Execution Version
AMONG
COEUR MINING, INC.
AND
SILVERCREST METALS INC.
AND
1504648 B.C. UNLIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
AND
COEUR ROCHESTER, INC.
AND
COMPAÑÍA MINERA LA LLAMARADA, S.A. DE C.V.
October 3, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| | | Page |
| | | |
ARTICLE 1 INTERPRETATION | 2 |
| 1.1 | Definitions | 2 |
| 1.2 | Interpretation Not Affected by Headings | 23 |
| 1.3 | Number and Gender | 23 |
| 1.4 | Calculation of Time | 23 |
| 1.5 | Date for Any Action | 24 |
| 1.6 | Currency | 24 |
| 1.7 | Accounting Matters | 24 |
| 1.8 | Knowledge | 24 |
| 1.9 | Company Disclosure Letter | 24 |
| 1.10 | Parent Disclosure Letter | 24 |
| 1.11 | Schedules | 25 |
| | |
ARTICLE 2 THE ARRANGEMENT | 25 |
| 2.1 | Arrangement | 25 |
| 2.2 | Approvals | 25 |
| 2.3 | Interim Order | 26 |
| 2.4 | Company Meeting | 28 |
| 2.5 | Parent Meeting | 29 |
| 2.6 | Preparation of Company Circular and the Parent Proxy Statement | 31 |
| 2.7 | Final Order | 34 |
| 2.8 | Court Proceedings | 34 |
| 2.9 | U.S. Securities Law Matters | 35 |
| 2.10 | Treatment of Company Incentive Awards | 37 |
| 2.11 | Effective Date | 38 |
| 2.12 | Payment of Consideration | 38 |
| 2.13 | Announcement and Shareholder Communications | 38 |
| 2.14 | Withholding Taxes | 39 |
| 2.15 | Intended U.S. Tax Treatment | 39 |
| 2.16 | List of Shareholders | 40 |
| 2.17 | Governance | 40 |
| 2.18 | Appraisal Rights | 40 |
| | |
ARTICLE 3 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY | 41 |
| 3.1 | Representations and Warranties | 41 |
| 3.2 | Survival of Representations and Warranties | 67 |
| | |
ARTICLE 4 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE PARENT AND THE PARENT SUB | 67 |
| 4.1 | Representations and Warranties | 67 |
| 4.2 | Survival of Representations and Warranties | 89 |
| | |
ARTICLE 5 COVENANTS | 90 |
| 5.1 | Covenants of the Company Regarding the Conduct of Business | 90 |
| 5.2 | Covenants of the Company Relating to the Arrangement | 95 |
| 5.3 | Covenants of the Company Regarding the TSX Delisting | 96 |
| 5.4 | Covenants of the Parent Regarding the Conduct of Business | 96 |
| 5.5 | Covenants Relating to the Consideration Shares | 99 |
| 5.6 | Covenants of the Parent Regarding Blue-Sky Laws | 99 |
| 5.7 | Covenants of the Parent Relating to the Arrangement | 99 |
| 5.8 | Indebtedness | 100 |
| 5.9 | Regulatory Approvals | 101 |
| 5.10 | Resignations | 103 |
| 5.11 | Employee Matters | 104 |
| 5.12 | Pre-Acquisition Reorganization | 105 |
| 5.13 | Filings | 106 |
| 5.14 | Access to Information; Confidentiality | 107 |
| 5.15 | Insurance and Indemnification | 108 |
| 5.16 | Parent Charter Amendment | 108 |
| | |
ARTICLE 6 CONDITIONS | 109 |
| 6.1 | Mutual Conditions Precedent | 109 |
| 6.2 | Additional Conditions Precedent to the Obligations of the Parent | 110 |
| 6.3 | Additional Conditions Precedent to the Obligations of the Company | 110 |
| 6.4 | Satisfaction of Conditions | 112 |
| | |
ARTICLE 7 ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS OF THE COMPANY REGARDING ACQUISITION PROPOSALS | 112 |
| 7.1 | Non-Solicitation by the Company | 112 |
| 7.2 | Notification of Acquisition Proposals | 114 |
| 7.3 | Responding to Acquisition Proposals | 114 |
| 7.4 | Superior Proposals and Right to Match | 115 |
| | |
ARTICLE 8 ADDITIONAL AGREEMENTS OF THE PARENT REGARDING ACQUISITION PROPOSALS | 117 |
| 8.1 | Non-Solicitation by the Parent | 117 |
| 8.2 | Notification of Acquisition Proposals | 119 |
| 8.3 | Responding to Acquisition Proposals | 119 |
| 8.4 | Superior Proposals and Right to Match | 119 |
| | |
ARTICLE 9 TERM, TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND WAIVER | 121 |
| 9.1 | Term | 121 |
| 9.2 | Termination | 121 |
| 9.3 | Notice and Cure | 124 |
| 9.4 | Termination Payments | 125 |
| 9.5 | Amendment | 128 |
| 9.6 | Waiver | 129 |
| | |
ARTICLE 10 GENERAL PROVISIONS | 129 |
| 10.1 | Privacy | 129 |
| 10.2 | Notices | 130 |
| 10.3 | Governing Law; Waiver of Jury Trial | 131 |
| 10.4 | Injunctive Relief | 131 |
| 10.5 | Time of Essence | 131 |
| 10.6 | Entire Agreement, Binding Effect | 131 |
| 10.7 | No Liability | 132 |
| 10.8 | Further Assurances | 132 |
| 10.9 | Assignment and Enurement | 132 |
| 10.10 | Severability | 132 |
| 10.11 | No Third Party Beneficiaries | 132 |
| 10.12 | Counterparts, Execution | 133 |
Schedules:
Schedule A | - | Plan of Arrangement |
Schedule B | - | Arrangement Resolution |
Schedule C | - | Form of Parent Charter Amendment |
Schedule D | - | Form of Resignation and Mutual Release |
Schedule E | - | Form of Company Voting Agreement |
Schedule F | - | Form of Parent Voting Agreement |
ARRANGEMENT AGREEMENT
THIS ARRANGEMENT AGREEMENT dated October 3, 2024,
BY AND AMONG:
COEUR MINING, INC., a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Parent”),
- and -
SILVERCREST METALS INC., a corporation existing under the laws of the Province of British Columbia (the “Company”),
-and-
1504648 B.C. UNLIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, an unlimited liability company existing under the laws of the Province of British Columbia (“Parent Canadian Sub”),
- and -
COEUR ROCHESTER, INC., a company existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (“Parent U.S. Sub”),
- and -
COMPAÑÍA MINERA LA LLAMARADA, S.A. DE C.V., a company existing under the laws of Mexico (“Company Mexican Sub”).
RECITALS:
A. | The Parent and the Parent Canadian Sub desire to acquire all of the outstanding Company Shares pursuant to the Arrangement as provided in this Agreement. |
B. | The Parties intend to carry out the transactions contemplated herein by way of a plan of arrangement under the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). |
C. | The Special Committee, after receiving financial and legal advice and the Company Fairness Opinions, has unanimously determined that the Arrangement is fair and reasonable to the Company Shareholders and in the best interests of the Company and recommended to the Company Board that the Company Board (a) approve this Agreement and the Arrangement, and (b) recommend that the Company Securityholders vote in favour of the Arrangement. |
D. | The Company Board, after receiving financial and legal advice and the Company Fairness Opinions and upon the recommendation of the Special Committee, has unanimously (a) determined that the Arrangement is fair and reasonable to the Company Shareholders and in the best interests of the Company, and (b) resolved to recommend that the Company Securityholders vote in favour of the Arrangement Resolution. |
E. | The Parent Board, after evaluating the Arrangement, in consultation with Parent’s management and legal and financial advisors, has unanimously (a) determined that the Arrangement is advisable and fair to, and in the best interests of the Parent and the Parent Stockholders, (b) determined it advisable for the Parent Stockholders to approve an amendment to the certificate of incorporation of Parent, substantially in the form of Schedule C (the “Parent Charter Amendment”) to effect an increase to the number of authorized shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Parent (the “Parent Shares”), and (c) resolved to recommend that the Parent Stockholders vote in favor of the Parent Charter Amendment and the issuance of the Parent Shares, pursuant to this Agreement as contemplated by, and subject to the terms and conditions set forth in, this Agreement (the “Parent Stock Issuance”). |
F. | The Parent Canadian Sub Board has unanimously determined that the Arrangement is fair and reasonable to the sole shareholder of the Parent Canadian Sub. |
G. | The Parties intend that the issuance of the Consideration Shares and the Parent Replacement Options be exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act pursuant to section 3(a)(10) thereof. |
H. | The Parent has received duly executed Company Voting Agreements from certain of the Company’s shareholders, substantially in the form of Schedule E. |
I. | The Company has received duly executed Parent Voting Agreements from certain of the Parent’s stockholders, substantially in the form of Schedule F. |
THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSES THAT in consideration of the covenants and agreements herein contained and other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged), the Parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:
ARTICLE 1
INTERPRETATION
In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:
“Acquisition Proposal” means, in respect of a Party, other than the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, any offer, proposal or inquiry from any Person or group of Persons (other than the other Party or any controlled affiliate of the other Party), whether written or oral, made after the date hereof, relating to: (a) any direct or indirect sale or disposition (or any joint venture, lease, license, long-term supply agreement, royalty agreement or other arrangement having the same economic effect as a sale or disposition), in a single transaction or series of related transactions, of (i) assets of such Party and or one or more of its Subsidiaries (including shares of Subsidiaries of such Party) that, individually or in the aggregate, (A) represent 20% or more of the consolidated assets of such Party and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole and measured by the fair market value thereof, or (B) contribute 20% or more of the consolidated revenue of such Party and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (ii) 20% or more of any class of voting or equity securities (and/or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for such voting or equity securities) of such Party or 20% or more of any class of voting or equity securities (and/or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for such voting or equity securities) of one or more Subsidiaries of such Party whose assets, individually or in the aggregate, constitute 20% or more of the consolidated assets of such Party and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (in each case, determined based upon the most recent publicly available consolidated financial statements of such Party); (b) any direct or indirect take-over bid, tender offer, exchange offer, treasury issuance or other transaction that, if consummated, would result in such Person or group of Persons beneficially owning 20% or more of any class of voting or equity securities (and/or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for such voting or equity securities) of such Party or 20% or more of any class of voting or equity securities (and/or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for such voting or equity securities) of one or more Subsidiaries of such Party whose assets, individually or in the aggregate, constitute 20% or more of the consolidated assets of such Party and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (determined based upon the most recent publicly available consolidated financial statements of such Party); or (c) a plan of arrangement, merger, amalgamation, consolidation, share exchange, share reclassification, business combination, reorganization, recapitalization, liquidation, dissolution, winding up or other similar transaction involving such Party and/or any of its Subsidiaries that, if consummated, would result in such Person or group of Persons beneficially owning 20% or more of any class of voting or equity securities (and/or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for such voting or equity securities) of such Party or 20% or more of any class of voting or equity securities (and/or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for such voting or equity securities) of one or more Subsidiaries of such Party whose assets, individually or in the aggregate, constitute 20% or more of the consolidated assets of such Party and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (determined based upon the most recent publicly available consolidated financial statements of such Party);
