QIMC Reports Elevated Clean Hydrogen in First 100 Metres of DDH-26-04 at Bennett Hill, Nova Scotia, Including Four Analyzer-Saturating Readings Within a 9-Metre Interval

First Bennett Hill drill hole, approximately 15 km from Eatonville Road, returns elevated near-surface H₂ with methane and carbon dioxide below or near detection limits.

Montréal, Québec--Newsfile Corp - June 18, 2026) - Québec Innovative Materials Corp. (CSE: QIMC) (OTCQB: QIMCF) (FSE: 7FJ) ("QIMC" or the "Company") is pleased to report preliminary mud-gas geochemical results from the upper portion of diamond drill hole DDH-26-04, the first hole at its Bennett Hill project in the Advocate Area of Nova Scotia.

DDH-26-04 returned elevated hydrogen (H₂) readings within the first 100 metres of the hole, including a 9-metre zone with four readings at or above 4.03% H₂ — the upper measurement limit (saturation point) of the field analyzer used over that interval and reported as minimum values due to analyzer saturation. Throughout the hydrogen-rich interval, methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) were both below or near detection limits — a clean geochemical signature which the Company interprets as being consistent with a structurally controlled natural hydrogen system.

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Highlights

• First hydrogen result from Bennett Hill. DDH-26-04 is the inaugural drill hole at Bennett Hill, located approximately 15 kilometres from the Company's Eatonville Road drill area (West-Advocate), where holes DDH-26-01, DDH-26-02 and DDH-26-03 were drilled.

• Near-surface hydrogen response. Hydrogen was recorded across the upper 100 metres of the hole, including a 9-metre interval with four readings at or above 4.03% H₂, each having reached the upper measurement limit of the field analyzer — meaning true values may be higher, pending laboratory calibration. The Company interprets the shallow response as consistent with a potential active migration pathway capable of transporting hydrogen to near-surface levels.

• Clean hydrogen. Greenhouse gases, including methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂), were both below or near detection limits across the hydrogen-rich interval.

• District-scale system. The elevated hydrogen response at Bennett Hill, approximately 15 kilometres from the earlier Eatonville holes, supports QIMC's working model of a potential district-scale hydrogen system across the Advocate Area.

• Drilling and sampling ongoing. Hydrogen readings below 100 metres are being acquired with a higher-range instrument and are pending; results will be reported once available and validated.

Because initial readings in the upper 100 metres reached the 4.03% H₂ upper measurement limit (saturation point) of the first EAGLE II analyzer, the Company deployed a second EAGLE II unit with a higher measurement range to quantify the higher-range hydrogen readings encountered below 100 metres. Sampling of the sub-100-metre interval with the higher-range unit is ongoing, and those results remain pending.

Near-Surface Hydrogen

The Company interprets hydrogen readings of this magnitude this close to surface as potentially indicating an efficient, active migration pathway capable of transporting hydrogen upward, which may be consistent with previously observed soil-gas hydrogen anomalies at Bennett Hill. The accompanying negligible CH₄ and CO₂ is interpreted by the Company as being more consistent with a natural hydrogen Fe-rich deep-seated source than a conventional hydrocarbon source.

Critically, this is the first hydrogen response measured during drilling at Bennett Hill, a separately permitted project approximately 15 km west of the Eatonville Road drill area, which the Company interprets as supporting its working model that the hydrogen system may extend across the district rather than being confined to a single target.

The combination of (i) elevated, near-surface hydrogen, (ii) a clean geochemical setting with CH₄ and CO₂ below or near detection, and (iii) results from a new project area within a multi-target district, supports QIMC's longer-term objective of advancing a multi-province portfolio of clean natural hydrogen opportunities.

These results are being integrated into QIMC's proprietary R2G2™ (Reactivated Rift and Graben Geostructure) exploration framework.

Management Commentary

"DDH-26-04 is our first drill result from Bennett Hill, and it is an important one for our stakeholders: an elevated, shallow and clean hydrogen response in the first 100 metres, with methane and CO₂ both below or near detection, including a 9-metre zone where four readings reached the upper limit of our field analyzer," said John Karagiannidis, President and Chief Executive Officer of QIMC.

"When the first instrument saturated, we brought in a second EAGLE II with a higher range to properly quantify what is being observed below 100 metres. Bennett Hill sits approximately 15 kilometres from our Eatonville holes, so this elevated, shallow and clean hydrogen response supports our working model of a potential district-scale hydrogen system. We look forward to reporting calibrated results from the deeper interval as they become available."

Scientific Commentary by Prof. Marc Richer-LaFlèche

The hydrogen concentrations measured in the Bennett Hill borehole DDH-26-04 clearly demonstrate the predictive strength of the R2G2™ model applied to natural hydrogen exploration in the Cobequid Highlands of Nova Scotia.

Beyond the elevated H₂ values and the very low levels of greenhouse gases (CO₂ and CH₄), the results highlight a broader geological conclusion: the natural hydrogen system identified in the Advocate and Bennett Hill areas operates at a crustal scale. Its continuity along the Cobequid Fault Zone reflects the remarkable extent of the Cobequid-Chignecto Fault System, one of the major structural corridors of the Maritimes.

At the Bennett Hill local scale, the first 100 m interval of the borehole intersects intensely fractured and strongly oxidized volcanic and intrusive rocks. Gas circulation in this zone is controlled by a highly permeable fracture network cutting through very competent lithologies.

Despite the predominance of magmatic rocks (both mafic and felsic) in the upper part of the borehole, the gas composition closely matches that observed in the Eatonville Road and Reid Lands drill sites in West Advocate. This consistency is significant: it indicates that hydrogen generation processes occur deep within the continental crust, independently of the surface geology and the specific rock types encountered near the borehole. Together, these results support the interpretation of a regional, structurally controlled natural hydrogen system, whose scale and coherence open the door to a new understanding of natural hydrogen potential within the Cobequid Highlands.

About Québec Innovative Materials Corp. (QIMC)

Québec Innovative Materials Corp. (CSE: QIMC) (OTCQB: QIMCF) (FSE: 7FJ) is a leading North American exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of natural hydrogen and critical mineral projects. The Company is advancing its district-scale hydrogen exploration model across Québec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Minnesota through the application of its proprietary R2G2™ framework.

QIMC is focused on responsible exploration, technical innovation, and the advancement of natural hydrogen opportunities that may contribute to future clean-energy development initiatives.

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