Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 9, 2026) - NORTEC MINERALS CORP. (TSXV: NVT) (FSE: WMQ1) ("Nortec" or the "Company") is pleased to report results from its bedrock trenching and prospecting program at the Barker Bay Gold Project ("Barker Bay" or the "Project"), located approximately 55 kilometers south of Dryden, Ontario.

Grab samples from the waste-rock pile adjacent to the historical Barker Bros Mine shaft returned 24.2 g/t, 11.0 g/t, and 10.7 g/t Au, while channel sampling returned 4.59 g/t Au over 0.50 meters from the newly excavated North Trench.

The Company has consolidated ownership of the project and now owns 100% of the mineral rights at the Barker Bay project following reversion of the 'Barker Patent' which the historical Barker Bros Mine. was located within.

Highlights:

• Grab samples from the waste-rock pile adjacent to the Barker Bros. Mine returned high-grade gold values of 24.2 g/t Au (H189496), 11.0 g/t Au (H189494), and 10.7 g/t Au (H189493) from hornblende altered schist and deformed quartz-vein material. These results confirm localized high-grade gold at the historical mine workings.

• Channel sampling at the North Trench returned 0.5 meters of 4.59 g/t Au (sample H189457), within a broader 8.0 meter sample averaging 0.42 g/t Au.

• Channel sampling at the 800 Trench returned 0.5 meters of 1.36 g/t Au (sample H189469) within a broader 5.0 meter sample averaging 0.19 g/t Au.

• Nortec has acquired the mineral rights to the Barker Patent, following reversion of the former Mining Patent No. PAT5582 (HW339) to surface-rights only status. Nortec now owns 100% of the mineral rights to the Barker Bros Mine shaft area within mineral claim 712903, consolidating 100% mineral tenure across the Project.

• A gold-in-soil anomaly had previously been identified along approximately 850 meters of interpreted structural trend, northwest of the historical Barker Bros Mine. Trenching has exposed shearing and alteration along the 850 meters of strike. Discrete grab and channel samples returned anomalous gold values along the trend, spatially associated with existing gold-in-soil anomalies. The results support follow-up work to refine the structural and mineralization controls, and to derisk future drill targeting.

• Future field work at the Barker Bros Mine trend is planned to include: mechanical trenching and channel sampling across the shaft areas, additional channel sampling of existing trenches, prospecting along strike to extend mineralization beyond the current 850 meter footprint, and a structural study of exposed bedrock to better define orientations and geometry of the shear zones and mineralized porphyry units.

"The summer exploration program at Barker Bay has moved our targeting sequence from a predominantly geochemical soil and magnetic anomaly towards a better understood bedrock structural target. We have exposed widespread shearing and alteration over approximately 850 meters, within discrete gold-bearing intervals in the trenches, and high-grade gold in waste rock material at the Barker Bros Mine workings. With the mineral rights at the shaft area consolidated into the Barker Bay project, our next priority is to define the controls on the high-grade mineralization there, and rank follow-up targets for drilling based on the findings," commented Ryan Hrkac, CEO of Nortec Minerals Corp.

Geological Context

The Barker Bay project sits within the Eagle-Wabigoon-Manitou greenstone belt of the Western Wabigoon Subprovince, a gold-endowed Archean volcanic belt in northwestern Ontario.This belt is increasingly recognized as a significant, emerging gold district. Kenorland Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: KLD), operating the Western Wabigoon Project under option with a subsidiary of Centerra Gold Inc., is located approximately 20 kilometers south of Barker Bay, and recently reported results from its maiden drill program at the W2 target, including a high-grade intercept of 1.05 meters grading 204.34 g/t Au and broad zones of low-grade gold up to 37.75 meters of 0.30 g/t Au (September 3, 2026, News Release). This highlights an interpreted shear-hosted gold system within mafic-felsic volcanic stratigraphy, geologically similar to the setting at Barker Bay. Similarly, Dryden Gold Corp. (TSXV: DRY) is advancing the Gold Rock Camp approximately 32 kilometers to the northeast of Barker Bay along the same regional structure, which highlights gold endowment of structurally controlled systems within the broader greenstone belt. Nortec believes the structural setting, host lithologies, and alteration assemblages observed at Barker Bay are consistent with elements of these gold systems.

Gold occurrences at Barker Bay are interpreted to be structurally controlled and associated with steep shear zones, felsic intrusive units, quartz veining, sulfide-bearing wall rock, and favourable mafic-felsic lithological contacts. The high-grade results from the Barker Bros. Mine waste rock pile, combined with anomalous grabs and channel sampling results along 850 meters of strike, are interpreted to reflect a gold-bearing structural corridor.

