| WESTERN COPPER AND GOLD UPDATES SCHEDULE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC EFFECTS STATEMENT SUBMISSION PROCESS FOR CASINO VANCOUVER, B.C. Western Copper and Gold Corporation (“Western” or the “Company”) (TSX: WRN; NYSE American: WRN), through its wholly owned subsidiary Casino Mining Corp. (“Casino”), is pleased to announce it has submitted to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (“YESAB”) Executive Committee an updated schedule for submission of an Environmental and Socio-economic Effects Statement (“ESE Statement”) on its Casino project (“Project”). In the schedule, Casino indicates it expects to submit the ESE Statement in the second quarter of 2023. The ESE Statement submission is an important next step in the Panel Review process. Since 2016, when the Casino project was referred to Panel Review by the YESAB’s Executive Committee, Casino has continued to advance the Project by engaging with potentially affected First Nations, completing a variety of Traditional Knowledge and environmental studies, conducting a number of drill campaigns, and finalizing a Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) on the Project. The PEA includes important refinements to many Project components, including the tailings and waste management infrastructure, which incorporated improvements identified by the Best Available Tailings Technology Study (“BATT Study”) completed in 2018 with participation by First Nations, YESAB and the Yukon Government as well as guidance from Casino’s Independent Engineering Review Panel. Dr. Paul West-Sells, Western’s CEO, stated, “Development of the ESE Statement is an important and exciting step in the advancement of the Casino Project. Over the next 18 months, our team will be expanding our engagement and consultation efforts with First Nations, regulatory agencies, and stakeholders, and developing the ESE Statement in a way that reflects Yukoners’ values.” |
