News Details

TORONTO, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX:WDO, OTCQX:WDOFF) (“Wesdome” or the “Company”) today provides a comprehensive update on its underground exploration activities at its wholly-owned Kiena mine (“Kiena”) in Val-d’Or, Québec (Figure 1).

Anthea Bath, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “With 21,000 metres of exploration drilling completed so far this year at Kiena alone, our 2025 exploration program is progressing exceptionally well. The completion of new underground drill platforms last year has significantly expanded our reach, improved drill angles, and provided access to targets that were previously unavailable to drill from underground. This is delivering exactly the flexibility and precision we need to ensure resource growth keeps up with higher production levels.

“In particular, drilling in Kiena Deep and the Kiena Deep Footwall Zone has delivered encouraging results. The intersection of high grades on the North Limb of the A1 and A2 lenses supports the conversion of high-grade inferred material and reinforces confidence in our ability to mine these zones effectively given their location within competent basalt. Importantly, drilling year-to-date has confirmed the validity of our geological models, further reinforcing the potential to expand existing resources.

“Advancing the fill-the-mill strategy is a key part of our exploration program, and early results from the B Zone and the Wish Area suggest these zones could provide future incremental sources of ore. Each of these areas is adjacent to existing infrastructure, allowing for efficient development should they meet required grade and tonnage thresholds. We continue to evaluate these and other opportunities, including Presqu’île and Dubuisson as we advance the broader exploration program.

“Looking forward, we are excited to ramp up the summer barge drilling program, targeting high priority areas identified in last year’s summer program, including those at the Duchesne and Northwest zones. Surface drilling at Presqu’île and underground drilling at Dubuisson will also commence imminently. With both the underground and surface programs active, we look forward to highlighting the full upside potential at Kiena.”

Highlights

Kiena Deep – North Limb (Figures 2,3,4, Table 1)^1,2
Conversion drilling confirms high-grade mineralization within A1 and A2 lenses in Kiena Deep

• Hole N127-7035: 2,349.9 g/t Au uncapped over 2.9 m core length (32.6 g/t Au capped)³
• Hole N127-7035: 89.0 g/t Au uncapped over 3.6 m core length (23.2 g/t Au capped, 3.3 m true width)

Kiena Deep – Footwall Zone (Figures 2,3,4, Table 1)^1,2
High-grade intercepts confirm geological interpretation in the Footwall Zone

• Hole N127-6948: 482.8 g/t Au over 4.3 m core length (53.7 g/t Au capped, 2.4 m true width) including:
  • 1,460.0 g/t Au uncapped over 1.0 m core length (90.0 g/t Au capped, 0.5 m true width)
  • 565.0 g/t Au uncapped over 1.0 m core length (90.0 g/t Au capped, 0.5 m true width)
• Hole N127-6949: 331.0 g/t Au uncapped over 15.1 m core length (44.8 g/t Au capped, 6.5 m true width) including:
  • 1,515.0 g/t Au uncapped over 1.2 m core length (90.0 g/t Au capped, 0.5 m true width)
  • 2,210.0 g/t Au uncapped over 0.8 m core length (90.0 g/t Au capped, 0.3 m true width)
  • 677.0 g/t Au uncapped over 0.8 m core length (90.0 g/t Au capped, 0.3 m true width)
  • 342.0 g/t Au uncapped over 1.2 m core length (90.0 g/t Au capped, 0.5 m true width)
• Hole N127-6950: 119.4 g/t Au uncapped over 9.2 m core length (33.2 g/t Au capped, 5.9 m true width) including:
  • 619.0 g/t Au uncapped over 0.8 m core length (90.0 g/t Au capped, 0.3 m true width)
  • 391.0 g/t Au uncapped over 0.8 m core length (90.0 g/t Au capped, 0.3 m true width)
• Hole N127-7053: 70.2 g/t Au uncapped over 3.8 m core length (52.3 g/t Au capped, 3.1 m true width)

B Zone (Figure 5, Table 1)^1,2
Conversion drilling highlights the potential for multiple mineralized lenses

• Hole N125-7039: 39.2 g/t Au uncapped over 3.5 m core length (25.7 g/t Au capped)³
  

Wish Area (Figures 6,7, Table 1)^1,2,3
Shallow high-grade intervals between the Wish Zone and historic Shawkey mine provide new targets

• Hole N033-6998: 13.8 g/t Au uncapped over 3.3 m core length
• Hole N033-6998: 25.4 g/t Au uncapped over 3.5 m core length

¹ Assays capped at 90 g/t. Assays for Wish Area capped at 35 g/t.
² Cut off grade of 3.14 g/t assigned for individual assays and no more than two continuous samples below cut off grade (internal dilution) were used within composite band for geological continuity.
³ True width currently unavailable.

