common shares of the Company issued to its employees and consultants on May 25, 2021 being fully vested during the three months ended June 30, 2023 for a decrease of $20,872.
Other Items
Other items amounted to total other expense of $9,108 during the three-month period ended June 30, 2023, compared to total other income of $201,705 during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022. As a result of the impact of exchange rates on certain of the Company’s U.S. dollar cash balances, the Company had a foreign exchange loss of $53,843 during the three-month period ended June 30, 2023, compared to a gain of $190,165 during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022. The average exchange rate during the three-month period ended June 30, 2023 was C$1 to $0.7447, compared to C$1 to $0.7834 during the three-month period ended June 30, 2022. Interest income was $34,255 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2023, compared to $1,540 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2022. The increase of $32,715 was primarily due to short-term investment certificates being re-invested upon maturity at a higher interest rate. Other income was $10,480 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2023, compared to $10,000 for the three-month period ended June 30, 2022.
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 compared to Six Months Ended June 30, 2022
The Company had a net loss of $1,971,434 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to a net loss of $1,914,252 for the six months ended June 30, 2022.
Mineral property expenditures were $787,643 for the six months ended June 30, 2023, compared to $765,038 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase of $22,605 was primarily due to payment of an advance minimum royalty equal to 125% of the amount paid in year 19 on the Alaska Mental Health Trust lease for an increase of $91,167 and timing variances for environmental activities for an increase of $43,818, legal services for a decrease of $47,594, and project-related expenses for a decrease of $64,786.
Professional fees were $127,881 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to $109,493 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase of $18,388 was primarily due to timing variances for legal services for an increase of $18,998, audit services for an increase of $6,357, accounting services for a decrease of $254, XBRL services for a decrease of $1,290, and Sarbanes-Oxley Act review services for a decrease of $5,423.
Travel costs were $13,874 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to $8,157 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase of $5,717 was primarily due to travel expenses incurred in connection with the 2023 annual shareholders’ meeting, which was held in Vancouver.
Office costs were $8,887 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to $10,436 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The decrease of $1,549 was primarily due to timing of replacement office hardware.
Regulatory costs were $86,176 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to $98,685 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The decrease of $12,509 was primarily due to decreased EDGAR/SEDAR filing expenses of $6,136, reduced Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) listing fees of $5,481, and timing variances for other services for a decrease of $3,489, partially offset by increased NYSE American listing fees of $2,597.
Excluding share-based costs of $3,970 and $5,796 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022, respectively, investor relations costs were $30,841 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to $43,777 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The decrease of $12,936 was primarily due to reduced utilization of investor relations services.
Excluding share-based costs of $261,523 and $319,420 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and June 30, 2022, respectively, consulting fees were $114,726 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 compared to $113,345 for the six months ended June 30, 2022. The decrease of $1,381 was primarily due to the foreign exchange rate.
Excluding share-based payments, all other operating expense categories reflected only moderate changes period over period.