Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 19, 2026) - West High Yield (W.H.Y.) Resources Ltd. (TSXV: WHY) (FSE: W0H) ("West High Yield" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has received the draft Environmental Management Act (British Columbia) permit from the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Parks (the "EMA Permit") for the Record Ridge Industrial Mineral Mine Project ("RRIMM Project" or the "Project") located near Rossland, British Columbia, Canada.

The receipt of the draft EMA Permit represents another major milestone in the advancement of the Project and follows the issuance of the Company's Mines Act (British Coumbia) permit in October 2025 (the "Mines Act Permit") and the recent receipt of the draft Highway Access permit in March 2026 from the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Transit.

The EMA Permit relates primarily to site water management, environmental monitoring, sediment and erosion control, and fugitive dust management for the Project. The Company is currently conducting a detailed technical review of the draft permit and will continue working constructively with the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Parks toward finalization of the authorization.

"The receipt of the draft EMA Permit represents another important milestone for the RRIMM Project and reflects the extensive, envionmental, technical, and regulatory work completed by the Company over several years," said Frank Marasco, the Company's President and CEO. "We believe the continued advancement of the permitting process further reduces overall project development risk and supports ongoing progression toward construction readiness and mining operations in 2026."

Permitting Updates

The Company also wishes to provide updates regarding other ongoing permitting and Project development activities.

Remaining permits and authorizations, including the final Mine Access permit, Water Licence permit, and Occupant Licence to Cut permit, are now in the final stages of review with the applicable regulatory agencies.

In parallel with permitting, the Company continues to advance post-permit compliance work under the Mine Act Permit, including detailed engineering, environmental management planning, and construction readiness activities for the Project.

Pilot Testing Updates

The Company is also pleased to report continued progress on its downstream processing pilot program previously announced on January 28, 2026. The first major milestone involving pilot setup and commissioning activities has now been successfully completed. In addition, preparation of the Record Ridge ore feed for the leaching process has been completed by the laboratory team, and the pilot plant is currently being prepared for operational testing as part of the Company's magnesium and silica processing flowsheet development program.

The objective of the pilot program is to generate operational and process data intended to support future engineering work and potential feasibility-level studies relating to a commercial processing plant.

Construction Funding Updates

The Company continues discussions relating to construction and development financing for the RRIMM Project. The Company is currently in advanced stages of evaluating and progressing funding initiatives and anticipates moving toward finalization following receipt of the remaining key permits and authorizations.

About West High Yield

West High Yield is a publicly traded junior mining exploration and development company, established in 2003, and focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing mineral resource properties in Canada. Its primary objective is to develop its Record Ridge critical mineral (magnesium, silica, nickel, and iron) deposit using green processing techniques to minimize waste and CO₂ emissions.

The Company's Record Ridge critical mineral deposit located 10 kilometers southwest of Rossland, British Columbia has approximately 10.6 million tonnes of contained magnesium based on an independently produced National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") Preliminary Economic Assessment technical report (titled "Revised NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment Record Ridge Project, British Columbia, Canada") prepared by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. on April 18, 2013 in accordance with NI 43-101 and which can be found on the Company's profile at https://www.sedarplus.ca.

Qualified Person

Rick Walker, B.Sc., M.Sc., P.Geo., the Company Geologist is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; and other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date hereof, and to not use such forward-looking information for anything other than its intended purpose. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States. The securities of the Company will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

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