Interview with Graham Downs, President & CEO, Cascadia Minerals

Recording date: 12th May 2026

Cascadia Minerals is making significant strides in the central Yukon following its merger with Granite Creek Copper to acquire the Carmacks copper-gold deposit. As major mining companies increasingly seek reliable assets in stable jurisdictions, Cascadia is positioning itself as a prime player with this road-accessible, high-grade project located just 10 kilometers from grid power.

Unlike typical broadly disseminated porphyry systems, the Carmacks deposit features upgraded, structurally controlled zones averaging 50 meters wide at approximately 1.5% copper. The project currently boasts a resource of 651 million pounds of copper and 300,000 ounces of gold at over 1% copper equivalent. Because the deposit comes to the surface with clean granite contacts, future mining operations and wall rock characterization are expected to be notably straightforward.

To unlock the project's full potential, Cascadia launched a 15,000 to 20,000-meter drill program for 2026, aiming to double the existing resource to 1.5 billion pounds of copper. Thanks to the site's excellent infrastructure, drilling costs have plummeted to $400 per meter—a stark contrast to the $500,000-plus per hole often required at remote, helicopter-accessed projects. A key focus of this year's program is Zone A, located 11 kilometers north of the main deposit. Historical drilling here revealed exceptional grades, including 22 meters of 2% copper and 2 grams per ton of gold.

Agnico Eagle has recognized the project's potential, taking a 14% strategic stake to fund exploration through 2027. This partnership also includes a $12 million earn-in option for Cascadia's grassroots Stikine terrain projects. With this financial backing and a resource that is already mostly in the measured and indicated categories, Cascadia plans to bypass a Preliminary Economic Assessment. Instead, the company will leverage existing baseline environmental work to advance directly to a Pre-Feasibility Study, fast-tracking the timeline for this promising North American copper asset.

Learn more: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/atac-resources-ltd