LaFleur Minerals Inc. has engaged The Bedford Consulting Group Inc. to lead an executive search for a senior mining leader as the company pivots from exploration toward production. This strategic hire is timed with the company’s plan to re-commission the fully permitted and refurbished Beacon Gold Mill in Québec and to accelerate development at the 100%-owned Swanson gold project. The engagement signals an ambition to scale operations, strengthen governance and optimize execution as LaFleur moves from concept to cash generation.
Bedford was retained to identify an executive who can shepherd brownfield projects into production and who brings proven capital markets credibility. The mandate focuses on leaders who have built mining businesses through pre-feasibility or production stages, delivered corporate exits above $750 million, and demonstrated the ability to assemble multidisciplinary teams. Bedford’s sector expertise and global mining network aim to match LaFleur with a candidate capable of executing both operational ramp-up and strategic transactions.
Table of Contents:
Operational milestones that underpin the search
Over the past year LaFleur consolidated key technical and financial achievements that create an attractive context for a senior hire. The company completed a C$7.8 million financing in December 2026 to fund restart and recommissioning work (refer to press release dated January 5, 2026). A positive Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) outlined a capital-efficient restart using feed from nearby deposits, showing a base-case after-tax IRR of 65%, an NPV (5%) of C$101 million and an AISC of US$1,569/oz</strong) at a gold price of US$2,750/oz (refer to press release dated March 3, 2026). The company also filed an independent NI 43-101 technical report supporting the PEA results (refer to press release dated March 27, 2026).
Resource expansion and exploration results
Updated mineral resources
LaFleur published an expanded 2026 Mineral resource estimate for the Swanson Gold Deposit that reports an Indicated Mineral Resource of 2.96 Mt at 1.69 g/t Au for 160.3 koz (combined open-pit and underground) and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.08 Mt at 1.93 g/t Au for 66.8 koz, representing a roughly 30% increase in indicated ounces versus the 2026 estimate thanks to optimized cut-offs and refined geological modeling (refer to press release dated March 3, 2026). These metric improvements underpin the restart economics and potential scale-up.
Drilling highlights
Recent drill campaigns have delivered broad, continuous zones of mineralization that extend below the current resource shell. Selected results include intercepts reported on April 21, 2026 such as 2.29 g/t Au over 68.30 metres (SW-25-079) and 1.18 g/t Au over 255.04 metres (SW-25-080). Earlier highlights from February 4, 2026 included multiple long intercepts and higher-grade shoots (for example 2.97 g/t Au over 66.0 metres, including 91.1 g/t Au over 1.5 metres). These results support the interpretation of a sizeable gold system.
Strategic partnerships, mill plans and asset additions
LaFleur strengthened its balance sheet and commercial framework through a proposed C$30 million gold prepayment facility and doré offtake with Trafigura Canada (refer to press release dated April 15, 2026). This non-dilutive financing is designed to accelerate the Beacon restart, increase throughput from the current 750 tonnes per day capacity toward 1,250 tpd, and provide optionality to reach 3,000–4,000 tpd under expansion scenarios. The company also acquired the McKenzie East Gold Project (refer to press release dated April 28, 2026), contiguous with Fresnillo plc’s McKenzie Break deposit, enhancing nearby feed potential for the mill.
Search parameters, next steps and leadership changes
The Bedford mandate targets seasoned executives with a track record of building projects from brownfield to production or to a pre-feasibility stage, strong investor relations skills, and the capacity to execute accretive transactions. Bedford brings over four decades of executive search experience in the mining sector, with offices in Canada, Australia and the United States and proprietary compensation insights. Interested, qualified candidates may contact Bedford at www.bedfordgroup.com or reach LaFleur directly at [email protected]. LaFleur also advises it will not proceed with the appointment of Mike Petrina as Vice President, Mining Operations and remains active in recruiting a regional mining engineer from the Val-d’Or area.
Cautionary notes and technical approvals
Readers should note that the PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources, which are considered too speculative to classify as Mineral Reserves. There is no assurance that PEA outcomes will be realized. All scientific and technical content in this release was prepared and approved by Louis Martin, P.Geo. (OGQ), Exploration Manager and Technical Advisor, who is the company’s Qualified Person under NI 43-101. LaFleur continues to focus on district-scale opportunities in the Abitibi Gold Belt, advancing the Swanson Gold Project (approximately 19,214 hectares) and the recently refurbished Beacon Gold Mill with current processing capability above 750 tpd.
