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 initiatives at the historical Sturgeon River Mine: recovery and remediation of a surface waste rock stockpile, and a proposed Advanced Exploration Project to dewater and rehabilitate the mine shaft and underground workings.
For the surface stockpile, LAURION has applied for a Recovery of Minerals Permit under Ontario’s Mining Act and Ontario Regulation 463/24. The stockpile contains mineralized material from decades-old operations, and recovery would involve removal and off-site processing, followed by remediation. This work is not expected to require new infrastructure or underground development.
Separately, LAURION plans to rehabilitate the flooded Sturgeon River shaft, which extends approximately 642 metres below surface with 15 historical underground levels. The proposed Advanced Exploration Project would involve removing the shaft cap, installing a temporary headframe and hoisting plant, and controlled dewatering. The company is preparing a Permit to Take Water application for submission in Q4 2026, along with an Advanced Exploration Closure Plan targeted for early 2027. Once safe access is established, underground exploration drilling and sampling will evaluate the deposit. No commercial production is currently proposed.
Over the past five years, LAURION has completed comprehensive environmental baseline studies, including terrestrial ecology, aquatic and benthic surveys, groundwater and surface water monitoring, shaft water characterization, and a Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment. These studies support regulatory review and will inform environmental management and monitoring.
LAURION has engaged with Indigenous communities, including Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek First Nation (AZA), Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation (BNA), and Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek First Nation (BZA), through an Indigenous Joint Steering Committee. Public consultation will also occur as part of the Closure Plan process.
“Five years of rigorous, independent environmental baseline work is not a small undertaking,” said Cynthia Le Sueur-Aquin, President and CEO. “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.” She added that dewatering the shaft could provide safe underground access to evaluate gold-bearing structures not fully explored before mining ceased in 1942, and facilitate rehabilitation of a 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.”
This news matters because it demonstrates LAURION’s progress toward regulatory approvals and potential resource evaluation at a significant gold and base metal project. Successful permitting could unlock value from historical waste and provide modern exploration access to a high-grade system, while addressing environmental liabilities. For investors, it signals disciplined advancement and reduced execution risk. For local communities, it means engagement and potential remediation of legacy hazards.
For more information, visit LAURION's website.
