VANCOUVER, BC, April 30, 2026 /CNW/ - FPX Nickel Corp. (TSXV: FPX) (OTCQX: FPOCF) ("FPX" or the "Company") is pleased to note that its Baptiste Nickel Project ("Baptiste" or "the Project") has been named as a major priority project by the Government of British Columbia. This recognition comes as part of the development of B.C.'s Look West economic strategy, with the province identifying Baptiste as a major project to support its progress. The Baptiste nickel project is the only critical minerals project owned by a junior mining company to be included in the province's priority project list.

"We are grateful that the Government of British Columbia continues to recognize the significance of Baptiste, which has the potential to contribute over $45 billion of incremental GDP to the provincial economy over its projected 29-year mine life," stated Martin Turenne, FPX's President and CEO. "We are committed to deepening our ongoing collaboration with First Nations and the governments of British Columbia and Canada to develop a project that creates substantial and sustainable benefits while protecting the environment for future generations."

The Government of British Columbia's identification of Baptiste as a Priority Project further affirms the support FPX has received from the province, including the 2024 referral of the Project to the Critical Minerals Office ("CMO") concierge service. As the first Project included the CMO, Baptiste has benefited from centralized government support for its recent entry into the Environmental Assessment ("EA") process, recently achieving a key milestone with the provincial and federal publication of the Joint Summary of Issues and Engagement (see FPX's April 21, 2026 news release).

The province of British Columbia's Look West strategy is a targeted plan designed to deliver major projects and strengthen B.C. and Canada's economic security. One of the key pillars of the Look West strategy is to accelerate major job-creating projects by speeding up and streamlining permitting, reducing barriers and delays, and removing duplication across regulatory frameworks.

The Government's news release containing further details regarding the identification of major priority projects, including the Baptiste Nickel Project, can be found at the following link:
https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2026PREM0020-000479

About the Baptiste Nickel Project

The Company's Baptiste Nickel Project represents a large-scale greenfield discovery of nickel mineralization in the form of a sulphur-free, nickel-iron mineral called awaruite (Ni₃Fe) hosted in an ultramafic/ophiolite complex. The absence of sulphur and our ability to connect to the BC Hydro grid means that Baptiste has the potential to be one of the lowest carbon-intensive nickel producers in the world and will produce a very high-grade product that does not require any intermediate smelting or complex refining. The Baptiste mineral claims cover an area of 453 km²west of Middle River and north of Trembleur Lake, in central British Columbia. In addition to the Baptiste Deposit itself, awaruite mineralization has been confirmed through drilling at several target areas within the same claims package, most notably at the Van Target which is located 6 km to the north of the Baptiste Deposit. Since 2010, approximately US$55 million has been spent on the exploration and development of Baptiste.

In 2024, the Province of British Columbia identified the Baptiste Nickel Project as the first project to be included in the Province's new Critical Minerals Office ("CMO") concierge service initiative, a provincial strategy action to enable the prioritization of critical minerals projects in B.C. The CMO initiative is providing an excellent structure to proactively identify and address issues and opportunities ahead of the Project's entry into the environmental assessment process.

About FPX Nickel Corp.

FPX Nickel Corp. is focused on the exploration and development of the Baptiste Nickel Project, located in central British Columbia, and other occurrences of the same unique style of naturally occurring nickel-iron alloy mineralization known as awaruite. For more information, please view the Company's website at https://fpxnickel.com/ or contact Martin Turenne, President and CEO, at (604) 681-8600 or ceo@fpxnickel.com. 

On behalf of FPX Nickel Corp.

"Martin Turenne"
Martin Turenne, President, CEO and Director

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the statements made and information contained herein is considered "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements address future events and conditions and so involve inherent risks and uncertainties, as disclosed in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. Actual results could differ from those currently projected. The Company does not assume the obligation to update any forward-looking statement.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE FPX Nickel Corp.