Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - June 11, 2026) - Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. (TSX: AVL) (OTCQB: AVLNF) ("Avalon" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the official opening of three office locations, marking an important milestone in strengthening its regional presence and market connectivity to support the continued advancement of its projects and growth strategy.

"The opening of these offices represents much more than a physical presence. It reflects Avalon's commitment to being where our projects, partners, communities, and customers are," said Scott Monteith, President and Chief Executive Officer. "From the Northwest Territories and Northwestern Ontario to key industrial markets in the United States, these locations position us to strengthen relationships, accelerate project advancement, and connect Canadian critical mineral resources with the industries that will power the future."

Thunder Bay, Ontario Office

To support the development of Lake Superior Lithium Inc.'s proposed lithium hydroxide processing facility, Avalon has established office space in Thunder Bay, Ontario, creating a dedicated local presence to support project advancement and stakeholder engagement.

The project is led by Project Director Glen Smith, who is working closely with engineering partners Nordmin, Primero, and other key consultants to advance the feasibility study, which is expected to be completed in Q1 2027.

As the project progresses toward development, establishing a local presence is an important step in building relationships, fostering partnerships, and engaging with the regional community. Avalon is committed to understanding how the project can contribute to workforce development, economic growth, and the continued evolution of Northwestern Ontario's industrial sector. We believe Thunder Bay is uniquely positioned with all the resources to play a leading role in strengthening Ontario's and Canada's critical minerals value chain.

To support ongoing communication and transparency, Avalon is developing a dedicated Lake Superior Lithium project website that will provide project updates, news, milestones, and information as the feasibility study advances and the project moves toward development.

Avalon is also actively engaging with regional educational institutions, including Lakehead University, Confederation College and local community stakeholders to explore opportunities for future workforce training, skills development, and industry innovation and partnerships. In addition, the Company is committed to meaningful collaboration with First Nations communities, local businesses, vendors, and suppliers throughout the project lifecycle.

We believe Thunder Bay has the infrastructure, talent, expertise, and strategic location necessary to become a cornerstone of Canada's emerging lithium refining industry. Avalon looks forward to becoming an active member of the Thunder Bay community and contributing to the long-term prosperity of a region that will play an important role in Canada's critical minerals future.

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories Office

The impacts of the Nechalacho Rare Earth Elements (REE) Project extend far beyond the Northwest Territories and across the globe. As the West looks to onshore reliable rare earth supply chains, Nechalacho's Basal Zone contains the materials to position the Northwest Territories as a leading producer of light and heavy rare earth elements essential for economic competitiveness, advanced manufacturing, clean technologies, and national security. To advance this vision, Avalon created a subsidiary company Magmic Rare Earths Inc. ('Magmic') to own the Nechalacho Basal Zone Resource. Magmic has established an office in Yellowknife, creating a dedicated on-the-ground presence to support project development and strengthen engagement across the region.

Led by Project Director Burl Joseph, Magmic has the potential to play an important role in reducing reliance on foreign supply chains while contributing to the development of a domestic critical minerals industry. Establishing a local office reflects Avalon's commitment to being present in the communities where we operate and to building lasting relationships that support responsible project development.

As technical studies and project planning continue, Magmic will work closely with Indigenous governments and communities, territorial and federal partners, local businesses, educational institutions, and regional stakeholders to identify opportunities for collaboration, workforce development, and economic growth. We recognize that meaningful engagement and strong partnerships are fundamental to the long-term success of the project.

Avalon and Magmic are committed to ensuring the benefits of development extend beyond the project itself by supporting local employment, skills training, business opportunities, and regional economic diversification. Through continued collaboration with northern communities and partners, we aim to help build a sustainable critical minerals industry that creates lasting value for the Northwest Territories.

We are proud to establish a permanent presence in Yellowknife and look forward to becoming an active participant in the community as we advance the Nechalacho Project. By investing in local relationships today, we are laying the foundation for a project that can support both the future of the Northwest Territories and the growing need for secure North American rare earth supply chains.

Chicago, IL U.S Office

Avalon's critical minerals projects may be in Canada, but the markets they are intended to serve are global. To strengthen its presence within the North American critical minerals ecosystem, Avalon has established an office in Chicago, Illinois, creating a strategic hub for engagement with customers, manufacturers, technology companies, defense contractors, battery supply chain participants, and other end users of lithium and rare earth products.

Led by Avalon's VP Corporate Development, Chris Senyk, Chicago's central location and proximity to major industrial, automotive, energy storage, advanced manufacturing, and defense markets make it an ideal base from which to support Avalon's commercial growth strategy. The office will serve as a focal point for building relationships with potential offtake partners, customers, investors, strategic collaborators, and industry stakeholders who are helping shape the future of North America's critical minerals supply chains.

As Avalon advances both its lithium and rare earth development initiatives, establishing a presence in the United States reflects the Company's commitment to understanding the evolving needs of the market and working directly with the organizations that will ultimately utilize these materials. From data centres, electric vehicles and energy storage systems to advanced electronics, robotics, aerospace technologies, and defense applications, the products enabled by critical minerals are becoming increasingly important to economic growth and national security.

The Chicago office will also support Avalon's efforts to build long-term partnerships across the broader manufacturing and industrial ecosystem, helping connect Canadian critical mineral resources with the companies and industries that depend on them. By strengthening relationships throughout the supply chain, Avalon aims to contribute to a more secure, resilient, and integrated North American critical minerals industry.

Together with our offices in Thunder Bay and Yellowknife, the Chicago office represents another important step in connecting Canadian resources with global markets. We believe the future of critical minerals will be built through collaboration across borders, and we are proud to establish a presence at the heart of one of North America's most important commodity material centers as we work to support the next generation of manufacturing, technology, energy, and defense innovation.

About Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.
Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. is a Canadian critical minerals company focused on advancing lithium and rare earth elements-two of the fastest-growing segments of the global energy transition. The Company is developing strategic assets to participate in high-growth markets and support the build-out of secure North American supply chains. Avalon is advancing the Nechalacho Rare Earth Elements and Zirconium Project in the Northwest Territories, which contains all light and heavy rare earth elements, as well as yttrium, zirconium, tantalum, and niobium-critical minerals used in advanced technologies across the communications, defense, advanced technologies, and energy sectors. The Company is also focused on vertically integrating the Ontario lithium supply chain through the development of Lake Superior Lithium Inc., Ontario's first midstream lithium hydroxide processing facility, located in Thunder Bay. This facility is expected to serve as a cornerstone of North America's integrated battery materials supply chain, transforming northern Ontario lithium into essential inputs for transportation, grid storage, and advanced manufacturing.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "add" or "additional", "advancing", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "appears", "believes", "can be", "conceptual", "confidence", "continue", "convert" or "conversion", "deliver", "demonstrating", "estimates", "encouraging", "expand" or "expanding" or "expansion", "expect" or "expectations", "forecasts", "forward", "goal", "improves", "increase", "intends", "justification", "plans", "potential" or "potentially", "promise", "prospective", "prioritize", "reflects", "robust", "scheduled", "suggesting", "support", "top-tier", "updating", "upside", "will be" or "will consider", "work towards", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", or "will be taken", "occur", or "be achieved".

Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including those risk factors discussed or referred to in the annual information form of the Company dated November 26, 2025 (the "AIF") under the heading "Description of the Business - Risk Factors". Forward-looking information is based on the reasonable assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/300967

Source: Avalon Advanced Materials Inc.