BGM Announces Mineral Resource Update at Barkerville Mountain to Support Bonanza Ledge Operations

TORONTO, April 6, 2017 /CNW/ - Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd. (TSXV: BGM) (the "Company" or "Barkerville") is pleased to announce an updated mineral resource estimate for Barkerville Mountain at the Company's flagship Cariboo Gold Project (the "CGP" or "Cariboo Gold Project"). The undiluted and in-situ mineral resource estimate incorporates the Bonanza Ledge ("BL") and BC Vein ("BCV") deposits reported at underground cutoff grades (3.50 grams per tonne ("g/t") of gold ("Au")). Table 1 summarizes the updated mineral resources estimate for Barkerville Mountain (including the BCV and BL deposits), whereas Table 2 and Table 3 summarize the mineral resource estimate for the BCV and BL deposits, respectively. The updated mineral resource estimate was conducted by InnovExplo Inc., an independent consulting firm based out of Val-d'Or, Québec, and includes drilling campaigns from 2015 and 2016. The updated mineral resource estimate is supported by a new understanding of geological controls on gold mineralization at the Cariboo Gold Project developed by the Company's technical team. In accordance with National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101"), an updated technical report for the Cariboo Gold Project will be filed on SEDAR and the Company's website within 45 calendar days of this disclosure.

Chris Lodder, President and CEO of Barkerville commented, "These mineral resources on Barkerville Mountain are anticipated to support our recently announced initial underground operation at Bonanza Ledge on Barkerville Mountain which received all required permits as per News Release on April 4, 2017.  BGM targets a mine life of just over 2 years from Bonanza Ledge and 2 further years from the nearby BC Vein. After completion of mining of these two deposits, we aim to have a new larger milling facility on site provided results at the larger targets we are presently exploring justify the facilities.  Mine development is already initiated with mining contracts having been awarded and all required mining equipment delivered and assembled at site.  The Company has also began commissioning its 100% owned and fully permitted QR mill with low grade stock pile. Processing of material from Bonanza Ledge is expected to begin in July 2017. The Company will provide regular operational updates as production advances throughout the course of 2017. At the same time, we continue to aggressively explore with eight drill rigs on Island Mountain and the Valley Zone between Cow and Island Mountains. The objective of this drilling campaign is the definition of a larger resource to support our principal business objective which is to develop a long life, low impact mine with a new on site processing facility."

Table 1: 2017 Barkerville Mountain Mineral Resource Estimate reported at a 3.50 g/t Au cut-off grade (BC Vein and Bonanza Ledge).

Table 2: BC Vein Mineral Resource Estimate reported at a 3.50 g/t Au cut-off grade.

Table 3: Bonanza Ledge Mineral Resource Estimate reported at a 3.50 g/t Au cut-off grade.

The mineral resources disclosed in this press release were estimated using the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum ("CIM") standards on mineral resources and reserves, definitions, and guidelines prepared by the CIM standing committee on reserve definitions and adopted by the CIM council.

Technical considerations for the estimation:

