VIZSLA COPPER COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF DELTA AND HELM BAY PROJECTS FROM AGNICO EAGLE
Expands Vizsla Copper's Alaska Portfolio
VANCOUVER, BC, Oct. 29, 2026 /CNW/ -- Vizsla Copper Corp. (TSXV: VCU) (OTCQB: VCUFF) (FRANKFURT: 97E1) ("Vizsla Copper" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news release dated September 8, 2026, it has completed its acquisition of a 100% interest in the Delta base and precious metals project ("Delta") and the Helm Bay gold project ("Helm Bay") from Agnico Eagle (USA) Limited ("Agnico USA"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited ("Agnico Eagle", and together with Agnico USA, "Agnico"), pursuant to the securities and asset purchase agreement dated September 8, 2026 (the "Purchase Agreement"), among Vizsla Copper, Agnico USA and Vizsla Copper US Acquisitions LLC (the "Transaction").
HIGHLIGHTS
- Delta is a volcanogenic massive sulphide ("VMS") project near the Alaska Highway in central Alaska. Delta hosts multiple known VMS lenses and a historical inferred mineral resource estimate (the "Historical Resource Estimate") of 15.4 Mt averaging 5.51% copper equivalent (CuEq) and 4.32 g/t gold equivalent (AuEq) (See Table 1 Notes Below) (0.6% Cu, 1.6% Pb, 3.8% Zn, 62 g/t Ag and 1.7 g/t Au)(1). Multiple lenses appear to be open for expansion. The project hosts several kilometres of electromagnetic conductors that have not been drill-tested. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the Historical Resource Estimate as a current mineral resource, and Vizsla Copper is not treating the Historical Resource Estimate as a current mineral resource.
- Helm Bay is an orogenic gold project near tidewater in southeast Alaska. Previous exploration has identified multiple gold-bearing quartz veins across the project, including high-grade veins associated with a small amount of historical production.
- Project Pipeline – Delta and Helm Bay enhance an already substantial portfolio of projects, including the high-grade Palmer VMS project and large-scale British Columbia porphyry projects. Multiple drills remain turning on the fully funded 2026 exploration program.
- Agnico Eagle, Canada's largest mining company, becomes Vizsla Copper's largest shareholder.
Craig Parry, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Vizsla Copper, stated: "With the transaction now complete, we are focused on integrating Delta and Helm Bay into our exploration strategy. The addition of these assets marks an exciting new chapter for Vizsla Copper, and we look forward to advancing our broader portfolio while continuing to build value for our shareholders. We are also pleased to officially welcome Agnico Eagle as our largest shareholder. With multiple drills still turning, a backlog of drill assays, and a healthy treasury that can fund us well into 2027, we look forward to delivering further exploration results throughout the remainder of 2026 and early 2027, including from our high-grade Palmer VMS project in Alaska and portfolio of projects in British Columbia."
Transaction Details
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the aggregate consideration provided by Vizsla Copper to Agnico Eagle in connection with the Transaction consists of:
- Initial Consideration Shares – 22,523,283 Common Shares (the "Initial Consideration Shares"), representing approximately 19.99% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares as at the date of the Purchase Agreement, issued to Agnico Eagle;
- Deferred Consideration Shares – 2,903,490 Common Shares (the "Deferred Consideration Shares" and, together with the Initial Consideration Shares, the "Consideration Shares"), to be issued to Agnico Eagle following receipt of Shareholder Approval (as described in greater detail under "Shareholder Approval" below);
- Warrants – 3,041,480 Common Share purchase warrants (the "Warrants"), each exercisable to acquire one Common Share at an exercise price of C$1.95 per Common Share for a period of two years from the date of issuance; and
- Royalties – a 2.0% net smelter return royalty on Delta and a 3.0% net smelter return royalty on Helm Bay (together, the "NSRs"), to be granted to Agnico USA at closing pursuant to separate royalty agreements. Vizsla Copper will have the right to purchase 50% of each of the NSRs at any time for C$5,000,000.
