Mr. Murray Nye reports

NIOB'S SIX DRILL-READY QUÉBEC PROJECTS FULLY PERMITTED

North American Niobium and Critical Minerals Corp. has added approximately 3,500 metres of diamond drilling to its 2026 exploration program. After receiving Authorizations for Impact-Causing Exploration Work (ATI) for the balance of its drill-ready projects in Quebec, North American Niobium is preparing to launch maiden diamond drill programs at its 100-per-cent-owned Bardy SE, Sabot and Miskam projects located approximately 45 kilometres northwest of La Tuque in the Mauricie region.

"We have officially expanded our 2026 drilling program to 8,500 metres across six properties," said Murray Nye, North American Niobium's chief executive officer. "We plan our drill programs with intention, targeting based on the strongest results from the airborne survey, historical data and fieldwork. This approach is working, as we have consistently delivered what we set out to do in each program: identify rare-earth minerals. We now have more than three alkaline intrusions showing strong potential."

Highlights

• Three ATI drilling permits granted by Quebec's Ministere des Ressources naturelles et des Forets (MRNF) for Bardy SE, Sabot and Miskam respectively, authorizing diamond drilling across 11 zones.
• All six drill-ready projects in Grenville province are now permitted -- Seigneurie, Bardy, Blanchette, Bardy SE, Sabot and Miskam.
• North American Niobium has added approximately 3,500 metres of drilling remaining to its 2026 program, potentially bringing the year's diamond-drilling total to approximately 8,500 metres.
• Drilling to date has validated the target model: More than 66 metres of cumulative pegmatite hosting rare-earth-bearing minerals at Blanchette and a pegmatite dike-swarm system with rare-earth-element (REE) bearing minerals logged in core at Bardy .
• Three target styles now drill-ready: alkaline intrusion with a high niobium-rare-earth bottom-lake-sediment anomaly at Miskam, an analog to Crevier Alkaline complex at Bardy SE, and structurally controlled pegmatite dike and vein systems at Sabot.
• NIOB engaged with the Atikamekw First Nation Council at Wemotaci and local family chief members whose traditional territory includes the project areas, as part of the ATI permitting framework.

Quebec ATI

Granted by Quebec's Ministere des Ressources naturelles et des Forets (MRNF), the three ATIs authorize diamond drilling across 11 authorized drilling zones at Bardy SE, Sabot and Miskam, respectively. Each is valid for three years.

Before granting an ATI, the Quebec government requires companies to engage with local stakeholders and indigenous communities. NIOB completed discussions with the Atikamekw First Nation Council at Wemotaci and local family chief members whose traditional territory includes the project areas.

The company has taken a collaborative approach to working on Atikamekw territory, recognizing the importance of building long-term partnerships grounded in mutual respect and transparency.

Geological context and exploration targets

The Bardy SE, Sabot and Miskam projects are located within the Grenville geological province, known for hosting rare-earth element and critical mineral occurrences. The newly permitted projects cover two structurally distinct styles of niobium- and rare-earth-prospective targets:

• At Miskam, the target is an interpreted approximately 60 square km intrusion of the Veillette intrusive suite, spatially associated with one of the largest Nb-REE bottom-lake-sediment geochemical anomalies in the region, based on Quebec government survey data.
• At Bardy SE, drilling will test the Toad intrusive suite. Dating to 981.6 million years, it is closely comparable in age to the approximately 957-million-year Crevier Alkaline complex in the Lac-Saint-Jean region that hosts the NioBay Metals Inc.'s Crevier niobium-tantalum deposit.
• At Sabot, the targets are structurally controlled REE- and niobium-bearing granitic pegmatite dike and vein systems, analogous to those the company is drilling at Bardy and Blanchette. North American Niobium's Q4 2025 prospecting program confirmed magnet rare-earth element and niobium mineralization in pegmatite-hosted systems at the property.

As none of these targets have been tested by diamond drilling, the upcoming programs will provide the first drill tests of the interpreted alkaline intrusions at Miskam and Bardy SE, and Sabot's pegmatite systems. Target sequencing will be informed by the airborne radiometric and magnetic survey flown over the Bardy SE, Miskam, Sabot, and Blanchette properties.

Qualified person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101). Clyde McMillan, PGeo, a consultant to the company and a qualified person as defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained herein.

About North American Niobium and Critical Minerals Corp.

North American Niobium and Critical Minerals is a North American mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition and development of precious, base, and critical mineral assets. Its portfolio includes the Silver Lake property in British Columbia's Omineca mining division and a district-scale land package covering 29,936 hectares in Quebec's Grenville province. The Quebec properties host rare-earth element, niobium and nickel-copper occurrences, expanding the company's footprint into critical minerals that are strategically important for energy and defence applications.

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