Country for PR: United States
Contributor: PR Newswire New York
Thursday, February 04 2021 - 18:00
AsiaNet
Northisle Announces Positive PEA for the North Island Project Which Confirms it is One of the Most Attractive Cu-Au Projects in Canada
VANCOUVER, BC, Feb. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

 -- $1.1 billion NPV (8%) • 19.0% IRR • 22 year mine life • Opportunities for 
exploration and optimization

 -- February 4, 2021 – All figures in C$ unless otherwise noted     
TSX Venture Exchange Symbol: NCX

Highlights

 -- The 2021 PEA confirms that the North Island Project is one of the most 
attractive copper-gold porphyry projects in Canada: 
    -- Long mine life of 22 years with average annual production of 177 mm lbs 
Cu Eq. over the first 6 years, including 112 mm lbs of copper, 112 koz of gold 
and 2.7mm lbs of molybdenum 
    -- Average annual after tax free cash flow of $321 million during the first 
6 years and $224 million over the life of the operation 
    -- First quartile AISC of $0.77/lb Cu (net of by-products) and $2.01/lb Cu 
Eq. over first 6 years 
    -- Attractive economics with $1.1 billion After-tax NPV (8%) and 19% 
After-tax IRR 
    -- Attractive payback of 3.9 years driven by modest capex of $1.4 billion 
due to excellent infrastructure from historical mining and other industrial 
activity
 -- Northisle is committed to sustainable mine development: 
    -- Northisle will pursue a collaborative, inclusive approach to 
consultation in order to develop a project which creates benefits for First     
Nations, local communities, shareholders and project stakeholders 
    -- The Project benefits from renewable BC power and the Company will 
investigate multiple opportunities to reduce overall impact including 
electrified mining operations as part of trade-off studies
 -- Multiple opportunities to further improve the Project through optimization 
and exploration with prospective targets at Pemberton Hills, Red Dog and 
Hushamu planned for 2021 drilling

Northisle Copper and Gold Inc. (TSXV: NCX) ("Northisle" or the "Company") is 
pleased to announce that the positive results from a Preliminary Economic 
Assessment (the "2021 PEA") for its 100% owned North Island Project confirm it 
is one of the most attractive copper-gold porphyry projects in Canada.

The 2021 PEA is based on the Company's 100% owned Red Dog and Hushamu deposits 
and has been developed with a focus on processing a target of 600MT of 
mineralized material within estimated mineable pit shells. The PEA contemplates 
a low strip ratio open pit mining operation which incorporates a 75,000 t/d 
concentrator and is anticipated to produce a high-quality copper concentrate 
with a significant gold by-product as well as a high-grade molybdenum 
concentrate.

Key performance indicators are summarized in Table 1 below.

Table 1: Summary Project Metrics
 

 Production
 AISC
 After-tax Avg. 
Free Cash Flow
 After-tax 
NPV (8%)
 After-
tax IRR
 GHG Emissions
(kg CO2e/lb)
 

 Cu

(mm lbs)
 Au

(koz)
 Cu Eq.

(mm lbs)
 Cu 
($/lb)
 Cu Eq.
($/lb)
 $ mm
 $ mm
 %
 Cu
 Cu Eq.
 
  
First 6 years average
 112.1
 111.8
 177.5
 $0.77
 $2.01
 321
 1,059
 19.0
 0.66
 0.41
 
Life of mine ("LOM") average
 95.9
 99.9
 155.9
 $0.90
 $2.14
 224
 

Note: Cu Eq. based on Base Case metal prices and includes molybdenum and 
rhenium. See Table 3 for details.
 