• Each of Karine Brousseau, P.Eng and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo, B.Sc. of InnovExplo Inc. is an independent "qualified person" (as defined in NI 43-101) responsible for the 2017 mineral resource estimate. The effective date of the 2017 mineral resource estimate is March 21, 2017.
• Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability.
• Results are presented in-situ and undiluted.
• The estimate includes two gold zones.
• Sensitivity was assessed using cut-off grades of 1.50, 2.00, 2.50, 3.00, 3.50, 4.00, 4.50, 5.00 and 6.00 g/t Au. The final underground resource is reported at a cut-off grade of 3.50 g/t Au. Cut-off grades must be re-evaluated considering prevailing market conditions (including gold prices, exchange rates and mining costs).
• Density (g/cm³) data was established on a per zone basis and ranges from 2.72 to 3.20 g/cm³.
• A minimum true thickness of 2.0 metres was applied, using the grade of the adjacent material when assayed, or a value of zero when not assayed.
• Compositing was done on drill hole sections falling within the mineralized zones (composite = 2.0 metres for BC Vein and Bonanza Ledge with distributed tails).
• High-grade capping (g/t Au) was done on composited data and varies from 32 to 70 g/t Au based on the statistical analysis of individual mineralized zones. Restricted search ellipsoids were used during the BC Vein interpolation using ½ variographic ranges and a threshold of 21 g/t Au.
• Resources were estimated using GEOVIA GEMS 6.7 software from drill hole sampling, using a 2-pass Ordinary Kriging interpolation method in a block model (block size = 2 metres x 2 metres x 5 metres).
• The "inferred mineral resource" category is only defined within areas where blocks were interpolated during Pass 1 or Pass 2, where continuity is sufficient to avoid isolated blocks being interpolated by only one drill hole. The "indicated mineral resource" category is only defined by blocks interpolated by a minimum of two drill holes in areas where the maximum distance to drill hole composites is less than 20 metres for blocks interpolated in Pass 1. The "measured mineral resource" category is only defined by blocks interpolated by a minimum of three drill holes in areas where the maximum distance to the closest drill hole composite is less than 10 metres for blocks interpolated in Pass 1 and in close proximity with the sampled open pit (< 40 metres).
• Ounce (troy) = metric tons x grade / 31.10348. Calculations used metric units (metres, tonnes, g/t).
• The number of metric tons was rounded to the nearest hundred. Any discrepancies in the totals are due to rounding effects; rounding followed the recommendations as per NI 43-101.
• Neither the Company nor InnovExplo Inc. is aware of any known environmental, permitting, legal, title-related, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other relevant issue that could materially affect the mineral resource estimate.

Table 4: Input parameters used for determination of underground cut-off grade. Gold price and exchange rates are based upon three year trailing averages.

2017 Mineral Resource Estimation Methodology

The 2017 mineral resource for Barkerville Mountain was created in GEMS software using 3D block modelling and the ordinary kriging interpolation (OK) method. The resource area measures 1,525 metres along strike, 250 metres wide and 500 metres deep. The resource estimate is based on a compilation of historical and recent diamond drill holes and wireframed mineralized zones constructed by InnovExplo Inc.

The diamond drill hole database contains 659 surface diamond drill holes and 109 underground drill holes. A selection of 680 holes was considered for the resource estimate. From these, a subset of 496 holes (436 from surface and 60 from underground) cut across the mineralized zones. The database also contains 7,688 production blast holes, which were used as guidelines for interpretation purposes only.

Data verification included a site visit to the Barkerville Mountain field site as well as to the logging facilities. It also included a review and re-sampling of selected core intervals, drill hole collar locations, assays, the newly implemented QA/QC program, downhole surveys, information on mined-out areas, and the descriptions of lithologies, alteration and structures.

To conduct accurate resource modelling of the deposit, InnovExplo Inc. based its mineralized-zone wireframe model on the drill hole database and it's knowledge of the Bonanza Ledge deposit and similar deposits. In doing so, InnovExplo Inc. created two mineralized solids that honor the drill hole database. Construction lines were created on cross sections varying in spacing from 5 metres to 25 metres, which were snapped to drill hole intercepts to produce valid solids.

The Bonanza Ledge wireframe was inspired by a sulfide shell of previous work using a threshold of 3% pyrite content and clipped on the footwall fault located to the south-west, which was modeled from drill log descriptions. The BC Vein wireframe was largely inspired by Barkerville's geologist interpretation.

To minimize any bias introduced by the variable sample lengths, the raw gold assays of the drillholes were composited within each mineralized zone. The thickness of the mineralized domains, the proposed block size, and the original sample length were taken into consideration for the selected composite length. For the BC Vein and the Bonanza Ledge zones composites of 2.0 metres with distributed tails were selected. All intervals within solids that are not assayed were given a value of zero during compositing.

