Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSX-V: VM) has submitted a Multi-Year Area-Based Notice of Work application to the British Columbia Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals for its Frances Creek barite project. The application seeks authorization for a five-year advanced exploration program on a 76.8-hectare area within mineral claims 571267, 1054177, and 1031568. The proposed program includes exploration trenching, access trail development, processing area construction, and a mine rock storage facility, primarily on previously disturbed forestry land. A comprehensive package of technical studies was submitted, including terrain stability assessment, acid rock drainage assessment, soil surveys, and archaeological assessment.
The Year 1 program plans extraction of 2,000 tonnes of high-grade barite ore (specific gravity 4.5) hosted in dolomite (specific gravity 2.9), comprising 1,000 tonnes from the A Zone and 1,000 tonnes from the B Zone. This extraction is within the annual limit of 1,000 tonnes ore per cell under the Mineral Tenure Act regulations. The barite will be extracted via exploration trenches and processed on site using dry densimetric technology to produce an initial concentrate. This concentrate will be shipped to the Company’s future facility where a US Pharmacopeia barium upgrading plant will be located. The material will be used to design, test, and validate the Company’s proprietary concentration and acid leach process to meet USP specifications for pharmaceutical-grade barium contrast agents.
The application also includes a geotechnical drilling program to provide rock mechanics and slope stability data required to finalize quarry pit wall designs and waste rock storage facility configurations. This information is the primary remaining data requirement to complete an NI 43-101 Final Feasibility Study, building on the Company’s 2022 Preliminary Economic Assessment and the Pre-Feasibility Study currently in progress.
Brent Willis, CEO of Voyageur Pharmaceuticals, stated: “This Notice of Work submission is a significant de-risking milestone. The Year 1 test extraction will generate the material required to advance process development and validation at our pilot plant in support of a future full-scale pharmaceutical API facility. The accompanying geotechnical program will enable us to progress the project to Final Feasibility Study level. Frances Creek’s grade and purity continue to position Voyageur as a potential future secure North American supplier of pharmaceutical barium contrast products.”
The project hosts an indicated and inferred mineral resource of 132,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical-grade barium sulfate, forming a cornerstone of the Company’s strategy to establish a fully vertically integrated barium contrast media supply chain. Recent testing confirms the FC barite purity exceeds Pharmaceutical Grade (97.5%), with an average grade 98.8% BaSO4 (see news release dated March 3, 2026). The PEA outlined a low-cost open-pit development scenario with initial 10-year project horizon, total capital required over 3 years of $36 million, equipment delivery and installation of 24 months, payback period of 11 months after start of production, and average operating gross margins of ~75%.
All proposed activities will be conducted in accordance with the Mines Act, the Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia, and applicable Mineral Tenure Act regulations. The program is designed to be low-impact, with progressive reclamation planned upon completion of exploration activities.
This disclosure has been reviewed and approved by Bradley Willis, P.Eng, a non-independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. More details can be found in the original release on NewMediaWire.
