration Upside

LaFleur's flagship Swanson Gold Project is a high-quality advanced exploration asset with a strong historical data base and clear upside potential. The project includes more than 36,000 meters of historic drilling and already boasts a current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 123.4 koz Au Indicated and 64.5 koz Au Inferred. The long-term ambition is to increase that toward one million oz of gold, an objective supported by the abundance of gold-bearing structures, a large land package and district-scale potential.

Covering more than 18,300 hectares in the Val-d'Or/Abitibi region, including 445 claims plus a mining lease, the Swanson project lies in one of the world's premier gold belts. LaFleur has publicly stated its intention to consolidate adjacent land packages, thereby creating a dominant exploration and production footprint. This land-scale ambition is rare at this stage and adds optionality beyond the base resource.

Already underway is a 7,500-meter diamond-drill program launched in July and targeting more than 50 prospects including Swanson, Bartec, Jolin and Marimac. Early results include high-grade intercepts such as 7.47 g/t Au over 1.35 m (Hole SW-25-033) and 7.68 g/t Au over 1.00 m (Hole SW-25-034), as well as a standout 17.80 g/t Au over 1.0 m at the Bartec target (Hole SW-25-037). These results suggest both strike extension and new target styles beyond the current MRE envelope.

As the drill program advances — 24 holes completed to date, 6 assays returned — LaFleur is refining its geological model, delineating high-grade zones and building the feed-source narrative for the mill. Because the mill and logistics are already in place, the exploration upside at Swanson may translate quicker into value than a standalone deposit. In short: the Swanson Gold Project is exploration ready, scalable and tied to a processing solution, creating a compelling story of growth through discovery.

Beacon Gold Mill: Near-Term Production Engine

A critical advantage for LaFleur is the ownership of the fully permitted, recently refurbished Beacon Gold Mill, a 750 tonnes-per-day facility that was upgraded as recently as 2022 and is located in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, one of the highest-grade gold regions globally. LaFleur purchased this asset from the previous owner through a CCAA process in 2024.

An independent review by Bumigeme Inc. confirmed that restarting the Beacon Mill would require approximately C$5 million, versus the replacement cost of more than C$71.5 million and three to four years to build. The mill is royalty free, unencumbered, backed by a C$2.4 million reclamation bond and benefits from excellent infrastructure, including road access, grid power and a skilled regional workforce. Because the mill is already permitted and physically upgraded, much of the typical build-out risk for juniors is eliminated.

The ability of LaFleur to process its own mineralized feed from Swanson, along with the option to toll-mill third-party ore, means the mill becomes a production engine, not just a cost-line item. In essence, the mill flips the company's narrative from "potential" to "capable production." From a valuation standpoint, owning a production-ready mill in a tier 1 jurisdiction while peers are still exploring is a rare position. The capital-efficiency of the restart plan further enhances the upside for investors.

This integration sets LaFleur apart: a near-term actionable facility, a deposit within trucking distance, low restart cost and clear path to cash flow. Many exploration companies lack one of these pillars, others lack all. For potential investors, the mill ownership begins to align with the upside of production and the stability of operations. That duality is precisely what the most successful junior-to-producer stories exhibit.

Mill Restart Plan & Strategic Capital Execution

LaFleur has laid out a clear and executable plan to restart the Beacon Mill with a budget of C$5–6 million, targeting Q4 2025 commencement of ramp-up and reaching full operation in early 2026. The allocation includes roughly C$3.8 million for equipment upgrades and ~C$1.8 million for tailings-storage-facility (TSF) repairs. This modest budget, relative to the value of the asset, speaks to strong capital-efficiency.

Positioned in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, one of the most prolific gold regions globally and home to more than 100 historical and operating mines, LaFleur enjoys both scale optionality and third-party toll-feed potential. The company is five years ahead of many regional peers that remain land only or exploration only entities. The transformation from explorer to near-term producer in a tier 1 jurisdiction is the sort of evolution that often unlocks rerating by the market.

Capital-markets interest is already building. LaFleur has engaged advisors — FMI Securities Inc. in Canada and FM Global Markets Inc. in the United States — for a proposed C$5 million secured-debt financing aimed at the restart. The company also recently completed a fully subscribed, nonbrokered private placement consisting of a C$2.88 million LIFE Offering. With the mill restart plan defined, feed-source exploration advancing and financing underway, the company checks many of the boxes that investors seek in a producer-transition story.