Technical Details

Kiena Deep and Footwall Zones

The establishment of new drilling platforms on the 127-level in 2024 has provided significantly improved drilling angles towards Kiena Deep and the Kiena Deep Footwall zones. Results to date have continued to better define the Footwall Zone, extending known lenses and increasing confidence in the validity of the geological model. Concurrently, drilling has also confirmed the high-grade nature of the A1 and A2 lenses on the North Limb of Kiena Deep, returning high-grade results within the competent basalt hanging wall of the Kiena Deep Zone.

Additional drilling is planned throughout the second half of 2025 with a focus on upgrading inferred resources in the Kiena Deep and Kiena Deep Footwall zones. Development of a new 300-metre exploration drift on the 134-level began in early March 2025 and the first two drilling platforms are now complete. This drift will provide at least five new drilling platforms and will further improve drilling angles for down-plunge exploration in Kiena Deep as well as testing the down-plunge extension of B Zone.

B Zone

The B Zone is a known area of mineralization, currently classified as an inferred resource, near existing infrastructure for Kiena Deep and S50. Previously modeled as a single lens of relatively low-grade material, conversion drilling at B Zone in the first half of 2025 has identified the presence of multiple stacked lenses with minor visible gold in certain areas.

While gold grades to date in the B Zone are lower than the average grades seen in Kiena Deep, this area presents an important opportunity to advance Kiena's fill-the-mill strategy as it has the potential to provide incremental tonnage near existing infrastructure. Additionally, the mineralized lenses in the B Zone are hosted in basalt providing favourable ground conditions for future mining. The mineralization remains open at depth, and further drilling is planned to evaluate the potential for continuity and increasing grade with depth.

Wish Zone

Drilling from level 33 in the first half of 2025 has focused primarily on testing the Wish area. Conversion drilling in the main Wish Zone confirmed the down-plunge extension of the orebody, returning moderate grades and thicknesses. Larger-scale exploration to the east of the Wish Zone has identified several interesting gold-bearing intervals that merit follow-up with additional drilling.

Hole N033-6998 intersected two intervals with high-grade mineralization in an area with no previous intercepts. One interval returned an average gold grade of 13.8 g/t Au uncapped over 3.3 m core length approximately 200 metres to the southeast of the Wish Zone. This mineralized zone consists of millimetre to centimetre veinlets of quartz-carbonate-chlorite with traces of very fine to very coarse disseminated cubic pyrite hosted in ultramafic rock, with visible gold noted.

The second interval, near the northwestern extent of underground workings at the historic Shawkey mine, returned 25.4 g/t Au uncapped over 3.5 m core length within a dioritic dyke. The presence of a stockwork of 10-20% white to greyish quartz veinlets, millimetre to centimetre in size, with pyrite and visible gold suggests that this interval could be a northwest extension of the Shawkey Main mineralization. Follow up drilling is planned in the second half of 2025 from level 33 to the east of the Wish Zone, for optimal intersection angles.

VC Zone

In 2024, 300 metres of underground development was completed on the 109-level, providing two new drilling platforms to test the possible down-plunge extension of the VC Zone below 1,090 metres vertical depth. Since December 2024, nine holes have been drilled in an attempt to reach the VC Zone. Due to poor ground conditions between the drill bay and the target, only two of these holes reached the planned depth of 400 metres, and neither of those holes intercepted the target as planned. The seven remaining holes were abandoned before reaching the target depth.

