LaFleur Minerals Strengthens Leadership with Former Probe Gold and Probe Mines Executives to Accelerate Exploration Growth and Beacon Gold Mill Restart

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LaFleur Minerals Inc. (CSE: LFLR, OTCQB: LFLRF, FSE: 3WK0) (“LaFleur Minerals” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce the appointments of Marc Ducharme as Vice President of Exploration and Mike Petrina as Vice President Mining Operations. These strategic additions significantly enhance the Company’s technical, operational, and capital markets expertise at a pivotal stage, as LaFleur advances its Swanson Gold Project and prepares for the near-term restart of gold production at its wholly-owned Beacon Gold Mill in Québec’s prolific Abitibi Gold Belt.

Both executives bring decades of proven success in discovery, project development, and mine operations, which includes Mr. Ducharme’s leadership role at Probe Gold Inc. prior to its $770 million acquisition by Fresnillo plc in January 2026 (Link), and Mr. Petrina’s experience at Moose Mountain Technical Services which helped advance Probe Gold’s Novador project through its Updated Preliminary Economic Assessment. Their combined experience strengthens LaFleur’s ability to execute on its vertically integrated mine-to-mill strategy, accelerate exploration success, and efficiently transition into gold production.

Marc Ducharme – Vice President of Exploration

Mr. Marc Ducharme has been appointed Vice President of Exploration, following his recent role as VP Exploration at Probe Gold Inc., prior to the January 2026 acquisition by Fresnillo plc. He is a highly accomplished exploration geologist with more than 35 years of experience across Québec’s Abitibi region, Ontario, and international jurisdictions. Mr. Ducharme has an extensive track record of leading exploration programs from grassroots discovery through advanced-stage development, including oversight of geology for both underground and open-pit gold operations. He has contributed to multiple gold discoveries and resource expansions, most notably Wesdome’s Kiena Deep deposit in Val-d'Or, Québec.

Most recently, Mr. Ducharme led Probe Gold’s exploration activities in the Val-d’Or region, creating strong operational and geological synergies with LaFleur’s current asset base. As a Val-d’Or resident, he will play a hands-on leadership role in advancing exploration across the Company’s regional portfolio, including the Swanson Gold Deposit and the McKenzie East Gold Project (refer to press releases dated April 21, 2026 and April 28, 2026).

In addition to advancing aggressive exploration programs following the Company’s recent large-scale gold discovery at Swanson, Mr. Ducharme will support the identification and evaluation of additional acquisition targets near the Beacon Gold Mill. These initiatives are aimed at securing future mill feed, increasing operational flexibility, and enhancing near-term monetization opportunities.

Kal Malhi, Chairman of LaFleur Minerals, commented:

“We are delighted to welcome Marc to the LaFleur team at such a transformative time for the Company and look forward to his valuable contributions as we continue our focus on the amazing new discoveries at the Swanson Gold Project and our growing land position in Val-d’Or. We see tremendous upside at both the Swanson Gold Project and the newly acquired McKenzie East Gold Project. Marc was instrumental role in Probe Gold’s success across projects such as Novador, McKenzie Break, Croinor, and Beaufor underscores his ability to drive discovery and value creation. Marc’s deep familiarity with the Abitibi region, combined with his proven exploration leadership, will enable us to accelerate our regional programs and unlock the full potential of our expanding Val-d’Or land package. Marc will be part of our continuing initiative to prioritize the discovery of new and higher-grade discoveries within the Val-d’Or land package. With his strong background in geology and mineral exploration, including the discovery of several new gold deposits, we are confident his expertise will contribute significantly to advancing higher-grade discoveries while supporting efficient permitting and reducing overall project risk.”

Mike Petrina - Vice President Mining Operations

LaFleur Minerals is also pleased to appoint Mr. Mike Petrina as Vice President Mining Operations. Mr. Petrina brings over 40 years of mining industry experience, encompassing underground and open-pit operations, engineering, and project development, while working responsibly with stakeholders in the local community, Indigenous communities and investors to maximize project value and comply with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) requirements.

He has held senior leadership roles including Chief Operating Officer of Probe Mines Limited, Vice President of Operations at MAG Silver Corp., and Vice President of Mining at Hawthorne Gold Corp., in addition to senior operational positions with Adanac Molybdenum Corporation and Pan American Silver Corporation.

Mr. Petrina holds a degree in Mining Engineering from Queen’s University, is a registered Professional Engineer in British Columbia and Ontario, and earned an MBA from the University of Athabasca. Based near Val-d’Or, he will take a hands-on role in overseeing mining operations and ensuring the efficient, expedited and timely restart of the Beacon Gold Mill. His responsibilities will include operational readiness, permitting, and integration of mineralized feed from the Swanson Gold Deposit.

Paul Ténière, CEO and Director of LaFleur Minerals, stated:

“As we approach the restart of gold production at our wholly-owned Beacon Gold Mill, Mike’s operational expertise will be critical in ensuring a seamless and efficient transition to production. His depth of experience across mine development and operations will strengthen our execution capabilities and support our objective of maximizing operational efficiency. We are excited to welcome both Mike and Marc, whose combined experience in the Val-d’Or region positions LaFleur for continued growth and success.”