“Acts of Adoption of Full Ownership” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.1(w);
“affiliate” except where otherwise indicated, has the meaning ascribed thereto in NI 45-106, in force as of the date of this Agreement;
“Agreement” means this arrangement agreement, including all Schedules annexed hereto, together with the Company Disclosure Letter and Parent Disclosure Letter, in each case as may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof;
“Arrangement” means the arrangement of the Company under the provisions of Part 9, Division 5 of the BCBCA on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the Plan of Arrangement, subject to any amendments or variations thereto made in accordance with the terms of this Agreement or the Plan of Arrangement or made at the direction of the Court in the Final Order (with the prior written consent of both the Company and the Parent, each acting reasonably);
“Arrangement Resolution” means the special resolution of the Company Securityholders approving the Plan of Arrangement, which is to be considered and, if thought fit, passed at the Company Meeting, substantially in the form and content of Schedule B hereto;
“Authorization” means, with respect to any Person, any authorization, order, permit, approval, grant, agreement, licence, classification, restriction, registration, consent, order, right, notification, condition, franchise, privilege, certificate, judgment, writ, injunction, award, determination, direction, decision having the force of Law, of, from or required by any Governmental Entity having jurisdiction over such Person;
“BCBCA” means the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and the regulations made thereunder, as now in effect and as they may be promulgated or amended from time to time;
“business day” means any day, other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a statutory or civic holiday in New York, New York, Mexico City, Mexico or Vancouver, British Columbia;
“Canadian Securities Authorities” means the British Columbia Securities Commission and any other applicable securities commissions and securities regulatory authority of a province or territory of Canada;
“Canadian Securities Laws” means the Securities Act and any other applicable Canadian provincial or territorial securities Laws (including published policies thereunder);
“COFECE” means the Federal Competition Commission of Mexico (Comisión Federal de Competencia Económica), or the body or department that replaces it;
“COFECE Approval” means the unconditional approval of the concentration consisting in the transactions contemplated in this Agreement issued by COFECE, pursuant to the provisions set forth in the Mexican Antitrust Law;
“Company” has the meaning ascribed thereto on the first page of this Agreement;
“Company Applicable Anti-Corruption Law” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.1(kk)(ii);
“Company Benefit Plans” means all employee benefit plans, including all health, dental, vision, prescription drug, accidental death and dismemberment, critical illness, emergency travel, life, short term disability, long term disability or other medical insurance, mortgage insurance, employee loan, employee assistance, supplemental unemployment benefit, post-employment benefit, post-retirement benefit, bonus, profit sharing, option, incentive, performance, equity, equity-based, phantom, deferred compensation, severance, retention, change of control, termination, pension, retirement, saving, and supplemental retirement agreements, policies, programs, arrangements, practices or undertakings, whether funded or unfunded, insured or uninsured, registered or unregistered, which are maintained by or binding upon the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or for which the Company or its Subsidiaries has any liability or contingent liability for the benefit of any current or former Company Employees excluding any Multiemployer Plans or Statutory Plans;
“Company Board” means the board of directors of the Company as the same is constituted from time to time;
“Company Board Recommendation” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.2(a)(iii);
“Company Budget” means the forecasted 2024 and 2025 capital and operating budget of the Company and its Subsidiaries, as attached as Schedule 1.1(a) to the Company Disclosure Letter;
“Company Canadian Sub” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Company Change in Recommendation” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 7.1(a)(iii);
“Company Circular” means the notice of the Company Meeting to be sent to the Company Securityholders, and accompanying management information circular, including all schedules, appendices and exhibits thereto and enclosures therewith, and information incorporated by reference therein, in connection with the Company Meeting, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with this Agreement;
“Company Credit Agreement” means the Credit Agreement dated November 29, 2022 between, amongst others, the Company as borrower, The Bank of Nova Scotia as Administrative Agent, The Bank of Nova Scotia and Bank of Montreal as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, Bank of Montreal as the syndication agent and the lenders thereto from time to time;
“Company Director Nominees” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.17;
“Company Disclosure Letter” means the disclosure letter dated the date of this Agreement (including all schedules, exhibits and appendices thereto) and executed by the Company and delivered to the Parent prior to or concurrently with the execution of this Agreement;
“Company DSU Plan” means the deferred share unit plan of the Company effective December 19, 2019;
“Company DSUs” means the outstanding deferred share units granted under the Company DSU Plan and the Company Share Unit Plan;
“Company Employees” means all individuals who are employed by the Company and its Subsidiaries, including unionized, non-unionized, part-time, full-time, active and inactive employees, and any officers who provide services to the Company as consultants;
“Company Equity Incentive Plans” means, collectively, the Company Share Unit Plan, the Company Option Plans and the Company DSU Plan;
“Company Fairness Opinion” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.2(a)(i);
“Company Financial Advisors” means, collectively, Raymond James Ltd. and Cormark Securities Inc. as financial advisors to the Company;
“Company Incentive Awards” means, collectively, the Company DSUs, Company RSUs, Company Options and Company PSUs;
“Company Independent Fairness Advisor” means Scotia Capital Inc., as independent financial advisor to the Special Committee;
“Company Leased Real Property” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.1(o);
“Company Material Adverse Effect” means any one or more changes, effects, events, occurrences or states of fact or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that is, or would reasonably be expected to be, material and adverse to the business, results of operations or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except for any such change, effect, event, occurrence or state of facts or circumstance resulting or arising from or relating to: (a) the announcement or execution of this Agreement or the implementation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including the impact of any of the foregoing on the relationships, contractual or otherwise, of the Company with customers, suppliers, service providers and employees); (b) any change in the market price or trading volume of any securities of the Company (it being understood that the changes, effects, events, occurrences or states of fact or circumstance underlying such change in market price or trading volume that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Company Material Adverse Effect may be taken into account in determining whether a Company Material Adverse Effect has occurred); (c) any change affecting the gold and silver mining industry as a whole; (d) any change (on a current or forward basis) in the price of gold or silver or any changes in commodity prices or general market prices affecting the mining industry; (e) general political, economic, financial, currency exchange, inflation, interest rates, securities or commodity market conditions in the United States, Canada or Mexico; (f) any change or prospective change after the date hereof in IFRS or changes or prospective changes in applicable Law or regulatory accounting requirements; (g) the commencement, continuation or escalation of any war, armed hostilities or acts of terrorism, or the occurrence of any cyber-attacks or data breaches; (h) any general outbreak of illness, pandemic (including COVID-19 or derivatives or variants thereof), epidemic, national health emergency, forced quarantine, lockdown or similar event, or the worsening thereof; (i) the failure of the Company to meet any internal or published projections, forecasts, guidance, budgets, or estimates of revenues, earnings, cash flow or other financial performance or results of operations for any period (provided, however, that the changes, effects, events, occurrences or states of fact or circumstance underlying such failure that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Company Material Adverse Effect may be considered to determine whether such failure constitutes a Company Material Adverse Effect); (j) any natural disaster (including any hurricane, flood, tornado, earthquake, forest fire, weather-related event or man-made natural disaster); or (k) any adoption, implementation, promulgation, repeal, modification, amendment, reinterpretation, change or proposal of any applicable Law of and by any Governmental Entity occurring after the date hereof (including with respect to Taxes); provided, however, that with respect to clauses (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (j) and (k), to the extent any such change, effect, event, occurrence or state of facts or circumstance has a disproportionate effect on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, compared to other entities operating in the industries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, operate (in which case the incremental disproportionate effect may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Company Material Adverse Effect, and only to the extent otherwise permitted by this definition);
