Mr. Philippe MacKay reports

GOLD CANDLE COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF FOKUS MINING

Fokus Mining Corp. and Gold Candle Ltd. have successful completed the previously announced statutory plan of arrangement, whereby Gold Candle acquired all of the issued and outstanding common shares in the capital of Fokus for 26 cents per share. The arrangement valued Fokus at approximately $63-million on an equity value basis.

As a result of the completion of the arrangement, it is expected that the shares will be delisted from the TSX Venture Exchange, OTCQB tier of the OTC Markets Group and Open Markets segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange shortly after the date hereof, and that Fokus will promptly apply for an order to cease to be a reporting issuer (or equivalent) in each of Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec.

Further details regarding the arrangement are included in the management information circular of Fokus dated March 12, 2026, a copy of which can be found under Fokus's profile on SEDAR+.

Action required by Fokus shareholders

Registered shareholders of Fokus are reminded to submit a duly completed letter of transmittal and the share certificate(s) representing their shares to Computershare Investor Services Inc., Fokus's depositary, to receive the cash consideration under the arrangement. Non-registered shareholders of Fokus are not required to submit a letter of transmittal. Non-registered shareholders will receive the consideration they are entitled to under the arrangement through the intermediary in whose name their shares are held.

Gold Candle private placement

Concurrently with the closing of the arrangement, Gold Candle completed a private placement for total gross proceeds of $65-million. Following completion of the arrangement and the private placement, Gold Candle has approximately 230 million common shares issued and outstanding.

Required early warning disclosure

This additional disclosure is being provided pursuant to National Instrument 62-103, The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues, which also requires a report to be filed by Gold Candle with the regulatory authorities in each jurisdiction in which Fokus is a reporting issuer containing information with respect to the foregoing matters. A copy of the early warning report will be made available under Fokus's profile on SEDAR+.

Immediately prior to giving effect to the arrangement and the transactions related thereto, Gold Candle did not own, or exercise control or direction over, directly or indirectly, any shares. After giving effect to the arrangement and the transactions related thereto, Gold Candle owns, directly or indirectly, all of the issued and outstanding Sharess Gold Candle's head office is located at 123 Front St. West, Suite 905, Toronto, Ont., M5J 2M2.

Qualified person

The scientific and technical information in this news release was reviewed and approved by Philippe MacKay, PEng, president and chief executive officer of Fokus. Mr. MacKay is a qualified person as defined under National Instrument 43-101 and a professional engineer registered with Ordre des ingenieurs du Quebec (OIQ). Mr. MacKay consents to the publication of this news release and certifies that the information is provided fairly and accurately represents the scientific and technical information disclosed within it.

Technical report

Additional scientific and technical information regarding the Galloway project is contained in the technical report, titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report and Mineral Resource Estimate for the Galloway Project, Quebec, Canada," dated May 7, 2023 (with an effective date of March 21, 2023), prepared by InnovExplo, and written by Alain Carrier, MSc, PGeo, Olivier Vadnais-Leblanc, PGeo, Marc R. Beauvais, PEng, and David Le Tourneux, PEng, MSc. The report is available for download on SEDAR+.

About Fokus Mining Corp.

Fokus is a mineral resource company focused on the acquisition and exploration of precious metal deposits in Quebec's Abitibi region. Fokus's flagship Galloway project is located approximately 20 kilometres west of Rouyn-Noranda, immediately north of the Cadillac-Larder Lake fault.

The 100-per-cent-owned Galloway project hosts an inferred mineral resource of 1.42 million ounces of gold (41,195,000 tonnes grading 1.07 grams per tonne (g/t) gold (Au)) at a gold price of $1,750 (U.S.) per ounce.

Fokus's land package totals 15,988 hectares along the Cadillac-Larder Lake fault and includes nine 100-per-cent-owned properties: Galloway, Cadillac Break, Lucky Break, Wasa Creek, Wasa East, Silidor, Stadacona-East, Deep and Dufay, plus a 40-per-cent interest in the Capricorn property.

About Gold Candle Ltd.

Gold Candle is a privately financed Canadian exploration company existing under the laws of Ontario, led by a diverse and experienced team of mining professionals. In 2015, Gold Candle acquired claims over the historic Kerr-Addison gold mine and surrounding area in McGarry township, located in the Timiskaming district of Ontario. Gold Candle is committed to responsible mineral exploration that benefits local communities, employees and shareholders while respecting people and the environment.

Advisers

Bennett Jones LLP acted as legal counsel to Fokus, and Lavery de Billy LLP acted as legal counsel to a committee of independent directors. Clarus Securities Inc. as financial adviser to the special committee and Clarus also provided a fairness opinion to the special committee.

Goodmans LLP and BCF LLP acted as legal counsel to Gold Candle.

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