Original News Release
Westhaven appoints Rippin Armstrong, O'Hara as VPs
Mr. Ken Armstrong reports
WESTHAVEN APPOINTS SENIOR LEADERS IN INDIGENOUS, COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND PERMITTING
Westhaven Gold Corp. has appointed Allison Rippin Armstrong as vice-president, indigenous and community relations, and Pamela O'Hara as vice-president, permitting and government affairs, effective April 1, 2026.
Ken Armstrong, president and chief executive officer of Westhaven, commented: "I am pleased to welcome Allison and Pamela to Westhaven at a defining stage for the company. These appointments reflect the deliberate steps Westhaven and Dundee Corp. are taking to assemble the expertise and leadership needed to responsibly advance the Shovelnose gold project in Southern British Columbia. Allison brings extensive experience working alongside indigenous communities and navigating complex permitting environments across Canada. Allison has been advising Westhaven for the last year, and her continued leadership will be key to building the transparent, trust-based relationships that responsible project advancement requires. Pamela has played a central role in advancing significant mining and infrastructure projects in Canada, and her deep understanding of provincial and federal regulatory processes significantly strengthens our ability to move Shovelnose forward."
Jonathan Goodman, president and chief executive officer of Dundee, added: "These appointments reflect the shared values of responsible, community-focused development that are fundamental to our partnership with Westhaven. Allison and Pamela bring the expertise needed to navigate the regulatory and community engagement processes that are critical to advancing Shovelnose. We look forward to working alongside the Westhaven team to unlock the full potential of the Spences Bridge gold belt."
Ms. Rippin Armstrong is a biologist and environmental scientist with over 30 years of experience in permitting, regulatory processes and environmental compliance, working with resource companies and indigenous, territorial, provincial and federal governments. Her project experience spans Northern Canada, British Columbia, and Alaska, and includes senior sustainability roles at the Ekati diamond mine, Lucara Diamond Corp.'s Karowe diamond mine in Botswana and Kaminak Gold Corp. Ms. Rippin Armstrong currently serves on the boards of Tectonic Minerals, the Alberta Energy Regulator, the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board and the Alberta Public Lands Appeal Board. Her contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Kivalliq Inuit Association expert counsel award (2009), the Mike Hine award in Nunavut (2011) and the B.C. Women in Mining HR diversity award (2019).
Ms. O'Hara brings more than 30 years of expertise advancing mining and transportation infrastructure projects, including work at Ekati, Voisey's Bay, Minahasa Raya, Wolverine, Hope Bay and Macpass, as well as for the Canadian Pacific Railway and Port of Vancouver. A registered professional biologist and certified sustainability practitioner, she is known for delivering innovative, community-focused projects and effectively navigating complex regulatory environments. In recent years, she has served as vice-president of sustainability at Fireweed Metals Corp. as a permitting adviser for Newmont's Brucejack mine and as a director on the boards of the Yukon Chamber of Mines and Western Copper and Gold. She holds a BSc in biology and oceanography from the University of British Columbia and an MSc in environment and management from Royal Roads University.
Second drill mobilized at Shovelnose
Westhaven is also pleased to confirm the on-schedule mobilization of a second drill to the Shovelnose property, in support of the 50,000-metre 2026 drill program announced by the company on Feb. 17, 2026. The initial phases of this $20-million program will focus on continued resource expansion and infill drilling at the South Zone gold deposit. The program is expected to ramp up to four drills by June, 2026, with resource and exploration drilling to continue through to mid-December.
About Westhaven Gold Corp.
Westhaven is a gold- and silver-focused exploration and development company targeting low-sulphidation, high-grade, epithermal-style gold and silver mineralization within the Spences Bridge gold belt in Southern British Columbia. Westhaven controls approximately 60,263 hectares within four gold properties spread along this underexplored belt.
The Shovelnose gold project is the most advanced property, with a recently updated 2025 preliminary economic assessment that validates the project's potential as a robust, low-cost and high-margin 11-year underground gold mining opportunity with average annual life-of-mine production of 56,000 ounces gold and 313,000 ounces silver with a $454-million after-tax net present value (at a 6-per-cent discount rate) and a 43.2-per-cent internal rate of return (base-case assumptions of $2,400 (U.S.) per ounce gold, $28 (U.S.) per ounce silver and a Canadian/U.S.-dollar exchange rate of $1 (Canadian) equals 72 U.S. cents).
On Feb. 23, 2026, Westhaven closed a strategic earn-in agreement with Dundee Corp., whereby Dundee may earn an up-to-60-per-cent interest in Westhaven's four Spences Bridge gold belt properties through up to $85-million (Canadian) in staged project expenditures. Under the first phase, Dundee has committed a minimum of $30-million (Canadian), inclusive of a fully financed 50,000-metre drill program at Shovelnose in 2026. The agreement allows for the accelerated exploration and evaluation of one of Canada's most compelling, undeveloped, high-margin gold and silver assets.
Qualified person
The technical and scientific information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Robin Hopkins, PGeo (Northwest Territories/Nunavut), vice-president, exploration, for Westhaven, a qualified person for the company under the definitions established by National Instrument 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects).
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