NIA First Mining Gold (TSX: FF) Update: Major New High-Grade Discoveries, Insider Buying, Being Added to GDXJ ETF

First Mining Gold (TSX: FF) is having the most important year in its eleven-year history… and almost nobody is paying attention yet, but that is about to change. On June 30, 2026, First Mining received federal Environmental Assessment approval for its Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario, clearing the single largest hurdle standing between one of Canada’s largest undeveloped gold deposits and construction. Springpole is set to become one of Canada’s next major producing gold mines.

But Springpole is only half the story. In May 2026, First Mining launched a 15,000-metre drill program at its larger-scale Duparquet Gold Project in Quebec… a project that already hosts 3.44 million ounces of gold in the Measured & Indicated category grading 1.55 g/t Au, plus another 2.64 million ounces of gold in the Inferred category grading 1.62 g/t Au, for a total gold resource of just over 6 million ounces. Duparquet is now likely to see significant growth in its gold resources following a major new high-grade gold discovery reported on Wednesday at the Miroir target.

On Wednesday, First Mining reported its best drill hole at Miroir to date, intercepting 5.26 g/t Au over 19.55 metres in drill hole DUP26-093, including 7.58 g/t Au over 12.95 metres and a spectacular 21.80 g/t Au over 1.0 metre.

And DUP26-093 was not alone:

Why These Numbers Are So Significant

Duparquet’s existing Measured & Indicated gold resource averages roughly 1.55 g/t Au. The intercepts First Mining just reported at Miroir are running two to three times above that grade, and DUP26-093 came in at more than three times above it. In any open-pit or hybrid mine plan, a higher-grade zone located near surface and inside the existing project footprint has a disproportionate impact on early-years cash flow, capital payback, and net present value. Adding ounces at 5 g/t is not the same as adding ounces at 1.5 g/t… it’s dramatically better.

Since NIA first reported about First Mining’s Miroir discovery less than one year ago on September 24, 2025, it has gone from 140 metres of strike and 100 metres of depth to approximately 220 metres of strike and 250 metres of depth… and First Mining states plainly that the deposit “remains open in all directions for additional exploration.”

Wednesday’s assays covered approximately 1,553 metres out of 2,994 metres already drilled at Miroir in recent months… and is only a fraction of the 15,000-metre program that runs into Q4 2026. Even the headline hole is incomplete: assays for the final 12 samples of DUP26-096 are still pending.

More results are coming shortly with a resource update already underway!

Remember: Duparquet’s current resource estimate has an effective date of September 12, 2022. In the four years since, First Mining has drilled approximately 48,000 metres across the project… at both established resource areas and brand-new discoveries like Miroir. None of these 48,000 metres of drilling are reflected in the official 6-million-ounce resource figure.

It was just announced this morning that First Mining Gold (TSX: FF) is being added to the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ), which should allow for a significant upward revaluation in the near-term as the AI boom goes bust and investors begin to invest into GDXJ for the first time this cycle. GDXJ has seen outflows for 23 of the last 29 months with GDXJ ownership bottoming on August 4th at a new 10-year low.

First Mining Gold (TSX: FF) Chairman Keith Neumeyer purchased another 853,500 FF shares in July after the company received EA Approval at Springpole at prices of $0.68-$0.7839 per share.

Over the last 10 months, Keith Neumeyer has purchased 7,937,500 FF shares, including open-market purchases of exactly 7.5 MILLION shares!

Keith Neumeyer is one of the mining industry’s most successful investors, having previously founded multi-billion-dollar companies First Quantum Minerals (TSX: FM) with a market cap of $35 billion, First Majestic Silver (TSX: AG) with a market cap of $12.97 billion, and Snowline Gold (TSX: SGD) with a market cap of $3.11 billion.

First Mining’s Springpole Gold Project was originally discovered by Quinton Hennigh, the world’s #1 most respected geologist. Quinton Hennigh recently became Chairman of Westward Gold (CSE: WG), where Keith Neumeyer is a major shareholder and Quinton Hennigh’s Crescat Capital is about to invest another $1.8 million into the company. Quinton Hennigh and Crescat Capital are also behind BCM Resources (TSXV: B), the #1 largest gaining natural resource stock of the last six weeks.

Past performance is not an indicator of future returns. NIA is not an investment advisor and does not provide investment advice. Always do your own research and make your own investment decisions. NIA has received compensation from FF of US$100,000 cash for a twelve-month marketing contract and previously received US$50,000 cash for a six-month marketing contract which has since expired. NIA has received compensation from WG of US$60,000 cash for a six-month marketing contract. This message is meant for informational and educational purposes only and does not provide investment advice.