Sam Lee, President and CEO of Northisle commented, "I am delighted with the 
progress we have made in demonstrating that the North Island Project is one of 
the most attractive copper and gold development projects today. The 2021 PEA 
illustrates a significant improvement in the potential of the North Island 
Project. Copper and gold production increased materially resulting in a 
significant increase in NPV and IRR, while all-in sustaining costs remain in 
the first quartile and initial capital is modest for a long-life and 
significant copper and gold asset. The concentrate planned to be produced by 
the North Island Project is anticipated to be a premium product which would be 
highly attractive to global smelters. Furthermore, the significant gold 
production is anticipated to provide several options for lower cost capital 
financings.  We are excited to be advancing what we believe is one of the most 
attractive Canadian copper projects during the start of a new mining super 
cycle.

There exists a multitude of opportunities to develop a mine that is truly 
sustainable in all respects. We are excited to continue our consultation work 
with First Nations, local communities, governments, and key project 
stakeholders as we advance this important and compelling project. We have 
direct access to clean power in British Columbia that will drive our project 
towards becoming a lower carbon emissions operation. Over the coming months, we 
will continue to optimize key project parameters to create additional value for 
shareholders while focusing on reducing the impact of the North Island Project.

Exploration activities will also be reactivated in 2021 with an initial drill 
program focusing on three main areas: Red Dog, Pemberton Hills, and Hushamu.  
Program objectives include increasing tonnage and grade for the North Island 
Project, confirming the existence of a larger, higher grade copper-gold 
porphyry system at Pemberton Hills, and exploring multiple targets over our 
vast 33,000 ha property.

Our leadership team is fully committed to realizing our vision of making 
Northisle Canada's leading sustainable resource development company."

The Company will host a conference call and webcast on Thursday, February 4, 
2021 at 11:00 AM Eastern time (8:00 AM Pacific time). Details to access the 
call can be found below.

2021 PEA Summary
The 2021 PEA was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 
("NI43-101") by M3 Engineering & Technology Corp. ("M3") in conjunction with an 
updated mine plan prepared by John Nilsson, an updated Mine Waste Facility 
("MWF") design prepared by Golder Associates Ltd. (Golder) and updated 
metallurgical testwork performance by SGS Canada Inc. ("SGS"). The team was led 
by Cam Brown, P. Eng. (Nova Scotia) on behalf of Northisle. The Company plans 
to file the complete 2021 PEA report on SEDAR at www.sedar.com within 45 days 
of this press release. The 2021 PEA updates the previously published study on 
the North Island Project, titled "North Island Copper and Gold Project, 
NI43-101 Technical Report, Preliminary Economic Assessment" and dated October 
24, 2017 (the "2017 PEA"). Table 2 summarizes the key findings of the 2021 PEA.

Table 2: 2021 PEA Economic Highlights
 
Base Case Economics
 Units
 Pre-tax
 After-tax 
 
 
Net Present Value (NPV 8%)
 $ millions
 1,494
 1,059
 
Net Present Value (NPV 8%)
 US$ millions
 1,121
 795
 
Internal Rate of Return
 %
 21.7%
 19.0%
 
Payback
 Years
 3.9
 3.9
 
Initial Capital Cost
 $ millions
 1,442
 
Sustaining Capital Cost
 $ millions
 197
  
Economic Assumptions
 Units
 Base Case
 

Copper
 US$/lb
 $3.25
 
Gold
 US$/oz
 $1,650
 
Molybdenum
 US$/lb
 $10.00
 
Rhenium
 US$/kg
 $1,256
 
CAD:USD Exchange Rate
 US$/C$
 0.75
 
 
Financial Metrics
 Units
 First 6 years
 LOM

 
Average Annual Revenue
 $ millions
 740
 649
 
Average Annual Operating Costs
 $ millions
 340
 301
 
Avg. Ann. Free Cash Flow (after tax)
 $ millions
 321
 224
 

The 2021 PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources 
that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic 
considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as 
mineral reserves.  There is no certainty that the project described in the 2021 
PEA will be realized.  Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not 
have demonstrated economic viability.

Table 3 provides a summary of the key operating metrics from the 2021 PEA.

