Company Interviews

Interview with Jon Deluce, President & CEO of Abitibi Metals
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/abitibi-metals-cseamq-doubles-resource-on-high-grade-copper-gold-vms-9195
Recording date: 29th April 2026
Abitibi Metals recently secured a transformative $31 million investment from Discovery Silver, marking a major institutional validation of its B26 polymetallic deposit in Quebec. In exchange for a 9.9% stake, Discovery Silver provides both a substantial capital injection and invaluable operational expertise. Developed over a two-and-a-half-year partnership with the Quebec government subsidiary SOQUEM, the B26 deposit currently boasts 25 million tons at a 2.1% copper equivalent. This impressive scale places it among a rare class of large-scale copper, gold, and zinc assets in Canada's mining-friendly jurisdiction.
The alliance brings far more than just funding. Discovery Silver’s management team has a proven track record of building successful mines, offering Abitibi critical guidance in permitting, community engagement, and environmental management. Over the past 18 months, Abitibi’s valuation has surged from $30 million to roughly $150 million. Notably, this latest financing was completed without issuing warrants. This careful structuring preserves equity for existing shareholders while positioning the company for aggressive expansion without near-term dilution risks.
Now fully funded through 2027, Abitibi is launching a massive 80,000-plus meter drilling program. The immediate focus is delivering a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) and an updated resource estimate in the first quarter to outline the project's early payback potential. Looking ahead, Abitibi plans to use B26 as a flagship anchor to consolidate the broader mining camp through strategic acquisitions. With structural demand growing for both copper and gold, this new war chest allows Abitibi to advance confidently toward a feasibility study and fully capitalize on a strengthening commodity cycle.
View Abitibi Metals' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/abitibi-metals
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Interview with Erin Zaunscherb, Chairman & CEO of GR Silver Mining Ltd.
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/gr-silver-mining-tsxvgrsl-high-grade-silver-strike-opens-up-expansion-potential-7893
Recording date: 29th April 2026
GR Silver Mining (TSXV:GRSL) is a silver-focused exploration company advancing the San Marcial project in Sinaloa, Mexico. The company holds 134 million ounces of silver equivalent in resources, has historically added ounces at a cost of US$0.12 per ounce, and is currently executing a 20,000-metre drill programme designed to grow that resource base materially. For investors, the combination of a large existing resource, a low discovery cost, an expanding geological model, and a structured near-term catalyst pipeline defines the investment case.
The project's geological setting is more complex and more prospective than the headline resource alone suggests. San Marcial sits within a breccia system hosted by an intrusive body, of which only approximately 20% of the perimeter has been tested. The remaining 80% of that perimeter represents high-priority exploration ground in analogous structural positions to existing high-grade mineralisation. Beyond the main breccia, geological mapping has identified parallel breccia bodies forming concentrically around the intrusive core, showing elevated gold. Surface sampling further toward the intrusive centre has detected copper and molybdenum, raising the possibility of a porphyry mineralisation model at depth. Within the main breccia itself, four to five distinct mineralisation pulses have been identified, adding vertical scale to the system.
Early results from the current drill programme are consistent with these interpretations. Hole 2601 returned 6.5 metres grading 500 grams per tonne silver, including 1.2 metres of 1,600 grams per tonne, with a notable 61-metre interval at depth confirming the system remains alive well below current resource boundaries. Hole 2603 returned 15.6 metres of 351 grams per tonne silver from 200 metres, including 2.5 metres at 1,400 grams per tonne. Drilling is now on holes 10, 11, and 12. The full 20,000-metre programme is targeting completion in the second half of the year, to be followed by a resource update and the commissioning of a PEA.
A separate but strategically connected element is the planned bulk sample test mining programme at the Plomosas mine, which sits on the same land package. With 7.4 kilometres of existing underground development and permits already in place, Plomosas offers a low-capital pathway to early cash generation and, more importantly, to demonstrating operational credibility with Mexican regulators. San Marcial currently holds exploration concession status, which carries a permitting timeline of five to seven years under conventional processes. A positive track record at Plomosas could shorten that meaningfully, with direct implications for the project's net present value.
The company is fully financed with no debt, providing operational continuity through the current programme without near-term dilution risk. Following the passing of founder and CEO Marcio Fonseca, executive chairman Eric Zaunscherb has stepped into an interim leadership role. Field teams remain active and motivated, and the exploration programme has continued without interruption.
For investors with an appetite for primary silver exposure at the exploration stage, GR Silver Mining offers a large resource base, an expanding geological thesis, a defined catalyst sequence, and a valuation that has not yet reflected the full scope of what is emerging at San Marcial.
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Interview with Robert Wrixon, Executive Director of Nordic Resources
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/nordic-resources-asxnnl-finlands-rising-star-in-the-global-battery-metals-race-6336
Recording date: 28th April 2026
Nordic Resources (ASX:NNL) is emerging as a strategic play in Finland's gold sector following Agnico Eagle's high-premium acquisitions of Rupert Resources and Orion Resources in the Central Lapland gold belt. The company controls three gold projects in Finland's central Ostrobothnia region—Kopsa, Kiimala, and Hirsikangas—positioned to benefit from similar dynamics that drove those recent transactions.
