Thunder Gold Acknowledges $215,000 in Funding from Ontario Junior Exploration Program (OJEP)

Thunder Gold Corp. has been awarded $215,000 through Ontario's Junior Exploration Program (OJEP), representing a significant validation of the company's Tower Mountain Gold Property development strategy. The funding was part of a broader $10 million government initiative supporting 68 early-stage exploration companies, announced by Ontario's Minister of Energy and Mines Stephen Lecce at the NORCAT Underground Centre near Sudbury on March 19, 2026.

The Tower Mountain project, located 40 kilometres west of Thunder Bay in the Shebandowan Greenstone Belt, presents compelling economics and scale potential. The property recently received an updated NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate from Micon International Limited, revealing indicated resources of 34.5 million tonnes grading 0.46 g/t gold for 514,000 contained ounces, plus inferred resources of 211.1 million tonnes at 0.45 g/t gold for 3.05 million contained ounces. The resource calculation used conservative economic parameters including a $3,000 per ounce gold price assumption and open-pit mining scenarios.

The OJEP funding will specifically target geophysical and geochemical programs designed to advance technical understanding and support ongoing exploration activities. This government backing provides crucial early-stage capital that can catalyze additional private sector investment, addressing a persistent funding gap in junior exploration. The project benefits from excellent infrastructure access via the Trans-Canada Highway and proximity to Thunder Bay's port facilities, potentially reducing future development costs.

For the broader Ontario mining sector, this OJEP allocation demonstrates continued government commitment to domestic mineral development and supply chain security. The Tower Mountain project's scale and infrastructure advantages position it as a potential catalyst for regional mining activity, with the intrusive complex showing gold mineralization extending over 500 metres from surface across a 1,500-metre strike length. With 75% of the intrusive perimeter remaining largely unexplored, the funding supports systematic evaluation of what Thunder Gold characterizes as a transformational discovery opportunity with long-term production potential.