NA Proactive news snapshot: Kenorland Minerals, PharmaDrug, Golden Tag Resources, Vicinity Motor, ESE Entertainment UPDATE ...

Kenorland Minerals Ltd said it has agreed to option its Rupert lithium project in Quebec to Li-FT Power Ltd, a private company based in British Columbia. In order to earn a 100% interest in the property, Li-FT will need to make cash payments of $200,000 and issue common shares representing 10% of its outstanding stock at the time of closing and from time to time until the shares of Li-FT are directly or indirectly listed on a recognized stock exchange in North America, Australia, or the UK. Kenorland will retain a 2% net smelter return (NSR) royalty on the Rupert project. PharmaDrug Inc revealed positive results from its preclinical study of cepharanthine-2HCl on different types of cancer. Studies revealed that 20 of the 60 cancer cells lines screened showed at least 50% growth inhibition when exposed to cepharanthine. What’s more, the study highlighted instances where cepharanthine displayed growth inhibition that was either comparable or superior to current “gold standard” treatments. Golden Tag Resources Ltd said it is in the permitting process with the Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales to quadruple the number of allowable drill pads from 14 to 58 on the company’s 100% owned San Diego project in Mexico. Golden Tag noted it is increasing the number of drill pads due to successes from its recent 4500 metre (m) exploration campaign, which included an intersection of 105.77 grams per tonne (g/t) silver equivalent over 116.45m. Vicinity Motor Corp. said it has been selected for a statewide contract in California. Under an award on behalf of the California Association for Coordinated Transportation (CALACT), the company said CALACT consortium members can pick its buses in a statewide purchasing contract. The contract gives state transit agencies authority to purchase "Buy America" compliant buses directly from Vicinity’s diverse portfolio through its distribution partner ABC Companies. ESE Entertainment Inc has disclosed more information about the previously announced esports talent show, SkillzVault, which is being developed by ESE in partnership with Bitcoin Vault. SkillzVault is a global project highlighting promising amateur esports athletes who are in pursuit of a professional career in the sector. The talent show will feature participants from five countries; China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Brazil. The players will compete in two games; PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Peacekeeper Elite.  Vuzix Corporation said it has established an Integrated Solutions Business Unit within the company and made an inducement grant of restricted stock to Pano Spiliotis, who has been appointed as managing director of the newly created unit. The company said the stock grant was approved by the company’s board on July 22, 2021. Spiliotis will oversee the acceleration of Vuzix' Smart Glasses in enterprise-focused solutions including the company's ongoing software and service subscriptions. Spiliotis has strong experience in the high-tech electro-optical field. His areas of expertise include business and software development and the development of strategic partnership alliances with Fortune 500 companies. Great Bear Resources Ltd said it is about to start second phase drilling at its Dixie gold project in Red Lake, having now completed 440 holes, and its first phase work, at the LP fault to an average depth of 450 metres (m) over 4 kilometre (km) of strike. In simple terms, the LP Fault at the group's flagship asset is a target with an 18 km strike length, which has been seismically imaged to extend to 14 km depth. "109 of the 440 drill holes totalling over 40,000 metres are currently in various stages of assay progress, with results expected regularly over the next 2-to-3 months," said Chris Taylor, CEO of Great Bear in a statement. CanaFarma Corp.'s Vertical Wellness Inc has said it will introduce its ‘long anticipated’ fully developed portfolio of CBD beverages in the retail marketplace this year. The move to retail was facilitated by last month’s merger with CanaFarma Hemp Products, a full-service hemp company offering a full range of hemp-related products and services. The cannabis conglomerate will go under CanaFarma Corp as the corporate entity but will keep the Vertical Wellness name for the brand portfolio. Initial brand offerings will include the Vertical Wellness owned Taos and Hemp-Moji, as well as celebrity and athlete-driven wellness and lifestyle brands yet to be announced. CO2 GRO Inc. has announced a commercial feasibility of a CO2 Delivery Solutions system with a US-based floriculture greenhouse. In a statement, the company said the client has requested not to be named, nor the type of flower being grown or location of its greenhouse for competitive reasons. The client paid a fee of C$25,000 for the commercial feasibility. CO2 GRO said the commercial feasibility will be conducted on a section of the greenhouse for about 12 months — with goals to accelerate the growth of flowers to blooming in order to bring products to market sooner as well as providing pathogen protection.  