North Atlantic Titanium Corp. (CSE: NATO) (OTCQB: NATQ.F) (FSE: Y33) has released further details regarding its application for drilling permits at the Everett Titanium-Vanadium-Phosphate project near Havre-Saint-Pierre, Quebec. The company, in a news release on July 27, 2026, outlined the significance of recent metallurgical characterization and historical verification work that has shaped its planned 25,000-meter drilling program.
The drilling program will focus on the northern portion of the Everett oxide body, following a compelling mineralogical characterization by Corem, a Quebec-based research center. Corem analyzed a composite metallurgical sample from 57 sites across the oxide body and reported that approximately 99% of oxide minerals consist of high-quality hemo-ilmenite, characterized by very low magnesium, manganese, and aluminum impurities. This finding distinguishes the Everett deposit from the nearby Lac Tio Mine, the world's largest hard-rock ilmenite deposit, which contains higher magnesium levels.
North Atlantic Titanium is drill-testing the Everett Oxide Body not only for its titanium dioxide content but also for its low Mg/Mn/Cr hemo-ilmenite, apatite as a potential phosphate coproduct, and vanadium, with potential scandium credits. The project represents a broader Fe-Ti-V-P critical-minerals opportunity than a conventional titanium orebody. The company holds the 2,406-hectare Everett property under option from Romaine River Titanium Inc.
Pending permits include a Permit for Forestry Activities (PAF) and a Permit for Work with Impact (ATI) for the drilling campaign. The company plans to drill approximately 25,000 meters across 20 drill pads over three years or less, focusing on confirming historical drilling from 1951 and 1968 in the northern area. The targeted body dips gently about 20-30° to the ESE, and the work is divided into two stages: Stage 1 comprises 6,000 meters of widely spaced drilling to delineate oxide body limits and collect samples, while Stage 2 involves success-contingent infill drilling of about 19,000 meters to define a Mineral Resource Estimate.
Dwayne Yaretz, CEO of NATO, stated: "Metallurgical results reinforce the Company’s strategy to advance a secure, domestic critical minerals processing supply chain in Canada - supporting defense readiness and the reshoring of Western titanium metal production."
The Corem composite sample graded 37.0% Fe2O3, 17.4% TiO2, 0.18% V2O5, and 2.27% P2O5, with very low magnetite content. The hemo-ilmenite and apatite together comprise over 50% of the sample. The Everett oxide body lies only 3 km from the Lac Tio Mine, which supplies about 19% of global titanium dioxide feedstock demand. However, the Everett mineralization is hosted by a layered intrusion with an uncommon jotunite affinity, termed an oxide-apatite-gabbronorite, with evidence of higher volatile contents such as phosphorus and semi-massive hemo-ilmenite with significantly lower Mg, Mn, Cr, and Al than Lac Tio. The Corem hemo-ilmenite sample, for example, has a mean MgO content of 0.38%, compared to 1.6-3.2% MgO at Lac Tio.
The project's critical minerals potential aligns with the company's participation in the Elements08 Strategic Metals Excellence Centre program, funded by the Government of Quebec, which supports metallurgical testing. North Atlantic Titanium aims to advance the Everett project toward production of high-quality titanium feedstocks with potential coproducts, contributing to a secure domestic supply chain for critical minerals.
