Mr. Sandeep Singh reports

WESTERN COPPER AND GOLD WELCOMES REFERRAL OF NORTHWEST CRITICAL CONSERVATION CORRIDOR TO MAJOR PROJECTS OFFICE

Western Copper and Gold Corp. welcomes the announcement by Prime Minister Carney referring the northwest critical conservation corridor -- including the proposed Yukon-British Columbia grid connect -- to the Major Projects Office (MPO) to accelerate the development and delivery of this nation-building project.

Western welcomes the federal recognition of this corridor and its extraordinary potential to advance critical minerals development and clean power transmission, while upholding Indigenous rights and supporting indigenous project leadership.

Connecting Yukon's isolated electrical grid to the Canadian grid through B.C. could strengthen energy security, deliver clean power across Canada's northwest corridor and support the responsible development of critical minerals projects in Yukon, including Western's Casino project.

According to the Yukon Development Corp.'s shared grid/shared benefits report, the Yukon-B.C. grid connect could unlock up to $7.6-billion per year in clean economic growth, support more than 36,000 long-term jobs and enable up to 2,000 megawatts of new renewable energy. The report identifies the Casino project as an anchor tenant and a potential source of stable baseload demand that could support the transmission line's economic viability.

"The federal government is clearly signalling one of its priorities: unlocking critical minerals through nation-building infrastructure," said Sandeep Singh, president and chief executive officer. "We're pleased to see momentum building for the Yukon-B.C. grid connect and believe that the Casino project can serve as a catalyst to deliver on this Yukon and Canadian priority."

About Western Copper and Gold Corp.

Western Copper and Gold is advancing the Casino project, Canada's premier copper-gold mine in Yukon and one of the most economic greenfield copper-gold mining projects in the world.

The company is committed to working collaboratively with first nations and local communities to progress the Casino project, using internationally recognized responsible mining technologies and practices.

We seek Safe Harbor.