The flagship Kopsa project hosts 815,000 ounces at 1.1 grams per ton, with 90% of resources sitting within 150 meters of surface. Critically, Kopsa contains a high-grade core of approximately 5 million tons averaging 2 grams per ton—potentially two to three years of higher-grade production that significantly enhances project economics. The asset comes with a conditionally granted mining concession, placing it ahead of most Finnish exploration projects in development timeline.
Executive Director Robert Wrixon argues that Nordic Resources offers similar strategic advantages to the recently acquired Central Lapland assets: tier-one jurisdiction, existing infrastructure including two nearby processing plants and rail connectivity, and district-scale consolidation potential. "It's not just about the grade and the geology anymore," Wrixon notes. "It does matter where you are, if there's a district scale consolidation play and if there's infrastructure around."
The company is executing an aggressive exploration program funded by A$10.6 million in cash, planning to drill 20,000+ meters in 2026 with a resource update expected in September incorporating 8,000 meters of new drilling and metallurgical test work. Management is pursuing a dual strategy: growing resources through exploration while developing production optionality through potential toll-treating arrangements at existing regional plants.
Trading at approximately A$40-45 per ounce versus the substantial premiums paid in recent Finnish transactions, Nordic Resources positions itself as the "next cab off the rank" in Finland's increasingly valuable gold districts, offering investors leveraged exposure to resource growth, early production pathways, or district consolidation scenarios.
View Nordic Resources' company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/nordic-nickel
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Interview with Christopher Taylor, Chairman, and Claudia Tornquist, President & CEO of Kodiak Copper Corp.
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/kodiak-copper-tsxvkdk-building-scale-in-british-columbias-copper-district-9481
Recording date: 28th April 2026
Kodiak Copper and Teck Resources have joined forces to create Kay Copper, a newly formed exploration company aimed at capitalizing on the growing demand for domestic critical minerals in the United States. This strategic joint venture combines Kodiak’s dormant Mohave project with Teck’s Copper Hill asset, both located in the mineral-rich state of Arizona. By spinning out these highly prospective porphyry projects into a dedicated entity, both companies can unlock shareholder value without losing focus on their primary operations. As the push for green energy and electrification intensifies, finding reliable domestic copper sources has never been more crucial, making this an opportune time to explore Arizona's proven mining districts.
Kay Copper is well-positioned for immediate action, backed by a $5 million initial capitalization that will fund drill programs later this year. Both Kodiak and Teck will maintain a 28% equity stake in the new venture, providing robust institutional support. Notably, Teck Resources has secured offtake rights for both properties. This guarantees them access to the copper produced if exploration efforts lead to a functioning mine, which signals immense confidence in the long-term viability of these assets. The company is actively targeting a public listing on the TSX Venture Exchange, with the transaction expected to close in early Q3, guided by incoming CEO Adam Schatzker and Board Chair Claudia Tornquist.
The exploration strategy will simultaneously test shallow, drill-ready targets and massive, deeper anomalies. At the Mohave project, legacy data suggests historical drilling merely grazed the edge of a high-grade center, leaving newly expanded claims ripe for immediate exploration. Meanwhile, the Copper Hill project features strong geological indicators that hint at a significant mineralized system. Initial drilling will focus on the shallower zones of Copper Hill to generate early discoveries and build geological confidence. By systematically advancing these assets, Kay Copper aims to unearth a transformative tier-one discovery to supply America's future infrastructure needs.
View Kodiak Copper's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/kodiak-copper-corp
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Interview with Troy Boisjoli, CEO of ATHA Energy Corp.
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/atha-energy-tsxvsask-bigger-better-than-athabasca-basin-uranium-8075
Recording date: 28th April 2026
ATHA Energy is making waves in Canada's Angikuni basin, successfully transitioning from early-stage exploration to a critical resource delineation phase. What sets the company apart is the sheer scale of its recent discoveries. To put this in perspective, world-class uranium deposits in Saskatchewan's famous Athabasca basin typically span less than a single kilometer. In stark contrast, ATHA has uncovered continuous mineralization stretching over 14 kilometers in its RIB corridor. By focusing its efforts on a single, cohesive geological system across its district-scale land package, the company has achieved a rare 100% success rate on tested geophysical targets, essentially eliminating early discovery risk.
Backed by $63 million in fresh capital—including support from industry veteran Warren Gilman's QRC—ATHA is fully funded for a multi-year run. The drill results so far have been exceptional. For example, recent tests returned 34 meters of mineralization, featuring a 13-meter continuous stretch at over 0.5% uranium with peak grades topping 8%. To capitalize on these high grades, the company is scaling up its operations in 2026 by deploying three drill rigs simultaneously. This marks their largest exploration program to date, shifting focus from hunting new targets to proving the immense continuity of the systems they have already found.
Controlling the entire Angikuni basin in Nunavut gives ATHA a distinct operational advantage, even though operating in Canada's remote north presents logistical hurdles. Fortunately, nearby established projects prove that large-scale mining development in the region is entirely viable. According to CEO Troy Boisjoli, this operational inflection point aligns perfectly with the most favorable uranium market conditions seen in two decades. With a massive, high-grade footprint and aggressive drilling underway, ATHA Energy is positioned as a standout player in the junior uranium sector.
View ATHA Energy's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/atha-energy
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