Overview
Beyond Lithium (CSE:BY,OTCQB:BYDMF) is a mineral exploration company with the largest portfolio of greenfield lithium assets in Ontario, comprising 61 high-potential, greenfield lithium properties covering more than 198,000 hectares.
Adopting a project-generator model, Beyond Lithium is well-positioned to capitalize on the rapidly growing global need for lithium. Experts are predicting the global lithium market will reach US$22.6 billion by 2030. This demand for lithium offers investors several opportunities to capitalize on the global rush for the critical minerals required to propel both the EV industry and the clean energy transition. Adding to this opportunity is Canada’s designation of lithium as a critical mineral to support the country’s transition to clean technologies.
In March 2023, Beyond Lithium bolstered its lithium exploration play with the acquisition of 57 greenfield lithium properties totaling 125,751 hectares. In April 2023, the company announced an expansion of the company’s McKenzie Bay, Wapesi Lake and Wapesi North properties by low-cost map staking, forming one contiguous property and adding a further 14,163 hectares to Beyond Lithium’s land package.
Beyond Lithium further acquired a 100-percent undivided interest in 279 non-contiguous mining claims totaling 9,378 hectares, which significantly expanded three of its optioned properties known as the Ogani Lake, Maytham and Superb Lake North, and added a new property, named Sydere, to the company’s portfolio.
These milestone developments bring the company’s current total portfolio to 63 properties covering more than 198,000 hectares. The new Ontario lithium projects include eight significant assets for near-term exploration that, coupled with its existing projects – North Trout Lake and Peggy Group – create tremendous growth opportunities for the company.
Following the new acquisitions, Bounty Gold and Last Resort Resources, two leading prospecting companies in grassroots lithium exploration in Ontario, have begun conducting an assessment of currently available data and carrying out grassroots exploration fieldwork on the newly acquired Ontario properties.
Through a recent $1.38-million flow-through financing, Beyond Lithium’s 2023 exploration program is now fully funded, and underway. Phase 1 of the program will assess mapped pegmatite outcrops and identify new ones in all 63 lithium properties, and Phase 2 will focus on delineating potential drill targets and gathering additional geological insights to support potential joint ventures. A total of 18 projects have been advanced to Phase 2 exploration as of November 2023.
Beyond Lithium has made two spodumene discoveries in the same district. The first one is in the Victory Property which spans over 16,000 hectares located 40 kilometers east of Kenora and 70 kilometers west of Dryden. The company will carry out a detailed mapping and sampling program at the two spodumene pegmatites on the Victory Project and will apply for a stripping and trenching permit and a drilling permit with Ontario’s Ministry of Mines.
The second spodumene discovery is at the Ear Falls property covering more than 20,000 hectares, with grab samples returning up to 4.54 percent lithium oxide located 10 minutes away from the town of Ear Falls. The company started its stripping and drilling program at the Ear Falls Spodumene Project to gather additional geological data and delineate and prioritize targets for a more extensive drilling program.
In 2023, Beyond Lithium acquired a 100-percent undivided interest in 279 non-contiguous mining claims totaling 9,378 hectares expanding three of its optioned properties known as the Ogani Lake, Maytham and Superb Lake North. It also acquired a new property named Sydere.
The company also unveiled the discovery of a new LCT pegmatite intrusive stock – also known as a fertile pluton – at its Cosgrave Lake project. The discovery was named the Allan Graeme (AG) Pluton in recognition of those individuals who played a significant role in its discovery. The Cosgrave Lake project was one of the earlier projects being prospected as part of Beyond Lithium’s phase 1 program. The discovery of the AG Pluton at the Cosgrave Lake project unlocks tremendous lithium exploration opportunities for Beyond Lithium.
The company’s growth strategy is driven by four strategic pillars:
Quality assetsOntario-focused assets (while still open to other strategic jurisdictions)Financial disciplineFavorable share structure
Moving forward with the project-generator model, Beyond Lithium is advancing the most critical projects with its exploration team, while also seeking to option or joint venture other properties to various venture partners. This allows the company to maximize exploration dollars and minimize dilution.
“By adopting the project generator model, our shareholders will be exposed to multiple projects being advanced at once – hence increasing the likelihood of a discovery – with a significant portion of the exploration costs being incurred by our partners,” said Allan Frame, president and CEO.
“There are several compelling and strategic reasons to focus on Ontario. Ontario is quickly emerging as a reliable global supplier of responsibly sourced critical minerals. World-class deposits of high-purity, low-iron spodumene are currently being discovered and advanced toward production in Ontario. We are confident more of these deposits remain to be discovered here. While other jurisdictions such as Quebec have seen success, we feel the economics of transactions being done in Ontario being more compelling and conducive to creating shareholder value,” Frame added.
An expert management team with experience throughout capital markets leads the company toward its goals, including Frame, who brings 40 years of experience throughout the mining industry. Beyond Lithium has an excellent share structure, with insiders and founders owning about 50 percent of the company.
Company Highlights
Beyond Lithium is Canada’s only project generator dedicated to advancing the largest portfolio of lithium projects in Ontario.The 2023 exploration season is fully funded and is currently underway.The company strives to maximize available funds to drive shareholder value through exploration projects, and pursue joint venture partnerships to advance promising assets.Beyond Lithium now has a significant position in every major LCT pegmatite district known in Ontario, making it the most significant greenfield lithium exploration company in the province.A series of acquisitions in 2023 brought the company’s total portfolio to 63 high-potential, greenfield lithium properties covering over 198,000 hectares.Beyond Lithium’s insiders and founders have created an ideal share structure with ownership of approximately 50 percent of the company.An expert management team with expertise throughout the natural resources industry and capital markets leads the company toward improving shareholder value by exploring its significant portfolio.
