Sirios Resources has started a 1,800m diamond drilling programme at the Aquilon gold project in Eeyou Istchee James Bay, Quebec, Canada.

The effort aims to confirm the lateral and depth continuity of a gold halo identified during previous exploration in 2025.

The current drilling consists of three new drill-holes and the extension of two existing holes using a helicopter-supported drill rig.

Funding for the programme is being shared between Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada, which holds a 51% interest, and Sirios, which owns the remaining 49% and is acting as operator.

The latest initiative follows drill results from 2025 that highlighted a near-surface gold halo extending over 700m from south to north, with a width of more than 300m and dipping eastward.

Drill intervals of up to 298.2m grading 0.26 grams per tonne (g/t) gold were previously reported.

The newly targeted area lies less than 2km from the high-grade Lingo zone and 3km from the Moman zone.

The Aquilon joint venture (JV) holds 140 exclusive exploration rights covering an area of 68km², situated 10km south of the Laforge-1 hydroelectric power station and accessible throughout the year by road.

Since exploration began, 32 gold showings have been documented on the property.

Notably, prior drilling has returned intercepts including 12,906.5g/t gold over 0.2m at the Lingo showing and 3,527.4g/t gold over 0.4m at Moman.

Sirios CEO Jean-Félix Lepage said: “While results from our summer exploration at Cheechoo are starting to come in, we are excited to resume drilling at Aquilon.

“Aquilon has yielded some of the highest-grade drill intercepts ever obtained in Quebec, including 12,906.5g/t gold over 0.2m in the Lingo zone. This new programme will allow us to better determine the size of the gold halo that was discovered in last year’s programme.”