Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – September 2, 2026) – Freedom Gold Corp. (CSE: FRDM) (formerly SPOD Lithium Corp.) (the “Company” or “Freedom“), is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. John Shurko as the Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, effective immediately.
John Shurko is a mineral exploration executive and entrepreneur with experience advancing exploration projects across Atlantic Canada and the Yukon. Since 2016, he has been directly involved in the planning, coordination and execution of exploration programs with an aggregate value exceeding $1.4 million. His experience includes prospecting, soil geochemistry, core studies, reverse-circulation drilling, more than 4,000 metres of diamond drilling, placer exploration, and the coordination of airborne and ground geophysical programs, including magnetic, TDEM, gravity and induced polarization surveys. Mr. Shurko has extensive experience in project planning, permitting, regulatory compliance, contractor management, landowner and First Nations engagement, field logistics, laboratory coordination and government reporting. He is also the co-founder and President of 21Alpha Resources Inc. In addition to his exploration experience, Mr. Shurko has more than two decades of experience in the film and television industry, primarily as an Assistant Director, where he developed significant experience managing multidisciplinary teams, complex logistics and time-sensitive operations. As President and Chief Executive Officer of Freedom Gold Corp., Mr. Shurko is responsible for corporate leadership, exploration strategy and the advancement of the Company’s mineral property portfolio.
In addition, the Company would like to announce the resignation of Ms. Veronique Laberge as the interim Chief Executive Officer and director of the Company. Ms. Laberge will continue to serve as the Chief Financial Officer of the Company.
Flow-Through Financing
Further, the Company is pleased to announce that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 4,444,444 flow-through common shares (“FT Shares“) at a price of C$0.18 per FT Share for gross proceeds of up to $800,000 (the “Offering“).
The Company may pay finder’s fees on a portion of the Offering to eligible finders.
The gross proceeds from the sale of FT Shares will be used by the Company to incur eligible “Canadian exploration expenses” that qualify as “flow-through mining expenditures” (as both terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) (the “Qualifying Expenditures“) related to the Nova Scotia properties, being the Blockhouse Property, the Widow Point Property, the Frenchvale Property and the Westfield Property (the “Properties“), on which the Company entered into an option agreement (see press release dated June 4, 2026). The Company will incur Qualifying Expenditures in an amount equal to the gross proceeds raised from the sale of FT Shares during the period from and after the closing date of the Offering to and including December 31, 2027, and will renounce Qualifying Expenditures to the subscribers with an effective date no later than December 31, 2026.
The Offering is scheduled to close on or about September 30, 2026. All securities issued pursuant to the Offering described above will be subject to a four-month and one-day hold period.
Certain insiders may purchase FT Shares under the Offering. As such, the Company may issue securities to one or more purchasers that will be considered a “related party” within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (“MI 61-101“), making the applicable subscription a “related party transaction” within the meaning of MI 61-101 (the “Related Party Subscriptions“). If such sales are completed, the Company will be exempt from obtaining a formal valuation for, and minority approval of, the Related Party Subscriptions pursuant to Sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, respectively.
The FT Shares have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws.
About Freedom Gold Corp.
Freedom Gold Corp. is a leading exploration and development company focused on unlocking the vast potential of gold resources. With a strategic approach to resource management and a commitment to sustainable practices, Freedom is dedicated to driving innovation and delivering value for its stakeholders. Founded in 2020, its mineral properties is located in Quebec and Nova Scotia, regions renowned for its rich deposits of these valuable resources. For further information, please refer to the Company’s disclosure record on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.ca).
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
John Shurko
Chief Executive Officer & Director
(902) 233-3746
jrtshurko@icloud.com
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements with respect to: the closing of the Offering described herein, including the amount to be raised, any increase in the size of the Offering, the timing of closing, CSE acceptance, the use of proceeds, the incurrence and renunciation of Qualifying Expenditures and the Company’s exploration plans. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “seek”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “plan”, “estimate”, “expect” and “intend” and statements that an event or result “may”, “will”, “should”, “could” or “might” occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements. Although Freedom believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Freedom can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Freedom’s periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Freedom’s expectations include the ability to complete the Offering on the terms described, the ability to obtain CSE acceptance, the ability to use the proceeds in the manner indicated, the ability to incur and renounce Qualifying Expenditures as anticipated, risks associated with the business of Freedom; risks related to reliance on technical information provided by Freedom; risks related to exploration and potential development of the Company’s mineral properties; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies and First Nation groups in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in Freedom’s filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ in Canada. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Freedom does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.
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