Independence Gold Confirms Balrog Vein at Depth and Intercepts 3.11 g/t Gold and 48.69 g/t Silver over 8.03 Metres at the Tommy Vein, 3Ts Project, BC

Independence Gold Corp. (IGO) has released results from three holes drilled during the 2026 winter/spring program at its 100%-owned 3Ts Au-Ag project on the Nechako Plateau in British Columbia. The project comprises 31 claims covering approximately 35,486 hectares, located 16 km southwest of Artemis Gold's Blackwater Mine.

Hole 3TS-26-50, which tested the Balrog vein below the microdiorite sill, returned five discrete intervals between 83.20 m and 110.23 m. These included 0.80 m @ 1.64 g/t Au + 4.62 g/t Ag (83.20-84.00); 2.70 m @ 0.61 g/t Au + 7.04 g/t Ag (95.30-98.00); 1.00 m @ 1.04 g/t Au + 5.00 g/t Ag (101.00-102.00); 1.94 m @ 0.54 g/t Au, with no Ag reported (106.00-107.94); and 1.20 m @ 2.24 g/t Au + 21.67 g/t Ag (109.03-110.23). The estimated true width is 64% of the reported interval.

Hole 3TS-26-32, an infill hole for the Tommy vein, returned 3.20 m @ 3.89 g/t Au + 35.00 g/t Ag (9.65-12.85) and 1.57 m @ 19.62 g/t Au + 84.71 g/t Ag (17.00-18.57), with a true width of 57%. Hole 3TS-26-33, also an infill hole for the Tommy vein, returned 8.03 m @ 3.11 g/t Au + 48.69 g/t Ag (10.80-18.83), including 0.44 m @ 22.91 g/t Au + 168.18 g/t Ag (12.00-12.44). The true width for this hole is 50%.

No cut-off grade is stated for any interval, and no metal equivalents are used in the release. Collar data indicates that 3TS-26-32 and 3TS-26-33 were drilled from the same pad (363685E, 5876740N) at azimuths 220 degrees and 270 degrees. Hole 3TS-26-50 is located approximately 955 m west and 135 m north of that pad (362730E, 5876875N).

Fall exploration activities, including soil geochemistry, trenching, and prospecting, are scheduled to begin within 10 days. A new drill program is expected to commence in Q4 2026.

Independence Gold Corp. (IGO) holds an NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate (effective 2025-11-12, SGS) of 2.79 Mt Indicated @ 4.22 g/t AuEq (378 koz) and 2.96 Mt Inferred @ 4.06 g/t AuEq (387 koz), totaling approximately 765 koz AuEq. The company has no reserve, PEA, NPV, or mine plan.

Recent drilling has addressed the question of whether mineralization at the Balrog target continues below the microdiorite sill. The results provide a weak affirmative, identifying mineralized zones at 0.29 g/t Au over a 27 m envelope, with true widths ranging from half a metre to 1.7 m. This addition contributes no tonnes or grade to the existing resource. Meanwhile, drilling at the Tommy target confirmed the resource model, returning grades roughly consistent with the resource estimate in the upper corridor.

The company’s equity price had already adjusted to these developments. The stock traded between C$0.09 and C$0.10 through June 2026, rising to C$0.12 following the Goofy discovery on 2026-07-22. It then moved to C$0.15–0.17 around the Tommy infill results on 2026-08-19 and the Goofy follow-up on 2026-08-31, peaking at C$0.21 on 2026-09-04. This represented a doubling in ten weeks. The stock has since drifted back to C$0.18, a 14% decline from the high, into this release.

The Tommy infill results largely held to the embedded anchor of the resource grade (4.07–4.22 g/t AuEq), serving as a confirmation rather than a disappointment. In contrast, the embedded anchor for Balrog depth was the shallow discovery’s ~23.7 Au g/m intercept. Today’s deep test delivered 7.7 Au g/m across five narrow runs, which is materially weaker in grade-and-width substance.

