West High YieldResources Ltd. Responds to SRRAC Judicial Review Filing and Affirms EAO Decision

West High Yield (W.H.Y.) Resources Ltd. (TSXV: WHY,OTC:WHYRF) (FSE: W0H) (the ‘Company’ or ‘West High Yield’) responds to the unfounded allegations made by the Save Record Ridge Action Committee (‘SRRAC’) in its recent announcement regarding a judicial review application filed against the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office’s (‘EAO’) final decision not to designate the Record Ridge Industrial Minerals Project (the ‘Project’) for environmental assessment.

The SRRAC’s claims mischaracterize both the nature of the Project and the regulatory oversight process. West High Yield has consistently acted in full compliance with British Columbia’s laws, regulatory thresholds, and environmental safeguards. The Company is confident that the EAO decision will withstand the court’s review.

‘Our Company has followed the law at every stage of this process,’ said Frank Marasco, President and Chief Executive Officer of West High Yield. ‘The EAO made its determination independently, based on evidence, thresholds, and precedent. The Company remains committed to transparency, environmental protection, and ensuring the Project delivers lasting benefits to local communities, Indigenous partners, and the Province of B.C. The allegations that we attempted to mislead regulators or put the public at risk are unfounded,. and we will vigorously contest these claims.’

The below details all of the steps taken by the Company in furtherance of the Project, as well as key highlights and milestones of the Project up to the date of this news release:

Regulatory Compliance and Transparency

For six years, the Project application advanced under the British Columbia Mines Development Review Committee guidance as an ‘Industrial Minerals Mine‘, where the environmental assessment threshold is 250,000 tonnes per year. The Company applied for 200,000 tonnes for the Project, which was below the assessment threshold.
In 2024, the EAO reclassified the Project as a ‘Mineral Mine’, with a lower threshold of 75,000 tonnes. The Company amended its application to 63,500 tonnes per year, which was below the assessment threshold.
The EAO’s final report confirmed that ‘intended operational production capacity’ (not speculative or theoretical maximum capacity) is the required legal test, citing the British Columbia Court of Appeal’s Friends of Davie Bay decision (2012 BCCA 293).

Independent Oversight by the EAO

The EAO conducted a rigorous, independent review of the revised scope, confirming the Project does not exceed the 75,000-tonne per year threshold requiring an environmental assessment.
SRRAC’s response to the EAO’s draft report was filed nearly seven weeks after the deadline set by the EAO for stakeholders. Despite this, the EAO nonetheless considered it before issuing its final decision.
The assertion by SRRAC that the EAO accepted the Project’s updated plans ‘at face value’ is simply not credible. The EAO is an independent body and it assessed the Project against legal thresholds and regulatory rules and regulations, as required by law.

Indigenous Partnership and Oversight

A cornerstone of the Project is its formal Cooperation Agreement with the Osoyoos Indian Band (‘OIB’), who fully support the Project. The OIB undertook their own independent environmental review of the Project. Construction and operations will be led by Skemixst Solutions, the OIB’s business enterprise.
This ensures Indigenous oversight, cultural awareness, and environmental stewardship while ensuring project benefits flow directly to Indigenous and local communities.

Addressing Health and Environmental Concerns

The Project will implement advanced dust suppression, continuous air and water quality monitoring, asbestos mitigation plan despite averaging only 0.0001% in volume verses Canadian guideline of 0.1%, in addition to strict material handling protocols to protect workers and the community.
A comprehensive reclamation plan is in place to restore the site after operations, in compliance with British Columbia Mines Act.

Benefits for Community and Province

The Project will provide direct employment and supply-chain opportunities for local businesses.
It contributes to Canada’s and British Columbia’s critical minerals strategy, securing sustainable supplies of magnesium, silica, nickel, and iron, materials that are essential for clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
The Project advances reconciliation by embedding Indigenous leadership and shared prosperity at its core.

About West High Yield

West High Yield is a publicly traded junior mining exploration and development company focused on acquiring, exploring, and developing mineral resource properties in Canada. Its primary objective is to develop its Record Ridge critical mineral (magnesium, silica, and nickel) deposit using green processing techniques to minimize waste and CO2 emissions.

The Company’s Record Ridge critical mineral deposit located 10 kilometers southwest of Rossland, British Columbia, has approximately 10.6 million tonnes of contained magnesium based on an independently produced National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (‘NI 43-101‘) Preliminary Economic Assessment technical report (titled ‘Revised NI 43-101 Technical Report Preliminary Economic Assessment Record Ridge Project, British Columbia, Canada’) prepared by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. on April 18, 2013 in accordance with NI 43-101 and which can be found on the Company’s profile at https://www.sedarplus.ca.

Qualified Person
Rick Walker, B.Sc., M.Sc., P.Geo., the Company Geologist is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking information. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause the results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in Canada and globally; industry conditions, including governmental regulation; failure to obtain industry partner and other third party consents and approvals, if and when required; the availability of capital on acceptable terms; the need to obtain required approvals from regulatory authorities; and other factors. Readers are cautioned that this list of risk factors should not be construed as exhaustive.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information, which is given as of the date hereof, and to not use such forward-looking information for anything other than its intended purpose. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

NEITHER THE TSXV NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSXV) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/268058