“Company Material Contract” means any Contract: (a) that, if terminated or modified or if it ceased to be in effect, would reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect; (b) under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has directly or indirectly guaranteed any liabilities or obligations of a third party (other than endorsements for collection in the ordinary course) in excess of $3 million in the aggregate; (c) relating to indebtedness for borrowed money of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any guarantee by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any other Person’s indebtedness for borrowed money, with an outstanding principal amount in excess of $5 million; (d) that is a material partnership, limited liability company agreement, shareholder agreement, joint venture, alliance agreement or other similar agreement or arrangement in respect of any Person that is not a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company (other than any such agreement or arrangement relating to the operation or business of a Company Property in the ordinary course and which is not material with respect to such Company Property); (e) under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is obligated to make payments to, or expects to receive payments from, a third party on an annual basis in excess of $5 million in the aggregate; (f) that limits or restricts the Company or any of its Subsidiaries from engaging in any line of business or any geographic area in any material respect; (g) that contains any right on the part of any third party to acquire Mineral Rights or other property rights from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that are material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or that form any part of the Company Mineral Interests which are material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (h) that contains any rights on the part of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to acquire Mineral Rights or other property rights from any third party that, if acquired, would be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (i) that is a contractual royalty, production payment, net profits, earn-out, streaming agreement, metal pre-payment or similar agreement that has a value in excess of $3 million; (j) that is an agreement with a Governmental Entity, or an agreement with any Indigenous group, or other organizations with authority to represent such groups, in each case, that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (k) that is a registration rights agreement; (l) an earn-in, back-in, right of first refusal or right first offer in respect of the Company Mineral Interests; and (o) that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and related to the operation of, or the exploitation, extraction or production of metals from, the Company Mineral Interests; and, for greater certainty, includes the Company Material Contracts listed on Schedule 3.1(ff) of the Company Disclosure Letter;
“Company Meeting” means the special meeting of Company Securityholders, including any adjournment or postponement thereof, to be called and held in accordance with the Interim Order to consider the Arrangement Resolution and for any other purpose as may be set out in the Company Circular and agreed to in writing by the Parent;
“Company Mexican Sub” has the meaning ascribed thereto on the first page of this Agreement;
“Company Mineral Interests” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.1(o)(i);
“Company Option Plans” means, collectively, the Legacy Company Option Plan and the New Company Option Plan;
“Company Options” means the outstanding options to purchase Company Shares granted under the Company Option Plans;
“Company Owned Real Property” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.1(o);
“Company Permitted Liens” means, in respect of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, any one or more of the following:
| (a) | Liens for Taxes not at the time overdue or statutory Liens for overdue Taxes the validity of which the Company or a Subsidiary thereof is contesting in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been set aside in accordance with IFRS; |
| (b) | easements, including rights of way for, or reservations or rights of others relating to, sewers, water lines, gas lines, pipelines, electric lines, telegraph and telephone lines and other similar products or services, provided that there has been material compliance with the provisions thereof and that such easements, rights of way, reservations, or rights do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect or impair the quiet enjoyment, use, or operation of the Company Properties, as the case may be, as currently enjoyed, used or operated; |
| (c) | zoning by Laws, ordinances, or other similar restrictions of any Governmental Entity as to the use of real property; |
| (d) | mechanic’s, carrier’s, workmen’s, repairmen’s or other similar Liens (inchoate or otherwise) if, individually or in the aggregate, (A) they are not material, (B) they arose or were incurred in the ordinary course in respect of obligations which are not overdue or which are being contested in good faith and for which appropriate reserves have been established in accordance with IFRS, and (C) they have not been filed, recorded, or registered in accordance with Law; |
| (e) | minor title defects or irregularities consisting of minor surveyor exceptions, provided that such defects, irregularities, or exceptions do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect or impair the quiet enjoyment, use, or operation of the Company Properties as currently enjoyed, used or operated; |
| (f) | Liens securing indebtedness under the revolving credit facilities of the Company as described in the Company Public Documents; |
| (g) | any Liens arising pursuant to the terms and conditions of any Contract that provides for a royalty, production payment, net profits, earn-out, streaming agreement, metal pre-payment or similar agreement providing for the payment of consideration measured, quantified or calculated based on, in whole or in part, any minerals produced, mined, recovered and extracted from any of the Company Mineral Interests; |
| (h) | any other Liens, that are, as of the date of this Agreement, (i) registered against title to real property in any applicable land registry office, or (ii) registered against the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective assets in a public personal property registry or similar registry system; and |
| (i) | as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(o) of the Company Disclosure Letter; |
“Company Property” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.1(o)(i);
“Company Proposed Agreement” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 7.4(a);
“Company PSUs” means the outstanding performance share units granted under the Company Share Unit Plan;
“Company Public Documents” means all forms, reports, schedules, statements and other documents filed by the Company on SEDAR+ or with the U.S. SEC, in each case since January 1, 2024;
“Company RSUs” means the outstanding restricted share units granted under the Company Share Unit Plan;
“Company Share Unit Plan” means the equity share unit plan of the Company effective June 3, 2021;
“Company Securityholder Approval” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.3(e);
“Company Securityholders” means the Company Shareholders and holders of Company Options;
“Company Shareholders” means the registered and/or beneficial holders of Company Shares, as the context requires;
“Company Shares” means the common shares in the capital of the Company;
“Company Standstill Agreement” means a Contract entered by the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries that currently, or after the Effective Time, other than a confidentiality and standstill agreement permitted by Section 7.3, restricts the ability of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to offer to purchase the assets or equity securities of another Person;
“Company Superior Proposal” means a bona fide unsolicited written Acquisition Proposal (with references to 20% being deemed to be replaced with references to 50%) in respect of the Company and its Subsidiaries that did not result from a breach of Section 7.1: (a) that is reasonably capable of being completed without undue delay, taking into account all legal, financial, regulatory and other aspects of such Acquisition Proposal and the Person or group of Persons making such Acquisition Proposal; (b) that is not subject to any financing condition and in respect of which adequate arrangements have been made to complete any required financing to consummate such Acquisition Proposal to the satisfaction of the Company Board, acting in good faith (after consultation with the Company’s legal and financial advisors); (c) that is not, as of the date that the Company provides a Superior Proposal Notice, subject to a due diligence and/or access condition (but, for greater certainty, may include a customary access covenant); (d) complies with applicable Canadian Securities Laws in all material respects; and (e) in respect of which the Company Board (after consultation with the Company’s legal and financial advisors) determines in good faith, and after taking into account all the terms and conditions of such Acquisition Proposal, including all legal, financial, regulatory and other aspects of such Acquisition Proposal would, if consummated in accordance with its terms, result in a transaction that is more favourable, from a financial point of view, to the Company Shareholders, than the Arrangement (including any amendments to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement proposed by the Parent pursuant to Section 7.4(b));
“Company Technical Report” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 3.1(q);
“Company Termination Payment” means $60,000,000;
“Company Termination Payment Event” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.4(b);
“Company Voting Agreements” means the voting agreements between the Parent and the Company Securityholders party thereto setting forth the terms and conditions upon which they have agreed, among other things, to vote their Company Shares and/or Company Options in favour of the Arrangement Resolution;
“Competition Act” means the Competition Act (Canada) and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
“Confidentiality Agreement” means the mutual confidentiality agreement between the Parent and the Company dated April 17, 2024;
“Consideration” means the consideration to be received by Company Shareholders pursuant to the Plan of Arrangement;
“Consideration Shares” means the Parent Shares to be issued to Company Shareholders pursuant to the Plan of Arrangement;
“Contract” means any legally binding contract, agreement, license, franchise, lease, arrangement, commitment, understanding, joint venture, partnership or other right or obligation (written or oral) and any amendment thereto to which a Party or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of its Subsidiaries is bound or affected or to which any of their respective properties or assets is subject;
“Corporate Records” shall mean, in respect of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries, the original or electronic corporate books, duly signed by such Persons as required under applicable Law and under its corresponding the by-laws, including (as applicable) the shareholders’ meeting minutes, share register, the capital variations book, and the directors’ meeting minutes;
“Court” means the Supreme Court of British Columbia;
“COVID-19” means the coronavirus disease 2019 (dubbed as COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and/or any other virus or disease developing from or arising as a result of SARS-CoV-2 and/or COVID-19;
“Depositary” means Computershare Investor Services Inc., or such other Person as the Company and the Parent may appoint (each acting reasonably) to act as depositary in respect of the Arrangement;
“DGCL” means the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended from time to time.
