Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Advances Frances Creek Barite Project with Multi-Year Exploration Permit Application
June 10th, 2026 11:30 AM
By: Newsworthy Staff
Voyageur Pharmaceuticals submitted a multi-year exploration permit application for its Frances Creek barite project, aiming to extract 2,000 tonnes of high-grade ore for process validation and geotechnical studies to advance toward a feasibility study.

Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (TSX-V: VM) has submitted a Multi-Year Area-Based Notice of Work application to the British Columbia Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals for its Frances Creek barite project. The application seeks authorization for a five-year advanced exploration program on a 76.8-hectare work area within mineral claims 571267, 1054177, and 1031568. The proposed program includes exploration trenching, access trail development, construction of a processing area, and development of a mine rock storage facility, all located primarily on previously disturbed forestry land.
The Year 1 program includes a planned extraction of 2,000 tonnes of high-grade barite ore (specific gravity 4.5) hosted in dolomite (specific gravity 2.9), comprising 1,000 tonnes from the A Zone and 1,000 tonnes from the B Zone. This extraction is within the annual limit of 1,000 tonnes ore per cell under the Mineral Tenure Act regulations. The barite will be processed on site using dry densimetric technology to produce an initial concentrate, which will be shipped to the Company's future facility for USP barium upgrading. The material will be used to design, test, and validate the Company's proprietary concentration and acid leach process to meet USP specifications for pharmaceutical-grade barium contrast agents.
The application also includes a geotechnical drilling program to provide rock mechanics and slope stability data required to finalize quarry pit wall designs and waste rock storage facility configurations. This information is the primary remaining data requirement to complete a NI 43-101 Final Feasibility Study, building on the Company's 2022 Preliminary Economic Assessment and the Pre-Feasibility Study currently in progress.
Brent Willis, CEO of Voyageur Pharmaceuticals Ltd., stated: "This Notice of Work submission is a significant de-risking milestone. The Year 1 test extraction will generate the material required to advance process development and validation at our pilot plant in support of a future full-scale pharmaceutical API facility. The accompanying geotechnical program will enable us to progress the project to Final Feasibility Study level. Frances Creek’s grade and purity continue to position Voyageur as a potential future secure North American supplier of pharmaceutical barium contrast products."
All proposed activities will be conducted in accordance with the Mines Act, the Health, Safety and Reclamation Code for Mines in British Columbia, and applicable provisions of the Mineral Tenure Act regulations. The program is designed to be low-impact, with progressive reclamation planned upon completion of exploration activities.
The NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment dated February 22, 2022 for the Frances Creek Project outlined a low-cost open-pit development scenario focused on high-value pharmaceutical applications. Recent market observations indicate that costs for imported pharmaceutical-grade barite have increased significantly compared to the PEA assumptions, which may positively influence updated project economics. The project hosts an indicated and inferred mineral resource of 132,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical grade barium sulfate, forming a cornerstone of the Company’s strategy to establish a fully vertically integrated barium contrast media supply chain. Recent testing confirms the FC barite purity exceeds Pharmaceutical Grade (97.5%), with an average grade 98.8% BaSO4 (see news release dated March 3, 2026).
This disclosure has been reviewed and approved by Bradley Willis, P.Eng, a non-independent Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.
Source Statement
This news article relied primarily on a press release disributed by NewMediaWire. You can read the source press release here,