Binovi Technologies Corp. said it continues to execute on its growth strategy as it filed its annual consolidated financial statements for the twelve months ended February 28, 2021, related management discussion and analysis and applicable officer certificates. While the impact from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic did result in longer sales cycles than usual, strong momentum and interest in the company's offering resulted in revenue growth of approximately 5%, and going forward, as the company's most important markets - the US and Canada - open up in relation to falling infection numbers, Binovi continues to experience increased momentum in its sales pipeline. Conversion on marketing efforts continue to increase as well, the company added, evident through strong growth in the fourth quarter, in which revenues increase by 25% over the same period in the prior year. Todos Medical Ltd said it expects patient enrollment to begin for two Phase 2/3 clinical trials for its Tollovir drug candidate in the third quarter this year after it hired Indian contract research organization (CRO) Innvocept Global Solutions to manage the studies. It is part of Todos' joint venture with NLC Pharma and the studies will assess the oral antiviral 3CL protease inhibitor drug candidate Tollovir to treat non-hospitalized and hospitalized coronavirus (COVID-19) patients in India. American Battery Metals Corporation said it has welcomed ‘operational leader’ Andrés Meza, who will serve as the new chief operating officer. The new hire is part of the company’s rebranding process, which also includes a name change to American Battery Technology Company (ABTC). With a goal of rapid growth through the construction, commissioning, and continuous operations of its first lithium-ion battery recycling facility, the company noted it was of ‘critical’ importance to enlist the expertise of a Chief Operating Officer (COO) with direct hands-on experience both with the operations of manufacturing facilities. GlobeX Data Ltd has announced the launch of over a hundred new billboards advertising its Sekur messaging platform throughout New York City’s transit system. The billboards – 156 in total – will be displayed in six New York City subway stations. GlobeX is in the midst of launching its Swiss-hosted secure messaging technology in the US. LeanLife Health Inc. has entered into a one-year marketing and consulting contract with Toronto-based marketing firm, North Equities Corp. North Equities Corp. specializes in various social media platforms. It prioritize millennial-focused social media channels and will be able to facilitate greater awareness and widespread dissemination of the company's news. The proven brand of Mike Tyson and his drink Iron Energy. LeanLife is the exclusive distributor of Iron Energy for North America, and the product is also currently available in more than 50 countries. Jason Coles, chief executive officer at North Equities, expressed his confidence in North Equities ability to create value for Lean Life Health stakeholders: "We are very excited to be able to enhance LLP-CSE exposure during this significant period in the Company's life cycle. Through our marketing capabilities on social media platforms, we intend to widen the communication outreach while providing up to date information about the Company to a bigger audience." Logiq Inc, a provider of e-commerce and fintech solutions, said it has partnered with GumGum, a global media and contextual intelligence company, to provide e-commerce marketers a powerful targeting solution for their digital advertising campaigns. GumGum will offer its contextual intelligence solution, Verity, through the Logiq Digital Marketing (LDM) platform. Verity is one of the only contextual intelligence solutions to combine natural language processing (NLP) with computer vision. “This combination creates a powerful solution that scans the entirety of a digital media environment, providing a precise understanding of the overall context through text, imagery, audio and video,” said the company. Zoglo’s Incredible Food Corp said it has introduced 12 new plant-based food items from its Incredible product line into the Canadian retail market. The new products are designed to provide customers with plant-based alternatives for existing consumer favourites such as shawarma, meatballs, chicken tenders and strips. “We are very pleased to be expanding our product line in Canada and look forward to Zoglo's continuing to penetrate the market and becoming a household food brand,” Zoglo’s Incredible Food CEO Anthony Morello said in a statement.  KetamineOne Capital Limited revealed several new milestones in its psychedelic research capabilities. The company said that its wholly-owned subsidiary KGK Science Inc has applied for a controlled drugs and substances dealer’s licence, which will enable the organization to work with others to conduct clinical trials on psychedelic molecules. The licence would also allow KGK to act as a centralized distributor for large, multi-location clinical trials, according to a statement. District Metals Corp is to acquire the advanced exploration stage Gruvberget property from Explora Mineral AB in the prolific Bergslagen district of Sweden. Gruvberget spans 5,286 hectares (Ha), has a north and south zone, and lies 35 kilometres to the northwest of the company's Tomtebo property. It contains similar host rocks and mineralization styles as Boliden's Garpenberg mine (60km southeast), the historic Falun mine, and the firm's Tomtebo property. Braxia Scientific Corp announced its CEO, Roger McIntyre, and chief medical officer, Josh Rosenblat, has received C$918,000 in funding from the Government of Canada’s Canadian Institutes of Health Research for ketamine research. In a statement, Toronto-based Braxia said that the funding will go towards studying the effectiveness of intravenous ketamine in combination with internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to reduce suicidality in people living with depression. Nearly 4,000 Canadians die by suicide every year and it is the second-leading cause of death among youth and young adults.  