Highlights

• Exploration Permit Applications filed for:
  • Phase 2 Diamond Drilling at the Pt. Leamington VMS Deposit targeting deposit resource upgrade / expansion of the emerging Kraken Zone; two drill rigs planned.
  • Prospecting and Ground Geophysical Surveys over all 21 mineral licenses in the newly expanded ~30,000 hectare (300 km2) land package including the Lewis Lake area.
• Field Personnel Mobilized to begin ground truthing of target areas on newly acquired licenses and to prepare for the upcoming Phase 2 drilling program.
• Phase 1 Drilling - Mineralization in Every Hole Drilled in the Kraken Zone: including: 75.8 m of 0.45% Cu (PL-112); 41.5 m of 0.39% Cu including 7.5 m of 0.89% Cu (PL-118); and 52.7 m of 0.30% Cu (PL-115). The Krake zone remains open.
• Regional Lewis Lake Targets: encompass multiple undrilled and partially-tested off-hole EM conductors, IP chargeability anomalies, and untested airborne targets in the Wild Bight Group, the host of the Pt. Leamington VMS deposit.  Billiton/BHP concluded the Lewis Lake area had an environment permissive to host a massive sulphide deposit similar to Pt. Leamington.

VANCOUVER, BC , June 4, 2026 /CNW/ - Visionary Copper and Gold Mines Inc. (the "Company" or "Visionary") (TSX-V: VCG; OTCQB: VCGMF) is pleased to provide a comprehensive update on its 100% owned Pt. Leamington Project located in central Newfoundland, approximately 37 km by road / trails from Grand Falls-Windsor and 20 km from the provincial power grid. This update summarizes Phase 1 exploration results, the application for Phase 2 drilling permits, and permits for  prospecting and ground geophysics over the newly expanded ~30,000 hectare regional land package, and the mobilization of field personnel for the exploration season.

Max Porterfield, President & CEO of Visionary, stated: "The Phase 1 program delivered everything we hoped for and more with mineralization in every Kraken hole, wide intervals of base metals confirmed across over 800 metres of strike, and results that give us a clear, high-confidence target set for Phase 2. With permits submitted, rigs being lined up, and our people on the ground right now preparing the site and ground-truthing our regional targets, Visionary is executing on all fronts simultaneously. We have never been better positioned to move this project forward."

Phase 2 Drilling and Prospecting Permits Submitted

Visionary submitted an Application for Exploration Approval to the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Energy and Mines (Mineral Lands Division) for a Phase 2 diamond drilling program at the Pt. Leamington VMS Deposit on Mining Lease 136. The program is designed to upgrade and expand the existing Pt. Leamington mineral resource and to further define and expand the newly emerging Kraken Zone discovered during Phase 1.

Concurrently, a Planned Exploration Work for Prospecting, Geochemical Sampling and/or Ground-Based Geophysical Surveying permit has been submitted covering all 21 mineral licenses in the recently  expanded ~30,000 hectare land package. This permit will support systematic ground truthing of  target areas across the newly expanded ground, including the Lewis Lake area.

Field Personnel Mobilized - Ground Truthing and Program Preparation Underway

Visionary has mobilized field personnel to the Pt. Leamington Project area. Teams are currently engaged in:

• Ground truthing identified VMS target areas on the newly expanded ~30,000 hectare regional land package
• Site preparation activities in advance of the Phase 2 diamond drilling program

Phase 1 Exploration Results - Pt. Leamington Deposit and Kraken Zone

Visionary recently concluded its Phase 1 exploration program, the first drilling at the Pt. Leamington Project in over two decades, completing 10 diamond drill holes (PL-111 through PL-120) testing both the Pt. Leamington Horizon and the newly interpreted Kraken Horizon (See News Release Dated May 13, 2026). The program was highly successful, delivering wide intersections of base and precious metals mineralization  over 800 metres of combined strike (See 3D View with 2026 Drilling).