Recognizing the geological potential of the VC Zone, Wesdome will extend the 109-level exploration drift by 200 metres to reduce hole lengths and improve drill success rates by targeting competent basalt ground. Development will begin in the third quarter, and drilling is expected to recommence in the fourth quarter of 2025.

About Wesdome

Wesdome is a Canadian-focused gold producer with two high-grade underground assets, Eagle River in Northern Ontario and Kiena in Val-d’Or, Québec. The Company’s primary goal is to responsibly leverage its operating platform and high-quality brownfield and greenfield exploration pipeline to build a growing value-driven gold producer.

Technical Disclosure
The technical and geoscientific content of this release has been compiled, reviewed, and approved by Bruno Turcotte, P.Geo., (OGQ #453) Geology Superintendent of the Kiena mine a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Analytical work was performed by ALS Minerals of Val-d’Or (Quebec), a certified commercial laboratory (Accredited Lab #689). Sample preparation was completed at ALS Minerals in Val d'Or (Quebec). Assaying comprised fire assay methods with an atomic absorption finish. Any sample assaying >10 g/t Au was re-run using the fire assay method with gravimetric finish, and also with the metallic sieve method. In addition to laboratory internal duplicates, standards, and blanks, the geology department inserts blind duplicates, standards, and blanks into the sample stream at a frequency of one in twenty to monitor quality control.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, including but not limited to statements relating to the Kiena Mine regarding: the requirements needed to ensure resource growth keeps up with higher production levels; the drilling results in Kiena Deep and the Kiena Deep Footwall Zone; Wesdome’s confidence in its ability to mine the Kiena Deep and the Kiena Deep Footwall Zone, along with the potential to expand their existing resources; the potential for the B Zone and the Wish Area to provide future incremental sources of ore; the development efficiency of the B Zone and the Wish Area based on their location to existing infrastructure; the timing of the commencement of surface drilling at Presqu’île and underground drilling at Dubuisson; the potential upside of the Kiena Mine; the confidence in the validity of the geological model of Kiena Deep and the Kiena Deep Footwall zones; the timing and focus of the planned additional drilling at Kiena Deep and the Kiena Deep Footwall zones; the benefits of the new 300-metre exploration drift on the 134-level that was recently completed; the potential for the B Zone to advance the fill-the-mill strategy and provide incremental tonnage; the planned further drilling in the B Zone; the prospectivity of certain intervals in the Wish Zone, and the potential for those intervals to represent extension of existing mineralization; the timing and details of the planned follow up drilling at the Wish Zone; and the timing and details of the planned extension of the 109-level exploration drift in the VC Zone and subsequent drilling. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Wesdome to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Although management of Wesdome has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended.

There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances, management’s estimates or opinions should change, except as required by securities legislation. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Appendix

Table 1: Kiena Drill Results (Previously Unreleased)

Composite Results
Figures in table may not add due to rounding

Wish Area

Kiena Deep – North Limb

B Zone

Footwall Zone

VC Zone

Assay Results
Figures in table may not add due to rounding

*Denotes inclusion in December 31, 2024 mineral resource.

Figures accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/487d121d-3b22-460b-b0d4-6673274d52cf

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bef40294-6615-4eb7-b5b9-88af1d8e047b

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/29213884-2af3-424b-b6e1-fea15d3837dc

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/176919de-72a3-4906-abe9-33f4eafe8fb3

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/61515b07-186a-40d3-a0e5-06e062c51c01

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1c44cffc-c0b0-450f-948d-7c1db756699a

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c8b28e6c-994b-4d9c-9942-92428e726b9e

PDF available: http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/cce25d7d-0d8a-4ccc-94b8-c594612a2252

Figure 1

 

Kiena Southern Corridor Plan View

Figure 2

 

Kiena Deep and B Zone Plan View (Left) and Long Section Looking Southwest (Right)

Figure 3

 

Kiena Deep Long Section Looking Southwest (1,200 m-1,600 m)

Figure 4

 

Kiena Deep Long Section Looking Southwest (1,500 m - 1,700 m)

Figure 5

 

B Zone Long Section Looking Southwest

Figure 6

 

Wish Area Drilling Plan View

Figure 7

 

Wish Zone Drilling Plan View (Left) and Long Section Looking Southwest (Right)