“Dissent Rights” means the rights of dissent exercisable by the Company Shareholders in respect of the Arrangement described in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Effective Date” means the date on which the Arrangement becomes effective in accordance with Section 2.11(a);
“Effective Time” means the time on the Effective Date that the Arrangement becomes effective, as set out in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Environmental Laws” means all Laws imposing obligations, responsibilities, liabilities or standards of conduct for or relating to: (a) the regulation or control of pollution, contamination, activities, materials, substances or wastes in connection with or for the protection of human health or safety, the environment or natural resources (including climate, air, surface water, groundwater, wetlands, land surface, subsurface strata, wildlife, aquatic species and vegetation); or (b) the use, generation, disposal, treatment, processing, recycling, handling, transport, distribution, Release, destruction, transfer, import, export or sale, rehabilitation, reclamation, or remediation of Hazardous Substances;
“Environmental Liabilities” means, with respect to any Person, all liabilities, obligations, responsibilities, responses, losses, damages, punitive damages, property damages, consequential damages, treble damages, costs (including control, rehabilitation, reclamation, closure, remedial and removal costs, investigation costs, capital costs, operation and maintenance costs), expenses, fines, penalties and sanctions incurred as a result of or related to any claim, suit, action, administrative or court order, investigation, proceeding or demand by any Person, arising under or related to any Environmental Laws, Environmental Permits, or in connection with any: (a) Release or threatened Release or presence of a Hazardous Substance; (b) tailings impoundment areas; (c) tank, drum, pipe or other container that contains or contained a Hazardous Substance; or (d) use, generation, disposal, treatment, processing, recycling, handling, transport, Release, transfer, import, export or sale of Hazardous Substance;
“Environmental Permits” means all Authorizations or program participation requirements with or from any Governmental Entity under any Environmental Laws;
“ERISA” means the United States Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations issued thereunder;
“Exchange Ratio” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Excluded Benefits” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.11(b);
“Final Order” means the final order of the Court contemplated by Section 2.7, in a form and substance acceptable to the Company and the Parent, each acting reasonably, approving the Arrangement, as such order may be amended, supplemented, modified or varied by the Court (with the consent of both the Company and the Parent, each acting reasonably) at any time prior to the Effective Date or, if appealed, then, unless such appeal is withdrawn or denied, as affirmed or as amended (provided that any such amendment is acceptable to both the Company and the Parent, each acting reasonably) on appeal;
“GAAP” means the generally accepted accounting principles in the United States;
“Governmental Entity” means: (a) any international, federal, provincial, territorial, state, regional, municipal, local or other government, governmental or public department, central bank, court, tribunal, arbitral body, international arbitration institution, commission, board, ministry bureau, agency or entity, domestic or foreign; (b) any stock exchange, including the TSX, the NYSE and the NYSE American; (c) any subdivision, agent, commission, board or authority of any of the foregoing; or (d) any quasi-governmental or private body or self-regulatory organization exercising any regulatory, expropriation or taxing authority under or for the account of any of the foregoing;
“Hazardous Substance” means any radioactive, ignitable, corrosive, reactive or otherwise, toxic or hazardous material, substance or waste or any pollutant, contaminant or chemical, including petroleum or any fraction thereof, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, radon gas, mold or urea-formaldehyde, in each case as defined, designated, classified, regulated or that could result in liability under, any applicable Environmental Law, including, without limitation, those that are (i) labeled as “pollutants”, “contaminants”, “hazardous material” and/or “hazardous waste”, pursuant to Mexico’s Ley General del Equilibrio Ecológico y la Protección al Ambiente; (ii) listed, characterized (or subject to characterization) as “hazardous” under Mexican Official Norms NOM-052-SEMARNAT-2005 and NOM-053-SEMARNAT-1993; (iii) labeled as “hazardous wastes” under Mexico’s Ley General para la Prevención y Gestión Integral de los Residuos and/or its regulations; (iv) classified as hazardous or toxic under Mexico’s Ley General de Salud or any of its regulations; (v) capable of causing harm to the Environment or to human health from exposure thereto if and to the extent such capability or exposure (or prevention thereof) is regulated under Environmental Laws; and/or (vi) any used recipients or containers that may have contained or stored Hazardous Substances, including above-ground or underground storage tanks or underground pipes or aboveground pipelines, if and to the extent controlled, regulated or prohibited under Environmental Laws;
“IFRS” means International Financial Reporting Standards;
“including” means including without limitation, and “include” and “includes” have a corresponding meaning;
“Indigenous” means any and all Indian or Indian bands (as those terms are defined in the Indian Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. I-5, as amended, superseded, or replaced from time to time), First Nation person, people, or group, Métis person, people, or group, aboriginal and/or indigenous person, people, or group, or any person or group asserting or otherwise claiming any right recognized and/or affirmed under applicable Laws, treaties or any other interest held by virtue of that person or group’s status as one of the aforementioned groups, and any person or group representing or purporting to represent any of the foregoing;
“Initial Outside Date” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.2(a)(ii)(A);
“Intellectual Property” means anything that is or may be protected by any intellectual property rights in any jurisdiction such as, but not limited to works (including software), performances, trade secrets, inventions (whether patentable or not), improvements to such inventions, industrial designs, mask work and integrated circuit topographies, trade-marks, trade names, business names, corporate names, domain names, website names and world wide web addresses, whether or not they may also be protected, at any given time, as a trade secret or confidential information, including proprietary and non-public business information, know-how, methods, processes, designs, technology, technical data, schematics, models, simulations and documentation relating to any of the foregoing;
“Interim Order” means the interim order of the Court to be issued following the application therefor submitted to the Court after being informed of the intention to rely upon the exemption from registration under section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act with respect to the Consideration Shares issued pursuant to the Arrangement as contemplated by Section 2.3 and the Parent Replacement Options granted pursuant to section 2.3(g) of the Plan of Arrangement, in a form and substance acceptable to the Company and the Parent, each acting reasonably, providing for, among other things, the calling and holding of the Company Meeting, as the same may be amended, supplemented, modified or varied by the Court with the consent of the Company and the Parent, each acting reasonably;
“Intended U.S. Tax Treatment” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.15;
“In-The-Money Value” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Investment Canada Act” means the Investment Canada Act (Canada) and the regulations promulgated thereunder;
“Law” or “Laws” means all laws (including common law), by-laws, statutes, rules, regulations, principles of law and equity, orders, rulings, ordinances, judgements, injunctions, determinations, awards, decrees or other requirements, whether domestic or foreign, that are binding upon or applicable to such Person or its business, and the terms and conditions of any Authorization of or from any Governmental Entity, and, for greater certainty, includes Securities Laws and applicable common law, and the term “applicable” with respect to such Laws and in a context that refers to a Party, means such Laws as are applicable to such Party and/or its Subsidiaries or their business, undertaking, property or securities and emanate from a Person having jurisdiction over the Party and/or its Subsidiaries or its or their business, undertaking, property or securities;
“Legacy Company Option Plan” means the legacy stock option plan of the Company effective August 24, 2015, as amended;
“Liens” means any hypothecs, mortgages, pledges, assignments, liens, charges, security interests, encumbrances and adverse rights or claims or other third party interests or encumbrances of any kind, whether contingent or absolute, and any agreement, option, lease, sublease, restriction, easement, right-of-way, right or privilege (whether by Law, contract or otherwise) capable of becoming any of the foregoing;
“Matching Period” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 7.4(a)(iii);
“material fact” means a material fact relating to the Company or the Parent, as applicable, for purposes of applicable Securities Laws;
“Mexican Antitrust Law” means the Federal Economic Competition Law (Ley Federal de Competencia Económica) of Mexico;
“MI 61-101” means Multilateral Instrument 61-101 – Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions of the Canadian Securities Administrators;
“Mineral Rights” means all rights, whether contractual or otherwise, for the exploration for or exploitation of mineral resources and reserves together with surface rights, Water Rights, royalty interests, fee interests, joint venture interests and other leases, rights of way and enurements related to any such rights;
“Misrepresentation” means an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required or necessary to make the statements contained therein not misleading in light of the circumstances in which they are made;
“Modern Slavery Laws” means all Laws regarding the provision of slavery, servitude and forced or child labour and about human trafficking including the Supply Chains Act (Canada);
“Multiemployer Plan” means any “multiemployer plan” within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA;
“New Company Option Plan” means the stock option plan of the Company effective June 15, 2022, as amended;
“NI 43-101” means National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators;
“NI 45-106” means National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions of the Canadian Securities Administrators;
“NI 51-102” means National Instrument 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations of the Canadian Securities Administrators;
“NI 52-109” means National Instrument 52-109 – Certification of Disclosure in Issuers’ Annual and Interim Filings of the Canadian Securities Administrators;
“NI 54-101” means National Instrument 54-101 – Communication with Beneficial Owners of Securities of a Reporting Issuer of the Canadian Securities Administrators;
“NYSE” means the New York Stock Exchange;
“NYSE American” means the NYSE American Stock Exchange;
“ordinary course” means, with respect to an action taken by a Person, that such action is consistent with the past practice of such Person and is taken in the ordinary course of the normal day-to-day business and operations of such Person;
“Outside Date” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.2(a)(ii)(A);
“Parent” has the meaning ascribed thereto on the first page of this Agreement;
“Parent Applicable Anti-Corruption Law” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(ff)(ii);
“Parent Benefit Plans” means all employee benefit plans, including all health, dental, vision, prescription drug, accidental death and dismemberment, critical illness, emergency travel, life, short term disability, long term disability or other medical insurance, mortgage insurance, employee loan, employee assistance, supplemental unemployment benefit, post-employment benefit, post-retirement benefit, bonus, profit sharing, option, incentive, performance, equity, equity-based, phantom, deferred compensation, severance, retention, stay bonus, change of control, termination, pension, retirement, saving, and supplemental retirement agreements, policies, programs, arrangements, practices or undertakings, whether funded or unfunded, insured or uninsured, registered or unregistered, which are maintained by or binding upon the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or for which the Parent or its Subsidiaries has any liability or contingent liability for the benefit of any current or former Parent Employees excluding any Multiemployer Plan or Statutory Plans;
“Parent Board” means the board of directors of the Parent, as the same is constituted from time to time;
“Parent Board Recommendation” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.2(b)(ii);
“Parent Canadian Sub” has the meaning ascribed thereto on the first page of this Agreement;
“Parent Canadian Sub Board” means the board of directors of the Parent Canadian Sub, as the same is constituted from time to time;
“Parent Change in Recommendation” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8.1(a)(iii);
“Parent Charter Amendment” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the recitals to this Agreement;