Key Phase 1 outcomes:

• Expanded deposit strike to over 1 km in PL-111, intersecting 2.8 m of 1.20 g/t Au, 9.96 g/t Ag, 0.62% Cu, 1.87% Zn outside the existing resource boundary.
• Discovered the Kraken Zone -- a significant copper-rich lower footwall horizon. PL-112 returned 75.8 m of 0.45% Cu (including 12.0 m of 1.09% Cu) and 23.5 m of 0.43% Cu.
• Confirmed Kraken continuity across 800+ m of strike -- every hole drilled to test the Kraken Horizon intersected base and precious metals mineralization. The zone remains open.
• Wide Au-Cu-Zn intersections outside existing resource -- PL-119 returned 92.0 m of 0.21 g/t Au, 0.21% Cu, 0.28% Zn (106.5-198.5 m), including 26.9 m of 0.54 g/t Au, 5.72 g/t Ag, 0.49% Cu, 0.86% Zn -- the widest composite Au-Cu-Zn interval in the program.
• Au and Cu confirmed at shallow depths -- PL-118 returned 9.7 m of 0.62 g/t Au, 21.28 g/t Ag, 0.47% Cu, 2.51% Zn (28.0-37.7m) and 13.1 m of 0.58 g/t Au, 17.23 g/t Ag, 0.33% Cu, 3.12% Zn (75.2-88.3m) outside the existing resource.

Table 1: Phase 1 Key Drill Results -- Pt. Leamington and Kraken Zone

Existing Pt. Leamington Mineral Resource

Phase 2 drilling will build upon the existing Pt. Leamington mineral resource (see news release dated October 25, 2021):

• A, pit constrained, Indicated Mineral Resource of 5.0 Mt grading 2.5 g/t AuEq with 402 koz AuEq (comprising 145.7 koz gold, 2.0 Moz silver, 60.0 Mlb copper, 153.5 Mlb zinc and 1.5 Mlb lead);
• A pit constrained Inferred Mineral Resource of 13.7 Mt grading 2.24 g/t AuEq with 986.5 koz AuEq (comprising 354.8 koz gold, 6.2 Moz silver, 110.2 Mlb copper, 527.3 Mlb zinc, 7.0 Mlb lead); and
• An out-of-pit Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.7 Mt grading 3.06 g/t AuEq with 168.5 koz AuEq (comprising 65.4 koz gold, 1.4 Moz Ag, 13.3 Mlb copper, 102.9 Mlb zinc, 2.6 Mlb lead).

Regional Exploration - ~30,000 Hectare Land Package and Lewis Lake Targets

Concurrent with Phase 2 deposit drilling, Visionary is advancing its regional exploration strategy across the newly expanded ~30,000 hectare (300 km2) land package (See News Release Date May 21, 2026). A portion of the expanded ground covers the Lewis Lake area -- a VMS-prospective area situated east of the Pt. Leamington Deposit in the same Wild Bight Group host stratigraphy, previously explored by a joint venture that included Billiton Exploration Canada Ltd. (now BHP) from 1999-2001, as well as by Noranda, Altius Resources and Inmet Mining.

Billiton/Rubicon's 2000-2001 Phase I program -- comprising a 1,100-line-kilometre airborne EM/Mag survey, 15 diamond drill holes (2,822 m) and extensive ground geophysics -- concluded that the Lewis Lake area had established "an environment that is permissive to host a large massive sulphide deposit." No exploration drilling has been conducted in the Lewis Lake area since 2001.

The Lewis Lake area shares the following characteristics with the Pt. Leamington deposit host stratigraphy (See Pt. Leamington Project Area Map):

• Felsic volcanic and quartz porphyritic rocks of the Wild Bight Group which is the same host package as Pt. Leamington;
• Chert and jasper fragments and beds within heterolithic felsic-dominant volcaniclastic horizons which are classic VMS exhalite indicators;
• Hematite/magnetite oxide-facies volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks,within and overlying, QP units
• Overall footwall mafic -> quartz porphyry -> felsic volcaniclastic stratigraphic succession which is analogous to Pt. Leamington deposit stratigraphy; and
• Extensive quartz-sericite (+/- biotite) + pyrite footwall alteration that's characteristic of VMS stockwork systems.

