Maple Gold Reports New Drill Results at Douay, Confirming Gold Continuity in the Nika and Porphyry West Zones

• Drill hole DO-25-57X in the Nika Zone returned 1.1 g/t Au over 74 metres, including 2.8 g/t Au over 13.5 metres.
• In the Porphyry West Zone, drill hole DO-26-369 returned 1.0 g/t Au over 138 metres, including 3.1 g/t Au over 9 metres.
• The Nika Plunge model, a geological interpretation used to identify where higher-grade gold concentrates at depth, has now been confirmed across both the Nika and Porphyry West zones.
• The Nika Zone extends to approximately 900 metres vertical depth and remains open in multiple directions.
• An updated Douay mineral resource estimate and a maiden Joutel estimate are both targeted for the first half of 2026, with the 2026 exploration budget of $13.9 million fully funded from the Company's existing treasury.

Maple Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: MGM | OTCQX: MGMLF | FSE: M3G0) is a Canada-based gold exploration company advancing its 100%-owned, district-scale Douay/Joutel Gold Project in Quebec's Abitibi Greenstone Belt, Canada's premier gold mining jurisdiction. The project spans approximately 481 square kilometres and hosts an established mineral resource at Douay containing 511,000 ounces of gold in the Indicated category and 2.53 million ounces in the Inferred category. The project also includes the past-producing Joutel mining complex, which produced more than 1.1 million ounces of gold at an average grade of 6.5 g/t Au between 1974 and 1993, as well as an exclusive option to acquire 100% of the Eagle Mine Property, a key part of the historical Joutel Mining Complex. The broader property hosts exploration targets along a 55-kilometre stretch of the Casa Berardi Deformation Zone that have not yet been tested through drilling.

Broad Step-Out Drilling Results Expanding the Douay Gold System

Step-out drilling places drill holes beyond the known edges of a mineralised zone to test whether gold extends further at depth or laterally. The 14 drill holes reported in this release are part of Maple Gold's 32,000-metre winter drill programme at Douay/Joutel and were designed to follow up on 2025 season results and extend known gold mineralisation beyond what is captured in the 2022 Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE).

In the Nika Zone, drill hole DO-25-57X intersected 1.1 g/t Au over 74 metres within a broader interval of 0.6 g/t Au over 185.5 metres, with a higher-grade core of 2.8 g/t Au over 13.5 metres. This hole is located approximately 100 metres down-plunge from a 2021 intercept that returned 5.5 g/t Au over 9.6 metres. A separate hole, DO-25-353, returned 0.4 g/t Au over 358.5 metres, including 1.4 g/t Au over 21.6 metres, positioned approximately 150 metres below a 2025 result of 2.1 g/t Au over 108.6 metres.

In the Porphyry West Zone, drill hole DO-26-369 returned 1.0 g/t Au over 138 metres within a broader 158-metre interval grading 0.9 g/t Au, including 3.1 g/t Au over 9 metres and a localised peak of 15.2 g/t Au over 1 metre. The Porphyry West Zone accounts for more than 55% of the contained gold ounces in the existing Douay MRE across its Porphyry West, Porphyry Central, and Porphyry East sub-zones.

Nika Plunge Model Confirmation and Resource Expansion Potential

The Nika Plunge model is Maple Gold's geological interpretation that higher-grade gold at Douay follows a southeasterly-trending corridor as depth increases. The model had previously been demonstrated within the Nika Zone and was applied to the Porphyry West Zone during the current programme, with drill holes targeting a moderate south-southeast plunging shoot consistent with what was observed at Nika.

Results from the two Porphyry West holes, DO-26-368 and DO-26-369, confirm that a similar southeasterly plunge geometry exists approximately 900 metres southeast of the Nika Zone. 

As Ian Cunningham-Dunlop, Executive Vice President of Maple Gold, stated: 

"These results validate the continuity and similarity of higher-grade plunging shoots within the Nika and Porphyry West zones, while successfully extending bulk tonnage gold mineralization to depth."

Ongoing drilling continues to demonstrate that gold mineralisation at Douay extends well beyond the 2022 MRE and remains open in multiple directions. Both zones remain open at depth and along strike. A newly completed all-season drill access trail at Nika now allows for year-round drilling of the middle and upper portions of the zone on closer-spaced drill centres.

Winter Drill Programme Progress and Updated Resource Estimates

As of the April 2026 release, Maple Gold had completed 51 drill holes totalling approximately 24,000 metres, representing roughly 75% of the planned programme. Assay results have been reported for 28 holes, with 23 pending laboratory analysis. Drilling at Douay has covered the Nika, 531, Douay West, and Porphyry West zones, while work at Joutel has focused on 50-metre step-out holes following up on earlier intercepts from the season.

Two resource estimates are targeted for the first half of 2026: an updated Douay MRE and a maiden Joutel MRE. The current Douay estimate, with an effective date of March 2022, does not incorporate any results from the 2025 or 2026 drill programmes. The maiden Joutel estimate would formally assign a resource figure to Joutel for the first time. An internal scoping and engineering study is also planned for 2026.

The 2026 exploration budget of $13.9 million covers drilling, assaying, permitting, regional sonic drilling, and site support, fully funded from the Company's existing treasury. Executive Vice President Ian Cunningham-Dunlop added: 

"With the largest drill program in the Company's history nearing completion, our team is now in the planning phase for even more aggressive fully funded drill programs in H2 2026 and 2027 that will target near-term resource expansion opportunities at Douay/Joutel and the significant district-scale growth potential we see across the broader Property."

Outlook

With the winter drill programme approaching completion, Maple Gold's near-term focus shifts to reporting the remaining 23 pending assay results and delivering both the updated Douay and maiden Joutel MREs in the first half of 2026. The Company has begun planning for drill programmes in H2 2026 and 2027, targeting resource growth and new discoveries across the Douay/Joutel property.

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