Mr. Sam Lee reports

NORTHISLE ANNOUNCES RECOVERIES OF 90% GOLD AND 80% COPPER AT NORTHWEST EXPO AND ACCELERATES 2024 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE

NorthIsle Copper and Gold Inc. has released preliminary metallurgical results from Northwest Expo, which demonstrate combined flotation and leach recoveries for gold ranging from 88.7 per cent to 92.6 per cent and for copper from flotation ranging from 68.7 per cent to 87.7 per cent.

Sam Lee, president and chief executive officer of NorthIsle, stated: "We are very pleased to receive these positive metallurgical results at Northwest Expo within the North Island project. Gold recoveries were significantly higher than initially anticipated and the clean copper concentrate remains very attractive with low deleterious elements. These results are a significant step towards accelerating the consideration of this gold-rich zone within our large, richly endowed porphyry district in 2024."

Two thousand twenty-four project development timeline

Upon completion of the initial Northwest Expo mineral resource estimate during Q1 2024, the company will review opportunities to optimize the North Island project during Q2 2024, including an evaluation of various combinations of the Northwest Expo, Red Dog and Hushamu deposits as stand-alone, combined or staged projects.

Summary of metallurgical testing procedures and results

The test program was developed and managed by Ausenco Engineering Canada ULC and K-met Consultants Inc., which are both independent of NorthIsle. Base Metallurgical Laboratories Ltd. performed the test work in Kamloops, B.C., and is also independent of NorthIsle.

The table entitled "Summary of metallurgical tests on Northwest Expo 2023 drill core" summarizes the locked cycle flotation and leach results from tests conducted on chlorite-magnetite (CMG) and silica-clay-pyrite (SCP) composites. The average recoveries to be used in the mineral resource estimate are provided in the MRE recoveries columns. Gold recoveries are significantly better than the Hushamu and Red Dog recoveries (see the amended 2021 North Island copper and gold project preliminary economic assessment filed June, 2022) both from flotation alone and including leaching, while locked cycle flotation copper recoveries for Northwest Expo are marginally lower compared with Hushamu recoveries (85 per cent average), primarily due to lower average copper head grades.

Copper concentrate grades averaged 21.6 per cent in CMG and 27.2 per cent in SCP.

The testing procedure was carried out on half-core from drill holes NW23-9, NW23-11, NW23-12, NW23-13 and NW23-14 from the Northwest Expo 2023 drill program. A listing of the drill intervals used in the test program is presented in the table entitled "Northwest Expo 2023 drill core intervals used in test program."

Further details of the drill holes noted herein, including data verification and quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) can be found in NorthIsle's press release dated Nov. 27, 2023, found on-line.

The core was first crushed to minus-6 mesh and prepared into master composite and variability test charges. A series of bench-scale rougher and cleaner flotation tests were then conducted on the samples (two-kilogram and four kg test charges) at primary grind sizes ranging from 75 micrometres to 150 micrometres P80. Flotation reagents used included 3418A, PAX and MIBC. The pH was varied from 6.6 to 11. Rougher concentrate regrind discharge sizes varied between 12 micrometres and 19 micrometres P80 prior to three stages of cleaner flotation.

Rougher and cleaner tails were both subsequently leached using sodium cyanide by bottle roll methods to maximize gold extraction. The copper grades were sufficiently low in both the rougher and flotation tails, and did not impact leaching performance. The rougher tails were leached for 24 hours as the gold extraction appeared to complete. The cleaner tails were preaerated with additional oxygen for two hours and subsequently leached for 48 hours, although the gold extraction was likely complete significantly earlier.

Comminution tests were also performed with average Axb values of 84 and 67 for CMG and SCP samples, respectively. The average Bond ball mill work index was 16.9 kWh/t (kilowatt-hour/tonne) for all samples. The samples have a lower resistance to breakage in a SAG (semi-autogenous grinding) mill than values measured on Hushamu and Red Dog samples, however the ball mill work index values are slightly higher.

The flotation portion of the flowsheet is very similar to that applied to Hushamu and Red Dog samples in earlier test programs.

Qualified person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed, verified and approved by Ian Chang, PEng, NorthIsle Copper and Gold's vice-president of project development, who is considered a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

The information in this press release relating to metallurgical test work results has been reviewed and verified by Peter Mehrfert, PEng, Ausenco Engineering Canada, consultant to NorthIsle. Mr. Mehrfert is a qualified person under NI 43-101.

Data verification and QA/QC

Data verification consisted of the qualified persons (QPs) listed above ensuring that the samples selected came from within the area which is likely to be included in NorthIsle's planned resource estimate, and that the selected samples are generally consistent with the mineralized material to be incorporated in that estimate. The QPs checked that the sampling protocol used by BaseMet was applicable for the planned test work. In the QPs' opinion, the testwork conducted was completed by a reputable metallurgical testing facility and used industry-standard methods. Mr. Mehrfert, PEng, has visited the test work facility. Internal QA/QC is performed by BaseMet as part of its testing protocols and NorthIsle has implemented QA/QC protocols for its drilling results, as described further in NorthIsle's press release dated Nov. 27, 2023, found on-line.

About NorthIsle Copper and Gold Inc.

NorthIsle Copper and Gold is a Vancouver-based company whose mission is to become Canada's leading sustainable mineral resource company for the future. NorthIsle, through its 100-per-cent-owned subsidiary North Island Mining Corp., owns the North Island project, which is one of the most promising copper and gold porphyry projects in Canada. The North Island project is located near Port Hardy, B.C., on a more-than-34,000-hectare block of mineral titles 100 per cent owned by NorthIsle, stretching 50 kilometres northwest from the now-closed Island copper mine operated by BHP Billiton. NorthIsle completed an updated preliminary economic assessment for the North Island project in 2021 and is now focused on advancement of the project through a prefeasibility study, while continuing exploration within this highly prospective land package.

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