Priority target areas on the expanded land package include:

• Target Area 1 - Off-hole EM Conductors: Historical drilling returned a 50m sulphide-rich argillite/argillaceous tuff section in LL2000-02 (best: 185 ppb Au, 0.84 g/t Ag, 178 ppm Cu, 459 ppm Zn at 392.60m). Down-hole EM confirmed a more highly conductive zone off-hole -- a strong drill-ready priority target never followed up.
• Target Area 1 - Additional Off-Hole Anomaly (LL2000-03): A strong off-hole Crone EM anomaly at ~170m depth, flagged as a priority follow-up target by Billiton/Rubicon was never drilled.
• Target Area 2 - Strong Undrilled 20-Channel Conductor: A high-priority surface EM conductor that could not be tested in 2001 due to wet bog conditions. One of the most significant untested targets on the property.
• Target Area 3 - Multiple Off-Hole EM Conductors: LL2000-09 intersected extensive altered, mineralized basalt with a strong off-hole EM response at 75m. LL2000-10 intersected a chert-jasper section with elevated gold values (up to 0.182 g/t Au) and arsenopyrite, with an off-hole EM response identified as a priority follow-up. LL2000-11 was lost in a fault zone with the conductor still off the end of the hole.
• Target Area 4 - IP Chargeability Anomaly: A large, partially-tested IP chargeability anomaly associated with a circular magnetic high. Multiple chargeability sub-anomalies within the IP grid remain undrilled.
• Target Area 5 - Teddy's Barn Surface Showing: Rock samples from a 150 m strike length of chlorite-altered quartz porphyry returned up to 676 ppm Cu, with adjacent samples from banded mafic/sedimentary rocks returning 6,334 ppm Cu and 1,273 ppm Zn.

The regional exploration program will incorporate:

• Property-wide geological re-interpretation integrating over 1,150 line-kilometres of historic geophysical coverage with all historic drill data;
• Detailed prospecting, soil geochemistry and ground geophysics over IP anomalies and untested airborne conductor areas;
• Reprocessing of historic Borehole Pulse Electromagnetic (BPEM) surveys and potential resurveying on accessible historic Billiton/Rubicon holes to vector towards undrilled off-hole conductors; and
• Drill testing of the untested surface EM conductor and priority off-hole BPEM anomalies at Target Areas 1, 2 and 3.

QA / QC Protocols

Core and rock samples, including standards, blanks and duplicates, are submitted to Eastern Analytical Ltd., Springdale, Newfoundland for preparation and analysis. All samples were acquired by saw-cut (drill core) with one-half submitted for assay and one-half retained for reference by Visionary personnel. Samples were submitted in sealed bags to the Springdale lab of Eastern Analytical, which is an accredited assay lab that conforms to the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. Samples were analyzed by the Eastern's Au+ICP-34, which involved a 30g fire assay coupled with an AAS  finish for Au, whereas the ICP-34 involved a four acid digestion of a 200mg subsample with an ICP-OES finish. Overlimits are analysed with Eastern's atomic absorption method, using a 0.200g to 2.00g sample, digested with three acids. All reported assays are uncut. Eastern Analytical Ltd. achieved ISO 17025 accreditation in February 2014 (for more details on the scope of accreditation visit the CALA website).

Pt. Leamington Project

The Pt. Leamington Project is located approximately 37km by road and trails from the City of Grand Falls-Windsor and approximately 20km from the provincial power grid.  Pt. Leamington is a felsic-hosted, VMS deposit that dips 70 degrees to the west, has a strike length of 560m plus and a maximum thickness of 85m. Massive sulphides have been intersected to a depth of 360m below surface from approximately 21,714m of drilling in 72 holes. Regional government mapping and lithogeochemical sampling indicates that Pt. Leamington's host volcanic stratigraphy extends beyond the Deposit area.

