Total Metals Mobilizes Drill Rig To Its High-Grade High Lake Gold Project, Northwestern Ontario

(MENAFN- GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) TORONTO, Oct. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Total Metals Corp. (“ Total Metals” or the“ Company”) ( TSX-V: TT ) ( OTCQB: TTTMF ) ( FSE: O4N ) is pleased to announce that a diamond drill rig and geological team are currently being mobilized to the Company's 100% owned High Lake gold project, situated in Northwestern Ontario near the Manitoba/Ontario border and adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway.

• Drilling expected to commence October 9, 2026.
• Targeting 2,500 metres of exploration diamond drilling on the High-Grade Purdex Zone
  

“The entire technical team is incredibly energized as we mobilize equipment to the Purdex Zone,” said Robert Penczak, Vice President of Exploration for Total Metals Corp.“We've spent months refining our targets, and seeing a rig arrive on site is a highly anticipated milestone. This is an exceptional high-grade gold target, and we couldn't be more excited to get the drill turning shortly and see what the core reveals.”

Figure 1. Location Map of Total Metals Gold and Critical Metals Projects in Northwestern Ontario.

Figure 2. High Lake property airborne drone magnetics highlighting target zones and interpreted structural trends.

High-Priority Drilling Strategy
Drilling is expected to commence Friday October 9, 2026 at High Lake, where historic drilling has demonstrated significant gold mineralization. Geological and geophysical evidence indicates that the system remains open in multiple directions. The planned program is an initial phase of a drilling strategy with objectives to further expand the known mineralized footprint, establish continuity and further define the scale potential of the Purdex Zone.

The drill program has been structured to allow the company to scale activity in response to results, including the potential deployment of additional drill rigs to accelerate follow-up on successful targets. This flexibility is intended to allow Total Metals to rapidly advance encouraging results while continuing to evaluate the broader high-potential targets.

High-priority drill targets include the Purdex Zone and interpreted structural trends at the High Lake Property as shown in Figure 2. Areas of exploration focus include confirming and expanding occurrences as well as prioritized areas of structural trends, especially in where they intersect or bend in areas of lithological complexity.

Qualified Person
Robert Penczak, M.Sc., P.Geo (Ontario), Vice President of Exploration for the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information used in this news release.

About Total Metals Corp.
Total Metals owns 100% of the High Lake and West Hawk Lake Project covering 958 hectares in two gold properties located along the Trans-Canada Highway straddling the Manitoba / Ontario border. The Purdex Zone on the High Lake property has significant exploration potential and will be the primary target for initial exploration and potential future mining activities. The West Hawk Lake property is comprised of a single mineral lease, located within southeastern Manitoba. The Company has an option on the Menary gold property, strategically located in the Kenora Mining Division of Ontario, sharing a common southern boundary with the Rainy River claims being acquired by Coeur Mining, Inc. ("Coeur") following its ~US$7 billion acquisition of New Gold Inc. The most recent addition to the Company is the Pick Lake property, consisting of 75 claims and a mining lease covering over 5,260 hectares, accessible via a road connected to the Trans-Canada Highway to the south. The Pick Lake critical minerals deposit has an average strike length of approximately 250m and a depth extension tested between 300 to 1200m. Total Metals Corp. is focused on developing and advancing its high-grade gold and critical mineral assets located in Eastern Canada. The Electrolode Project is targeting high-potential critical mineral plus gold resources and targets in three favorable geologic trends, located near major mines in the Red Lake Gold camp and is strategically located between Kinross Gold's Great Bear Project and First Mining Gold's Springpole Project. The Electrolode Project and hosts 10 historic mineralized zones with significant expansion potential plus new, untested targets ready for further exploration.

Cautionary Statements
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in its policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of this release.

Tyler Thorburn
Investor Relations
...
(416) 873-7662

Forward-Looking Information
This press release includes“forward-looking information” that is subject to assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Statements in this news release which are not purely historical are forward looking. Although the Company believes that any forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. The Company cautions readers that all forward-looking statements, are based on assumptions none of which can be assured and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment based on information currently available. Readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such risks and uncertainties and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the TSX-V. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

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