XPhyto Therapeutics Corp announced that its acquisition target, 3a-diagnostics GmbH has identified the first saliva-activated "in-mouth" biosensor candidates for the detection of a coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. The company said the “enzyme-activated biosensors” are developed for real-time, low cost and easy-to-use oral screening applications for the rapid detection of infectious diseases including COVID-19 at home or at the point-of-care. On July 20, 2021, Vancouver-based next-generation bioscience accelerator XPhyto signed a definitive agreement for the acquisition of its exclusive diagnostics development partner 3a-diagnostics, which is based in Frickenhausen, Germany. PlantX Life Inc. has announced the launch of XFood, its meal delivery service in the United States, which provides access to an exclusive variety of innovative plant-based meals designed by distinguished vegan chef and PlantX culinary chief officer, Matthew Kenney. XFood enables customers to order 3-day meal plans comprised of six à la carte lunch and dinner meal options, as well as six cold-pressed juices from the recently acquired juice company, Little West. Customers are able to choose from a comprehensive list of vegan recipes creatively designed and curated by chef Matthew Kenney, such as orange chicken mushroom with broccoli and brown rice, sweet soy and lemongrass glazed tempeh, kung pao cauliflower with tofu and zucchini and mushroom probiotic bibimbap. Additionally, consumers can order various add-ons to their meal package, including breakfast foods, snacks, sweet treat items or additional Little West juices. The Valens Company Inc. said it has signed a two-year agreement with Harvest One Cannabis Inc. to become the white label manufacturer and provincial sales partner of cannabis-infused topicals for the company's leading brand LivRelief. Harvest One, a global cannabis infusions consumer packaged goods (CPG) leader that distributes premium health, wellness, and self-care products, successfully launched its cannabis-infused portfolio of LivRelief products in 2020.  Since then, it has grown the product line to become the No. 1 selling cannabis-infused topical brand in Ontario -- Canada's largest market.  Gold Resource Corporation, a gold and silver producer and explorer with operations in Oaxaca, Mexico, has reported strong year-to-date operating cash flow of $16.1 million, coupled with surging revenue.  The company said it earned a net income of $1.3 million, or $0.02 per share, reflecting the adoption of the new Mexican labor reform from June 2021. “We onboarded all employees from the outsourced third-party provider to our wholly-owned subsidiary, Don David Gold Mexico, resulting in a $1.9 million impact on net income,” said the company. Gold Resource noted that revenues “were strong at $30.8 million and greater” than the same period in 2020, which had “an interruption in production” due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. It was also higher than the same period in 2019, which was “a more normal year” for mining, according to the company. Versus Systems Inc announced that it now powers hardware giant HP Inc’s expansion of OMEN Rewards in India, Mexico and the UK, following the success of OMEN Rewards and the OMEN Gaming Hub in the US. The company struck a licensing deal with HP in August 2019, which allows its technology to be used in a variety of HP products and services.  OMEN Rewards is the result of a multi-year collaboration between HP and Versus Systems that has Versus’ patented prizing platform integrated into HP’s OMEN Gaming Hub.   Vox Royalty Corp has doubled its outlook for royalty revenue for 2021 to between C$4 million and C$5 million, up from C$1.7 million to C$2.5 million previously as the firm continues to show impressive growth. The company posted a record second quarter to June 30, 2021, with a preliminary royalty revenue figure of around C$1.6 million, up from C$668,600 in the first quarter to March 31, 2021. The latest quarter's revenue benefitted from increased royalty-linked production by Mineral Resources Limited at Koolyanobbing and increased output by Karora Resources Inc from the Hidden Secret deposit at Higginsville covered by the Dry Creek royalty, both in Australia. Real Luck Group Ltd., and its subsidiary companies doing business as 'Luckbox', has announced a partnership with Funanga AG to leverage its CashtoCode payment solutions. The partnership will allow players to make instant and secure cash deposits at Luckbox via more than 150,000 retail locations across Europe and international markets. Customers can do so without providing bank or credit card details, and the closed-loop system means that codes cannot be shared or transferred by users, thereby mitigating fraud. Luckbox players will also have the option to deposit using the CashtoCode eVoucher solution, a reliable and safe online payment alternative to cards and eWallets. First Mining Gold Corp said it has entered into a mineral exploration agreement with the Animakee Wa Zhing #37 First Nation (AWZ 37) in relation to planned activities at the Cameron gold project in north-western Ontario. The precious metals property is located 80 kilometers (km) southeast of Kenora and within the traditional territory of AWZ 37. As noted in the statement, the exploration agreement defines the protocol for meaningful communications and engagement between the parties to understand and accommodate each other's interests in relation to First Mining's exploration activities at Cameron.  