welcome to CEO insights I'm Marilyn Guzman with investing News Network I'm speaking with Ken Armstrong president and CEO of North Aero minerals and we are talking about lithium exploration in Canada's Northwest Territories hello Ken hi maryn thanks thanks for having me yeah nice to have you so let's start our conversation with just I understand you recently done a pivot in terms of your project priorities from your former Flagship the Stefani project to ldg could you talk a bit more about that what was the


rationale for the shift and focus sure yeah I don't know I think pev might be a bit strong of a word we have um within North Arrow three spaming ptip projects now um the staffan was the first project that we Acquired and we announced that acquisition in Jan January um and as part of the Yellow Knife pegmatite Province very uh very keen on it and um and when we announced that acquisition we also said we're looking at other opportunities to acquire additional projects in in the nwt in particular and


and we did that in uh June and July we uh announced the acquisition of our McKay uh lithium project and then also our ldg lithium project both of those are further north up in the lacra region of the NW but really interesting because they came about from looking at our existing exploration database and a lot of the work that we've done in Diamond exploration over the last 10 10 plus years um with ldg um we noted from really old government uh geological mapping GSC mapping that there were some


spoy petites noted that were on a property that we already had um we went and stood on them uh confirmed they were there and really recognized the size potential there the the exposures are are impressive but there's also lots of overburden there's lots of room to expand so we made the decision we basically had enough funding in North Arrow to complete one drill program this year we had been planning on drilling to stafanie um but we made the decision to to switch that funding to focus on ldg


um really because of the size potential um now of course with the the fire situation in the Northwest Territories this summer um the evacuation of Yellow Knife um no happened um but that's sort of the main Logic for our view we like all three projects there very few companies have three projects that have known spaming pegmatites on them and and that's the sort of the fortunate position we're in and we'll get to to Really push all three of them forward now next year so I'd like to ask you


quickly around about that like the the fires that have happened so where it's at right now are you back um in operation like what what's the status of that right now yeah so we we are in the field um right now so just sort of the the period from the middle of August to the middle of September was really that period where there was there was little work happening or unable to do work as that they they rightly had to to get that situation under control um it did allow us even though drilling we


couldn't mobilize for drilling as we'd planned we did get up to ldg and McKay and we're just wrapping up now um the early part of October so we're just wrapping up a field program there um to allow us to get on these discovery again um Pro we're doing prospecting ground magnetic surveys drone surveys to get good ortho photographs over the discoveries um and really get the property properly ready for exploration drilling um next year so we're just wrapping that up we actually have people


on the ground at dfan right now as well doing the same thing getting the property ready for uh for exploration drilling next year right so um you've mentioned McKay as well like what work is being done there as well could you talk a bit more about that in addition to the two projects were yeah yeah I mean very similar to ldg the properties are about 20 kilometers apart uh ldg and McKay the same sort of setting they're uh the spine pegmatites and there are a number of simple pegmatites as well are


hosted within the metasedimentary Rocks um close proximity to what we call a fertile to mic granate so the kind of source potentially for spoy pegmatites is a very similar setting to what we see in the Yellow Knife pegmatite provin the same age sedimentary rocks same age of of of two Mica fertile Granite nearby um it just this area has really never been evaluated at all for its lithium um lithium potential and and it's really what's May quite keen on getting getting there making these discoveries and now


we're really going to want to get on on with proving them up next year so is North Arrow um solely currently solely focused on lithium given that you have diamond and gold assets as well yeah we we are we're we're focused on these on these projects we kind of made our our our true pivot from diamonds early this year when we we started to acquire these properties just looking at what's happening in in the the junior mining sector um where interest was for investors um and and having idea seeing


a lot of exploration activity happening for lithium in the Northwest Territories and nunut and it's an area that we know very well so our our focus is on on the three main projects um we also have another more Grassroots project up at BST Inlet in Nuno um the gold and the diamond projects they sit within the company um we've done a lot of work on them over the last number of years so our our tenure uh is is very solid there um we are going to look at advancing them when we can with the right partner