Table 3: 2021 PEA Operating Highlights
 
Operating Statistics
 Units
 Avg. First 6 years
 
 Avg. LOM 
  
 
Mine Life
 Years
 
 22
 
 
Tonnes Processed
 KT
 27,060
 
 27,289
 
Strip Ratio
 W:O
 1.04
 
 0.71
 
Production
 
 
Copper
 mm lbs
 112.1
 
 95.9
 
Gold
 koz
 111.8
 
 99.9
 
Molybdenum
 klbs
 2,726
 
 2,954
 
Cu Eq.
 mm lbs
 177.5
 
 155.9
 
Cash Cost – Cu with by-products
 $/lb
 $0.75
 
 $0.81
 
Cash Cost – Cu Eq
 $/lb
 $2.00
 
 $2.09
 
AISC – Cu with by-products
 $/lb
 $0.77
 
 $0.90
 
AISC – Cu Eq
 $/lb
 $2.01
 
 $2.14
By-products and Cu Eq. calculated at Base Case metal prices
 

Economic Sensitivity
Table 4 summarizes the after-tax sensitivities of NPV and IRR to metal prices.

Table 4: Economic Sensitivity to Metal Prices
 
Metal Prices
 After- tax NPV (5%)

$ millions
 After-tax NPV (8%)

$ millions
 After-tax NPV (10%)

$ millions
 IRR (%)
 
Spot Prices1
 $2,116.4
 $1,396.1
 $1,049.0
 22.3%
 
Base Case + 20%
 $2,682.7
 $1,833.7
 $1,425.0
 26.5%
 
Base Case + 10%
 $2,182.6
 $1,447.2
 $1,092.9
 22.8%
 
Base Case
 $1,682.5
 $1,059.4
 $759.1
 19.0%
 
Base Case – 10%
 $1,180.2
 $666.8
 $419.3
 15.0%
 
Base Case – 20%
 $674.1
 $265.4
 $68.9
 10.8%
 
Note: Economic assumptions are detailed in Table 14
 
1.  Spot prices as of February 2, 2021.
 

Sustainability
Northisle intends to integrate a sustainable approach to mine development into 
every part of its corporate culture. This means that monitoring, disclosing, 
and improving on ESG performance is as critical as operating metrics.  As a 
result, Northisle has summarized preliminary sustainability metrics for the 
North Island Project in Table 5 below.

Table 5: Preliminary Sustainability Metrics
 
Sustainability Statistics
 Units
 LOM Total / Avg.
 

 
 
 
Direct local job creation (permanent)
 FTE
 450
 
Site Energy Consumption
 
 
 
Fuel (annual)
 000s liters
 21,000
 
Electricity (annual)
 MWh
 794,000
 
Energy Intensity
 kWh/lb Cu
 10.5
 
Environmental
 
 
 
Net water consumption
 liters / lb Cu
 99.6
 
GHG Emissions – Scope 1
 kg CO2e / lb Cu 
 0.66
 
Total Material to MWF
 MT
 1,020
 

The above sustainability metrics were determined on a preliminary basis by 
referencing publicly available benchmarks for emissions related to key project 
energy sources. The selected metrics will evolve as the project is developed, 
to incorporate additional measures of ESG performance.

Opportunities
The PEA demonstrates the potential for further development of the North Island 
Project and indicates a number of additional opportunities for further study 
which may contribute to further enhanced value, including:

  -- Evaluate the opportunity for sale of pyrite concentrate: Preliminary study 
and test work indicates that a substantial quantity of high-grade pyrite 
concentrate can be recovered. Additional studies are required to determine the 
marketability of pyrite concentrate. 
  -- Consider use of historical Island Copper Pit for mine tailings storage: 
The existing pit at the former BHP Island Copper Operation could potentially be 
re-purposed to store most of the tailings from the North Island Project 
development, which represents an opportunity to reduce the risk profile for the 
project. 
  -- Trolley-assisted haulage: The current project uses electrical power for 
the mining shovels and drills at Hushamu and an opportunity exists to consider 
trolley-assisted haulage to reduce emissions from the proposed diesel-electric 
fleet. 
  -- Reduce carbon emissions: Northisle will conduct an energy audit to 
evaluate available technologies and best practices to drive the project 
development towards attaining carbon emission reduction goals. 
  -- Metallurgical optimization: Future test work will target improved 
recoveries, refined reagent regimes, optimization of grind versus recovery in 
both primary and regrind circuit to drive lower energy and media consumption 
while maintaining mineral recovery effectiveness. 
  -- Engineering trade-off studies: Conduct engineering trade-off studies to 
improve plant performance, reduce operating and maintenance cost and enhance 
on-line availability as well as opportunities to optimize plant throughput.

