LAURION Mineral Exploration Inc. (TSX-V: LME | OTC: LMEFF | FSE: 5YD) has provided an update on environmental, technical and regulatory work at its 100%-owned Ishkōday Gold and Polymetallic Project in Northwestern Ontario. The company is advancing two complementary initiatives associated with the historical Sturgeon River Mine: recovery and remediation of a historical surface waste rock stockpile, and a proposed Advanced Exploration Project focused on dewatering and rehabilitating the historical mine shaft and underground workings.
For the surface stockpile, LAURION has submitted an application for a Recovery of Minerals Permit to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, including a Recovery and Remediation Plan, under section 152.1 of Ontario’s Mining Act and Ontario Regulation 463/24. The stockpile is a legacy of historic mining operations and contains mineralized material that LAURION seeks to recover. The proposed work involves removal and off-site processing of the material, followed by remediation of the stockpile area. The company states that recovery is not expected to require new infrastructure, mining or underground development.
Separately, LAURION is preparing a Permit to Take Water application for dewatering the historical Sturgeon River Mine shaft, with a submission target for Q4 2026. The shaft extends approximately 642 metres below surface and includes 15 historical underground levels. The mine has remained flooded since operations ceased, with about 114,000 cubic metres of static water estimated in the underground workings. The proposed Advanced Exploration Project would involve removing the shaft cap, rehabilitating the shaft collar, installing a temporary exploration headframe and hoisting plant, and conducting controlled dewatering followed by progressive rehabilitation. Once safe access is established, LAURION intends to conduct underground exploration drilling and sampling. No commercial mineral production or ore processing is currently proposed.
LAURION is also preparing an Advanced Exploration Closure Plan under Ontario’s Mining Act, targeted for early 2027, along with additional environmental approvals for mine water treatment and discharge, air and noise emissions, and associated infrastructure.
Over the past five years, LAURION has completed a comprehensive environmental baseline program, including terrestrial ecology, species at risk and bat studies; aquatic and benthic studies; groundwater and surface water monitoring; shaft water and hydrogeological studies; and a Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment. These studies support regulatory review and will inform environmental management and monitoring.
The company has engaged with Indigenous communities through an Indigenous Joint Steering Committee and project-specific consultation with Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek First Nation (AZA), Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation (BNA), and Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek First Nation (BZA). Public notice of the proposed Closure Plan will be provided in accordance with Ontario Regulation 35/24, including public meetings.
“Five years of rigorous, independent environmental baseline work is not a small undertaking, and I am proud of the diligence our team and consultants have brought to this work,” said Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin, President and CEO of LAURION. “This stockpile represents decades-old mining waste sitting on surface today. 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 from LAURION.”
Ms. Le Sueur-Aquin added that historical records indicate gold-bearing structures on multiple underground levels that were not fully explored before mining ceased in 1942. The dewatering program is expected to provide safe underground access for geological mapping, sampling and evaluation, and to facilitate rehabilitation of a long-standing legacy mine hazard.
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. We appreciate the hard work and commitment demonstrated by the LAURION team throughout this process and are excited to see the Company take this important next step in moving the project forward.”
The technical contents of the update were reviewed and approved by Dr. Trevor Boyd, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
This news matters for investors and industry observers because it demonstrates LAURION’s progress in de-risking the Ishkōday Project through regulatory and environmental diligence. If approved, the stockpile recovery could provide non-dilutive value by processing existing surface material, while the shaft dewatering could unlock exploration potential in a historic mining camp. The outcomes will depend on regulatory approvals, Indigenous consultation, and financing, but the advancement signals a methodical approach to project development.