um when we can do so in sort of a non-dilutive way so with your current focus in the Northwest Territories um you know such a remote U area region in Canada could you talk about some of the challenges that you encounter operating in that region and how you're addressing those challenges yeah I mean probably it is as I mentioned it's an area we know very well um I think you know one of the the key challenges is is it it is in the north um you have the seasonality of Exploration with with long cold Winters


um the probably the biggest challenge and and one that comes immediately in mind to mind for investors is is just the lack of infrastructure how you know how do you get there how do you how do you get things done and um with all three of our lithium projects we've been very careful to to look in areas and acquire these properties in areas where we are close to existing infrastructure so dfan for instance it's part of the elife province as we mentioned it's about 100 just over 100 kilometers east


of yell knife right on on the shore of great Slave Lake and that allows us then to consider um mobilization and demobilization options using a barge we have direct access down to Hay River where the rail head is it's essentially like being being on a road um for ldg and McKay what's really interesting about those projects is they lie right along the alignment of the Winter Road that's used every year to service the diamond mines up at lacag so diab aad um like within within a kilometer or so you


can stand on on the the pegmatites at at ldg and you can see um what was an historic alignment of that winter road that came within a kilometer of these o crops and then you can kind of turn to the north on those same o crops and on the horizon you can see the wind farm at at the DIC diamond mine um just to give an idea you we're in an area where there's active mining happening um winter road is infrastructure seasonal infrastructure but that road has been built every year um since the early 198s


and is going to continue to be built every year and provides us very good access so that's kind of how we we look to address that that access issue and that lack of infrastructure um the government of the Northwest Territories is also looking at a road uh permanent Road access and all weather Road access up into the lactic gr area um disrupted by the fires but just in August they were um working on some engagement to look at the first leg of that road that would see it it um extend up to the


south end of McKay Lake and and McKay lake is the lake that our McKay project is on and then at the North End of McKay lake is where our ldg project is so more permanent infrastructures coming coming but there's the existing winter road which really import right and the Northwest Territories do does seem to be getting a lot of attention you know uh Australian company Todd River just announced a some significant acquisition so what is it about this region that seems to be uh you know attracting


attracting these lithium explorers and what do these new acquisitions mean for your projects well I think they underscore that it's a perspective region and so what's attracting explorers is is the fact the setting is right um there were known spine pegmatites in the region particularly around Yellow knife and that's sort of the key focus of of probably the um the most advanced company in the region lift power um they're drilling those off proving upgrades are there thicknesses are there


the tonage potential is is significant so yeah you're seeing um companies acquire properties um in particular Australian companies coming in and and recognizing the opportunity um it Compares very fav favorably to other regions in the world but even in Canada if you think of the James Bay Region of Quebec where there's a lot of lithium exploration ha activity happening um and uh a recognition that the nwt is uh a little less Advanced a little less well known so the opportunities to still acquire


properties are there um and it's no more remote than Northern Quebec either it's when you look at the distances um it it's very possible to picture how operations could could work uh um but the key part is the geology has to be there the deposits have to be there and we're seeing we're seeing that they are and um with North Aro I think we have a bit of a leg up and we were able to acquire these projects by staking again because we're familiar with the region and and we haven't had to pay uh


significant cost to get the properties now we need to evaluate them right so uh what's next for North ARA what can the um investor Community expect from your company yeah well we're in the fall as mentioned early October we just wrapping up field work at UH at all three of the projects so there will be news to come from from the work that we've done there as I mentioned was prospecting and mapping um a lot of the real groundwork we need to do to be prepared to drill and then we'll turn our attention to


being in a position to see all of these projects drilled in 2024 they all are fully permitted um LBG and McKay have the benefit of an existing exploration Camp that's already there we're doing the work out of it so that's uh will allow us to move to move quick so looking for news in terms of results on ESPY pegmatites hopefully new discoveries as well um assays and then really quickly turning into plans for 2024 and getting a drill taking advantage of the winter road and getting a drill up to LBG and and Kay to see


those properties drilled sounds like a busy few months ahead for the company I appreciate you taking the time Ken to uh join me today and sharing your insights thank you it's a real pleasure and thanks everyone for watching join again next time for another engaging conversation on CEO insights if you like this video subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you don't miss any new updates or interviews from investing News [Music] Network [Music]