Next Steps
With the completion of the 2021 PEA, Northisle intends to continue to advance 
the North Island Project. Key next steps and milestones include:

  -- Commencement of planned 2021 drill program which will include exploration 
drilling at Pemberton Hills, Red Dog and NW Expo, as well as in fill and 
step-out drilling at Hushamu 
  -- Additional extensive surface mapping and sampling of several additional 
prospective porphyry targets (H2) 
  -- Commencement of critical trade-off studies, environmental baseline work 
and other long-lead items in support of determining the scope of a 
pre-feasibility study in H2 2021. 
  -- Northisle will continue to proactively engage with First Nations, local 
communities, government and key project stakeholders in support of the 
responsible development of the project.

Webcast Details
The Company will host a conference call on Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 11:00 
AM Eastern time (8:00 AM Pacific time). Details to access the call live are as 
follows:
  -- Via telephone, toll free, by calling 1-416-764-8659 in Toronto or 
internationally, 1-778-383-7413 in Vancouver and 1-888-664-6392 toll free in 
North America 
  -- Via webcast at: Webcast
The webcast will be archived for 365 days following the call at the above-noted 
link and on the Company's website. The conference call will also be available 
for replay until Thursday, February 11, 2021. To access the replay, dial 
1-416-764-7677 or 1-888-390-0541 and use Playback Passcode 784988# to hear the 
recording.

2021 PEA Details
The 2021 represents an update of the 2017 PEA, with the primary changes 
including updated recoveries, metal prices, operating and capital costs, and an 
updated mine plan. The study was prepared independently by M3 and incorporates 
results from independent metallurgical testing by SGS and MWF design by Golder, 
and mine plan developed by John Nilsson. The Company now intends to commence 
important work to prepare for initiation of a pre-feasibility study, while 
accelerating the exploration program throughout the property.

Mineral Resources
Mineral Resources for the Hushamu deposit were updated for the purpose of the 
2021 PEA by incorporating 5 drill holes completed in 2017 which had not been 
incorporated in earlier estimates. These drill holes had the anticipated impact 
of converting several Inferred blocks into the Indicated category. In addition, 
the cut-off grade for the resource was revised to 0.10% which had the result of 
increasing tonnage in both Indicated and Inferred Resources while reducing 
grade.


Table 6: Combined Summary Resource Estimate
 
Category
 Tonnes
 % Cu
 g/t Au
 % Mo
 g/t Re
  
Indicated
  
Hushamu
 472,854,000
 0.20%
 0.23
 0.008%
 0.35
 
Red Dog
 54,490,000
 0.22%
 0.31
 0.004%
 *
 
Total Indicated
 527,344,000
 0.20%
 0.24
 0.008%
 0.31
 
 
Inferred
 
 
 
 
Hushamu
 414,293,000
 0.15%
 0.18
 0.006%
 0.29
 
Red Dog
 2,979,000
 0.17%
 0.25
 0.002%
 *
 
Total Inferred
 417,272,000
 0.15%
 0.18
 0.006%
 0.29
 

Note: Resources shown at a 0.10% Cu cut-off grade.
* Not assayed
 

A complete summary of mineral resources can be found at the end of this release.

