Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced on June 10, 2026, the submission of a Multi-Year Area-Based Notice of Work application to the British Columbia Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals for its Frances Creek barite project. The application seeks authorization for a five-year advanced exploration program on a 76.8-hectare work area, primarily on previously disturbed forestry land. The program includes exploration trenching, access trail development, a processing area, and a mine rock storage facility, supported by comprehensive technical studies such as terrain stability, acid rock drainage assessment, soil surveys, and archaeological assessment.
The Year 1 program plans to extract 2,000 tonnes of high-grade barite ore with a specific gravity of 4.5, hosted in dolomite (specific gravity 2.9). This comprises 1,000 tonnes from the A Zone and 1,000 tonnes from the B Zone, within the annual limit of 1,000 tonnes per cell under the Mineral Tenure Act regulations. The barite will be extracted via exploration trenches and processed on site using dry densimetric technology to produce an initial concentrate. This concentrate will be shipped to the company’s future facility for a US Pharmacopeia barium upgrading plant, where it will be used to design, test, and validate the proprietary concentration and acid leach process to meet USP specifications for pharmaceutical-grade barium contrast agents.
The application also includes a geotechnical drilling program to provide rock mechanics and slope stability data needed to finalize quarry pit wall designs and waste rock storage facility configurations. This information is the primary remaining data requirement to complete a National Instrument 43-101 Final Feasibility Study, building on the company’s 2022 Preliminary Economic Assessment and a Pre-Feasibility Study currently in progress.
Brent Willis, CEO of Voyageur Pharmaceuticals, stated: "This Notice of Work submission is a significant de-risking milestone. The Year 1 test extraction will generate the material required to advance process development and validation at our pilot plant in support of a future full-scale pharmaceutical API facility. The accompanying geotechnical program will enable us to progress the project to Final Feasibility Study level. Frances Creek’s grade and purity continue to position Voyageur as a potential future secure North American supplier of pharmaceutical barium contrast products."
The project hosts an indicated and inferred mineral resource of 132,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical-grade barium sulfate. Recent testing confirms the FC barite purity exceeds Pharmaceutical Grade (97.5%), with an average grade of 98.8% BaSO4 (see news release dated March 3, 2026). The 2022 PEA outlined a low-cost open-pit development scenario focused on high-value pharmaceutical applications, with an initial 10-year project horizon, total capital of $36 million over three years, equipment delivery and installation of 24 months, an 11-month payback period after start of production, and average operating gross margins of ~75%. Recent market observations indicate that costs for imported pharmaceutical-grade barite have increased significantly, which may positively influence updated project economics.
All proposed activities will be conducted in accordance with the Mines Act, the Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia, and applicable provisions of the Mineral Tenure Act regulations. The program is designed to be low-impact, with progressive reclamation planned upon completion of exploration activities. The PEA is preliminary in nature and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative to have economic considerations applied; there is no certainty that the PEA results will be realized. A pending Pre-Feasibility Study is in progress and will provide updated information.
This development is important as it advances Voyageur's strategy to establish a fully vertically integrated barium contrast media supply chain, positioning the company as a potential domestic manufacturer of radiology drugs. With the world's pharmaceutical barium sulfate almost entirely synthetically produced, Voyageur believes its natural high-grade mineral could replace synthetic products with higher quality, lower cost imaging agents. The successful completion of the feasibility study and subsequent permitting could reduce reliance on imported pharmaceutical-grade barite, impacting the North American healthcare supply chain.
For further information, visit voyageurpharmaceuticals.ca or view the original release on NewMediaWire. The TSX Venture Exchange accepts no responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