Given the density of the processed data, the search ellipse criteria, the drill hole density and the specific interpolation parameters, InnovExplo Inc. believes the current mineral resource estimate can be classified using the "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" categories. The estimate is compliant with CIM standards and guidelines for reporting mineral resources and mineral reserves.

Prior Technical Report on Non-Material Property Outdated

The Company's flagship Cariboo Gold Project described in this press release is the primary focus of the Company at this stage and is the only material mining property of the Company.  The Company notes that while a prior technical report in respect of the Cariboo Gold Project, entitled "Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd., Cow Mountain NI 43-101 Technical Report, Project No. V1458" dated May 15, 2015 (effective date of March 31, 2015) was prepared by Snowden Mining Industry Consultants and filed, however, the Company cautions that the information in that report is outdated and should no longer be relied upon.  The Company anticipates ongoing drilling work and geological modeling of the Cow Mountain, Valley Zone and Island Mountain areas will attenuate the prior understanding of the potential of the Cow Mountain resource.  An updated resource estimate and technical report will be disclosed in due course.

Qualified Persons
Each of Karine Brousseau, P.Eng and Carl Pelletier, P.Geo, B.Sc. of InnovExplo Inc. is  an independent "qualified person" (as defined in NI 43-101) responsible for this mineral resource estimate. InnovExplo Inc. acknowledges that it has reviewed the technical disclosure presented in this news release and that it is devoid of errors. Paul Geddes, P.Geo., Vice President Exploration of Barkerville, is a "qualified person" (as defined in NI 43-101) for the Company and has reviewed and approved the technical and scientific content of this news release. The Company strictly adheres to CIM Best Practice Guidelines in conducting, documenting, and reporting its exploration activities on the Cariboo Gold Project.

Chris Lodder
President & Chief Executive Officer
Suite 400-365 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
clodder@barkervillegold.com

About Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd.

The Company is focused on developing its extensive land package located in the historical Cariboo Mining District of central British Columbia. Barkerville's mineral tenures cover 2,110 square kilometres along a strike length of 67 kilometres which includes several past producing hard rock mines of the historic Barkerville Gold Mining Camp near the town of Wells, British Columbia. The QR Project, located approximately 110 kilometres by highway and all weather road from Wells was acquired by Barkerville in 2010 and boasts a fully permitted 900 tonne/day gold milling and tailings facility. Test mining of the Bonanza Ledge open pit was completed in March of 2015 with 91,489 tonnes of material milled producing 25,464 ounces of gold. The Company has completed several drilling and exploration programs over the past 20 years and has compiled this data with all historical information in order develop geologic models which are assisting management in defining new deposits in the Cariboo Gold Project. An extensive drill program is currently underway with the goal of delineating additional high grade gold mineralization.

Cautionary Statement on Forward -Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking information") that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information involves risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, statements about the timing and ability, if at all, of the Company to file an updated technical report for the Cariboo Gold Project; the updated resources on Barkerville Mountain supplying our initial operation on the Cariboo Gold Project for the next three years; the ability, if at all, of our exploration department to develop a greater resource required for our principal business objectives (developing a low impact, sustainable, producing mine with a new near site processing facility); the underground cut-off grade and the parameters used to determine the underground cut-off grade (including gold prices, exchange rates and mining costs); the growth of the Cariboo Gold Project; positive cash flows; the development of a new centrally located processing facility, including a facility that may be supported by other deposits in the camp; the Company's exploration showing strong results that may lead to a new property scale mineral resource statement; an updated resource estimate and technical report which will include the Island Mountain, Cow Mountain and Barkerville Mountain areas; the Company's objectives, goals or future plans; exploration results and exploration plans. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to, the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates; the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results; delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals; uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future; changes in equity markets; inflation; fluctuations in commodity prices; delays in the development of projects; and other risks relating to the mineral exploration and development industry, including those risks forth out in the public documents filed on SEDAR under Barkerville's issuer profile at www.sedar.com. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, Barkerville cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of securities of the Company that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither Barkerville nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

SOURCE Barkerville Gold Mines Ltd.