Beacon Gold Mill reconditioning and recommissioning work is approximately 84% complete
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 7, 2026) - LaFleur Minerals Inc. (CSE: LFLR) (OTCQB: LFLRF) (FSE: 3WK0) ("LaFleur Minerals" or the "Company") announces that it has agreed with Trafigura Canada Limited ("Trafigura") to an extension of the exclusivity and due diligence period under the previously announced indicative terms and conditions and accompanying indicative term sheet dated April 10, 2026 for a proposed prepayment facility of up to C$30 million (the "Prepayment Facility") and gold doré purchase agreement (the "Offtake Agreement", and together with the Prepayment Facility, the "Proposed Agreements"), as announced by the Company on April 15, 2026 and subject to definitive documentation, due diligence and closing conditions.
SUMMARY
On April 15, 2026, LaFleur Minerals announced it had selected Trafigura to arrange and provide a prepayment facility of up to C$30 million and gold doré purchase agreement for the proposed development of the Swanson Gold Deposit and processing operations at the Company's wholly-owned Beacon Gold Mill, located in Val-d'Or, Québec, subject to definitive documentation, due diligence and closing conditions.
The Proposed Agreement was subject to the execution of definitive documentation and the satisfaction of relevant conditions precedent, including the completion of Trafigura's due diligence and receipt of applicable internal approvals.
The proposed C$30 million Prepayment Facility would have no commodity price hedging requirements and will underpin required funding for LaFleur's processing facility operations and ramp-up towards a targeted processing capacity of 1,250 tonnes per day (tpd) at the Beacon Gold Mill and development work at the Swanson Gold Deposit (refer to April 15, 2026 News Release).
TRAFIGURA EXTENDED EXCLUSIVITY PERIOD
The exclusivity and due diligence period has been extended to August 31, 2026 (the "Extended Exclusivity Period").
The extension is intended to accommodate technical due diligence, the scheduling of the site visit, and agreement of definitive documentation in respect of the Proposed Agreements.
Part of the ongoing due diligence will be a site visit to the Beacon Gold Mill and the Swanson Gold Deposit, and both parties are working to schedule the visit by August 15, 2026, subject to each party's staff availability to travel to Val-d'Or, Québec.
The Proposed Agreements remain subject to the execution of definitive documentation and the satisfaction of relevant conditions precedent, including completion of Trafigura's due diligence and receipt of applicable internal and regulatory approvals.
Paul Ténière, CEO and Director of LaFleur Minerals, commented: "Technical due diligence on the Project is well advanced and the process with Trafigura has been very constructive throughout. A strategic next step is a site visit by the Trafigura team to our Beacon Gold Mill and Swanson Gold Deposit, and this exclusivity extension provides the time needed to finalize scheduling of that visit. We are very pleased with how the process with Trafigura has advanced. Collaborating with a global commodities leader of Trafigura's scale is a strong validation of the Swanson Gold Project and the Beacon Gold Mill, and the proposed non-dilutive structure is designed to support a disciplined restart while preserving shareholder value. We are also very pleased at our progress at refurbishing the Beacon Gold Mill and we are at 84% completion rate as of July 1,2026. We look forward to providing further updates as the Proposed Agreements progress."
Conditions and Exclusivity Status
During the Extended Exclusivity Period, and consistent with the terms of the indicative term sheet, the Company has agreed that neither it nor its representatives, officers, directors, agents or advisers will initiate, solicit, negotiate or accept any competing proposal from any third party in respect of the Proposed Agreements. Other than customary provisions, including those relating to exclusivity, the indicative term sheet is non-binding. The Proposed Agreements remain subject to Trafigura's due diligence and receipt of all necessary approvals, including legal and credit assessment and compliance with applicable regulatory requirements, and remain subject to Canadian Securities Exchange approval, if required. There can be no assurance that the parties will enter into definitive agreements or that the transaction contemplated by the Proposed Agreements will be completed on the terms contemplated, or at all.