Figure 1 - The Barker Bay Project location and select regional gold projects, deposits, and historical mines within the Western Wabigoon Subprovince. Details of historical production and resource estimates are provided in the Reference section of this news release.

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Bedrock Trenching Results

Eight (8) slit trenches comprising approximately 700 total meters in length were completed (Figure 2). The trenching program was informed by the Company's drone magnetic and LiDAR survey (see News Release, August 13, 2026) and was designed to test bedrock beneath coincident gold-in-soil and magnetic anomalies along the historical Barker Bros. Mine trend.

After washing, reconnaissance mapping, and prospecting, select channel sampling was conducted across the target lithologies. A total of 120 trench grab samples and 37 channel samples were collected, with select results presented in Table 1 and 2, and Figure 2).

The most significant gold mineralization was found in the North Trench, 800 Trench, and T-Trench. At the North Trench, gold mineralization is hosted within a sheared, feldspar-porphyry unit cut by a felsite dyke, carrying streaks of pyrite and chalcopyrite; the highest-grade interval (0.5 m @ 4.59 g/t Au, channel sample H189457) occurs within this felsite dyke within a wider interval of 8.0 meters grading 0.42 g/t Au. At the 800 Trench, the strongest interval (0.5 m @ 1.36 g/t Au, channel sample H189469) occurs within a porphyry with potassic alteration, cut by mm-scale quartz stockwork veining. At the T-Trench, porphyry-hosted intervals returned up to 0.36 meters grading 0.37 g/t Au (channel sample B1306243) and 0.85 meters grading 0.30 g/t Au (channel sample B1306249) along two channel orientations.

Figure 2 - Barker North trench locations and select channel sampling results, overlain on 2026 drone total field magnetic data. The former Barker Patent, now surface-rights only, is shown in the southern part of the Figure.

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Table 1: Composite Bedrock Channel Sampling Results, Barker Bay Gold Project

Only samples returning ≥ 0.20 g/t Au were included in the shown composite intervals. Composite intervals are length-weighted averages of contiguous channel samples; true widths are estimated to approximate sample lengths.

Prospecting Grab Sample Results

In conjunction with bedrock trenching, prospecting was conducted on newly exposed trenches in the vicinity of the historical Petrie and Barker Bros. Mine shafts.

Grab samples from the Barker Bros Mine waste rock pile comprised a mix of hornblende-altered mafic schist and highly deformed quartz vein material, representative of the lithologies intersected by the historical workings. Four samples collected from this material returned gold values of 24.2 g/t Au (H189494), 11.0 g/t Au (H189493), and 10.7 g/t Au (H189496), and 0.029 g/t Au (H189495), confirming the presence of high-grade gold These results are consistent with the historical high-grade nature of the workings and provide important context for drill targeting.

To the north along the Barker Bros. Mine trend, 120 selected grab samples were collected from the newly excavated trenches. These grab samples returned above 0.20 g/t Au and are summarized in Table 2 below. Notable results include 0.51 g/t Au (B1306368) from a plagioclase-hornblende schist perpendicular to the main shear, 0.39 g/t Au (B1306362) from sheared porphyry, and 0.30 g/t Au (B1306257) from a feldspar porphyry with blue quartz eyes. As grab samples are selective in nature, results are not necessarily representative of mineralization across the property.

Table 2: Prospecting Grab and Channel Sample Highlights (≥ 0.20 g/t Au), Barker Bay Gold Project

Grab samples are selective by nature and may not be representative of average grades across the property.

Trenching exposed shearing and alteration along 850 meters strike of the interpreted Barker North structural trend. Discrete grab and channel samples returned anomalous gold values along the trend, spatially associated with existing gold-in-soil anomalies. Direct follow-up work is supported around the historical Barker Bros Mine shaft, to integrate trench mapping, channel sample assays, soil geochemistry, and drone magnetics from the summer program with a clearer picture of the structure controlling high-grade gold at the historical mine workings. This will help refine controls on mineralization across the broader structural trend, and to rank targets for follow-up trenching and drill testing.

Barker Bros. Mine Shaft, Mineral Title Update

The Barker Bros. Mine shaft, a historical (turn-of-the-century) gold showing on the Project, was historically covered by the Barker Patent (see Figure 2) (formerly Mining Patent No. PAT5582, legal description HW339). The Barker Patent reverted to a surface-rights only interest as a result of unpaid mining taxes owing on the patent.