The appointments of Marc Ducharme and Mike Petrina materially strengthen LaFleur Minerals’ technical and operational capabilities at a critical inflection point, directly enhancing both execution certainty and corporate value. Mr. Ducharme’s proven track record in gold discovery and resource expansion, particularly in Québec’s Abitibi Gold Belt, positions the Company to accelerate exploration success at the Swanson and McKenzie East projects, increase resource size and grade, and improve the efficiency and return on exploration capital, while also supporting strategic acquisitions to secure additional mill feed and drive long-term scalability. Complementing this, Mr. Petrina’s extensive experience in mine engineering, operations, and project development significantly de-risk the planned restart of the Beacon Gold Mill by ensuring disciplined operational execution, cost control, and efficient mine-to-mill integration, all while supporting permitting and ESG alignment. Together, their combined expertise spans the full mining lifecycle, from discovery through production, reducing technical and operational risk, strengthening capital markets credibility, and positioning LaFleur Minerals to accelerate near-term production, generate cash flow, and deliver sustainable growth in shareholder value.

Issuance of Stock Options

As update to the previously announced grant of 2,500,000 stock options (refer to press release dated April 21, 2026), the Company intends to increase this issuance to a total of 3,000,000 incentive stock options ("Options") to management and consultants of the Company. The Options are exercisable into 3,000,000 common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”) and have an exercise price of $0.65 per Common Share, with an expiry date three years from the date of grant. These Options have been granted in accordance with the Company's stock option plan.

Figure 1: Inside Beacon Gold Mill

Engagement of Marketing and/or Investor Relations Firms

The Company is also pleased to announce it has entered into a strategic marketing and investor relations engagement with an arms-length independent agency with the aim of developing the Company’s communication strategy and strengthening exposure to a wider audience.

Emerging Markets Consulting LLC

A media agency agreement dated April 14, 2026, has been executed by the Company with Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC, (“EMC”) (the "EMC Agreement"), for a 6-month marketing and investor awareness campaign, commencing on April 20, 2026, for total consideration of USD $300,000, including an upfront payment of USD $150,000. Pursuant to the EMC agreement, EMC will assist the Company with the design, development, and dissemination of approved corporate information, as well as general investor outreach activities conducted through its internal marketing channels and broker-focused networks. Services under the agreement may include electronic media and webcast support, drafting or assembling approved corporate materials, distribution through EMC’s email databases, and communications with brokers and institutions selected by EMC. EMC is an arm’s length party to the Company and to the Company’s knowledge EMC does not currently own any securities of the Company as of the date hereof. There is no performance factors contained in the agreement between EMC and the Company and EMC nor will any of its affiliates receive any shares or options from the Company as compensation for services under the agreement.

About Emerging Markets Consulting LLC:

Based in Orlando, Florida, Emerging Markets Consulting, LLC (EMC) brings multiple decades of combined experience in the investor relations industry. EMC is an international investor relations firm with affiliates around the world. EMC is relationship-driven and results-oriented with the goal of seeking attractive emerging companies and concentrating its resources and efforts to serve a limited number of high-quality clients. EMC is a syndicate of investor relations consultants consisting of stockbrokers, investment bankers, fund managers and institutions that actively seek opportunities in the microcap and small-cap equity markets. EMC's place of business is located at 390 North Orange Avenue Suite 2300, Orlando, FL 32801.

Email jim@emergingmarketsconsulting.com

Website https://emergingmarketsconsulting.com/

Telephone 1-407-340-0226

Cautionary Statement
The Preliminary Economic Assessment referenced herein 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.

This press release includes references to visual observations of mineralization encountered in drill core. Such observations are preliminary in nature and should not be relied upon as a substitute for laboratory analytical results. The presence, nature, and extent of mineralization, including the content of gold or other metals, cannot be determined solely by visual inspection.

Visible mineralization, including sulphides or visible gold, does not necessarily indicate the grade or continuity of mineralization and may not be representative of the overall mineralized interval. Assay results are required to determine the actual grade and thickness of mineralization and may differ materially from visual estimates.
Accordingly, the Company cautions investors that any references to visible mineralization should not be interpreted as an indication of mineral grade or economic viability until such time as assay results have been received and verified.

This press release may also reference historical mineral resource estimates. These estimates are considered relevant as they provide an indication of the exploration potential of the property; however, they were prepared by previous operators and have not been verified by the Company’s Qualified Person. The historical estimates were not prepared in accordance with current standards as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) and should not be relied upon.

A Qualified Person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves, and the Company is not treating the historical estimates as current mineral resources or mineral reserves. Additional work, including verification drilling, sampling, and data validation, would be required to upgrade or verify these historical estimates as current mineral resources.

Qualified Person Statement
All scientific and technical information in this news release has been prepared and approved by Louis Martin, P.Geo. (OGQ), Exploration Manager and Technical Advisor of the Company and considered a Qualified Person (QP) for the purposes of 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 is approximately 19,214 hectares (192 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”) results for the Company’s Swanson Gold Project and the planned restart of the Beacon Gold Mill (refer to press release dated March 3, 2026).

LaFleur Minerals Inc.
1500-1055 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC V6E 4N7
Website: www.lafleurminerals.com | LinkedIn | Twitter/X | Instagram

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” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the results of the Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) on the Swanson Gold Project, the contemplated refurbishment and restart of the Beacon Gold Mill, projected production rates, mine life, capital and operating costs, economic returns (including NPV and IRR), development timelines, permitting, financing and other economic and technical parameters. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by words such as “expects”, “plans”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “projects”, “potential”, and similar expressions.

The PEA 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. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized.

Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions, including with respect to Mineral Resource estimates, gold prices, exchange rates, capital and operating costs, metallurgical recoveries, the ability to obtain required approvals, the availability of financing, and the successful refurbishment and operation of the Beacon Gold Mill. Actual results may differ materially due to risks and uncertainties, including those related to resource estimation, cost escalation, commodity price fluctuations, permitting, financing, operational risks and general economic conditions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/34039069-00c6-47b4-8bed-4249bf939d0b

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

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