Scandium Canada Ltd. (TSX-V: SCD) has launched its 2026 diamond drilling program at the Crater Lake scandium project in Nunavik, Quebec, consisting of approximately 4,000 metres of drilling. The program is primarily designed to collect a representative metallurgical bulk sample throughout the defined resource, with additional drilling for resource extension at the TG Zone and exploration on the Discovery Zone.
Camp mobilization has been underway since late April under the management of Laurentia Exploration. Drilling is expected to begin in the coming weeks and continue through August 2026. In parallel, WSP will continue previous environmental assessment work from June to September in support of the prefeasibility study.
Approximately 75% to 80% of the planned drilling, or 3,000 to 3,500 metres, is dedicated to collecting a metallurgical test bulk sample of 8 to 10 tonnes throughout the defined resource and testing its variability. This bulk sample will be assembled from half-diameter HQ drill core, assuming approximately 80% recovery over mineralized intercepts. The objective is to confirm grades and test variability to support a future feasibility study.
Another 15% to 20% of the drill budget, or 500 to 1,000 metres, is dedicated to exploratory resource augmentation drilling to test the lateral limits of the 2025 mineral resource estimate, which remains open. The remaining meterage will be allocated to limited shallow exploration drilling on the Discovery Zone, approximately 750 metres south-southwest along strike from the TG Zone resource.
Guy Bourassa, Chief Executive Officer, stated: “With mobilization underway at Crater Lake, this program advances several priorities at once. The bulk of the drilling is dedicated to collecting a representative metallurgical bulk sample throughout the defined resource, the key input for the metallurgical work required for a feasibility study. We will also test the lateral extensions of the TG Zone, where the deposit remains open, and drill initial exploration targets on the Discovery Zone. We expect a steady flow of news from Crater Lake as results become available this fall.”
The 2026 campaign is built around three technical objectives: metallurgical bulk sample collection, resource extension, and regional exploration. The Crater Lake project hosts a mineral resource estimate within the TG Zone, which remains open, as detailed in the technical report entitled “NI 43-101 Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate for the Crater Lake Project, Quebec, Canada,” available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
From June to September, WSP will continue the environmental assessment work initiated in 2024, including fauna and flora inventories, fish habitat surveys, and hydrogeological and geochemical studies, all in support of the environmental assessment underpinning the prefeasibility study. Field activities are conducted from the Company’s existing exploration camp, with a maximum of 20 people on site and no new permanent installations.
Core samples will be shipped from site on outgoing flights to Laurentia’s core facility, where QAQC standards will be inserted before samples are sent to Activation Laboratories in Ancaster, Ontario, for multi-element geochemical analysis. Mineralized intervals from the bulk sample will subsequently be selected on the basis of assay results and sent for LIBS scanning and metallurgical analysis. Assay results are expected in the fall of 2026.
The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Eric Kinnan, P.Geo. (OGQ No. 00788), an independent consulting geologist and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Kinnan has reviewed the data disclosed herein and has verified the information through examination of the project database, geological records, assay certificates, and applicable QA/QC protocols and procedures.