The Deposit hosts a significant gold, copper, zinc, and silver resource, with a pit-constrained Indicated Mineral Resource of 5.0 Mt grading 2.5 g/t AuEq for 402 koz AuEq (145.7 koz gold, 60.0 Mlb copper, 153.5 Mlb zinc, 2.0 Moz silver, 1.5 Mlb lead), a pit-constrained Inferred Mineral Resource of 13.7 Mt grading 2.24 g/t AuEq for 986.5 koz AuEq (354.8 koz gold, 110.2 Mlb copper, 527.3 Mlb zinc, 6.2 Moz silver, 7.0 Mlb lead), and an out-of-pit Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.7 Mt grading 3.06 g/t AuEq for 168.5 koz AuEq (65.4 koz gold, 13.3 Mlb copper, 102.9 Mlb zinc, 1.4 Moz Ag, 2.6 Mlb lead) (see news release dated October 25, 2021).

Qualified Person

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Peter M. Dimmell, P. Geo, a "qualified person" under NI 43-101. Mr. Dimmell is not independent under NI 43-101 as he is a director of the Company. Historical information was verified from geological reports filed with the government by previous operators.

About Visionary Copper and Gold Mines Inc.

Visionary Copper and Gold Mines Inc. (TSXV: VCG ) (OTCQB : VCGMF) is advancing its portfolio of base and precious metals rich deposits located in established Canadian mining jurisdictions. The focus of the portfolio is highlighted by the 100% owned Pt. Leamington Deposit in Newfoundland, located in one of the richest VMS and Gold Districts in Canada. The Company prepared a pit constrained Indicated Mineral Resource of 5.0 Mt grading 2.5 g/t AuEq for 402 koz AuEq (145.7 koz gold, 60.0 Mlb copper, 153.5 Mlb zinc, 2.0 Moz silver, 1.5 Mlb lead), a pit constrained Inferred Mineral Resource of 13.7 Mt grading 2.24 g/t AuEq for 986.5 koz AuEq (354.8 koz gold, 110.2 Mlb copper, 527.3 Mlb zinc, 6.2 Moz silver, 7.0 Mlb lead) and an out-of-pit Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.7 Mt grading 3.06 g/t AuEq for 168.5 koz AuEq (65.4 koz gold, 13.3 Mlb copper, 102.9 Mlb zinc, 1.4 Moz Ag, 2.6 Mlb lead) (see news release dated October 25, 2021). Additionally the Company is permitting the Rainbow deposit at its rich VMS Pine Bay Project located near existing infrastructure in the Flin Flon Mining District. The Company prepared an indicated mineral resource on the Rainbow deposit of 3.44 Mt grading 3.59% CuEq for 272.4 Mlb CuEq (238.3 Mlb Cu, 56.9 Mlb Zn, 37.6 koz Au, 692.8 koz Ag, 2.3 Mlb Pb), an inferred mineral resource on the Rainbow deposit of 1.28 Mt grading 2.95% CuEq containing 83.4 Mlb CuEq (72.1 Mlb Cu, 19.5 Mlb Zn, 11.1 koz Au, 222.2 Koz Ag, 0.8 Mlb Pb) and an inferred mineral resource at the Pine Bay deposit of 1.0 Mt grading 2.62% Cu containing 58.1 Mlb Cu (see news release dated July 10, 2023). Additionally, the portfolio includes the Nash Creek Project located in the VMS rich Bathurst Mining District of New Brunswick. A 2018 PEA generates a strong economic return with a pre-tax IRR of 34.1% (25.2% post-tax) and NPV8% of $230 million ($128 million post-tax) at $1.25 Zinc (see news release dated May 14, 2018).

Neither the 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.

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to future expenditures. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, among others, the ability to complete the proposed drill program and the timing and amount of expenditures. Except as required under applicable securities laws, Visionary does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

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SOURCE Visionary Copper and Gold Mines Inc.