Canadian Critical Minerals Inc. reported that it has received an amended operating permit for its Bull River Mine ("BRM") project near Cranbrook, BC from the Major Mines Permitting Office ("MMPO") of the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation ("EMLI") of British Columbia. The amended Mine Permit M-33 provides authorization for the Company to perform screening, crushing and sorting activities in addition to current activities that include care and maintenance, exploration drilling and ground water well installation and monitoring. Previously, the Company announced that it had entered into an Ore Purchase Agreement ("OPA") with New Afton.

Under the terms of the OPA, CCMI will deliver up to 90,000 tonnes of mineralized material from the BRM to New Afton over a period of two years. The Company currently has a large stockpile of approximately 180,000 tonnes of mineralized copper, gold and silver material on surface at the BRM. Under the OPA, stockpiled material will be screened and crushed and then sorted through an X-ray transmissive ore sorter prior to transporting to the New Afton mill facility.

Ore sorting will segregate higher grade material that is economical to transport to New Afton for processing. In mid-November 2023, the Company accepted delivery of a rented Steinert KSS 100 ore sorter and began installation of the ore sorter in its in-door 5,000 square foot maintenance facility. To-date no material has been run through the ore sorter.

Commissioning of the ore sorter by licensed technicians from Steinert USA was originally scheduled for the week of February 11th, 2024. The Company announced the signing of an interim trucking agreement with Arrow Transportation Systems Inc. to transport pre-concentrated mineralized material to New Afton. On January 18, 2024, the Inspection and Compliance Office of EMLI visited the BRM and determined that screening, crushing and ore sorting activities were not authorized activities under the existing Mine Permit M-33.

As a result of this determination, the Company was required to apply for an amendment to Mine Permit M-33 to specifically authorize screening, crushing and sorting as permitted activities. Now that the Company has received the amended permit, installation of the ore sorter can be completed and commissioning of the ore sorter has been re-scheduled with Steinert personnel for mid-March 2024.