Beacon Gold Mill Recommissioning Update - 84% Complete
LaFleur Minerals is also pleased to provide an update on the reconditioning and recommissioning of its 100%-owned Beacon Gold Mill ("Beacon Mill") located near Val-d'Or, Québec. As of July 1, 2026, the Beacon Mill mechanical reconditioning program is approximately 84% complete and remains on budget. The crushing, grinding, filtration, ore-storage, thickening and reagent circuits are each substantially complete, with the filtration circuit essentially finished and the thickener refurbishment complete. Completed work includes overhaul of the primary jaw crusher and the secondary and tertiary cone crushers, relining of the ball mill, refurbishment of the drum filters and vacuum systems, and reconditioning of pumps, conveyors and chutes throughout the plant.
Significant progress was made in the leaching circuit during the month of June. The new agitator mechanisms and air-lift assemblies for the leach tanks have now largely been received and fitted, with sandblasting, painting and final mechanism installation representing the principal remaining work. Refurbishment of the service and compressed-air systems also advanced materially, reaching approximately 90% completion.
Remaining work is concentrated in the grizzly and coarse-ore feed section, commissioning of the refinery (induction furnace), and final commissioning of the compressors, overhead cranes and standby power. Construction of the new compressor building is approximately 90% complete.
Maintenance work on the tailings storage facility (TSF) is expected to commence soon with a local contractor to be engaged shortly and supervised by Stantec's geotechnical engineer of record for the TSF.
The Company anticipates completing the balance of mechanical works and advancing into staged commissioning in Q4 2026 using existing stockpiles on site, subject to timely delivery of the leach-tank mechanisms and other long-lead items.
Please refer to Photos 1-4 below indicating recent work completed at the Beacon Mill.
Photo 1: Refurbished rotary drum filtration circuit
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Photo 2: Ball and rod mills within grinding circuit
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Photo 3: Exterior of Beacon Mill facility including covered conveyor and headframe
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Photo 4: Repainted entrance and staging area for Beacon Mill facility
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Cautionary Statement
The Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) referenced herein for the Swanson Gold Project 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, and there is no certainty that the results of the PEA will be realized.
Qualified Person Statement
The scientific and technical information disclosed in this news release was prepared and approved by Marc Ducharme, P.Geo. (OGQ), Vice President of Exploration for LaFleur Minerals and considered a Qualified Person under 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 includes a total of 481 claims and 1 mining lease (200.7 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") for the Company's Swanson Gold Project and the planned restart of the Beacon Gold Mill.
ON BEHALF OF LAFLEUR MINERALS INC.
Paul Ténière, M.Sc., P.Geo.
Chief Executive Officer & Director
E: info@lafleurminerals.com
T: 1 (604) 805-4602
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" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by words such as "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "proposed", "scheduled", and similar expressions, or statements that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur.
Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the Extended Exclusivity Period and its duration; the completion of remaining due diligence, including the scheduling and completion of Trafigura's confirmatory site visit to the Beacon Gold Mill and the Swanson Gold Project; the negotiation and execution of definitive documentation in respect of the Proposed Agreements, including the Prepayment Facility and the Offtake Agreement; the anticipated terms, timing and completion of the Proposed Agreements; the planned restart of the Beacon Gold Mill; the potential processing of mineralized material from the Swanson Gold Project and custom milling for other projects; the advancement and development of the Swanson Gold Deposit; and the results and potential realization of the Company's preliminary economic assessment (the "PEA").
Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions, including that: the parties will complete due diligence satisfactorily and within the Extended Exclusivity Period; Trafigura's confirmatory site visit will be scheduled and completed as anticipated; the parties will negotiate and execute definitive agreements; all necessary internal, regulatory and stock exchange approvals will be obtained; financing and capital will remain available on acceptable terms; gold prices, exchange rates and input costs will be consistent with the Company's expectations; permitting and operational assumptions, including those underlying the PEA, will be realized; and no material adverse change will occur.
Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including, without limitation, that: due diligence may not be completed satisfactorily or the site visit may identify matters that affect the proposed transaction; definitive agreements may not be entered into; required approvals may not be obtained; financing may not be available, or may be available only on terms less favourable than anticipated; the assumptions underlying the PEA may prove incorrect; commodity price and foreign exchange volatility; permitting, technical, operational and cost-escalation risks; capital market conditions; and general economic, market and business conditions. Additional risk factors are described in the Company's continuous disclosure filings available under its profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of management on that date. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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