Mr. Jason Flight reports

VISIONARY RECEIVES PHASE 2 DRILL APPROVAL FOR ITS PT. LEAMINGTON GOLD/COPPER/ZINC/SILVER VMS DEPOSIT IN NEWFOUNDLAND

Visionary Copper and Gold Mines Inc. has received approval from the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Energy and Mines for its 2026 phase 2 diamond drilling program at the company's 100-per-cent-owned gold/copper/zinc/silver-rich Pt. Leamington VMS (volcanogenic massive sulphide) deposit in Newfoundland.

Highlights:

• Phase 2 approved: Visionary is cleared to advance its next phase of diamond drilling at its 100-per-cent-owned Pt. Leamington VMS deposit.
• Kraken adds mineral resource upside: The 2026 phase 1 drilling discovery is a broad copper-rich feeder system that was not included in the 2021 mineral resource estimate.
• Large mineral resource base to build on: Pt. Leamington hosts existing mineral resources of 5.0 Mt (million tonnes) indicated and 15.4 Mt inferred; phase 2 drilling will target mineral resource conversion and expansion, including the Kraken zone.
• Government support: Pt. Leamington has been selected by the Newfoundland Department of Mines and Energy for the Junior Exploration Assistance program qualifying it for a rebate of eligible exploration expenditures.

The upcoming phase 2 program will focus on converting inferred mineral resources to indicated, expanding the deposit's total mineral resources, and defining the scale and grade of the Kraken zone -- the near-surface, copper-rich feeder system discovered during Visionary's 2026 phase 1 drilling program (see news releases dated April 1, 2026, and May 13, 2026). Kraken is not included in the Pt. Leamington 2021 mineral resource estimate and has the potential to favourably impact the deposit mineral resources and economics.

Jason Flight, PGeo, vice-president of exploration, said: "We look forward to building on what is already a substantial resource at Pt. Leamington. The discovery of Kraken during phase 1 drilling has added an entirely new dimension to the project -- a broad copper-rich stringer system, interpreted to represent part of the VMS feeder system, that sits outside the 2021 mineral resource estimate. He went on to say: "What makes Pt. Leamington particularly compelling is the scale of the resource we are starting with -- we already have a substantial pit-constrained gold, copper, zinc and silver resource, and we are now evaluating a newly discovered component of the mineralized system that was not recognized when the 2021 resource was estimated ... Defining Kraken zone and converting resources to the indicated category are now our principal priorities at the deposit so that we have a clear path toward economic studies including a PEA. Kraken remains sufficiently open that substantially more drilling is warranted before we understand the full scale of the system."

Phase 2 drilling: grow the mineral resources and define Kraken

The 2026 phase 1 drilling discovered the Kraken zone while further delineating the Pt. Leamington deposit, with every hole completed intersecting base and precious metal mineralization. The Kraken zone remains open and represents a new mineralized target not included in the current mineral resource estimate.

Phase 2 drilling has four objectives: upgrade portions of the inferred mineral resource, expand the known massive sulphide system, define Kraken and test additional discovery opportunities.

2021 mineral resource -- the starting point

The Pt. Leamington mineral resource estimate was prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. for Callinex Mines Inc. The NI 43-101 technical report had an effective date of Aug. 20, 2021, signing date of Dec. 5, 2023, and was filed on Dec. 18, 2023, and the attached table states the mineral resources from the P&E 2021 technical report.

Junior exploration assistance

Visionary gratefully acknowledges the support of the government of Newfoundland and Labrador through the Department of Energy and Mines' Junior Exploration Assistance (JEA) program. The province's 2026 JEA program estimates a potential rebate of $96,118 for the project.

Qualified person

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Jason Flight, PGeo, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Flight is not independent under NI 43-101 as he is vice-president of exploration for the company.

About Visionary Copper and Gold Mines Inc.

Visionary Copper and Gold is advancing its portfolio of base-and-precious-metals-rich deposits located in established Canadian mining jurisdictions. The focus of the portfolio is highlighted by the 100-per-cent-owned Pt. Leamington deposit in Newfoundland, located in one of the richest VMS and gold districts in Canada. The company prepared a pit-constrained indicated mineral resource of 5.0 Mt (million tonnes) grading 1.42 per cent CuEq (copper equivalent) for 156.8 Mlb (million pounds) CuEq (145,700 oz gold, 60.0 Mlb copper, 153.5 Mlb zinc, 2.0 Moz silver, 1.5 Mlb lead), a pit-constrained inferred mineral resource of 13.7 Mt grading 1.27 per cent CuEq for 384.8 Mlb CuEq (354,800 oz gold, 110.2 Mlb copper, 527.3 Mlb zinc, 6.2 Moz silver, 7.0 Mlb lead) and an out-of-pit inferred mineral resource of 1.7 Mt grading 1.74 per cent CuEq for 65.7 Mlb CuEq (65,400 oz gold, 13.3 Mlb copper, 102.9 Mlb zinc, 1.4 Moz Ag, 2.6 Mlb lead) (see news release dated Oct. 25, 2021). Additionally the company is permitting the Rainbow deposit at its rich VMS Pine Bay project located near existing infrastructure in the Flin Flon mining district. The company prepared an indicated mineral resource on the Rainbow deposit of 3.44 Mt grading 3.59 per cent CuEq for 272.4 Mlb CuEq (238.3 Mlb Cu, 56.9 Mlb Zn, 37,600 oz Au, 692,800 oz Ag, 2.3 Mlb Pb), an inferred mineral resource on the Rainbow deposit of 1.28 Mt grading 2.95 per cent CuEq containing 83.4 Mlb CuEq (72.1 Mlb Cu, 19.5 Mlb Zn, 11.1 koz Au, 222.2 Koz Ag, 0.8 Mlb Pb) and an inferred mineral resource at the Pine Bay deposit of 1.0 Mt grading 2.62 per cent Cu containing 58.1 Mlb Cu (see news release dated July 10, 2023). Additionally, the portfolio includes the Nash Creek project located in the VMS-rich Bathurst mining district of New Brunswick. A 2018 PEA generates a strong economic return with a pretax IRR (internal rate of return) of 34.1 per cent (25.2 per cent post-tax) and NPV 8 per cent (net present value, 8-per-cent discount rate) of $230-million ($128-million post-tax) at $1.25 zinc (see news release dated May 14, 2018).

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