Market Opens

Peter Espig, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Nicola Mining Inc. ("Nicola") (TSXV: NIM) joined Dean McPherson, Head, Business Development, Global Mining, Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), to open the market. Nicola Mining Inc. (TSXV: NIM) is a junior mining company listed on both the TSX Venture, OTQB, and Frankfurt Exchanges. The company has five active mining / milling permits and leverages operations to support exploration. 2024 will see Nicola focus on exploring its flagship copper asset New Craigmont, North America’s highest grade historic copper mine. Nicola’s Gold-Silver Mill located near Merritt, British Columbia, is the only 3rd party approved permitted mill in the province that can process both high grade gold and silver mill feed via gravity and flotation processes. The Company also owns a gravel pit and rock quarry, as well as a Treasure Mountain Silver, Lead, Zinc Mine.

Ross McElroy, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fission Uranium ("Fission" or the "Company") (TSX: EQB) joined Dean McPherson, Head, Business Development, Global Mining, Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), to close the market and celebrate the Company’s 10th anniversary. Fission Uranium Corp. is an award-winning Canadian uranium project developer and 100% owner of the Patterson Lake South uranium property – a proposed high-grade uranium mine and mill in Canada's Athabasca Basin region.

Barbara Insley, Executive Director, Rare Trait Hope Society, and her team joined John McKenzie, Chief Executive Officer, TMX Group, to close the market and raise awareness of Rare Trait Hope’s mission to support research and fund therapies to treat children with rare diseases. Rare Trait Hope Society was established to fund research and human clinical trials aimed at curing childhood rare diseases not supported by our medical system. Their current project involves funding a gene replacement therapy to cure Aspartylglucosaminuria (AGU), a fatal childhood neurodegenerative disease. As the disease progresses, AGU children develop intellectual and motor disabilities, lose their language skills and ultimately face an early death. This clinical trial is a beacon of hope, not only for children with AGU, but also for rare diseases at large. It has the potential to set precedents for future trials on neurodegenerative disorders and to expand understanding and treatment options for diseases considered uneconomical by the pharmaceutical industry.

Ahmed Farooq, Senior Vice President, Head of Retail ETF Distribution, Franklin Templeton Canada, and his team joined Keith Wu, Head, ETF and TMX Market Centre, Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), to open the market and celebrate the listing of the Franklin Canadian Government Bond Fund – ETF Series (TSX: FGOV). Franklin Resources, Inc. is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 150 countries. In Canada, the company's subsidiary is Franklin Templeton Investments Corp., which operates as Franklin Templeton Canada. In Canada, Franklin Fixed Income is a business name used by Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. Franklin Templeton's mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company offers specialization on a global scale, bringing extensive capabilities in fixed income, equity, alternatives and multi-asset solutions. With more than 1,500 investment professionals, and offices in major financial markets around the world, the California-based company has over 75 years of investment experience and over US$1.6 trillion (approximately CAN$2.2 trillion) in assets under management as of March 31, 2024. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.ca and connect with Franklin Templeton on X (formerly known as Twitter), Facebook and LinkedIn, and read the Beyond Bulls & Bears blog.