Mining
Preliminary mine designs have been developed for Red Dog and Hushamu deposits 
based upon Indicated and Inferred Resources. Resource models were imported to 
Minesight® mine planning software where a Lerchs Grossman algorithm was applied 
to an NSR model to determine possible pit limits.

The mine plan was developed to mine Red Dog concurrently with Hushamu in the 
early years of the mine life until Red Dog Resources were depleted. The assumed 
processing rate is 75,000 t/d; Red Dog contributes 24,000 t/d while in 
operation. The overall mining rate peaks at 64 million t/a in the initial years 
averaging 47 million t/a over the total mine life of 22 years. The effective 
strip ratio after stockpile reclaim was 0.71:1.

The mine is planned to be a conventional truck and shovel operation with 
electrified pit operations at Hushamu. Waste rock will be placed during 
construction and operation within the MWF.  A low-grade stockpile will be 
located at the pit rim on the northwest side of Hushamu. An overburden 
stockpile will be located adjacent to the low-grade stockpile for use in 
reclamation of the MWF at the end of the mine life.

Table 7: Key mining statistics
 
Metric
 Units
 Quantity
 
 
Mine life
 Years
 22
 
Milling rate
 t/d
 75,000
 
Strip Ratio
 W:O
 0.71
 
Total Tonnage Mined
 MT
 1,032.3
 
Total Mineralized Material Mined
 MT
 602.3
 
LOM Average Grades
 
 
 
Copper
 %
 0.18%
 
Gold
 g/t
 0.24
 
Molybdenum
 %
 0.008%
 
The total resources processed in the conceptual mine plan are shown in the 
following tables. The quantity of mineralized material was estimated and 
included in the mine plan using an NSR threshold approach, rather than a copper 
cut-off grade. The Hushamu Leached Zone (denoted LEA in Table 15 and Table 16) 
is excluded from the 2021 PEA mine plan.  Tonnages in the mine plan are 
summarized in Table 8 and Table 9 while mine operating costs are summarized in 
Table 10. 

Table 8: Indicated Mineral Resources Included in the Mine Plan
 
Indicated Resources
 ROM t x 1000
 Cu (%)
 Au (g/t)
 Mo (%)
 NSR ($/t)
 
 
 
Hushamu Starter Pit
 83,530
 0.24
 0.27
 0.007
 22.76
 
Hushamu Phase 1 Expansion
 96273
 0.20
 0.19
 0.007
 17.68
 
Hushamu Phase 1.5 Expansion
 126,312
 0.18
 0.27
 0.011
 18.33
 
Hushamu Phase 2 Expansion
 115,483
 0.17
 0.25
 0.008
 17.77
 
Red Dog
 50,885
 0.22
 0.32
 0.005
 24.82
 
Total
 472,483
 0.20
 0.25
 0.008
 19.54
 
 

Table 9: Inferred Mineral Resources Included in the Mine Plan
 
Inferred Resources
 ROM t x 1000
 Cu (%)
 Au (g/t)
 Mo (%)
 NSR ($/t)
  
 
 
Hushamu Starter Pit
 2,973
 0.12
 0.15
 0.016
 11.40
 
Hushamu Phase 1 Expansion
 13,068
 0.13
 0.13
 0.010
 11.64
 
Hushamu Phase 1.5 Expansion
 35,037
 0.14
 0.23
 0.012
 15.00
 
Hushamu Phase 2 Expansion
 76,598
 0.14
 0.20
 0.007
 14.44
 
Red Dog
 2,172
 0.17
 0.27
 0.003
 19.91
 
Total
 129,848
 0.14
 0.20
 0.009
 14.33
 
  

Table 10: Mining Costs
 
Area
 Unit Cost (C$/t mined)
 

 
 
Drilling
 0.13
 
Blasting
 0.35
 
Loading
 0.24
 
Hauling
 0.69
 
Support
 0.49
 
Mine General
 0.21
 
Total Mining Cost excl. equipment lease
 2.11
 
Mine equipment lease
 0.21

Note: totals may not add due to rounding
 

Processing
The 2021 PEA contemplates a concentrator and related facilities processing 
mineralized material at a nominal rate of 75,000 t/d through a grinding circuit 
comprised of a single SAG mill and two ball mills, flotation facilities and 
regrind facilities to recover copper and molybdenum concentrates for export. 
Gold reports primarily to the copper concentrate while rhenium reports 
primarily to the molybdenum concentrate. Processing costs are summarized in 
Table 11.