Effective April 30, 2026, the mineral rights underlying the Barker Bros. Mine shaft area have reverted and been consolidated within Nortec's mineral claim 712903. As a result, Nortec now holds 100% of the mineral rights to the Barker Bros. Mine shaft area, an area of historical (1898) high-grade production running 101.g/t for 29 oz gold production from the first 8 tons milled (approximately 101.1 g/t Au) (MDI52F06SE00002). These historical records have not been independently verified by the Company's Qualified Person.

References

*Rainy River Gold Mine: M&I 35.08 Mt grading 1.15 g/t Au, containing 1.294 Moz Au, and Inferred 7.66 Mt grading 1.62 g/t Au, containing 398 koz Au. Source: Coeur Mining., NI 43-101 Technical Report, Rainy River Mine, Ontario, Canada, effective December 31, 2024, prepared by Jason Chiasson, P.Eng. et al.

*Cameron Lake Deposit: M&I 6.56 Mt grading 2.44 g/t Au, containing 515 koz Au, and Inferred 10.56 Mt grading 2.18 g/t Au, containing 740 koz Au. Source: Oronova Energy Inc., NI 43-101 Technical Report - Cameron Property, Kenora Mining District, Ontario, Canada, effective February 26, 2026, prepared by S. Bob Jankovic, P.Geo., of Snowden Optiro.

*Thundercloud Deposit - Pelham Zone: Inferred 4.14 Mt grading 1.37 g/t Au, containing 182 koz Au. Source: NI 43-101 Independent Technical Report, Thundercloud Property, Northwestern Ontario, effective September 27, 2021, prepared by Caitlin Jeffs, P.Geo of Fladgate Exploration Consulting Corp., and David G. Thomas, P.Geo. of MAusIMM, of DKT Geosolutions Inc.

* Big Master Mine historic production MDI52F07NE00002

* Laurentian Mine historic production MDI52F07NE00006

* Straw Beach Mine historic production MDI52F03NW00004

Quality Assurance and Quality Control

All channel and prospecting grab samples were collected by Nortec Employees and contractors and were submitted to ActLabs in Thunder Bay for 30 g fire assay with Atomic Absorption finish. Grab samples from the Barker Shaft were submitted to AGAT labs in Thunder Bay for 30 g fire assay with gravimetric finish. Channel samples were collected continuously across exposed bedrock.

Blanks and certified reference material ("CRM") standards were inserted into the sample stream at a frequency of approximately 10% of sample total. Blanks returned <0.005 g/t gold. Certified Reference Material standards (OREAS 291) all returned values within three standard deviations of the certified value.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Neil Pettigrew, M.Sc., P.Geo., a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101, and a non independent consultant to Nortec.

About Nortec Minerals Corp.

Nortec is a mineral exploration company focused on identifying gold and copper properties with high discovery potential and advancing those projects to create outsized shareholder value. Property holdings comprise:

• Pearl Gold Project, located in Nevada, U.S.A., a past producing high-grade gold mine, under option. Drilling at the Columbia Zone has intersected mineralization, including 2.27 g/t gold over 38.1 m (Hole YU21-02) and 11.96 g/t gold over 3.05 m (Hole YU22-11).

• Barker Bay Gold Project, located in northwestern Ontario, Canada, having historical (turn-of-the-century) mine workings. High-grade gold confirmed at the Barker Bros. Mine shaft waste pile (up to 24.2 g/t Au); anomalous gold along 850 meters of strike; 100% mineral rights consolidated across the full project area.

• 100% interests in two exploration-stage critical mineral (zinc) projects: the Sturgeon Lake VMS and the Mattagami River Zinc properties, both in Ontario, Canada. The Company also holds a 16.4% interest in the Tammela Gold project in southwest Finland.

Additional information can be found on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca and its website at www.nortecminerals.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The securities of the Company have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of any person in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any common shares in the United States, or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Information set forth in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that relate to future, not past events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address a company's expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend", statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should", or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, risks associated with project development; the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; fluctuations in gold, zinc, and other commodity prices; title matters; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the absence of dividends; competition; dilution; the volatility of our common share price and volume; and tax consequences to Canadian and U.S. Shareholders. Forward-looking statements are made based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements.

Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. Mineralization hosted on nearby or adjacent properties, including the deposits and occurrences shown in Figure 1, is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Project. Information regarding nearby properties is derived from public disclosure by the relevant issuers and has not been verified by the Company's Qualified Person.

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