VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LaFleur Minerals Inc. (CSE: LFLR, OTCQB: LFLRF, FSE: 3WK0) (“LaFleur Minerals” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has engaged The Bedford Consulting Group Inc. (“Bedford”), a leading North American executive search and talent advisory firm, to support the recruitment of a senior mining executive. This strategic appointment comes at a pivotal stage as the Company advances toward the restart of gold production at its 100%-owned Beacon Gold Mill in Québec. The recruitment initiative reflects LaFleur’s transitions from an exploration-stage company toward a production-focused gold company, and underscores the Company’s commitment to strengthening leadership capacity to execute on its growth strategy, optimize operations, and deliver shareholder value.
Strong Operational Momentum and Value Creation Milestones
Over the past 12 months, LaFleur has achieved a series of significant milestones that have strategically positioned the Company for near-term production and long-term scalable growth, creating an ideal opportunity for a seasoned mining company “builder” executive to join the team:
- The Company completed a C$7.8 million financing in December 2025, providing the capital required to initiate restart and recommissioning activities at the Beacon Gold Mill. This financing marks a critical inflection point as LaFleur advances toward production and cash flow generation. (refer to press release dated January 5, 2026).
- The Company completed a positive Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) that highlights a capital-efficient and scalable gold production restart plan for Beacon Gold Mill anchored by feed from its nearby Swanson Gold Deposit. Key base-case metrics (at US$2,750/oz gold) include an after-tax IRR of 65%, NPV (5%) of C$101 million and all-in sustaining costs (AISC) of US$1,569/oz (refer to press release dated March 3, 2026). The project maintains significant leverage to prevailing gold prices, currently near US$4,700/oz, offering substantial upside potential. The Company subsequently filed an independent NI 43-101 technical report supporting the results of the PEA for the Company’s 100%-owned Swanson Gold Deposit and Beacon Gold Mill (refer to press release dated March 27, 2026).
- The Company expanded its mineral resource base with an updated 2026 Mineral Resource Estimate for the Swanson Gold Deposit which includes an Indicated Mineral Resource of 2.96 Mt at 1.69 g/t Au for 160.3 koz of contained gold (combined open-pit and underground) and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.08 Mt at 1.93 g/t Au for 66.8 koz of contained gold (combined open pit and underground), which represents a 30% increase in indicated ounces compared to the 2024 estimate, driven by optimized cut-off grades and improved geological modeling. (refer to press release dated March 3, 2026).
- The Company continues to receive excellent drill results its 100%-owned flagship Swanson Gold Project near Val-d’Or, Quebec, as reported in recent press releases that outlined results such as:
Drill Highlights from press release dated April 21, 2026
- 2.29 g/t Au over 68.30 metres (SW-25-079)
- 1.18 g/t Au over 255.04 metres (SW-25-080)
- 1.65 g/t Au over 136.1 metres (SW-25-081)
Drill Highlights from press release dated February 4, 2026:
- 2.05 g/t Au over 158.25 metres (SW-25-066)
- 1.15 g/t Au over 80.3 metres (SW-25-073)
- 1.37 g/t Au over 80.8 metres (SW-25-074)
- 2.97 g/t Au over 66.0 metres, including 91.1 g/t Au over 1.5 metres (SW-25-075)
- 3.15 g/t Au over 51.4 metres, including 92.9 g/t Au over 0.75 metres (SW-25-077)
- These results confirmed a large-scale gold discovery at the Company’s Swanson Gold Deposit, highlighting the presence of broad, continuous zones of gold mineralization that extend well below the limits of the current resource model, expanding and confirming the potential for a large-scale gold system.
- The acquisition of the McKenzie East Gold Project in Québec’s Val-d’Or district, contiguous with the McKenzie Break Gold Deposit currently owned by Fresnillo plc, expands the Company’s gold asset base and supports its nearby Beacon Gold Mill production strategy (refer to press release dated April 28, 2026).
- The Company entered into a proposed C$30 million gold prepayment facility and doré offtake agreement with Trafigura Canada providing a significant source of non-dilutive capital to accelerate the restart and expansion of the Beacon Gold Mill and advance development at the Swanson Gold Deposit. The facility is expected to support near-term production growth, including increasing mill throughput from 750 tonnes per day to 1,250 tonnes per day, while also establishing a framework for longer-term expansion potential to 3,000–4,000 tonnes per day. In addition to funding, the agreement introduces strong institutional backing and a long-term commercial relationship, with Trafigura securing offtake rights and a right of first refusal on future project financing tied to potential expansion. As one of the world’s leading commodity trading firms, Trafigura’s involvement enhances LaFleur’s financial flexibility, execution capability, and access to global gold markets, strengthening the Company’s position as it transitions toward scalable gold production. (refer to press release dated April 15, 2026).
LaFleur is presently at the cusp of restarting gold production at its fully permitted and recently refurbished Beacon Gold Mill and adjacent tailings pond, while continuing to aggressively advance exploration work following the highly encouraging results emerging from the Swanson Gold Deposit. This creates a compelling opportunity for an experienced mining company-building executive to join LaFleur at a pivotal stage of growth and help drive the next phase of the Company’s development through the advancement of its existing asset base and the consolidation of additional gold resources in the vicinity of the Beacon Gold Mill.
The mandate provided to Bedford Consulting Group is to identify and engage with mining industry executive candidates who have a demonstrated history of:
- Building early-stage mining companies from brownfield stage towards production or PFS stage with sale or merger exits in excess of $750 million
- Excellent industry reputation, capital markets expertise and mining industry contacts
- Excellent ability to build teams across various sectors required for a gold production company
- Entrepreneurial skillset and ability to undertake transactions that are accretive to the Company
The Bedford Consulting Group Inc. is a specialized executive search and compensation advisory firm with over four decades of experience and a dedicated practice serving the global mining, metals and resource sector. The firm partners with public and private companies, investors, and boards to recruit C-suite leaders, operational executives, and directors who can drive performance across the full mining lifecycle, from exploration through to production. With a strong presence in Canada and international reach through offices in Australia and the United States, Bedford combines deep industry networks with rigorous search execution and proprietary compensation insights, including its widely recognized Mining Compensation Study. The firm is particularly well positioned to identify CEOs capable of delivering strategic growth, capital markets credibility, and operational excellence in complex, global mining environments. The firm’s global reach and sector-specific expertise position it well to identify leadership capable of executing LaFleur’s next phase of growth.
Qualified candidates are invited to contact Bedford at www.bedfordgroup.com or reach out directly to the Company at info@lafleurminerals.com.
The Company also announces that it will not be proceeding with the appointment of Mike Petrina as Vice President, Mining Operations. LaFleur Minerals thanks Mr. Petrina for his time, engagement, and interest in the Company, and wishes him continued success in his future endeavours. The Company continues its search to identify and engage a mining engineer candidate from the Val-d’Or region.
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.
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).
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
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.