Table 11: Processing Costs
 
Area
 Unit Cost (C$/t processed)
  
Salaries & Wages
 0.50
 
Power
 1.84
 
Liners
 0.36
 
Grinding Media
 1.03
 
Reagents
 1.20
 
Maintenance Parts & Repairs
 0.48
 
Supplies & Services
 0.10
 
Total Processing Cost
 5.52

Metallurgy
Additional metallurgical test work was undertaken in 2020 by SGS to target 
better recoveries of the principal minerals. M3 reviewed and interpreted the 
test work and incorporated the results into the process plant design criteria, 
flowsheet development, and process equipment selection. The design basis for 
the processing plant is 75,000 t/d or 27,375,000 t/a at 93% availability. 
Design mineral grades to the process plant are estimated at 0.18% copper, 0.24 
g/t gold and 0.008% molybdenum with overall estimated recoveries of 
approximately 86.4% for copper, 46.8% for gold, and 59.5% for molybdenum.

Operating Cost Summary
A preliminary operating cost estimate was prepared for the North Island Project 
based on a 75,000 t/d mine/mill operation. Total site operating costs are 
summarized in Table 12.

Table 12: Total Site Operating Costs
 
Area
 Units
 Cost
 

 
 
 
Mining Cost1
 $/tonne processed
 $3.84
 
Processing
 $/tonne processed
 $5.52
 
G&A
 $/tonne processed
 $0.38
 
Water Treatment
 $/tonne processed
 $0.06
 
Total Site Operating Costs
 $/tonne processed
 $9.81
1.  Including leased mining equipment
 

Capital Cost and Infrastructure Summary
The capital cost estimate was developed by M3 using an EPCM project development 
approach. Golder developed a conceptual design for the MWF and provided 
estimated quantities of construction material required to construct the 
facility. M3 then estimated the associated initial and sustaining capital cost 
based on the quantities provided. The mine plan and associated mine initial and 
sustaining capital was prepared by John Nilsson using current equipment prices 
and leasing terms & conditions provided by the mine equipment procurement 
consultant retained by Northisle. The process facilities and other related 
facilities were designed and estimated by M3. The capital cost of these 
facilities was developed using budgetary quotes obtained for major process and 
infrastructure facility equipment requirements, and construction labour rates 
obtained from a BC contractor experienced in the scope and scale of the North 
Island Project.  The 2021 PEA capital cost estimate is summarized in Table 13 
below. 

Table 13: Capital Cost Summary
 
Area
 $ million
  
Mine1
 17.8
 
Pre-production
 130.9
 
Process
 1,235.4
 
Owner's Cost
 57.9
 
Total
 1,442.0
1.  Mine equipment is included primarily on a leased basis in the financial 
model.
 

The nearby town of Port Hardy is a main distribution centre for the north end 
of Vancouver Island. It has an airport with regular flights to Vancouver, a 
hospital, schools, and a college. The North Island Project is generally 
accessible for exploration purposes from Port Hardy through a network of 
logging roads. 

BHP is in the process of reclaiming its historical marine load out 
infrastructure from its past-producing Island Copper Mine. The 2021 PEA 
contemplates the construction of a new marine load-out facility on the 
reclaimed site, which would be used to load concentrate onto ocean-going 
vessels for shipment to smelters in Asia. One of BC's largest wind farm 
complexes is situated adjacent to the northwest end of the property and the 138 
KV power line connecting the wind farm to the main BC power grid passes 
immediately north of the North Island Project. The 2021 PEA contemplates 
connecting to the BC Hydro grid via the existing main substation near the 
highway into Port Hardy.