KULR Technology Group Inc. said it has received a special US Department of Transportation (DoT) permit authorizing the transport of damaged, defective, or recalled (DDR) lithium-ion cells, batteries, or lithium metal cells contained in the company’s proprietary Thermal Runaway Shield (TRS) packaging. The company said the granting of the recent DDR special permit -- its third in two months -- marks a key strategic step as it continues to push its TRS as an integrated design solution providing total battery safety for more efficient battery systems, increased sustainability, and end-of-life battery management.  New Pacific Metals Corp revealed it has kicked off a 38,000 metre (m) diamond drill program at its flagship Silver Sand project in Bolivia in a bid to expand existing resources and to support a preliminary economic assessment. The campaign also comprises around 5,000m dedicated to testing feeder zones for the deposit, which remains open along strike and depth, and for exploration drilling at the Snake hole zone and the North Block. Two rigs are currently turning and four are expected to be in operation by next month. Empower Clinics Inc. said it has initiated the process to recruit and hire a new chief financial officer. The company said current CFO Kyle Appleby will step down from his role concurrent with the hiring of the new executive. Empower added that it aims to complete the search for a new, permanent CFO by early in the fourth quarter of 2021. BlueRush Inc has announced the appointment of Nicole Ballestrin as the company’s new chief financial officer (CFO).  Ballestrin, who previously served as the CFO at McKinsey & Company Canada, brings more than 20 years of financial leadership experience across a wide variety of industries, including technology and professional services in the public and private sectors. Ballestrin was also involved with several start-up and growth-stage companies, where she built strong finance functions leveraging the right talent, processes, systems, reporting, analytics and external partnerships.   GameSquare Esports Inc. has announced that leading sports agency Paradigm Sports, headed by Audie Attar, has joined the company’s advisory board.  As esports and traditional sports continue to converge, GameSquare said the Paradigm team will bring their deep expertise in traditional sports to drive the accelerated growth of esports. They join an already talented board of advisors which also includes Tony Hawk and Jordan Belfort. Paradigm Sports is a leading multi-sports representation, business and media platform, home to more than 80 global stars including Conor McGregor, Cris Cyborg, Israel Adesanya, Stephen Thompson, and Jozy Altidore, and has negotiated more than US$650 million in contracts. First Cobalt Corp says it has shown its commitment to ESG practices, announcing a two-year tie-up with the Timiskaming First Nation (TFN) on a community plant study at the past-producing Canadian Cobalt mining camp. The Wild Basket initiative was started by Ni Dakinan, from the TFN, in 2019 to create a sustainable business whereby wild plants, such as edible mushrooms and berries, are harvested and sold. The two-year study will collect baseline data to identify the risk of contaminants from human and industrial activity on TFN land to harvested plants and the first phase of fieldwork is underway. Contakt World Technologies Corp. has announced short and long-term plans to develop market awareness for the company through several firms.  In describing the campaigns for market awareness, Contakt World's chief visionary officer, Justin Beck said that "sustained market awareness is important for us to establish an orderly market as we execute our business objectives." Through US securities counsel, the company said it has taken steps to file a Form 211 with the aim of listing on OTCQB as soon as practicable to enhance US-shareholder liquidity and overall awareness. The company also revealed that it  "rang the bell" by opening the Canadian Securities Exchange on Monday, July 26, 2021, followed by an interview with the CSE's Anil Mall. The video can be viewed via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVvud56K1vk Altaley Mining Corporation has announced the launch of its completely redesigned corporate website. The new site features a clean and responsive modern design, simplified usability, functionality, alongside easy access to essential information about Altaley and its projects.  