Novagold Resources Inc.

Thank you for standing by. This is the conference operator. Welcome to the NOVA Gold second quarter 2022 financial results conference call and webcast. As a reminder, all participants are in listen-only mode and the conference is being recorded. After the presentation, there'll be an opportunity to ask questions. To join the question queue, you may press star then one on your telephone keypad. Should you need assistance during the conference call, you may signal an operator by pressing star and zero. Webcast viewers may submit questions through the text box on the lower right corner of the webcast frame. Should you need assistance during the conference call, you may signal an operator by pressing star and zero. I would now like to turn the conference over to Melanie Hennessy, Vice President, Corporate Communications. Please go ahead.

Thank you, Ariel. Good morning, everyone. We are pleased that you've joined us for Novogold's 2022 second quarter financial results and also for an update on the Donlon Gold project. On today's call, we have Greg Lang, Novogold's president and CEO, and David Otwell, Novogold's vice president and CFO. At the end of the webcast, we will take questions on the phone and respond to the questions received by email. I would like to remind participants that as stated on slide three, Any statements made today may contain forward-looking information, such as projections and goals, which are likely to involve risk detail in our various Edgar and Cedar filings and forward-looking disclaimers included in this presentation. I now have the pleasure of turning the presentation over to our President and CEO, Greg Lang. Greg?

Thank you, Melanie. I'm glad you could all join us today. Before we get started, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the recent and tragic passing of our dear friend, colleague, and longtime director, Igor Leventhal, with whom I had the pleasure of working with for well over 30 years. He will be sorely missed, as will his counsel, his characteristic sense of humor, and his love of life. Novigold's chairman, Dr. Kaplan, wrote a beautiful tribute to Igor. This can be found on our website under Board of Directors. Last year's drill program finished strongly with high grade intercepts and some of the best drill results for an open pit project industry-wide. The final results for the 2021 drill program were released in the first quarter and provided the basis for activities that commenced at the Donland Gold project site earlier this year in February, with the largest forecast spend on the project in over a decade. Following the excellent results of 2021, we are encouraged by the significant drill program for this year. Drilling is focused on upside prospects in the ACMA and Lewis pits where drilling has thus far been limited. In the second quarter, the team of 150 people at Donlin were advancing drill activities at a good pace with more than 70% of the planned drilling completed to date. We expect the first set of assay results from this program to be issued this summer. Geologic modeling and interpretation work to update the resource model is underway, including engineering activities for use in an updated feasibility study that, subject to the Donal Gold Board approval, is expected to commence in the second half of this year. The 34,000-meter drill program is focused on technical exploration, tight space grid drilling, both in-pit and below-pit in the ACMA and Lewis areas, as shown in the circled areas on slide 7. These results will be added to the geologic modeling and interpretation work for an updated resource model. This program will enable the commencement of an updated feasibility study. While we continue with the drill program permitting and modeling work, we have not lost sight of one of the project's most important attributes. And that's Donlin Gold's exploration potential. As highlighted on slide eight, the incredible upside exists to increase ounces and extend the mine life beyond the already known three decades at Donlin. a footprint that covers only 3 kilometers of an 8-kilometer gold-bearing trend, which is on less than 5% of our total land package up in Alaska. Donilon Gold's 2022 expenditures are anticipated to be $60 million, as shown on slide 9, for which Novigold is responsible for half. Beyond drilling, geologic modeling, and interpretation work, this commitment also supports the advancement of environmental activities and finances our community and external affairs efforts. The health and safety of our workforce at Donlon Gold is a priority. Both NOVA Gold and Donlon Gold have implemented strict safety protocols and COVID-19 mitigation measures remain in place to ensure the staff rotations are conducted in both an efficient and safe manner. Slide 10 shows some of our Donlon Gold employees during the field season. Donlon currently has 150 employees, contractors, and student interns, most of which are local hires from the 24 communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska. Slide 11 contains noteworthy updates in the second quarter, including a list of all the major federal and state permits received since 2012. Alaska's Division of Environmental Protection water permit upheld the 401 certification of the Clean Water Act. Following the state's decision, Earthjustice and ONC requested that the commissioner conduct additional adjudicatory hearings on the part of the Division of Water's decision related to potential water temperature effects in Crooked Creek. The commissioner denied the appeal on the state of Alaska's issuance of water rights for the mine and transportation facilities. However, in the second quarter, Earth Justice appealed his decision to the Alaska Superior Court. A briefing schedule has not been set by the court, and Donlin Gold and the owners will continue to support the state of Alaska in its defense of their thorough and diligent permitting processes. Don and Gold has applied for a new air quality permit, which is expected to be in place when the extension of the current permit expires about a year from now. We expect the state of Alaska will issue a draft for the new permit for public comment in the second half of this year. Don and Gold is fortunate to enjoy time-tested partnerships with Chalista and TKC. owners of the mineral and surface rights. This project is on private land that was designated for mining activities through the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. This is a key attribute that distinguishes Donland from most other mining assets in Alaska. Our longstanding commitment to meaningful tribal consultation throughout the project development and permitting has been demonstrated over decades of reliable and independent engagement with the communities. And it shows. Donlon Gold received its federal permits in 2018, and most of the key permits from the state are also in place. This represents a tremendous achievement and is the product of substantial undertaking over many years that ensured a diligent, thorough, transparent, and inclusive process for all stakeholders from the YK region. In the second quarter, Donland Gold participated in and sponsored multiple local events with CHOISTA and TKC. providing a wide range of critical support and engagement activities throughout the region. As shown on slide 13, some of these downland gold activities included signing a new agreement with Stony River, a village in the YK region. We now have a total of nine shared value statements that include educational, environmental, and social initiatives to support the villages. Sponsoring statewide events, including the Native Youth Olympics and the Arctic Encounter Symposium, the largest annual Arctic policy event in the United States. As a principal sponsor of the 50th anniversary of the Iditarod, a thousand mile sled dog race, often referred to as the last great race. We're also working with TKC to charter flights to send drinking water to Red Devil after a flood temporarily contaminated the local wells. We are also sponsoring and participating in numerous other events during the second quarter. As shown on slide 14, Novigold has approached the disclosure of our environmental, social, and government performance pragmatically as a development stage company, disclosing benchmarks that we believe are the most relevant measures of our performance at this stage. Novigold recognizes the importance of climate change and the impacts on decisions in the YK region. the investment community, project design, compliance, and corporate governance. We believe that Mines can be developed in collaboration with people who have the local knowledge to help minimize the environmental impacts while providing benefits from economic activity. We recently released our 2021 Sustainability Report that outlines the work that has been done both at Novigold and Donlingold. You can view this report on our website under the Sustainability tab. I'll now turn the call over to Dave Otwell, Novogold's Vice President and CFO, who will give an update on our second quarter financials. Dave?