“Parent Credit Agreement” means that certain credit agreement, dated as of September 29, 2017 (as subsequently amended), by and among, inter alia, the Parent, as borrower, Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent, and Bank of America, N.A., Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, Chicago Branch, National Bank of Canada, Fédération Des Caisses Desjardins Du Québec, ING Capital LLC and Goldman Sachs Bank USA, as lenders;
“Parent Disclosure Letter” means the disclosure letter dated the date of this Agreement (including all schedules, exhibits and appendices thereto) and executed by the Parent and delivered to the Company prior to or concurrently with the execution of this Agreement;
“Parent Employees” means those individuals who are employed by the Parent and its Subsidiaries, including unionized, non-unionized, part-time, full-time, active and inactive employees;
“Parent Incentive Awards” means all outstanding restricted share units, performance share units, options and any other awards made in accordance with the Parent Incentive Plan;
“Parent Incentive Plan” means, collectively, the Amended & Restated Coeur Mining, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan effective as of May 11, 2021 and applicable form of award agreements thereunder;
“Parent Leased Real Property” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(n)(i);
“Parent Matching Period” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8.4(a)(iii);
“Parent Material Adverse Effect” means any one or more changes, effects, events, occurrences or states of fact or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that is, or would reasonably be expected to be, material and adverse to the business, results of operations or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except for any such change, effect, event, occurrence or state of facts or circumstance resulting or arising from or relating to: (a) the announcement or execution of this Agreement or the implementation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including the impact of any of the foregoing on the relationships, contractual or otherwise, of the Parent with customers, suppliers, service providers and employees); (b) any change in the market price or trading volume of any securities of the Parent (it being understood that the changes, effects, events, occurrences or states of fact or circumstance underlying such change in market price or trading volume that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Parent Material Adverse Effect may be taken into account in determining whether a Parent Material Adverse Effect has occurred); (c) any change affecting the gold and silver mining industry as a whole; (d) any change (on a current or forward basis) in the price of gold or silver or any changes in commodity prices or general market prices affecting the mining industry; (e) general political, economic, financial, currency exchange, inflation, interest rates, securities or commodity market conditions in the United States, Canada or Mexico; (f) any change or prospective change after the date hereof in GAAP or changes or prospective changes in applicable law or regulatory accounting requirements; (g) the commencement, continuation or escalation of any war, armed hostilities or acts of terrorism, or the occurrence of any cyber-attacks or data breaches; (h) any general outbreak of illness, pandemic (including COVID-19 or derivatives or variants thereof), epidemic, national health emergency, forced quarantine, lockdown or similar event, or the worsening thereof; (i) the failure of the Parent to meet any internal or published projections, forecasts, guidance, budgets, or estimates of revenues, earnings, cash flow or other financial performance or results of operations for any period (provided, however, that the changes, effects, events, occurrences or states of fact or circumstance underlying such failure that are not otherwise excluded from the definition of a Parent Material Adverse Effect may be considered to determine whether such failure constitutes a Parent Material Adverse Effect); (j) any natural disaster (including any hurricane, flood, tornado, earthquake, forest fire, weather-related event or man-made natural disaster); or (k) any adoption, implementation, promulgation, repeal, modification, amendment, reinterpretation, change or proposal of any applicable Law of and by any Governmental Entity occurring after the date hereof (including with respect to Taxes); provided, however, that with respect to clauses (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h) and (j), to the extent any such change, effect, event, occurrence or state of facts or circumstance has a disproportionate effect on the Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, compared to other entities operating in the industries in which the Parent and its Subsidiaries operate (in which case the incremental disproportionate effect may be taken into account in determining whether there has been a Parent Material Adverse Effect, and only to the extent otherwise permitted by this definition);
“Parent Material Contract” means any Contract: (a) that, if terminated or modified or if it ceased to be in effect, would reasonably be expected to have a Parent Material Adverse Effect; (b) under which the Parent or any of is Subsidiaries has directly or indirectly guaranteed any liabilities or obligations of a third party (other than endorsements for collection in the ordinary course) in excess of $9 million in the aggregate; (c) relating to indebtedness for borrowed money of the Parent or any of is Subsidiaries or any guarantee by the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries of any other Person’s indebtedness for borrowed money, with an outstanding principal amount in excess of $15 million; (d) that is a material partnership, limited liability company agreement, shareholder agreement, joint venture, alliance agreement or other similar agreement or arrangement in respect of any Person that is not a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Parent (other than any such agreement or arrangement relating to the operation or business of a Parent Property in the ordinary course and which is not material with respect to such Parent Property); (e) under which the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries is obligated to make or expects to receive payments on an annual basis in excess of $9 million in the aggregate; (f) that limits or restricts the Parent or any of the Parent Material Subsidiaries from engaging in any line of business or any geographic area in any material respect; (g) that contains any right on the part of any third party to acquire Mineral Rights or other property rights from the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries that are material to the Parent and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or that form any part of the Parent Mineral Interests which are material to the Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (h) that contains any rights on the part of the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries to acquire Mineral Rights or other property rights from any third party that, if acquired, would be material to the Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (i) that is a contractual royalty, production payment, net profits, earn-out, streaming agreement, metal pre-payment or similar agreement that has a value in excess of $15 million; (j) that is an agreement with a Governmental Entity, or an agreement with any Indigenous group, or other organizations with authority to represent such groups, in each case, that is material to the Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (k) that is a registration rights agreement; (l) an earn-in, back-in, right of first refusal or right first offer in respect of the Parent Mineral Interests; and (o) that is material to the Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and related to the operation of, or the exploitation, extraction or production of metals from, the Parent Mineral Interests; and for greater certainty, includes the Parent Material Contracts listed on Schedule 4.1(bb) of the Parent Disclosure Letter;
“Parent Material Subsidiaries” means the Subsidiaries set out in Schedule 1.1(a) of the Parent Disclosure Letter;
“Parent Meeting” means the meeting of the Parent Stockholders, including any adjournment or postponement thereof, to be called and held in accordance with applicable Law to consider the Parent Charter Amendment, Parent Stock Issuance and for any other purpose as may be set out in the Parent Proxy Statement;
“Parent Mineral Interests” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(n)(i);
“Parent Owned Real Property” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(n)(i);
“Parent Permitted Liens” means, in respect of the Parent or any of its Subsidiaries, any one or more of the following:
| (a) | Liens for Taxes not at the time overdue or statutory Liens for overdue Taxes the validity of which the Parent or a Subsidiary thereof is contesting in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which adequate reserves have been set aside in accordance with GAAP; |
| (b) | statutory Liens incurred or deposits made in the ordinary course in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and similar legislation, but only to the extent that each such statutory Lien or deposit relates to amounts not yet due; |
| (c) | Liens given by the Parent or a Subsidiary thereof to a public utility; |
| (d) | undetermined or inchoate construction or repair or storage Liens arising in the ordinary course, a claim for which has not been filed or registered pursuant to Law or which notice in writing has not been given to the Parent or a Subsidiary thereof; |
| (e) | any reservations or exceptions contained in the original Crown grants or patents relating to any Parent Properties (including the reservation of any mines and minerals in the Crown or any other Person); |
| (f) | easements, including rights of way for, or reservations or rights of others relating to, sewers, water lines, gas lines, pipelines, electric lines, telegraph and telephone lines and other similar products or services, provided that there has been material compliance with the provisions thereof and that such easements, rights of way, reservations, or rights do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect or impair the quiet enjoyment, use, or operation of the Parent Properties, as the case may be, as currently enjoyed, used or operated; |
| (g) | zoning by Laws, ordinances, or other similar restrictions of any Governmental Entity as to the use of real property, which are not violated in any material respect by the current use of the Parent Properties; |
| (h) | all rights of expropriation of any federal, provincial or municipal authority or agency; |
| (i) | mechanic’s, carrier’s, workmen’s, repairmen’s or other similar Liens (inchoate or otherwise) if, individually or in the aggregate, (A) they are not material, (B) they arose or were incurred in the ordinary course in respect of obligations which are not overdue or which are being contested in good faith and for which appropriate reserves have been established in accordance with GAAP, and (C) they have not been filed, recorded, or registered in accordance with Law; |
| (j) | minor title defects or irregularities consisting of minor surveyor exceptions, provided that such defects, irregularities, or exceptions do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect or impair the quiet enjoyment, use, or operation of the Parent Properties as currently enjoyed, used or operated; |
| (k) | any Liens arising pursuant to the terms and conditions of any Contract that provides for a royalty, production payment, net profits, earn-out, streaming agreement, metal pre-payment or similar agreement providing for the payment of consideration measured, quantified or calculated based on, in whole or in part, any minerals produced, mined, recovered and extracted from any of the Company Mineral Interests; and |
| (l) | any other Liens, that are, as of the date of this Agreement, (i) registered against title to real property in any applicable land registry office, or (ii) registered against the Parent, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective assets in a public personal property registry or similar registry system, in each case, to the extent such Liens do not, individually or in the aggregate, materially adversely affect or impair the quiet enjoyment, use or operation of the Parent Properties as currently enjoyed, used or operated; |
“Parent Property” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(n)(i);
“Parent Proposed Agreement” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8.4(a);
“Parent Proxy Statement” means the proxy statement on Schedule 14A to be distributed to the Parent Stockholders, including all schedules, appendices and exhibits thereto and enclosures therewith, and information incorporated by reference therein, in connection with the Parent Meeting, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with this Agreement;
“Parent Public Documents” means all forms, reports, schedules, statements and other documents filed by the Parent on SEDAR+ or with the SEC since January 1, 2024;
“Parent Replacement Options” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Parent Shares” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the recitals to this Agreement;
“Parent Stock Issuance” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the recitals to this Agreement;
“Parent Stockholder Approvals” means the approval (i) of the Parent Stock Issuance by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast in person or represented by proxy at the Parent Meeting in accordance with Section 312.03(c) and Section 312.07 of the NYSE Listed Company Manual, and (ii) of the Parent Charter Amendment by the affirmative vote of Parent Stockholders required by the certificate of incorporation of Parent and the DGCL at the Parent Meeting;
