Sterling Metals Provides Year End Update to Stakeholders
Sterling Metals Provides Year End Update to Stakeholders
December 19, 2025 – Toronto, Ontario – Sterling Metals Corp. (TSXV: SAG, OTCQB: SAGGF) (“Sterling”
or the “Company”) is pleased to share an open letter from CEO and Director, Mathew Wilson to
stakeholders of the Company.
Dear Sterling Stakeholders,
This year marks the most significant milestone to date in our exploration journey.
Over the past twelve months, we advanced a copper project that has fundamentally changed the
trajectory of the Company and allowed us to deliver on our long -standing objective of uncovering
meaningful copper potential in Canada. In mineral exploration there is a saying: “giants don’t hide very
well”. What we have learned through our first ever drill program and within our first six holes is that the
Soo Copper Project , located in Batchewana Bay, Ontario, has the potential to have both the scale and
grade needed to fit into that tagline.
Through our first two drill programs , we have observed widespread copper mineralization across broad
intervals as well as a number of different porphyry units, providing our first indication to the size potential
of this system. As the year progressed, further drilling led to our discovery which includes a high-grade
bornite zone carrying strong copper grades and locally high-grade nuggety gold values , results that
materially elevated the project’s significance and potential (see press release dated September 29, 2025).
By year-end, we completed approximately 11 kilometers of drilling and have expanded our understanding
through new inversions of property wide and localized geophysics as well as advanced geochemistry.
Surface prospecting to date has identified a 6 kilometer trend of copper in bornite and chalcopyrite
mineralization which is still well open in multiple directions , reinforcing the district -scale nature of the
project (see press release dated October 8, 2025).
In October we strengthened our technical capabilities with the appointment of Dr. Neil O’Brien as Chief
Geologist. Dr. O’Brien through his experience with Lundin Mining, NGEX, and Cominco comes with a
unique perspective on successful copper porphyry exploration and development. His addition is a
testament to the quality of this project and between him, Jeremy Niemi , our SVP Exploration and
Evaluation, our field team, and the local expertise on site, we believe we are extremely well positioned as
we move into the next phase of growth.
While we have been working steadily to compile and interpret additional assay results, the dataset is not
yet complete enough to release. As a result, assay results are expected in early 2026, at which time a
broader and more coherent geological framework will be established, allowing for more meaningful
interpretation. These results will provide an important foundation for how we define our discovery area
and prioritize follow-up targets. We remain committed to releasing them responsibly and promptly once
the dataset is complete.
2026 is shaping up to be the most consequential year in Sterling’s history. Key initiatives include:
• Drill assays from the MEPS area are expected to establish the footprint and tenor of the discovery.
• Geophysical interpretation and new surface data that point to meaningful opportunities to
expand MEPS near surface.
• New ZTEM inversions identifying three priority deep -rooted targets, two connected to the
broader MEPS discovery footprint, and another situated beneath the 2-km bornite outcrop zone
at Gimlet.
• Participation in 2026 AME Roundup and PDAC core shacks, including drill core displays and
technical sessions.
• A minimum 20-km drill program, targeted to commence in February, focused on both discovery
delineation and step-out drilling to grow the copper porphyry system.
• Ground geophysics at Gimlet to refine the emerging exploration model.
• Expansion of ZTEM coverage to the northeast (pending final review).
• Continued prospecting and soil geochemistry along the 6 -km bornite trend to refine additional
near-surface targets.
In my 16 years of exploration and mining ventures, I have rarely seen an opportunity where “right place,
right time” is more attributable. Copper markets are entering a structurally strong phase with prices
increasingly reflecting a continued increase in demand, a shortage of new discoveries and a clear need for
protected domestic supply1. Copper discoveries of this scale, grade, and accessibility are increasingly rare,
particularly in Canada, which despite its significant resources accounts for just 1% of global copper
reserves2. Canada has acknowledged that shortfall and its desire to focus on copper given two of the five
fast tracked mineral projects are copper assets3. There are few places more accessible than our project,
enabling a competitive exploration cost profile, while the city of Sault Ste. Marie less than an hour south
of the project offers a rich industrial tradition and is well positioned to emerge as an important mining
and logistics hub.
I and all of us at Sterling thank you for your continued support. I look forward to updating you further in
the months ahead and encourage shareholders and interested parties to visit us at Roundup or PDAC.
Happy holidays,
Mathew Wilson
CEO and Director
Sterling Metals Corp.
About the Soo Copper Project
The Soo Copper Project sits just 20 minutes off the Trans -Canada Highway, one hour north of Sault Ste.
Marie, and 20km from rail and deep-water access. With near-surface copper—one of the most critical of
all critical metals—alongside gold, and with the project now demonstrating both scale and grade, Sterling
sees the potential for Soo Copper to become a nationally significant asset as Canada accelerates its efforts
to secure strategic copper resources. Prime Minister Carney’s recent designation of copper a s one of
1 https://www.mining.com/coppers-next-shortage-is-structural-not-hype-analyst/
2 Copper facts - Natural Resources Canada
3 Critical minerals: an opportunity for Canada - Canada.ca
Canada’s first five strategic assets underscores the importance of this discovery and its potential to
emerge as a key project of national interest4.
Qualified Person
Jeremy Niemi, P.Geo., Senior Vice President, Exploration and Evaluation for Sterling Metals has reviewed
and approved the technical information presented herein.
About Sterling Metals
Sterling Metals is a mineral exploration company focused on large scale and high -grade Canadian
exploration opportunities. The Company is advancing the 25,000 -hectare Soo Copper Project in Ontario
which has past production, and multiple breccia and porphyr y targets strategically located near robust
infrastructure and the 29,000-hectare Adeline Project in Labrador which covers an entire sediment-hosted
copper belt with significant silver credits. Both opportunities have demonstrated potential for important
new copper discoveries, underscoring Sterling's commitment to pioneering exploration in mineral rich
Canada.
Sterling Metals acknowledges that its exploration activities within the Soo Copper project are conducted
on the traditional lands of the Batchewana, Garden River, and Michipicoten First Nations of the North
Shore of Lake Superior. We recognize and respect the longstanding and diverse relationships Indigenous
Peoples have with the land and are committed to engaging in a manner that is respectful, transparent,
and inclusive.
For more information, please contact:
Sterling Metals Corp.
Mathew Wilson, CEO and Director
Tel: (416) 643-3887
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.sterlingmetals.ca
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 release.
This news release contains certain “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable
securities laws. Forward looking information is frequently characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”,
“project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “potential”, “proposed”
and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions “may” or “will” occur. These
statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of
management at the date the information is provided, and is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties
and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the
forward-looking information. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its
business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company’s Management’s Discussion and Analysis. The
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Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or
management’s estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not
to place undue reliance on forward-looking information.