The Consideration Shares will be issued at a deemed price of C$1.26 per Common Share for an aggregate value of approximately C$32,037,734. The Consideration Shares and the Warrants will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable Canadian securities laws. In addition, Agnico Eagle has agreed not to sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of the Consideration Shares and the Warrants for a period of one year from the closing date, subject to customary exceptions including transfers to affiliates and dispositions in connection with change of control transactions.
Vizsla Copper also agreed to make the following milestone payments to Agnico USA in respect of Delta (each of which may be satisfied, at the Company's election, in cash or in Common Shares, subject to certain limitations set out in the Purchase Agreement):
- C$5,000,000, upon Vizsla Copper publicly disclosing a mineral resource estimate for Delta indicating an aggregate mineral resource of at least 300,000 copper equivalent tonnes of metal;
- C$5,000,000, upon completion by Vizsla Copper of a feasibility study for Delta; and
- C$10,000,000, upon Delta achieving commercial production.
Where a milestone payment is satisfied in Common Shares, the number of Common Shares issuable will be determined by reference to the 20-day volume-weighted average trading price of the Common Shares at the relevant time, subject to a floor price of C$1.26 per Common Share. Any milestone payment that would result in Agnico Eagle having beneficial ownership of, or exercising control or direction over, 20% or more of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, or that cannot be satisfied in Common Shares because the required acceptance of the TSXV has not been obtained, will be satisfied in cash.
The Transaction is an arm's length transaction. No finder's fees are payable in connection with the Transaction.
Investor Rights Agreement
Vizsla Copper and Agnico Eagle entered into an investor rights agreement pursuant to which Agnico Eagle will be granted certain rights, provided that it maintains certain ownership thresholds in the Common Shares, including: (i) the right to nominate one person (and in the case of an increase in the size of the Company's board of directors to eight or more directors, two persons) to the Company's board of directors; (ii) the right to participate in certain equity offerings and dilutive issuances in order to maintain or acquire up to the greater of Agnico Eagle's then-current ownership interest and an ownership interest of 19.9% (on a partially-diluted basis) in the Company; and (iii) the right to demand and piggy-back registration rights in respect of certain offerings.
Shareholder Approval
The Initial Consideration Shares will represent approximately 19.99% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares at closing. The issuance of the Deferred Consideration Shares, which are expected to result in Agnico Eagle holding approximately 22.0% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares on a post-Transaction basis, will require the approval of disinterested shareholders of the Company ("Shareholder Approval"). The Company has agreed to seek Shareholder Approval at its next annual and special meeting of shareholders, expected to be held on November 18, 2026. If all or any portion of the Deferred Consideration Shares can be issued without Agnico Eagle having beneficial ownership or control of 20% or more of the issued and outstanding Common Shares, then such Deferred Consideration Shares may be issued without obtaining Shareholder Approval.
If the Deferred Consideration Shares have not been issued by January 31, 2027, Vizsla Copper will instead be required to issue to Agnico a non-interest-bearing promissory note in a principal amount equal to the cash equivalent value of the unissued Deferred Consideration Shares, which amount will become payable in full 18 months following issuance, and will be prepayable at any time without penalty.
Project Details
Delta is a large polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) project in Central Alaska (Figure 1). The underexplored land package consists of 249 state mining claims totaling 16,123 hectares, located 60 kilometres southwest of Tok, Alaska. Several massive sulphide lenses discovered by previous operators comprise the Historical Resource Estimate of 15.4 Mt averaging 0.6% Cu, 1.6% Pb, 3.8% Zn, 62 g/t Ag and 1.7 g/t Au(1). Multiple lenses are still open for expansion, and the project hosts several kilometres of electromagnetic conductors that have not been drill tested. Electromagnetic conductors are not, on their own, indicative of the presence of a mineral deposit. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the Historical Resource Estimate as a current mineral resource, and Vizsla Copper is not treating the Historical Resource Estimate as a current mineral resource.
