Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 16, 2026) - Abitibi Metals Corp. (CSE: AMQ) (OTCQB: AMQFF) (FSE: FW0) ("Abitibi" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a major addition to its senior leadership team with the appointment of Ben Pullinger as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Growth, effective immediately. Mr. Pullinger will lead the Company's corporate development and growth strategy as Abitibi Metals continues to advance its flagship B26 Project while increasing market value and assessing further growth opportunities.

"We are very excited to have Ben join the Abitibi team," stated Jonathon Deluce, CEO of Abitibi Metals. "Ben has a proven track record of significant value creation in various senior roles over the last 15 years, and most recently as CEO of ATEX Resources where he was instrumental in the transformation of ATEX from a sub $50 million junior explorer to a fully funded $1.5 billion market cap company at the time of his departure. Ben joins what is becoming a best-in-class leadership team, with a compelling asset base and ambitious growth strategy aimed at building Abitibi into a market leading base metals exploration, consolidation and development Company."

Mr. Pullinger, SVP of Corporate Development and Growth added: "This is an incredible opportunity to join a dynamic, motivated team of professionals with a comprehensive skill set allowing Abitibi to grow across the full spectrum of value creation from exploration to production. I look forward to contributing to the future success of the Company."

Highlights:

• Mr. Pullinger significantly contributed to and ultimately led ATEX's transformation from an emerging junior explorer into a globally recognized company reaching a market capitalization exceeding $1.5 billion at the time of his departure and in under four years.
• His career also includes senior corporate roles at Roxgold Inc., Excellon Resources Inc. and Golden Star Resources Ltd.,
• The appointment significantly deepens Abitibi's management and leadership capacity as the Company continues to advance its high-grade, rapidly growing B26 Project in Quebec while assessing other opportunities to add value for shareholders.
• Mr. Pullinger joins a team of experienced executives, led by:
  • COO - Dave Bernier, who leads Operations & Development and joined the Company in January 2026. He previously served as COO of Foran Mining Corp.
  • VP Exploration - Louis Gariepy, who leads Exploration and joined the Company in March 2025. He previously served as VP Exploration at O3 Mining.

Mr. Pullinger is widely recognized in the mining sector for being one of the most successful value-creation track records among junior developers in recent years. He joined ATEX Resources Inc. as Senior Vice President, Exploration and Business Development in May 2022, and was promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2024, a position he held until February 2026. Under his leadership, ATEX advanced the Valeriano Copper-Gold Project in Chile into the largest new copper discovery in Chile in over a decade and one of the most significant emerging copper-gold discoveries globally, driving the Company's market capitalization from a modest junior explorer to over $1.5 billion in less than four years.

Prior to ATEX, Mr. Pullinger held senior corporate roles with Roxgold Inc. and Excellon Resources Inc., and most recently with Golden Star Resources Ltd., where he remained until that company's acquisition in early 2022. A Registered Professional Geologist in Ontario, Mr. Pullinger has spent his career directly contributing to the growth and development of significant mineral projects globally alongside business development and marketing initiatives. He brings this same combination of technical credibility, capital markets fluency, and shareholder-value focus to Abitibi.

In accordance with the Company's omnibus incentive plan, it has granted 250,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") to Mr. Pullinger. The Options are exercisable in accordance with CSE policy and the terms of the omnibus incentive plan for a period of 5 years from the date of grant. In addition, the Company has granted Mr. Pullinger 300,000 restricted share units , which will vest in line with the Company's policy.

About Abitibi Metals Corp:

Abitibi Metals Corp. is dedicated to acquiring and exploring mineral properties within Quebec, with a particular emphasis on high-quality base and precious metal assets that offer significant potential for growth and expansion.

The company's flagship B26 Polymetallic project hosts a substantial and growing resource base¹:

• Indicated: 12.96Mt at 2.08% CuEq (1.19% Cu, 1.16% Zn, 0.44 g/t Au and 30.8 g/t Ag)¹
• Inferred: 12.34Mt at 2.20% CuEq (1.60% Cu, 0.16% Zn, 0.68 g/t Au and 8.1 g/t Ag) ¹

The B26 project is strategically located just 7 km southeast of the formerly producing Selbaie Mine. This proximity provides the project with access to key infrastructure required for potential mine development.

Note 1: Technical Report NI 43-101 Resource Estimation Update Project B26, Quebec, For Abitibi Metals Corp., Was prepared by SGS Canada Inc., Yann Camus, ing., SGS Canada - Geostat., Effective Date: November 2025, Date of Report : January, 2026. SGS Canada is an independent consultant.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Jonathon Deluce, Chief Executive Officer

The Company also maintains an active presence on various social media platforms to keep stakeholders and the general public informed and encourages shareholders and interested parties to follow and engage with the Company through the following channels to stay updated with the latest news, industry insights, and corporate announcements:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AbitibiMetals

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/abitibi-metals-corp-amq-c/

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

Forward-looking statement:

This news release contains certain statements, which may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information involves statements that are not based on historical information but rather relate to future operations, strategies, financial results or other developments of the Company. Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions, which are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the Company's control and many of which, regarding future business decisions, are subject to change. These uncertainties and contingencies can affect actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on the Company's behalf. Although Abitibi has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. All factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on Abitibi's forward-looking information.

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