Cartier Cuts 29.6 g/t Au over 1.7 m And 13.2 g/t Au over 1.0 m and Unlocks Two New High-Grade Gold Zones in Strategic Gap Between Chimo and East Chimo Deposits at Main (Cadillac)

VAL-D’OR, Quebec, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cartier Resources Inc. (″ Cartier ″ or the ″ Company ″) (TSXV: ECR; FSE: 6CA) is pleased to announce the sixth batch of results from Main Sector from the 100,000-m drilling program (2 drill rigs) on its 100%-owned Cadillac Project, located in Val-d’Or (Abitibi, Quebec).

Strategic Highlights from Main Sector

Drill Hole Results (Figures 1 to 4)
5B3/5C3 Zones

• CA25-300 intersected 29.6 g/t Au over 1.7 m including 54.3 g/t Au over 0.9 m (5B3 Zone).
• CA25-303 graded 13.2 g/t Au over 1.0 m (5C3 Zone).
• CA25-301 intersected 2.7 g/t Au over 5.0 m including 8.0 g/t Au over 1.0 m (5C3 Zone).

5B4 Zone

• CA25-295 intersected 4.9 g/t Au over 3.1 m.
• CA25-292A graded 3.1 g/t Au over 4.0 m.
• CA25-296 intersected 2.3 g/t Au over 8.0 m.

Significance for Investors

• Holes CA25-300, 301 and 303 identified two new high-grade gold zones (5B3 & 5C3), demonstrating strong potential for depth expansion and meaningful cost reductions. These new discoveries are strategically located midway between Chimo Deposit (683,300 ounces in measured and indicated resources and 904,000 ounces inferred resources) and East Chimo Deposit (1,400 ounces indicated resources and 464,700 ounces inferred resources), supporting more efficient mine planning and development.
• Holes CA25-292A, 295, and 296 confirmed 5B4 Zone (East Chimo Deposit) extends to surface, opening the door to more flexible operating scenarios and further improving the project economics. This gold zone is now continuous from surface to 1,300 m and still open at depth, signaling significant upside potential for resources growth.

Next Steps

• Additional drilling is required on the new 5B3/5C3 Zones to expand gold mineralization at depth, which hosts the same style of mineralization than Chimo and East Chimo deposits.
• Further exploration drilling is already planned to test several new high-priority regional targets at Main Sector, backed by detailed structural and geological modelling and VRIFY’s artificial intelligence (AI) driven targeting, reinforcing the potential for additional gold discoveries.

” These new high-grade discoveries between the Chimo and East Chimo deposits demonstrates the continuity of mineralization in this area and reinforces our confidence in the project’s growth potential. Confirming near-surface mineralization positions us to advance Cadillac with greater flexibility and improved capital efficiency. ” – Philippe Cloutier, President and CEO of Cartier.

” These results are very encouraging and mark an important step forward. Drilling has now shifted west of the historical shaft, a largely underexplored area known to host multiple gold occurrences. As we continue to advance the drill program, we see strong potential for resource expansion in the western portion of the Main sector, which could add significantly value to the overall project. ” – Ronan Deroff, Vice President Exploration of Cartier.

Table 1: Drill hole best assay results from Main Sector

* Occurrences of visible gold (VG) have been noted in the drill core at various intervals. ** Based on the observed intercept angles within the drill core, true thicknesses are estimated to represent approximately 65-85% of the reported core length intervals.

Figure 1: Location of the new drill results (regional plan view)

Figure 2: Location of the new drill results (regional longitudinal section)

Figure 3: Plan view, cross and long sections of the Main Sector

Figure 4: Photos of the drill core from holes CA25-295 and CA25-300

Main Sector

The Main Sector is a highly prospective area featuring several newly defined high-priority drill targets and gold deposits including Chimo, East Chimo and West Nordeau with measured and indicated resources of 736,600 ounces (9.4 million tonnes at 2.4 g/t Au) and inferred resources of 2,036,800 ounces (29.1 million tonnes at 2.2 g/t Au). In addition, two new high-grade gold zones were discovered during Cartier’s latest drilling campaigns, including the VG9 and VG10 zones.

The three deposits lie along an east-west trending, sheared corridor (Cadillac Fault Zone) and occur at the contact between the hanging wall turbiditic sedimentary rocks (wacke-mudrock), locally conglomerates and iron formations of Cadillac Group and the footwall mafic volcanics (basalt) of Piché Group. This lithological contact is a favorable horizon for hydrothermal fluid flow, likely related to synvolcanic gold deposition.

The Main Sector, defined by at least twenty-six sub-parallel gold-rich zones, are typically and primarily associated with a fine-grained and disseminated arsenopyrite-pyrrhotite mineralization, with a pervasive biotite-chlorite-carbonate alteration, all crosscut by late-stage smoky and white quartz vein and veinlet stockworks containing visible gold. Locally, accessory minerals such as pyrite and tourmaline are observed.

Milestones of 2025-2027 Exploration Program

100,000 m Drilling Program (Q3 2025 to Q2 2027)

The ambitious 600-hole drilling program will both expand known gold zones (Brownfield Growth) and test new shallow surface high-potential targets (Greenfield Discovery). The objective is to unlock the camp-scale, high-grade gold potential along the 15 km Cadillac Fault Zone. It is important to note that Cartier’s recent consolidation of this large land holding offers the unique opportunity in over 90 years for unrestricted exploration.

