Battle North to be acquired by Evolution Mining for $343 million

Northwestern Ontario is home to 2021's first gold mining merger. Battle North Gold Corporation and Evolution Mining Limited have announced they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement pursuant to which Evolution has agreed to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Battle North at a price of C$2.65 per common share in cash, for total consideration for all issued and outstanding shares pursuant to the Transaction of approximately C$343 million.

The Consideration represents a 46% premium over the closing price of the Battle North common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange on March 12, 2021 and a 54% premium based on the volume-weighted average price ("VWAP") of the Battle North common shares over the last 20 trading days.

George Ogilvie, Battle North's President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director, commented: 

"The all-cash offer is at a significant premium to market and reflects the extraordinary efforts of the Battle North team to create value at the Bateman Gold Project and ultimately deliver an outstanding outcome for Battle North's shareholders. We believe that there are unique and undeniable merits to combining the Red Lake assets of Battle North and Evolution and this Transaction reduces development and execution risk. Evolution is a highly regarded mining company with a demonstrated ability to successfully operate internationally. The Battle North team looks forward to working with Evolution to close the Transaction and smoothly transition operations to the new team." 

Jake Klein, Evolution's Executive Chairman, stated:

"Both Evolution and Battle North started the negotiation with a clear alignment that a consolidation of the properties would create value that would not be available if they were developed and operated separately. George and his team have done a very good job at progressing the Bateman Gold Project to this point and recognise that this is an ideal window to consolidate the properties ahead of the construction of the Bateman mine which is now in its early stages. 

This acquisition provides Evolution with an opportunity to expand our footprint in the region and create value by leveraging the infrastructure of the two operations. The additional processing capacity from the new Bateman mill will also accelerate our ability to achieve our objective of producing in excess of 300,000 ounces of gold per annum from Red Lake. In the 12 months that we have been operating at Red Lake we have demonstrated that we are a committed steward of the region. This expansion of our footprint will provide us with an opportunity to build on our track record as a safe and sustainable operator for the long term benefit of a broad range of stakeholders including the local workforce, regional communities and our Wabauskang and  Lac Seul First Nation Partners."

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