Westhaven Gold Corp. (TSX-V: WHN) (OTCQB: WTHVF) has announced encouraging results from its 2026 field activities at the Shovelnose gold and silver project in southern British Columbia. The company reported initial mineral resource in-fill drilling results and the commencement of a Prefeasibility Study (PFS) for potential mine development at the South Zone deposit.
The work is funded under a strategic earn-in agreement with Dundee Corporation, which may earn up to a 60% interest in Westhaven's four Spences Bridge Gold Belt properties through staged project expenditures of up to CDN$85,000,000. Under the first phase, Dundee has committed a minimum of CDN$30,000,000, including a fully funded 50,000m drill program and Pre-Feasibility work at Shovelnose.
Key Highlights from the Drilling Program
To date, 8,537m of drilling (32 drill holes) have been completed within the South Zone deposit, representing approximately 23% of the planned mineral resource drilling program. Assay results from 14 drill holes (3,500m; about 10% of planned in-fill drilling) have been received, with notable results including:
- 54.0m grading 8.99 g/t Au and 55 g/t Ag (hole SNR26-070)
- 42.0m grading 4.35 g/t Au and 41 g/t Ag (hole SNR26-63)
The drill program is expected to increase from two to four drills by May 15, 2026, ahead of schedule. Initial drilling focuses on completing approximately 35,000m of mineral resource in-fill drilling at the South Zone deposit, targeting inclusion in an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) to support the PFS, with anticipated completion in H2 2027.
Additional Program Components
The 2026 drilling program is also expected to include about 15,000m of exploration drilling and additional dedicated drilling for hydrogeological, geotechnical, and metallurgical studies in support of the PFS. Environmental Assessment (EA) level environmental and socio-economic baseline programs are currently being developed, with implementation to follow in support of the PFS and future EA application.
Ken Armstrong, President and CEO of Westhaven, commented: "Resource in-fill drilling at the South Zone deposit is well underway and is delivering results consistent with our expectations. Early drilling has focused on fully defining the northwestern and southeastern edges of the deposit, with initial gold and silver grades and widths confirming expected grades and continuity of mineralization in these areas. Highlighted drill intervals reported today, including 54m grading 8.99 g/t Au and 55 g/t Ag from hole SNR26-072, reinforce the wide, high-grade nature of the South Zone deposit. Overall, the 2026 Shovelnose field program continues to ramp up as planned, with the 3rd and 4th drills scheduled to be operational by May 15 – two weeks ahead of schedule – positioning Westhaven for an active and productive field season."
South Zone Mineral Resource In-fill Drilling Details
The 35,000m South Zone mineral resource drilling program has been designed to infill the deposit at nominal 25m centres. To date, 32 drill holes (8,537m) have been completed, representing approximately 23% of the planned program meterage. Initial results from 14 holes (3,500m or 10% of the planned meterage) are reported in this news release.
