Investor Insight
With a strategic foothold in British Columbia’s most prospective mining belts, Finlay Minerals is an emerging copper-gold-silver exploration company with a compelling investment story, backed by a 30-year technical legacy and disciplined approach to discovery.
Overview
Finlay Minerals (TSXV:FYL,OTCQB:FYMNF) is a Vancouver-based mineral exploration company focused on advancing copper, gold and silver projects in British Columbia’s premier mining districts, particularly within the richly mineralized and productive Stikine Terrane. The company’s strategic objective is to discover and develop high-quality porphyry and epithermal deposits through a combination of geological expertise, partner-funded programs, and disciplined capital deployment.
Founders John J. Barakso and Robert Brown at the PIL Property
Finlay’s value proposition is anchored in its 2025 agreements with Freeport-McMoRan – one of the world’s largest copper producers – which is actively funding the advancement of the PIL and ATTY projects in the Toodoggone District. These earn-in agreements provide a non-dilutive path to unlock value from Finlay’s flagship assets, while enabling the company to focus internal resources on regional-scale exploration at its SAY, JJB and Silver Hope properties.
The company benefits from a seasoned technical team with regional expertise and a deep understanding of the geologic architecture of British Columbia. New exploration initiatives, such as those along the Bear Lake Corridor, position Finlay for new discovery potential across multiple fronts. With metal prices trending higher and a favorable operating environment in Canada, Finlay Minerals offers exposure to copper and gold discoveries in one of the safest and most geologically endowed jurisdictions globally.
Company Highlights
- Strategic Alliance with Freeport-McMoRan: Freeport has committed up to $35 million in exploration spending and $4.1 million in cash payments for an 80 percent interest in Finlay’s PIL and ATTY projects, validating their district-scale potential.
- Dominant Land Position in the Toodoggone District: PIL and ATTY provide direct exposure to one of BC’s most active copper-gold corridors, adjacent to Centerra’s Kemess complex and Amarc-Freeport’s AuRORA discovery.
- Unlocking the Bear Lake Corridor: The SAY and JJB properties offer large-scale exploration potential in an underexplored region analogous to major discoveries like American Eagle’s NAK and Amarc’s DUKE.
- Disciplined Exploration Focus: More than 70 percent of all capital raised has gone directly into the ground, demonstrating Finlay’s capital-efficient approach and scientific rigor.
- Proven Leadership Legacy: Founded by renowned geochemist John J. Barakso and led by a technically adept team with deep experience in BC exploration.
Key Projects
PIL
The 100 percent owned PIL property spans 13,374 hectares in the prolific Toodoggone mining district in British Columbia and was staked over 30 years ago by Finlay’s founders. It hosts multiple copper-gold-molybdenum porphyry and gold-silver epithermal targets within the 70 km regional porphyry corridor trend, situated near major deposits including Centerra Gold’s Kemess complex and the Amarc-Freeport AuRORA discovery. Notable targets on the property include PIL South (2.5 x 2.0 km soil geochemical anomaly with supported IP anomaly), Copper Ridge (soil anomaly 1.9 x 1.3 km) and Spruce (rock samples up to 18.4 percent copper). Historical drilling includes 72 holes totaling over 17,000 metres, with new targets emerging from recent geophysical and geochemical work. Past drilling includes intersections like 162.0 m of 0.1 percent copper, 0.05 grams per ton gold and 7.1 g/t silver at PIL South, highlighting the potential for bulk tonnage copper-gold systems.
Finlay has announced an earn-in agreement with Freeport-McMoRan, which may invest up to $25 million in exploration expenditures to earn 80 percent interest over six years, signaling high confidence in the PIL project’s tier-1 potential. A broad and systematic exploration plan is in place for the 2025 season, involving surface sampling with updated analysis techniques, mapping and detailed geophysical surveys.