Visitors can explore the new site at www.altaleymining.com. The company also announced that  Ralph Shearing, Altaley  Mining president and CEO, will be presenting at the John Tumazos Very Independent Research Conference on Tuesday, August 10, 2021, at 11.45am PST where he will discuss and provide updates on the company's two projects, including Campo Morado's 2Q 2021 production update, construction progress at its Tahuehueto Project, and outline the Company's short and long-term plans during the webinar. Investors can register to join the webinar via the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7325474642498902286 GlobeX Data Ltd. announced that on June 26, 2021, it has cancelled 6,300,000 stock options issued to officers and directors of the company and has re-issued as of July 27, 2021, the same number of options at the same price of C$0.50 per share to the same directors and officers of the company. All options were granted under the company's stock option plan and are exercisable for a period of ten years at a price of C$0.50 per share. The previous options were exercisable for a period of five years at a price of C$0.50 per share They are subject to the company's customary vesting policy. Nova Royalty Corp said the TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation pertaining to a royalty purchase and sale agreement dated February 9, 2021, between Nova and RCF VI CAD LLC, whereby the company has agreed to acquire an existing net smelter return (NSR) royalty of 0.9% on open-pit operations and 0.49% on underground operations on the San Jose 1/3000 exploitation concession that forms part of the Vizcachitas project in Chile. In consideration of the NSR royalty, an upfront cash payment of US$6.5 million and the issuance of 535,179 common shares of the company will be made on closing. Additional future payments of up to US$1.75 million in common shares (based on a 30-day VWAP (volume-weighted average price) prior to issuance) are contingent upon certain milestones having been achieved. Mydecine Innovations Group Inc. has said that Josh Bartch, its CEO will participate in two upcoming investor events in August 2021: BTIG Biotechnology Conference to be held virtually on August 9-10, 2021, where Bartch will present on Tuesday, August 10 at 3.00pm ET; and Canaccord Genuity’s 41st Annual Growth Conference to be held virtually on August 10-12, 2021, where he will present on Tuesday, August 10 at 10.00am ET. For more information about the conferences, or to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Mydecine management, investors can send an email to KCSA Strategic Communications at myco@kcsa.com. Nextech AR Solutions said it plans to release its second-quarter 2021 financial results after markets close on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. Subsequently, Nextech will host a conference call to discuss the second quarter results on August 12, 2021, at 1.00pm Eastern Time. Dial-in details: Toll Free Number (877) 201-0168; International Number (647) 788-4901; Conference ID: 2086367; Webcast Link:  https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&referrer=&eventid=3196677&sessionid=1&key=D8B8EABB69D8E76E467E042C941B243F®Tag=&V2=false&sourcepage=register. For those unable to join the live event, a recording of the presentation will be posted on the company's website. Nextech also said that an updated Corporate Presentation is now available on the company’s website: https://www.nextechar.com/ TRACON Pharmaceuticals Inc. has said it will report its second-quarter 2021 financial and operating results after the close of US financial markets on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. In addition, management will host a conference call to provide an update on corporate activities and discuss the financial results on August 11, 2021, at 4.30pm Eastern Time (1.30pm Pacific Time) Dial-in details are: (855) 779-9066 (Domestic) or (631) 485-4859 (International); passcode 3067769. Or via webcast at www.traconpharma.com; “Events and Presentations” section within the “Investors” section A replay of the webcast will be available for 60 days on the website. OTC Markets Group Inc., the operator of financial markets for 11,000 US and global securities, has announced that Blackbird PLC, which operates in the fast-growing SaaS and cloud video market, has qualified to trade on the OTCQX Best Market and has today upgraded from the OTC Pink market. Upgrading to the OTCQX Market is an important step for companies seeking to provide transparent trading for their US investors.  For companies listed on a qualified international exchange, streamlined market standards enable them to utilize their home market reporting to make their information available in the US. To qualify for OTCQX, companies must meet high financial standards, follow best practice corporate governance and demonstrate compliance with applicable securities laws. Ian McDonough, chief executive of Blackbird commented: "We are thrilled to begin trading on the OTCQX Best Market. Cross-trading provides a fantastic opportunity to open up investment in Blackbird to the North American investor community. Blackbird is a fast-growing, innovative and disruptive media technology company. The Company holds significant IP and is an advanced platform in the rapidly growing cloud-native video editing market. In addition, in the recently published report 'Video Shouldn't Cost the Earth' Blackbird's workflow was shown to be 91% more carbon-efficient than cloud workflows from traditional non-linear editor platforms. We have strong recent sales growth with high profile North American customers. We welcome the chance to share our fast-developing and exciting story on the US stage as well as the UK one."