Table: 1 Delta Project -- Historical Mineral Resource Estimate (2006)
Historical | Tonnage | Cu (%) | Pb (%) | Zn (%) | Ag (g/t) | Au (g/t) | CuEq (%)1 | AuEq (g/t)1 |
Inferred | 15.4 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 62 | 1.7 | 5.51 | 4.32 |
Calculated Contained Metal2
Cu (kt) | Pb (kt) | Zn (kt) | Ag (Moz) | Au (Moz) | CuEq (kt) | AuEq (Moz) |
92.4 | 246.4 | 585.2 | 30.70 | 0.84 | 848.8 | 2.14 |
Table Notes | |
1. | Supplementary equivalents use selected prices of US$4.50/lb Cu, US$0.75/lb Pb, US$1.50/lb Zn, US$50/oz Ag and US$3,500/oz Au, and assumed metallurgical recoveries of 80% Cu, 80% Pb, 85% Zn, 90% Ag and 90% Au. With Cu, Pb and Zn expressed as percentage numbers and Ag and Au in g/t, the recovery-adjusted formulas, with factors rounded to four decimal places, are: |
2. | Contained quantities are approximate and calculated from published rounded tonnage and grades. Individual contained metals are in-situ quantities without recovery deductions. Contained equivalents use unrounded equivalent grades. CuEq and AuEq are alternative expressions of the same five-metal content and must not be added together or to individual metal quantities. They are not recovered metal quantities. kt means thousand metric tonnes; Moz means million troy ounces. |
3. | A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as a current mineral resource, and Vizsla Copper is not treating the historical estimate as a current mineral resource. Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. |
Helm Bay is an orogenic gold project near tidewater in southeast Alaska, 35 kilometres north of Ketchikan. A total of 17 historical occurrences have been documented on the property with over 10 kilometres of quartz vein strike length. A small amount of historical (pre-WWII) production from the Upper and Lower Gold Standard mines totaled less than 10,000 ounces of gold(2). Historical sampling of these veins averaged 10.4 g/t Au and 11.2 g/t Au in the Lower Gold Standard and Upper Gold Standard workings, respectively(2).
Figure 1: Map showing location of Vizsla Copper's Palmer Project in relation to Delta and Helm Bay.
Qualified Person and National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure
The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Peter Mercer, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Alaska for Vizsla Copper, who is a "qualified person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Mercer has reviewed the historical reports but has not visited the properties, re-sampled or twinned historical drill holes, or independently verified the historical assay results.
ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY
Craig Parry, Chair & Chief Executive Officer
For more information, please contact [email protected], visit our website at www.vizslacopper.com or call (604) 364-2215.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
About Vizsla Copper
Vizsla Copper is a critical-minerals focused exploration and development company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. The Company is primarily focused on its Palmer VMS project in Southeast Alaska, and its Poplar and Woodjam porphyry-related projects in British Columbia.
All of the Company's projects are well situated amongst significant infrastructure. The Company's growth strategy is focused on the exploration and development of the properties within its portfolio in addition to value-accretive acquisitions. Vizsla Copper's vision is to be a responsible copper explorer and developer in stable mining jurisdictions, and it is committed to socially responsible exploration and development, working safely, ethically, and with integrity.
Vizsla Copper is backed by Inventa Capital Corp., a premier investment group founded in 2017 with the goal of discovering and funding opportunities in the resource sector.
Additional information about the Company is available on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca) and the Company's website (www.vizslacopper.com).
Technical Disclosure
Some technical information contained in this news release is historical in nature and has been compiled from public sources believed to be accurate. The historical technical information has not been independently verified by the Company's qualified person, subject to the limitations described under "Qualified Person" above.