“Parent Stockholders” means the registered and/or beneficial holders of the Parent Shares, as the context requires;
“Parent Superior Proposal” means a bona fide unsolicited written Acquisition Proposal (with references to 20% being deemed to be replaced with references to 50%) in respect of the Parent and its Subsidiaries that did not result from a breach of Section 8.1: (a) that is reasonably capable of being completed without undue delay, taking into account all legal, financial, regulatory and other aspects of such Acquisition Proposal and the Person or group of Persons making such Acquisition Proposal; (b) that is not subject to any financing condition and in respect of which adequate arrangements have been made to complete any required financing to consummate such Acquisition Proposal to the satisfaction of the Parent Board, acting in good faith (after consultation with the Parent’s legal and financial advisors); (c) that is not, as of the date that the Parent provides a Parent Superior Proposal Notice, subject to a due diligence and/or access condition (but, for greater certainty, may include a customary access covenant); (d) complies with applicable Canadian Securities Laws in all material respects; and (e) in respect of which the Parent Board (after consultation with the Parent’s legal and financial advisors) determines in good faith, and after taking into account all the terms and conditions of such Acquisition Proposal, including all legal, financial, regulatory and other aspects of such Acquisition Proposal, would, if consummated in accordance with its terms, result in a transaction that is more favourable, from a financial point of view, to the Parent Stockholders, than the Arrangement (including any amendments to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement proposed by the Company pursuant to Section 8.4(b));
“Parent Superior Proposal Notice” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8.4(a)(ii);
“Parent Technical Reports” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.1(p);
“Parent Termination Payment” means $100,000,000;
“Parent Termination Payment Event” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 9.4(d);
“Parent U.S. Sub” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the first page of this Agreement;
“Parent Voting Agreements” means the voting agreements between the Company and the Parent Stockholders party thereto setting forth the terms and conditions upon which they have agreed, among other things, to vote their Parent Shares in favour of the Parent Charter Amendment and Parent Stock Issuance;
“
Parties” means, together, the Parent, the Parent Canadian Sub, the Parent U.S. Sub, the Company Mexican Sub and the Company, and “
Party” means any one of them, as the context requires;
“Person” includes an individual, partnership, association, body corporate, trustee, executor, administrator, legal representative, government (including any Governmental Entity) or any other entity, whether or not having legal status;
“Personal Information” means all information or data in any form, including paper, electronic and other forms, concerning any identified or identifiable individual, as provided under the applicable Privacy Laws;
“Plan of Arrangement” means the plan of arrangement of the Company, substantially in the form of Schedule A hereto, and any amendments or variations thereto made in accordance with the Plan of Arrangement or upon the direction of the Court in the Final Order with the consent of the Company and the Parent, each acting reasonably;
“Pre-Acquisition Reorganization” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.12;
“Privacy Laws” include applicable Laws that govern the collection, use, disclosure, retention, disposition and other processing of Personal Information, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and applicable provincial Privacy Laws;
“Regulatory Approvals” means those sanctions, rulings, consents, orders, exemptions, Authorizations and other approvals (including the lapse, without objections, of a prescribed period of time under a statute or regulation that states that a transaction may be implemented if a prescribed period of time lapses following the giving of notice without an objection being made) of any Governmental Entity required in relation to the transactions contemplated hereby, including the COFECE Approval;
“Release” means any release, spill, emission, leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, escape, injection, deposit, disposal, discharge, dispersal, dumping, or leaching of any Hazardous Substance in the environment;
“Representatives” means, with respect to a Party, such Party’s directors, officers, employees, counsel, financial advisors, accountants, agents, consultants and other authorized representatives and advisors;
“Restricted Party” means a person that is: (a) listed on, owned, held or controlled, directly or indirectly, by a person listed on, or acting on behalf of a person listed on, any Sanctions List, (b) located in, incorporated under the laws of, or owned or (directly or indirectly) controlled by, or acting on behalf of, a person located in or organized under the laws of a country or territory that is the target of Sanctions, or (c) otherwise a target of Sanctions;
“Sanctions” means the economic sanctions laws, regulations, embargoes or restrictive measures administered, enacted or enforced by: (a) the United States government; (b) the United Nations; (c) the European Union; (d) the Canadian government; (e) the United Kingdom; or (f) the respective governmental institutions and agencies of any of the foregoing, including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of Treasury (“OFAC”), the United States Department of State, and Her Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”), Global Affairs Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or any other relevant sanctions authority (together the “Sanctions Authorities”);
“Sanctions List” means the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons” list maintained by OFAC, the Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets, the Consolidated Canadian Autonomous Sanctions List and the Investment Ban List maintained by HMT, or any similar list maintained by, or public announcement of Sanctions designation made by, any of the Sanctions Authorities;
“SEC Clearance” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.4;
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act (British Columbia) and the rules, regulations and published policies made thereunder, as now in effect and as they may be promulgated or amended from time to time;
“Securities Laws” means, collectively, Canadian Securities Laws and U.S. Securities Laws;
“SEDAR+” means the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval;
“Special Committee” means the special committee of the Company Board;
“Statutory Plans” means statutory benefit plans which the Company or its Subsidiaries are required to participate in or comply with, including as applicable the Canada Pension Plan and plans administered pursuant to applicable health tax, workplace safety insurance and employment insurance legislation;
“Subsidiary” has the meaning ascribed thereto in NI 45-106;
“Superior Proposal Notice” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 7.4(a)(ii);
“Tax Act” means the Income Tax Act (Canada) and the regulations made thereunder, as now in effect and as they may be promulgated or amended from time to time;
“Tax Returns” includes all returns, reports, declarations, elections, notices, filings, forms, statements and other documents (whether in tangible, electronic or other form) and including any amendments, schedules, attachments, supplements, appendices and exhibits thereto and any claims for refund, declarations of estimated Tax and information returns, made, prepared, filed or required by a Governmental Entity to be made, prepared or filed by Law in respect of Taxes;
“Tax Sharing Agreement” means any agreement or arrangement binding the Company or the Parent, as applicable, or any of their respective Subsidiaries that provides for the allocation, apportionment, sharing, indemnification or assignment of any Tax liability or benefit, or the transfer or assignment of income, revenues, receipts, or gains for the purpose of determining any Person’s Tax liability (other than customary Tax sharing or indemnification provisions contained in a commercial agreement entered into in the ordinary course of business the primary subject matter of which does not relate to Taxes).
“Taxes” includes any taxes, duties, fees, premiums, assessments, imposts, levies, expansion fees and other charges of any kind whatsoever imposed by any Governmental Entity, including all interest, penalties, fines, additions to tax or other additional amounts imposed by any Governmental Entity in respect thereof, and including, but not limited to, those levied on, or measured by, or referred to as, income, gross receipts, earnings, profits, mining, mineral, windfall, environmental, royalty, capital, capital stock, transfer, land transfer, disability, ad valorem, sales, net worth, goods and services, harmonized sales, use, value-added, excise, stamp, recording, withholding, business, franchising, property, premium, development, occupation, occupancy, employer health, alternative or add-on minimum, payroll, employment, health, social services, education and social security taxes, all surtaxes, all customs duties and import and export taxes, countervail and anti-dumping, all license, franchise and registration fees and all employment insurance, health insurance and Canada Pension Plan and other pension plan premiums or contributions imposed by any Governmental Entity, any transferee or predecessor liability in respect of any of the foregoing, and any liability for any such amounts imposed with respect to any other person, including under any agreements or arrangements;
“Third Party Beneficiaries” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 10.11;
“Transaction Personal Information” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 10.1;
“TSX” means the Toronto Stock Exchange;
“U.S. Exchange Act” means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time and the rules and regulations of the U.S. SEC promulgated thereunder;
“U.S. Investment Company Act” means the United States Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;
“U.S. SEC” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 2.3;
“U.S. Securities Act” means the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;
“U.S. Securities Laws” means the U.S. Exchange Act, the U.S. Securities Act and all other applicable U.S. federal securities Laws;
“U.S. Tax Code” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder;
“United States” or “U.S.” means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any State of the United States and the District of Columbia; and
“Water Rights” means water rights, water concessions, water leases and water supply agreements, ditch rights or other interests in water or water conveyance rights owned or leased by the relevant Person.
1.2 | Interpretation Not Affected by Headings |
The division of this Agreement into Articles and Sections, and the insertion of headings are for convenience of reference only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement. Unless the contrary intention appears, references in this Agreement to an Article, Section or Schedule by number or letter or both refer to the Article, Section or Schedule, respectively, bearing that designation in this Agreement.
In this Agreement, unless the contrary intention appears, words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa, and words importing gender include all genders.
Unless otherwise specified, time periods within or following which any payment is to be made or act is to be done shall be calculated by excluding the day on which the period commences and including the day on which the period ends. Where the last day of any such time period is not a business day, such time period shall be extended to the next business day following the day on which it would otherwise end.
If the date on which any action is required to be taken hereunder by a Party is not a business day, such action shall be required to be taken on the next succeeding day which is a business day.
Unless otherwise stated, all references in this Agreement to sums of money are expressed in lawful money of the United States and “$” refers to U.S. dollars.
Unless otherwise stated, all accounting terms used in this Agreement (i) with respect to the Company shall have the meanings attributable thereto under IFRS and all determinations of an accounting nature required to be made shall be made in a manner consistent with IFRS consistently applied, and (ii) with respect to the Parent shall have the meanings attributable thereto under GAAP and all determinations of an accounting nature required to be made shall be made in a manner consistent with GAAP consistently applied.
In this Agreement, references to: (a) “the knowledge of the Company” means the actual knowledge of the Company’s (i) Chief Executive Officer, (ii) President, (iii) Interim Chief Financial Officer, (iv) Vice President, Operations, (v) Vice President, Governance, Risk and Sustainability, (vi) Vice President, Corporate Development, and (vii) Vice President, Financial Reporting, in each case, after making due enquiries regarding the relevant matter; and (b) “the knowledge of the Parent” means the actual knowledge of the Parent’s (i) Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, (ii) Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, (iii) Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief ESG Officer, (iv) Senior Vice President, Exploration, (v) Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer and (vi) Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, in each case, after making due enquiries regarding the relevant matter.