The release results in no change to resource scale, grade, economic milestones, or new zones. It removes an uncertainty with a mildly negative substantive core. At an explorer with a market capitalization of approximately C$52M, a genuine grade-and-scale hit would be material, but this release does not constitute such an event.

Independence Gold Corp. (TSXV: IGO; OTCQB: IEGCF; FSE: 625), a Vancouver, BC-based exploration-stage company with no revenue and debt-free status funded entirely by equity markets, holds the 3Ts Project in central British Columbia’s Nechako Plateau. The property comprises 31 claims covering approximately 35,486 hectares, located roughly 185 km southwest of Prince George and 16 km southwest of Artemis Gold’s Blackwater Mine. The district is characterized as a low-sulphidation epithermal quartz-carbonate vein system containing at least 20 known veins with strike lengths ranging from 50 to over 1,100 meters and true widths up to 32 meters, including 12 untested veins. In February 2026, the company was granted two five-year area-based permits: the Resource Area allows for 250 drill pads, 15 km of trails, and 2,000 meters of trenching, while the Ootsa Area permits 75 drill pads, 15 km of trails, 1,200 meters of trenching, and 160 line-kilometers of geophysics.

The 3Ts resource estimate, effective November 12, 2025, and prepared by QP Rohan Millar of SGS Geological Services, reports an Indicated resource of 2.794 million tonnes grading 3.18 g/t Au, 82.35 g/t Ag, and 4.22 g/t AuEq, equating to 286,000 ounces of gold, 7.40 million ounces of silver, and 378,000 ounces of gold-equivalent. The Inferred resource totals 2.962 million tonnes at 3.14 g/t Au, 73.27 g/t Ag, and 4.06 g/t AuEq, representing 299,000 ounces of gold, 6.98 million ounces of silver, and 387,000 ounces of gold-equivalent. Combined, the total resource stands at approximately 5.75 million tonnes grading 4.14 g/t AuEq, or roughly 765,000 ounces of gold-equivalent. Cut-offs were set at 0.3 g/t AuEq for in-pit and 2.0 g/t AuEq for underground material. Gold-equivalent is calculated as Au g/t + Ag g/t / 80, based on $2,400/oz Au and $30/oz Ag prices, with 97% Au and 94% Ag recovery assumptions used solely for cut-off determination. The model incorporates 78 drillholes totaling 14,413 meters drilled between 1995 and 2025, with the majority of drilling located above the microdiorite sill to a depth of approximately 100 meters.

Independence Gold also owns the Boulevard Project in the White Gold District of Yukon, covering 888 claims across 17,500 hectares and divided into three zones: Sunrise, Sunset, and Runway/Hollywood. The project has seen approximately $9.5 million in historical work, including 20,330 soil samples, 3,579 line-kilometers of geophysics, 21 trenches, 51 reverse circulation holes, and 46 diamond holes. These historical highlights are not weighted for current 43-101 purposes. Additionally, the company holds the Tay Project, consisting of three claims covering approximately 40 square kilometers, located 25 km northeast of the 3Ts property, which remains in the early stages.

Management includes President and CEO Randy Turner, who brings over 55 years of experience including roles at Winspear and Snap Lake, alongside CFO Harry Chan and independent QP Andy Randell. The board includes Darcy Marud, formerly of Yamana exploration, as well as Mike McPhie, Terry Salman, and Louis Montpellier. Insiders hold approximately 3.5% of the company.

Financial context prior to the current period indicates a H1 2026 net loss of C$4.05 million, with Q2 alone accounting for C$2.70 million. Full-year 2025 saw a net loss of C$6.04 million, with no revenue recorded in any period. As of June 30, 2026, the company held C$3.96 million in cash and C$7.05 million in total equity, resulting in a book value per share of C$0.03. Stock-based compensation totaled C$535,000 in H1 2026, with exploration burn representing the dominant expense. A September 2026 investor presentation showed cash holdings of approximately C$1.89 million as of August 31, 2026, indicating a materially faster burn rate than the H1 average.