Bulk Sampling, Permitting & Production Scalability

LaFleur has commenced the permitting process and is evaluating a ~100,000 tonne bulk sample with an estimated average grade of 1.89 g/t Au, representing ~6,350 oz of gold and approximately 3% of the current resource estimate for Swanson. Processing this bulk sample at the Beacon Mill will both provide near-term production data and enhance the dataset feeding the PEA. With gold prices hovering around record highs, the economics of this bulk sample bear considerable significance.

The permitting and closure-plan work with Québec regulators has started, and the company expects to convert this sample and permitting progress into tangible feed for the mill under the near-term production thesis. Because the region hosts more than 100 historical and operating mines, LaFleur benefits from nearby infrastructure, workforce and supply-chain, all factors that de-risk operations. With the mill in place and a defined sample program underway, the company is substantially ahead of many peers still reliant on distant processing or early-stage permits.

The upswing in precious metals is real, and the mining sector has re-emerged as one of the most compelling investment categories. In that environment, companies that bridge the gap between exploration and production, and especially those that already control processing assets, offer unique opportunities. LaFleur Minerals encapsulates that profile: deep exploration upside, an owned mill in a premium jurisdiction and an imminent production pivot.

Mining Momentum Builds Across Global Operations

Across the global mining industry, momentum continues to accelerate as established producers and emerging developers advance exploration, production and resource-expansion programs. Rising demand for metals critical to both economic resilience and the energy transition has pushed companies to optimize assets, ramp up development and pursue innovative recovery methods. From silver and gold to strategic minerals, new project milestones are underscoring the strength and adaptability of the sector.

Nicola Mining has provided an update on preparation work conducted during 2025 on the Treasure Mountain Silver Project and the company's plan for 2026 exploration drilling program. The 2026 program is the culmination of an airborne magnetic geophysical survey conducted by Scott Hogg & Associates Ltd. in 2012 along with extensive soil sampling programs over multiple years and 2025 field reconnaissance. Treasure Mountain is a permitted silver mine located 30 kilometers northeast of Hope and about a three-hour drive from Vancouver, British Columbia. 

West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd . has reported drill results from its 100% owned Madsen Mine located in the Red Lake Gold District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. "We are only just beginning to get the underground drills into the lower portions of the main Austin Zone," said company and president Shane Williams. "And we are already being rewarded with very high-grade, broad intercepts of gold mineralization, very similar to the high-grade lenses we have been defining in South Austin. Our team is the first to get underground drills and mine crews back into these deeper parts of the orebody since this area was historically mined in the 1950's and early '60's. As expected, there is significant ounce and tonnage potential remaining at depth in the Madsen orebody."

ESGold Corp.  reports initial metallurgical results from the Deister table tests from bulk tailings samples collected in Colombia's Bolívar region under the company's recently signed Planta Magdalena memorandum of understanding. Initial testing confirms favorable gold and silver recoveries from historical tailings using a simple, low reagent gravity circuit, validating ESGold's clean, low-cost extraction model and supporting the company's future pilot and expansion plans. Bench work, which was supervised by Edmond St-Jean Ing., confirms materials tested are amenable to simple gravity separation using a circuit analogous to the flowsheet for ESGold's Montauban project in Quebec.

Barrick Mining Corporation  is confirming that its Fourmile project in Nevada is cementing its position as one of the century's greatest gold discoveries. According to the company, updated studies by 100%-owner Barrick show the results. Backed by ongoing 2025 evaluation results and the 2024 mineral resource, the new preliminary economic assessment (PEA) underscores Fourmile's rare combination of grade, scale and exploration upside, confirming its potential to become one of the world's leading gold producers

The continued progress across these projects highlights a broader resurgence within the mining sector, growth marked by renewed investment, modernization and the pursuit of efficiency and sustainability. The developments of 2025 illustrate an industry not only reacting to demand but actively defining the future of resource discovery and production.

For more information, visit LaFleur Minerals Inc.

Qualified Person Statement: All scientific and technical information contained in this article has been reviewed and approved by Louis Martin, P.Geo. (OGQ), Exploration Manager and Technical Advisor of the company and considered a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101.

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