1.9 | Company Disclosure Letter |
The Company Disclosure Letter itself and all information contained in it is confidential information and may not be disclosed unless (a) it is required to be disclosed pursuant to Law unless such Law permits the Parties to refrain from disclosing the information for confidentiality or other purposes, or (b) a Party, acting reasonably and in good faith, needs to disclose it in order to enforce or exercise its rights under this Agreement.
1.10 | Parent Disclosure Letter |
The Parent Disclosure Letter itself and all information contained in it is confidential information and may not be disclosed unless (a) it is required to be disclosed pursuant to Law unless such Law permits the Parties to refrain from disclosing the information for confidentiality or other purposes, or (b) a Party, acting reasonably and in good faith, needs to disclose it in order to enforce or exercise its rights under this Agreement.
The following Schedules are annexed to this Agreement and are incorporated by reference into this Agreement and form a part hereof:
Schedule A | - | Plan of Arrangement |
Schedule B | - | Arrangement Resolution |
Schedule C | - | Form of Parent Charter Amendment |
Schedule D | - | Form of Resignation and Mutual Release |
Schedule E | - | Form of Company Voting Agreement |
Schedule F | - | Form of Parent Voting Agreement |
ARTICLE 2
THE ARRANGEMENT
The Parties agree that the Arrangement will be implemented in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement.
| (a) | The Company represents and warrants to the Parent that: |
| (i) | the Company Board has received an oral opinion to be subsequently confirmed in writing (each, a “Company Fairness Opinion”) from each of the Company Financial Advisors and the Company Independent Fairness Advisor that, as of the date of such opinion and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications set out therein, the Consideration to be received by Company Shareholders pursuant to the Arrangement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Company Shareholders; |
| (ii) | the Special Committee, after receiving financial and legal advice and the Company Fairness Opinions, has unanimously (A) determined that the Arrangement is fair and reasonable to the Company Shareholders and in the best interests of the Company, and (B) recommended to the Company Board that the Company Board (1) approve this Agreement and the Arrangement, and (2) recommend that the Company Securityholders vote in favour of the Arrangement; and |
| (iii) | the Company Board, after receiving financial and legal advice and the Company Fairness Opinions and the recommendation of the Special Committee, has unanimously (A) determined that the Arrangement is fair and reasonable to the Company Shareholders and in the best interests of the Company, and (B) resolved to recommend that the Company Securityholders] vote in favour of the Arrangement Resolution (the “Company Board Recommendation”). |
| (b) | The Parent represents and warrants to the Company that: |
| (i) | the Parent Board has received the separate opinions of BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC each to the effect that, as of the date of such opinion and based on and subject to the various assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the review undertaken set forth therein, the Exchange Ratio provided for pursuant to this Agreement is fair, from a financial point of view, to the Parent; |
| (ii) | the Parent Board, after evaluating the Arrangement in consultation with the Parent’s management and legal and financial advisors, has unanimously: (A) determined that the entering into of this Agreement is in the best interests of the Parent and the Parent Stockholders; and (B) has resolved to recommend that the Parent Stockholders vote to approve the Parent Charter Amendment and the Parent Stock Issuance (the “Parent Board Recommendation”). |
As promptly as reasonably practicable following the execution of this Agreement, the Company shall apply to the Court in a manner acceptable to the Parent, acting reasonably, pursuant to Part 9, Division 5 of the BCBCA, to schedule the Interim Order hearing with the Court for a date on or about the fifteenth (15th) calendar day immediately following the date of filing of the Parent Proxy Statement with the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (“U.S. SEC”); provided that the Company shall reschedule such hearing if the SEC Clearance is not obtained (or not obtainable) by the third (3rd) business day prior to the date of the hearing; provided further that in the event such hearing is rescheduled, the Company shall use reasonable best efforts to reschedule such hearing to occur as soon as reasonably practicable following the receipt of SEC Clearance, in each case subject to the availability of the Court and subject to and in accordance with the requirements of NI 54-101 with respect to the Company Meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not be required to schedule the Interim Order hearing for a date prior to the thirtieth (30th) day following the date of this Agreement. The Company shall prepare, file and diligently pursue an application for the Interim Order, which shall provide, among other things:
| (a) | for the class(es) of Persons to whom notice is to be provided in respect of the Arrangement and the Company Meeting and for the manner in which such notice is to be provided; |
| (b) | for confirmation of the record date for the purposes of determining the Company Securityholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Company Meeting in accordance with the Interim Order; |
| (c) | that the record date for Company Securityholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Company Meeting will not change as a result of any adjournment(s) or postponement(s) of the Company Meeting unless required by the Court or by Law; |
| (d) | that the Company Meeting may be held as a virtual or hybrid meeting, and that Company Securityholders that participate in the Company Meeting through virtual means, if applicable, will be deemed to be present at the Company Meeting; |
| (e) | that the requisite approval (collectively, the “Company Securityholder Approval”) for the Arrangement Resolution shall be at least: |
| (i) | 66⅔% of the votes cast on the Arrangement Resolution by the Company Shareholders present in person or by proxy at the Company Meeting and voting as a single class; |
| (ii) | 66⅔% of the votes cast on the Arrangement Resolution by the Company Securityholders present in person or by proxy at the Company Meeting and voting as a single class; and |
| (iii) | a majority of the votes cast on the Arrangement Resolution by the Company Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Company Meeting, voting as a single class, excluding, for this purpose, the votes cast by those Persons whose votes are required to be excluded by MI 61-101; |
| (f) | that, in all other respects, the terms, conditions and restrictions of the Company’s constating documents, including quorum requirements and other matters, shall apply in respect of the Company Meeting unless otherwise ordered by the Court; |
| (g) | for the grant of Dissent Rights to the Company Shareholders who are registered Company Shareholders as of the record date for the Company Meeting, as contemplated in the Plan of Arrangement; |
| (h) | for the notice requirements with respect to the presentation of the application to the Court for the Final Order; |
| (i) | that the Company Meeting may be adjourned or postponed from time to time by the Company Board subject to the terms of this Agreement or as otherwise agreed between the Parties without the need for additional approval of the Court; |
| (j) | that the Parties intend to rely on the exemption provided by section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act for the issuance of Consideration Shares and the Parent Replacement Options pursuant to the Plan of Arrangement, subject to and conditioned upon the Court’s approval of the Arrangement and determination following a hearing that the Arrangement is substantively and procedurally fair and reasonable to each Person to whom Consideration Shares and the Parent Replacement Options will be issued; and |
| (k) | for such other matters as the Parent or the Company may reasonably require, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the other Party, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed. |
The Company shall, as soon as reasonably practicable after the earliest to occur of (x) the U.S. SEC informing the Parent that it has no remaining comments to, or will not review, the Parent Proxy Statement (and the Parent agrees to advise the Company of such matters promptly after the U.S. SEC informs the Parent of such) or (y) the passage of at least ten (10) calendar days (as calculated pursuant to Rule 14a-6 of the U.S. Exchange Act) since the filing of a preliminary Parent Proxy Statement with the U.S. SEC not informing the Parent that it intends to review the Parent Proxy Statement (in either case, “SEC Clearance”):
| (a) | duly call, give notice of, convene and conduct the Company Meeting (including by virtual means) in accordance with the Interim Order, the Company’s constating documents and applicable Laws as promptly as reasonably practicable, using commercially reasonable efforts to convene and conduct the Company Meeting as soon as practicable, and in any event, within thirty-five (35) days of the receipt of the SEC Clearance (and, in that regard, the Company shall abridge, as necessary, any time period that may be abridged under NI 54-101); provided that the Parent shall cooperate with the Company and use commercially reasonable best efforts to set the record dates for, schedule and convene the Company Meeting and the Parent Meeting on the same dates; |
| (b) | in consultation with the Parent, fix and publish a record date for the purposes of determining the Company Securityholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Company Meeting; |
| (c) | not adjourn, postpone or cancel (or propose or permit the adjournment, postponement or cancellation of) the Company Meeting except (i) as required by applicable Laws or a Governmental Entity, (ii) as required for quorum purposes (in which case the meeting shall be adjourned and not cancelled), (iii) if at any time following the dissemination of the Company Circular, the Company reasonably determines in good faith that the Company Securityholder Approval is unlikely to be obtained at the Company Meeting (in which case the meeting shall be adjourned and not cancelled); (iv) the Company Board shall have determined in good faith (after consultation with outside legal counsel) that it is necessary or appropriate to postpone or adjourn the Company Meeting in order to give Company Securityholders sufficient time to evaluate any information or disclosure that the Company has sent or otherwise made available to such holders by issuing a press release, filing materials with the Canadian Securities Authorities or otherwise; (v) as permitted by Section 9.3(b), or (vi) with the Parent’s prior written consent; provided, that Company shall be permitted to postpone or adjourn the Company Meeting pursuant to clause (ii), (iii) and (iv) on no more than two occasions in the aggregate and no such adjournment shall delay the Company Meeting by more than ten (10) days from the prior-scheduled date or to a date that is on or after the fifth (5th) business day preceding the Outside Date; |
| (d) | promptly advise the Parent as the Parent may reasonably request, and at least on a daily basis on each of the last ten (10) business days prior to the date of the Company Meeting as to the aggregate tally of the proxies received by the Company in respect of the Arrangement Resolution; |
| (e) | promptly (and in no event later than two (2) business days after receipt of notice) advise the Parent of any written communication from any Company Shareholder in opposition to the Arrangement (except for non-substantive communications from any Company Shareholder that purports to hold less than 0.1% of Company Shares (provided that communications from such Company Shareholder are not substantive in the aggregate)), written notice of dissent or purported exercise by any Company Shareholder of Dissent Rights received by the Company in relation to the Arrangement and any withdrawal of Dissent Rights received by the Company and, subject to applicable Law, any written communications sent by or on behalf of the Company to any Company Shareholder exercising or purporting to exercise Dissent Rights in relation to the Arrangement; |