The Historical Resource Estimate is considered historical in nature and as such is based on prior data and reports prepared by previous property owners. The reader is cautioned not to treat it, or any part of it, as a current mineral resource. The Company has determined the Historical Resource Estimate is relevant because it demonstrates the mineral potential of the Delta Project. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the Historical Resource Estimate as a current resource and Vizsla Copper is not treating the Historical Resource Estimate as a current resource. Significant data compilation, re-drilling, re-sampling, data verification and a site visit may be required by a qualified person before the Historical Resource Estimate can be classified as a current resource. There can be no assurance that any of the Historical Resource Estimate, in whole or in part, will ever become economically viable. In addition, mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
The Historical Resource Estimate was estimated with a polygonal method above an in-situ metal value cutoff of $US80/ton and a minimum true thickness of 8 feet. Metal prices used to calculate the in-situ metal value were Cu: US$2.00/lb, Pb: US$0.50/lb, Zn: US$1.00/lb, Ag: US$10/oz, Au: US$550/oz.
Sources
(1) | Schaefer, C.F., and Dashevsky, S.S., "Technical Report and Exploration Recommendations On the Delta VMS Property", prepared for Rhyolite Resources Ltd., and Grayd Resource Corporation with an effective date of May 17, 2006, and filed on SEDAR on August 14, 2006. |
(2) | Maas, K.M., Bittenbender, P.E., and Still, J.C., (1995), Mineral Investigations in the Ketchikan Mining District, Southeastern Alaska: U.S. Bureau of Mines Open-File Report 11-95. |
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking information").
Forward-looking information includes statements that relate to future events or future performance and is often, but not always, identified by words such as "anticipate", "expect", "intend", "plan", "estimate", "believe", "potential", "may", "will", "should", "could" or similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information, including, without limitation, statements regarding: Agnico Eagle's expected ownership of Common Shares following the issuance of the Deferred Consideration Shares and the exercise of the Warrants; the calling and holding of a meeting of shareholders and the receipt of Shareholder Approval; the issuance of the Deferred Consideration Shares or, alternatively, the issuance of a promissory note; the anticipated benefits of the Transaction; the potential of Delta and Helm Bay and the Company's exploration plans and budgets in respect thereof; the achievement of any of the milestones giving rise to the contingent consideration; the preparation and filing of any technical report; and the Company's growth prospects and strategic objectives.
Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions, including, without limitation, assumptions that: shareholders will approve the issuance of the Deferred Consideration Shares; the Company will be able to maintain the mining claims comprising Delta and Helm Bay in good standing and obtain the permits required to conduct its planned exploration activities; there will be no material adverse change affecting the Company, Delta or Helm Bay; and general business and economic conditions, and metal prices, will remain consistent with the Company's expectations.
Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated. Such factors include, without limitation: the risk that Shareholder Approval is not obtained; risks relating to the assumption by the Company of the liabilities and obligations associated with Delta and Helm Bay, including environmental, closure and rehabilitation obligations; risks relating to title to mining claims in the State of Alaska, including the maintenance of unpatented federal mining claims and State of Alaska claims; uncertainties relating to the availability and timing of permits and other governmental approvals; the need for the cooperation of government agencies, Alaska Native corporations and local communities; uncertainties inherent in the interpretation of exploration data and in the estimation of mineral resources; fluctuations in commodity prices and foreign exchange rates; the risk that none of the milestones giving rise to the contingent consideration is achieved; the risk that the Company is required to satisfy contingent consideration or the promissory note in cash at a time when it does not have sufficient funds to do so; dilution to existing shareholders resulting from the issuance of Common Shares under the Transaction; and the other risk factors identified in the Company's continuous disclosure documents filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.
Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is made as of the date of this news release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.
SOURCE Vizsla Copper Corp.
Media Inquiries: Adam Bello, Manager, Media & Analyst Relations, Primoris Group Inc., Tel: +1 (416) 489-0092, Email: [email protected]
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