ATTY
Covering 3,875 hectares, the 100 percent owned ATTY property, also in the Toodoggone District, lies directly north of the Kemess East and Underground deposits. It shares similar stratigraphy and alteration patterns and is interpreted to host an extension of the Kemess North trend. The property hosts eight epithermal and porphyry targets, including two main targets, the KEM and Wrich targets, which have been delineated through IP surveys and/or geochemistry, pointing toward porphyry centers. Thirteen holes totaling 3,971 meters have been drilled to date, but the main IP chargeability zone remains untested at depth. With similarities to the upper Kemess East deposit and structural alignment with the adjacent Joy project (Amarc/Freeport), ATTY is considered a high-priority drill target and is fully permitted for 2025. Finlay has announced an earn-in agreement with Freeport-McMoRan, which may invest up to $10 million in exploration expenditures to earn 80 percent interest over six years, signaling high confidence in the ATTY project’s tier-1 potential.
SAY
The SAY property is a 100 percent owned, early-stage exploration project covering 26,202 hectares within the underexplored Bear Lake Corridor of the Stikine Terrane. Located 140 km north of Smithers, BC, it is accessible by helicopter with logging roads nearby. The project hosts structurally controlled high-grade copper and silver mineralization at the SPUR Target, which includes the AG Zone, East Breccia and Western Shear. Recent surface sampling returned exceptional grades such as 14.5 percent copper and 850 g/t silver from East Breccia, and 11.2 percent copper and 819 g/t silver from the AG Zone. Copper and silver exposures at the AG Zone have been observed over a 200 by 200 metre area. The mineralization occurs along a 4.3 km ridgeline with strong magnetic signatures, spatially related to local faults, intrusive dykes and breccias. The SHEL target, associated with molybdenum, adds porphyry-style upside. A property-wide mag survey and extensive surface sampling program is planned in 2025 to systematically evaluate the copper potential of the SAY property.
JJB
The fully owned JJB property spans 15,453 hectares and lies 4 km north of SAY within the same Bear Lake Corridor. Named after founder John J. Barakso, this grassroots property is in the early stages of exploration but offers significant blue-sky potential. The property shares the same tectonic setting as NAK and DUKE and will benefit from the technical momentum established at SAY. Logging roads and an airstrip are within 10 km of the JJB claims, providing nearby staging areas for this heli-access project. Systematic geological mapping and sampling, alongside airborne mag surveys, are planned to generate drill targets in the near term.
Silver Hope
The Silver Hope property covers 21,322 hectares surrounding the historic Equity Silver mine in the Skeena Arch. This 100 percent owned asset hosts the Main Trend, a >2 km copper-silver-gold mineralized system extending from the Newmont owned, past-producing, Equity Silver mine. Historical drilling (over 41,000 m) has intersected broad mineralized zones, including 282 m @ 0.23 percent copper, 6.4 g/t silver and 0.01 g/t gold. Other notable intercepts include 133 m @ 0.30 percent copper and 7.6 g/t silver. The West Cu-Mo Porphyry target adds a large-scale copper-molybdenum opportunity to the mix, and the project is fully permitted for drilling.
Management Team
Ilona B. Lindsay – President, CEO and Director
Ilona Lindsay has over 15 years of experience with Finlay and is the daughter of company co-founder John J. Barakso. She has overseen corporate operations, financings and tenure management. Under her leadership, the company has transitioned toward institutional-grade exploration partnerships while maintaining fiscal discipline. She is also a director of the Barakso family companies.
Robert F. Brown – Executive Chairman
A retired professional engineer with over 40 years of experience in porphyry and epithermal systems, Robert Brown co-founded Finlay and played a critical role in identifying and acquiring its land packages. He previously served as VP exploration for Great Panther Mining and worked with LAC Minerals. His technical vision continues to shape the company’s exploration direction.
Wade Barnes – VP Exploration
Wade Barnes is a P.Geo. and Qualified Person (QP) with over 20 years of geological experience in BC. He was co-recipient of the AMEBC H.H. “Spud” Huestis Award for the discovery of Kemess East deposit in the Toodoggone. At Finlay, he leads technical execution and target development across the portfolio.
Susan Flasha – VP Corporate Development
With over two decades of industry experience, including senior roles at Pretium Resources (Brucejack Mine) and Brixton Metals, Susan Flasha brings strong expertise in project evaluation and strategic growth.
Gord Steblin – Chief Financial Officer
A CPA with over 30 years in mining finance, Gord Steblin ensures sound financial governance and supports Finlay’s budgeting, reporting and fundraising activities. He serves as CFO for several other exploration-stage companies.