Key Projects
New Ontario Lithium Projects
Beyond Lithium is the largest greenfield lithium player in Ontario. Many of its 63 properties show tremendous potential, with eight districts currently considered higher priority for near-term exploration or partnerships.
All of Beyond Lithium’s properties are greenfield projects that have not historically been explored for lithium or lithium-cesium-tantalum pegmatites. Phase 1 of the 2023 exploration program involves assessing and systematically sampling mapped pegmatite outcrops derived from available historical and regional data on all the projects, as well as identifying new pegmatite showings and locating prospective regional or terrane structures.
Projects below are the focus of Beyond Lithium’s exploration plans
Projects:
Georgia Lake District: Properties in this district collectively cover 13,217 hectares in an LCT pegmatite field. Every property is within 3 kilometers of known spodumene-bearing pegmatites, which are indicative of lithium deposits.Eastern English River District: This district includes the Sollas Lake, Tennant Lake, Maytham and Superb North properties that together comprise approximately 19,500 hectares with significant known pegmatites from past explorations.Hearst District: This district includes numerous pegmatites up to 25 meters wide and over 200 meters long.
North Trout Lake Lithium Property
North Trout Lake Lithium has 179 contiguous mining claims covering 3,490 hectares. The project is near encouraging deposits and hosts a significant strike length that creates blue-sky potential as exploration continues.
Project Highlights:
12-kilometer Strike Length: The project contains 12 kilometers of strike length of granodiorite sil. This granodiorite sill is reported to contain numerous pegmatite dikes with significant potential for future discoveries.
Peggy Group Lithium Property
The 100-percent owned 7,386-hectare Peggy Group asset is 80 kilometers north of Sioux Lookout in Ontario.
Project Highlights:
Close Proximity to Rich Deposits: The project is close to the McCombe-Root Lithium project operated by Green Technology Metals, which has a historical resource estimate of 2.2 million tonnes at 1.3 percent lithium oxide.Year-round Access: The property is accessible year-round via a well-maintained highway and logging roads.
Management Team
Allan Frame – President and CEO
Allan Frame serves as president and chief executive officer at Beyond Lithium. Frame has extensive experience in the financial industry, spending 47 years with various Canadian investment dealers. During his career, he has successfully underwritten or participated in raising several hundred millions of dollars for junior resource companies, primarily in the mining sector. Frame also acts as director of business development for DLP Resources and Prismo Metals.
Craig Gibson – Director
Dr. Craig Gibson co-founded Prospeccion y Desarrollo Minero del Norte, S.A. de C.V. (ProDeMin) based in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 2009, a consulting firm providing a broad spectrum of exploration-related services to the mining industry. Gibson is the president, CEO and director of Prismo Metals (CSE:PRIZ) and a director of Garibaldi Resources (TSXV:GGI). He is a certified professional geologist of the American Association of Professional Geologists and is a qualified person under NI 43-101.
Carmelo Marrelli – Chief Financial Officer
Carmelo Marrelli is the principal of the Marrelli Group, comprising the Marrelli Support Services, DSA Corporate Services, DSA Filing Services Limited, Marrelli Press Release Services, Marrelli Escrow Services Inc. and Marrelli Trust Company, a British Columbia financial institution. The Marrelli Group has delivered accounting, corporate secretarial and regulatory compliance services to listed companies on various exchanges for over twenty years. Marrelli is a chartered professional accountant (CPA, CA, CGA), and a member of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, a professional body that certifies corporate secretaries. Marrelli acts as the chief financial officer to several issuers on the TSX, TSX Venture Exchange, the NEO Exchange and CSE, as well as non-listed companies, and as a director of select issuers.
Tom Provost – Corporate Secretary and Director
Tom Provost is a lawyer at MLT Aikins LLP in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he has practiced since June 2017. His practice is focused on corporate finance, securities, mining, corporate/commercial law, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance. He regularly acts for mining issuers listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the TSX Venture Exchange, and the Canadian Securities Exchange in connection with a broad range of matters. Before joining MLT Aikins LLP, Provost practiced as a lawyer in Montreal, Quebec at BCF LLP (from January 2016 to June 2017) and McMillan LLP (2012 to January 2016). He is the corporate secretary of the battery materials exploration company Vision Lithium (TSXV:VLI) and is a member of the Manitoba Prospectors and Developers Association.
Lawrence Tsang, P. Geo – Vice President of Exploration
Lawrence Tsang currently serves as the senior geologist of Ascot Resources (TSX:AOT) and the technical advisor and a co-founder of Tailwinds Exploration, a private exploration company based in British Columbia. Tsang has more than 15 years of experience in the mining and metals industries in North America and has discovered several prospective projects throughout his career and successfully advanced the Premier Gold Project in BC from early exploration stage to development.
Michelle DeCecco – Director
Michelle DeCecco is the vice-president and COO of Lithium Chile (TSXV:LITH) and a director of Monumental Minerals. She has over 20 years of experience in the public mining sector specializing in capital markets, security regulations and corporate development and holds a Master in Business Administration. Throughout her career, DeCecco has been responsible for developing and executing overall corporate strategy including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships.
James Campbell – Director
James Campbell is a recently retired mining prospector and aviation executive, a former director of Gossan Resources (TSXV:GSS,FSE:GSR,XETRA:GSR), and a current member of its advisory board – stakeholder relations. He was a founding partner of Perimeter Airlines and Campbell Air, a Manitoba executive charter air service that served the mining exploration industry and First Nations in Northern Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. He is a member of the board of directors of the Manitoba Prospectors and Developers Association.