HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Dec.  01, 2025  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Morien Resources Corp. (“Morien” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: MOX) is pleased to announce that it has commenced a maiden drill program at the Lazy Head Aggregate Project (“Lazy Head” or the “Project”) in the Municipality District of Guysborough (the “MODG”), Nova Scotia (the “Drill Program” or “Program”). The Drill Program marks the next major milestone in advancing Lazy Head from a greenfield discovery into a technically defined, community-supported, export-oriented aggregate development.

Maiden Drill Program

The Program consists of a series of helicopter-supported core holes designed to evaluate the quality, continuity, and volume of the Project’s granite resource, and to collect representative sample material for a full suite of physical, chemical, and durability testing required for permitting and ongoing engineering studies.

The Program is being executed by an experienced Atlantic Canadian drill contractor under Morien’s direct geological supervision. Results from the Program will feed directly into quarry design, mine planning, and environmental baseline studies.

About the Lazy Head Aggregate Project

Lazy Head contemplates the development of a long-life, multi-generational, high-quality construction aggregate quarry and deep-water marine terminal located on Chedabucto Bay in the MODG, an ideal location from which to serve high-growth infrastructure and construction markets along the U.S. East Coast.

The Project is the first to emerge from Morien’s strategic partnership (“Partnership”) with Carver Companies, LLC (“Carver”), a private, U.S.-based operator of quarries, aggregates terminals, tug-and-barge services, and stevedoring operations from New York to the Gulf Coast. The Partnership formed in 2024 and seeks to identify, permit, and develop export-oriented aggregate assets across Atlantic Canada by combining Morien’s regional expertise and community relationships with Carver’s marine logistics and U.S. market reach.

Lazy Head is expected to create approximately 75 high-paying, local, full-time jobs and provide sustained economic activity over multiple generations. Morien and Carver are jointly developing a suite of life-of-mine community benefit-sharing frameworks to ensure that significant economic value flows directly to the surrounding communities and those with interests in the Project area.

Permitting and Field Programs

Permitting activities are being led by GHD Group, with Strum Consulting supporting Rightsholder and community engagement. Current field programs include:

Environmental baseline studies (marine and terrestrial)Engagement with fisheries organizations, MODG leadership, and provincial and federal regulatorsFisheries and habitat fieldworkMulti-beam bathymetry, geotechnical, and engineering surveysOngoing door-to-door outreach with residents, business owners, and community groups

Recent outreach has included a well-attended community open house and direct engagement with nearby residents, with additional sessions planned as studies progress.

Carver has committed to incorporating advanced noise, dust, and light-mitigation systems, including warehouse-style enclosures and acoustic treatments, reflecting a modern, low-impact aggregate design philosophy aligned with community expectations.

Morien-Carver Partnership

Under the Partnership agreement with Carver, Morien will receive:

A milestone payment upon the successful permitting of Lazy Head; andAn industry-competitive production royalty on future aggregate sales for the life of the operation.

All of Morien’s time and expenses related to advancing Lazy Head are fully reimbursed by Carver, consistent with Morien’s capital-efficient, partner-driven royalty model.

About Carver Companies

Founded in 1988, Carver is a privately held, U.S. based logistics, infrastructure and materials group employing more than 1,000 people across its operations in the U.S. and Canada. The company owns and operates a granite quarry in Bayside, New Brunswick, multiple deep-water marine terminals, tug and barge services, stevedoring, warehousing, and project-cargo solutions along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts. Carver enables efficient movement of bulk and breakbulk materials to major growth markets, supporting public and private customers across construction, energy and industrial supply chains. Learn more at www.carvercompanies.com.

About Morien

Morien is a Nova Scotia based, mining development company created in 2012 to be a vehicle of direct prosperity for Nova Scotians, its largest shareholder group. Led by Nova Scotians, Morien’s primary assets are a royalty on the sale of coal from the Donkin Mine in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and a royalty on the sale of aggregate from the permitted Black Point Project, in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia. Morien’s management team exercises ruthless discipline in managing both the assets and liabilities of the Company. The Company’s management and its Board of Directors consider shareholder returns to be paramount over corporate size, number or scale of assets and industry recognition. The Company has 51,292,000 issued and outstanding common shares and a fully diluted position of 53,992,000. Further information is available at www.MorienRes.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements in this news release may constitute "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable securities laws. These statements reflect Morien's current expectations of future revenues and business prospects and opportunities and are based on information currently available to Morien. Morien cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what Morien currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties described in documents filed by Morien with the Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR+ (www.sedarplus.com) from time to time. Morien cautions that its royalty revenue will be based on production by third party property owners and operators who will be responsible for determining the manner and timing for the properties forming part of Morien’s royalty portfolio. These third party owners and operators are also subject to risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted herein including: volatility in financial markets or general economic conditions; capital requirements and the need for additional financing; fluctuations in the rates of exchange for the currencies of Canada and the United States; prices for commodities including coal and aggregate; unanticipated changes in production, mineral reserves and mineral resources, metallurgical recoveries and/or exploration results; changes in regulations and unpredictable political or economic developments; loss of key personnel; labour disputes; and ineffective title to mineral claims or property. There are other business risks and hazards associated with mineral exploration, development and mining. Although Morien believes that the forward-looking information contained herein is based on reasonable assumptions (including assumptions relating to economic, market and political conditions, the Company’s working capital requirements and the accuracy of information supplied by the operators of the properties in which the Company has a royalty interest), readers cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with such statements. Morien expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information in this news release, whether as a result of new information, events or otherwise, except in accordance with applicable securities laws. All dollar values discussed herein are in Canadian dollars. Any financial outlook or future-oriented financial information in this news release, as defined by applicable securities laws, has been approved by management of Morien as of the date of this news release. Such financial outlook or future-oriented financial information is provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such outlook or information should not be used for purposes other than for which it is disclosed in this news release.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information, please contact:

Dawson Brisco, President & CEO
Phone: (902) 403-3149
[email protected] John P.A. Budreski, Executive Chairman
Phone: (416) 930-0914 
[email protected]