Economic Analysis
Economic evaluations were generated incorporating forecasts for economic inputs 
using the Base Case and Spot Price. The spot price case is based on prices as 
of February 2, 2021.  See Table 14 for the results of the economic analysis.

Table 14: Economic Analysis
 
Parameter
 Unit
 Base Case
 Spot Price1
 
 
 
 
Copper Price
 US$/lb
 $3.25
 $3.51
 
Gold Price
 US$/oz
 $1,650.00
 $1,835.60
 
Molybdenum Price
 US$/lb
 $10.00
 $10.03
 
Rhenium Price
 US$/kg
 $1,256.00
 $1,256.00
 
CAD:USD Exchange rate
 US$/C$
 0.75
 0.75
 
Average Annual Revenue
 $ million
 $648.6
 $704.9
 
Economic Result (before tax)
 
 
 
 
Avg. Free Cash Flow
 $ million
 $277.1
 $321.2
 
NPV (5%)
 $ million
 $2,296.9
 $2,871.8
 
NPV (8%)
 $ million
 $1,494.3
 $1,937.3
 
NPV (10%)
 $ million
 $1,109.9
 $1,489.6
 
IRR
 %
 21.7%
 25.5%
 
Payback
 Years
 3.9
 3.4
 
Economic Result (after tax)
 
 
 
 
Avg. Free Cash Flow
 $ million
 $223.6
 $256.7
 
NPV (5%)
 $ million
 $1,682.5
 $2,116.4
 
NPV (8%)
 $ million
 $1,059.4
 $1,396.1
 
NPV (10%)
 $ million
 $759.1
 $1,049.0
 
IRR
 %
 19.0%
 22.3%
 
Payback
 Years
 3.9
 3.5
 

The 2021 PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources 
that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic 
considerations applied to them that would allow them to be categorized as 
mineral reserves and there is no certainty that the preliminary economic 
assessment will be realized.  Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves 
do not have demonstrated economic viability.

Technical Report and Qualified Persons
A National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) compliant technical report entitled 
"North Island Project PEA" prepared by the following Qualified Persons will be 
filed by the Company within 45 days of this release on www.sedar.com:

  -- Laurie Tahija, MMSA – M3 Engineering – Recovery Methods and Process 
Operating Costs 
  -- Daniel Roth, P.Eng. – M3 Engineering – Project Plant and Infrastructure 
Costs, Economic Analysis 
  -- Brian Game, P. Geo. – Principal of GeoMinEx Consultants – Geology, 
Exploration and Environmental 
  -- Phil Burt, P. Geo. – CEO of Burt Consulting Services – Mineral Resource 
Estimates 
  -- John Nilsson, P. Eng. – Mining Methods 
  -- Ben Wickland, P.Eng. of Golder Associates Ltd. – Mine Waste Facility
The Qualified Persons have reviewed and approved the scientific, technical, and 
economic information obtained in this news release. 

About Northisle
Northisle Copper and Gold Inc. is a Vancouver based company whose mission is to 
become Canada's leading sustainable mineral resource company for the future.  
Northisle owns the North Island Project, which is one of the most promising 
copper and gold porphyry deposits in Canada. The North Island Project is 
located near Port Hardy, British Columbia on a 33,149-hectare block of mineral 
titles 100% owned by Northisle stretching 50 kilometres northwest from the now 
closed Island Copper Mine operated by BHP Billiton. The Company recently 
completed a preliminary economic assessment which demonstrated the potential of 
the Red Dog and Hushamu deposits and is aggressively advancing its exploration 
and development program in 2021.

For more information on Northisle please visit the Company's website at 
www.northisle.ca. 

On behalf of Northisle Copper and Gold Inc.

Nicholas Van Dyk, CFA
Vice President, Corporate Development and Investor Relations
Tel: (778) 655-9582
Email: info@northisle.ca
www.northisle.ca

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an 
offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have 
not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 
1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and 
may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless 
registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws 
or an exemption from such registration is available.