Environmental Baseline Studies & Economic Evaluation of Chimo mine tailings (Q3 2025 to Q3 2026)

The baseline studies will be divided into two distinct parts which include 1) environmental baseline desktop study and 2) preliminary environmental geochemical characterization. The initial baseline studies will provide a comprehensive understanding of the current environmental conditions and implement operations that minimize environmental impact while optimizing the economic potential of the project. These studies will be supplemented by an initial assessment of the economic potential of the past-producing Chimo mine tailings to determine whether a quantity of gold can be extracted economically.

Metallurgical Sampling and Testwork Program (Q4 2025 to Q1 2026)

The metallurgical testwork program includes defining of expected gold recovery rates and improving historical results from the Chimo deposit, as well as establishing metallurgical recovery data for the first-time for the East Chimo and West Nordeau satellite deposits, where no previous data exists. This comprehensive program will characterize the mineralized material, gold recovery potential and validate optimal grind size defining the most efficient and cost-effective flowsheet. The data generated will directly support optimized project development and have the potential to significantly reduce both capital and operating costs, while also improving the environmental footprint.

Preliminary Economic Assessment (2026)

Internal engineering studies have been initiated to validate a multitude of development scenarios that consider the updated MRE and current market environment. Following the selection of the most optimal scenario, a PEA will be completed which will also build upon the results of the metallurgical testwork program and the environmental baseline studies to unveil the updated development strategy and vision of the project.

Table 2: Drill hole collar coordinates from Main Sector

Table 3: Drill hole detailed assay results from Main Sector

* Occurrences of visible gold (VG) have been noted in the drill core at various intervals. ** Based on the observed intercept angles within the drill core, true thicknesses are estimated to represent approximately 65-85% of the reported core length intervals.

Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) Program

The drill core from the Cadillac Project is NQ-size and, upon receipt from the drill rig, is described and sampled by Cartier geologists. Core is sawn in half, with one half labelled, bagged and submitted for analysis and the other half retained and stored at Cartier’s coreshack facilities located in Val-d’Or, Quebec, for future reference and verification. As part of Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) program, Cartier inserts blank samples and certified reference materials (standards) at regular intervals into the sample stream prior to shipment to monitor laboratory performance and analytical accuracy.

Drill core samples are sent to MSALABS’s analytical laboratory located in Val-d’Or, Quebec, for preparation and gold analysis. The entire sample is dried and crushed (70% passing a 2-millimeter sieve). The analysis for gold is performed on an approximately 500 g aliquot using Chrysos Photon Assay™ technology, which uses high-energy X-ray excitation with gamma detection to quickly and non-destructively measure gold content.

Alternatively, samples are submitted to Activation Laboratories Ltd. (“Actlabs”), located in either Val-d’Or or Ste-Germaine-Boulé, both in Quebec, for preparation and gold analysis. The entire sample is dried, crushed (90% passing a 2-millimetre sieve) and 250 g is pulverized (90% passing a 0.07-millimetre sieve). The analysis for gold is conducted using a 50 g fire assay fusion with atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish, with a detection limit up to 10,000 ppb. Samples exceeding this threshold are reanalyzed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish to determine high-grade values accurately.

Both MSALABS and Actlabs are ISO/IEC 17025 accredited for gold assays and implement industry-standard QA/QC protocols. Their internal quality control programs include the use of blanks, duplicates, and certified reference materials at set intervals, with established acceptance criteria to ensure data integrity and analytical precision.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been prepared, reviewed and approved by Mr. Ronan Déroff, P.Geo., M.Sc., Vice President Exploration, who is a ″Qualified Person″ as defined by National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (″NI 43-101″).

About Cadillac Project

The Cadillac Project, covering 14,000 hectares along a 15-kilometre stretch of the Cadillac Fault, is one of the largest consolidated land packages in the Val-d’Or mining camp. Cartier’s flagship asset integrates the historic Chimo Mine and East Cadillac projects, creating a dominant position in a world class gold mining district. With excellent road access, year-round infrastructure and nearby milling capacity, the project is ideally positioned for rapid advancement and value creation.

The Cadillac property contains total gold resource of 767,800 ounces in the measured and indicated category (10.0 million tonnes at 2.4 g/t Au) and 2,416,900 ounces in the inferred category (35.2 million tonnes at 2.1 g/t Au) across all the sectors. Please see the Cartier’s December 18, 2025 news release titled ″ Cartier Reports Significant Gold Resource Growth At Cadillac With 9,953,000 tonnes at a grade of 2.40 g/t Au for 767,800 Ounces Measured and Indicated, a 7% Increase and 35,185,000 tonnes at a grade of 2.14 g/t Au for 2,416,900 Ounces Inferred, a 48% Increase. ″

About Cartier Resources Inc.

Cartier Resources Inc., founded in 2006 and headquartered in Val-d’Or (Quebec) is a gold exploration company focused on building shareholder value through discovery and development in one of Canada’s most prolific mining camps. The Company combines strong technical expertise and a track record of successful exploration to advance its flagship Cadillac Project. Cartier’s strategy is clear: unlock the full potential of one of the largest undeveloped gold landholdings in Quebec.

For further information, contact:
Philippe Cloutier, P. Geo.
President and CEO
Telephone: 819-856-0512
philippe.cloutier@ressourcescartier.com
www.ressourcescartier.com

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

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