Cautionary Statements regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements 
under applicable securities law. Any statements that are contained in this news 
release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be 
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by 
terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "intend" and similar 
expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are 
not limited to, statements relating to the anticipated timing of the 2021 PEA, 
anticipated 2021 PEA results, anticipated 2021 activities, the Company's plans 
for advancement of the North Island Project, including the potential use of 
existing infrastructure, expectations regarding the 2021 drill program; the 
Company's plans for engagement with Indigenous nations, communities and key 
stakeholders, and the Company's anticipated exploration activities. 
Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, 
including, without limitation, Northisle's ability to implement its business 
strategies; risks associated with mineral exploration and production; risks 
associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; 
stakeholder engagement; marketing and transportation costs; loss of markets; 
volatility of commodity prices; inability to access sufficient capital from 
internal and external sources, and/or inability to access sufficient capital on 
favourable terms; industry and government regulation; changes in legislation, 
income tax and regulatory matters; competition; currency and interest rate 
fluctuations; and other risks. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is 
not exhaustive.

Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking 
statements as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or 
expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although 
considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be 
incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. 
Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly 
qualified by this cautionary statement.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release represent the 
expectations of management of Northisle as of the date of this news release, 
and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Northisle does not 
undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, 
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as 
expressly required by applicable securities law.

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 news release.

Table 15: 2021 Hushamu Resource Estimate – Indicated Resource
 
Mineral Domain
 Tonnes
 % Cu
 g/t Au
 % Mo
 g/t Re
 
 
 
 
 
LEA
 8,843,000
 0.14
 0.22
 0.008
 0.29
 
CMG-SCP-PRO
 462,475,000
 0.20
 0.24
 0.008
 0.35
 
QFP
 1,536,000
 0.11
 0.08
 0.004
 0.03
 
Total Indicated Resource
 472,854,000
 0.20
 0.23
 0.008
 0.35
  
1.
 Tonnages have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 tonnes so may not add up. 
2.
 Classification is compliant with the "CIM Resource Definition Standards, 2014"
3.
 It is assumed that with continued exploration, most of the Inferred Resource 
could be upgraded to an Indicated Resource category.
 
Note: Resources shown at a 0.10% Cu cut-off grade.

 

Table 16: 2021 Hushamu Resource Estimate – Inferred Resource
 
Mineral Domain
 Tonnes
 % Cu
 g/t Au
 % Mo
 g/t Re
 
 
 
 
 
LEA
 2,169,000
 0.13
 0.18
 0.008
 0.26
 
CMG-SCP-PRO
 410,265,000
 0.15
 0.18
 0.006
 0.30
 
QFP
 1,859,000
 0.12
 0.10
 0.005
 0.15
 
Total Inferred Resources
 414,293,000
 0.15
 0.18
 0.006
 0.29
1.
 Tonnages have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 tonnes so may not add up.
2.
 Classification is compliant with the "CIM Resource Definition Standards, 2014"
3.
 It is assumed that with continued Exploration, most of the Inferred Resource 
could be upgraded to an Indicated Resource category.
 
Note: Resources shown at a 0.10% Cu cut-off grade.


Table 17: 2017 Red Dog Resource Summary
 

 Tonnes
 % Cu
 g/t Au
 % Mo
 
 
 
Indicated Resource
 54,490,000
 0.22
 0.31
 0.004
 
Inferred Resource
 2,979,000
 0.17
 0.25
 0.002
 

Game, B. and Burt, P. 2017
Note: Resources shown at a 0.10% Cu cut-off grade.
 

SOURCE:  NorthIsle Copper and Gold Inc.




CONTACT: Nicholas Van Dyk, CFA, Vice President, Corporate Development and 
Investor Relations, Tel: (778) 655-9582, Email: info@northisle.ca, 
www.northisle.ca