| (f) | unless the Company Board has made a Change in Recommendation in accordance with Section 7.4(a), solicit proxies in favour of the Arrangement Resolution and against any resolution submitted by any Company Shareholder (unless otherwise consented to by the Parent) and, in connection therewith, in consultation with the Parent, use the services of one or more proxy solicitation services (at the expense of the Company); |
| (g) | provide the Parent with copies of or access to information regarding the Company Meeting generated by any proxy solicitation services engaged by the Company, as requested from time to time by the Parent; |
| (h) | not change the record date for the Company Securityholders entitled to vote at the Company Meeting in connection with any adjournment or postponement of the Company Meeting unless required by Law; |
| (i) | not make any compromise, payment or settlement offer, or agree to any compromise, payment or settlement with respect to, or otherwise negotiate any exercise of any Dissent Rights without the prior written consent of the Parent (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed); and |
| (j) | give notice to the Parent of the Company Meeting and allow its Representatives and legal counsel to attend the Company Meeting (including by virtual means). |
Subject to the terms of this Agreement, as soon as reasonably practicable after SEC Clearance, the Parent shall:
| (a) | duly call, give notice of, convene and conduct the Parent Meeting (including by virtual means) in accordance with the Parent’s constating documents and applicable Laws as promptly as reasonably practicable, using commercially reasonable efforts to convene and conduct the Parent Meeting as soon as practicable, and in any event, within thirty-five (35) days of the receipt of the SEC Clearance; provided that the Parent shall cooperate with the Company and use commercially reasonable best efforts to schedule and convene the Company Meeting and the Parent Meeting on the same dates; |
| (b) | in consultation with the Company, fix and publish a record date for the purposes of determining the Parent Stockholders entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Parent Meeting; |
| (c) | not adjourn, postpone or cancel (or propose or permit the adjournment, postponement or cancellation of) the Parent Meeting except (i) as required by applicable Laws or a Governmental Entity, (ii) as required for quorum purposes (in which case the meeting shall be adjourned and not cancelled), (iii) if, after consultation with the Company and following the dissemination of the Parent Proxy Statement, Parent reasonably determines in good faith that the Parent Stockholder Approvals are unlikely to be obtained at the Parent Meeting (in which case the meeting shall be adjourned and not cancelled); (iv) the Parent Board shall have determined in good faith (after consultation with outside legal counsel) that it is necessary or appropriate to postpone or adjourn the Parent Meeting in order to give Parent Stockholders sufficient time to evaluate any information or disclosure that the Parent has sent or otherwise made available to such holders by issuing a press release, filing materials with the SEC or otherwise; (v) as permitted by Section 9.3(b), or (vi) with the Company’s prior written consent; provided, that Parent shall be permitted to postpone or adjourn the Parent Meeting pursuant to clause (ii), (iii) and (iv) on no more than two occasions in the aggregate, and no such adjournment shall delay the Parent Meeting by more than ten (10) days from the prior-scheduled date or to a date that is on or after the fifth (5th) business day preceding the Outside Date; |
| (d) | promptly advise the Company as the Company may reasonably request, and at least on a daily basis on each of the last ten (10) business days prior to the date of the Parent Meeting, as to the aggregate tally of the proxies received by the Parent in respect of the Parent Charter Amendment and Parent Stock Issuance; |
| (e) | promptly (and in no event later than two (2) business days after receipt of notice) advise the Company of any written communication from any Parent Stockholder in opposition to the Arrangement, the Parent Charter Amendment or Parent Stock Issuance (except for non-substantive communications from any Parent Stockholder that purports to hold less than 0.1% of Parent Shares (provided that communications from such Parent Stockholder are not substantive in the aggregate)); |
| (f) | unless the Parent Board has made a Parent Change in Recommendation in accordance with Section 8.4(a), solicit proxies in favour of the Parent Charter Amendment and Parent Stock Issuance and against any resolution submitted by any Parent Stockholder (unless otherwise consented to by the Company) and, in connection therewith, in consultation with the Company, use the services of one or more proxy solicitation services (at the expense of the Parent); |
| (g) | provide the Company with copies of or access to information regarding the Parent Meeting generated by any proxy solicitation services engaged by the Parent, as requested from time to time by the Company; |
| (h) | not change the record date for the Parent Stockholders entitled to vote at the Parent Meeting in connection with any adjournment or postponement of the Parent Meeting unless required by Law; |
| (i) | give notice to the Company of the Parent Meeting and allow its Representatives and legal counsel to attend the Parent Meeting (including by virtual means); and |
| (j) | propose that the only matters to be acted on by Parent Stockholders at the Parent Meeting are (i) the approval of the Parent Charter Amendment, (ii) the approval of the Stock Issuance and (iii) if the Parent has not received proxies representing a sufficient number of Parent Shares to obtain the Parent Stockholder Approvals, the adjournment of the Parent Meeting to solicit additional proxies. |
2.6 | Preparation of Company Circular and the Parent Proxy Statement |
| (a) | Promptly following the entry into this Agreement, the Company shall prepare, together with any other documents required by the BCBCA, Canadian Securities Laws and all other applicable Laws, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause to be filed with the TSX and the Canadian Securities Authorities as promptly as practicable after obtaining the Interim Order (with the making of such filing subject to the Parent furnishing the information required under Section 2.6(e)), the Company Circular relating to matters to be submitted to the Company Securityholders at the Company Meeting. Company shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Company Circular to comply as to form and substance in all material respects with the rules and regulations promulgated by Canadian Securities Laws and the requirements of applicable Law, and to respond as promptly as practicable to any comments of the TSX, Canadian Securities Authorities or their respective staff. The Company will advise the Parent promptly after it receives any request by the TSX or Canadian Securities Authorities for amendment of the Company Circular or receives any comments thereon and responses thereto or any request by the TSX or Canadian Securities Authorities for additional information, and shall provide the Parent with copies of all substantive correspondence that is provided by or on behalf of it, on one hand, and by the TSX or Canadian Securities Authorities, on the other hand. The Company shall use its reasonable best efforts to resolve any comments from the TSX and Canadian Securities Authorities with respect to the Company Circular as promptly as reasonably practicable after receipt thereof. The Company agrees to permit the Parent (to the extent applicable) and its counsel, to participate in all substantive meetings and conferences with the TSX or Canadian Securities Authorities with respect to the foregoing matters. Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to filing or mailing the Company Circular (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or responding to any substantive comments of the TSX or Canadian Securities Authorities with respect thereto, the Company will (A) provide the Parent with a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on such document or response (including the proposed final version of such document or response), (B) consider in good faith for inclusion in such document or response all comments reasonably and promptly proposed by the Parent and (C) not file or mail such document or respond to the TSX or Canadian Securities Authorities prior to receiving the approval of the Parent, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. |
| (b) | Promptly following the entry into this Agreement, the Parent shall prepare, together with any other documents required by U.S. Securities Laws and all other applicable Laws, and shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause to be filed with the U.S. SEC as promptly as practicable following the execution of this Agreement (with the making of such filing subject to the Company furnishing the information required under Section 2.6(f)), the Parent Proxy Statement relating to matters to be submitted to the Parent Stockholders at the Parent Meeting. The Parent shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Parent Proxy Statement to comply as to form and substance in all material respects with the rules and regulations promulgated by the U.S. SEC and the requirements of applicable Law, and to respond as promptly as practicable to any comments of the U.S. SEC or its staff. The Parent will advise the Company promptly after it receives any request by the U.S. SEC for amendment of the Parent Proxy Statement or receives any comments thereon and responses thereto or any request by the U.S. SEC for additional information, and the Parent shall provide the Company with copies of all substantive correspondence that is provided by or on behalf of it, on one hand, and by the U.S. SEC on the other hand. The Parent shall use its reasonable best efforts to resolve any comments from the U.S. SEC with respect to the Parent Proxy Statement as promptly as reasonably practicable after receipt thereof. The Parent agrees to permit the Company (to the extent practicable) and its counsel, to participate in all substantive meeting and conferences with the U.S. SEC with respect to the foregoing matters. Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to filing or mailing the Parent Proxy Statement (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or responding in writing to any substantive comments of the U.S. SEC with respect thereto, the Parent will (A) provide the Company with a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on such document or response (including the proposed final version of such document or response), (B) consider in good faith for inclusion in such document or response all comments reasonably and promptly proposed by the Company, and (C) not file or mail such document or respond to the U.S. SEC prior to receiving the approval of the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. |
| (c) | The Company Circular shall: (i) include a copy of the Company Fairness Opinions; (ii) state that the Company Board has received the Company Fairness Opinions and the recommendation of the Special Committee, and, subject to the terms of this Agreement, has unanimously determined, after receiving legal and financial advice, that the Consideration to be received by the Company Securityholders is fair to the Company Securityholders and that the Arrangement and entry into this Agreement are in the best interests of the Company; (iii), subject to the terms of this Agreement, contain the unanimous recommendation of the Company Board (subject to any abstentions due to entitlement to “collateral benefits” under MI 61-101) to Company Securityholders that they vote in favour of the Arrangement Resolution; and (iv) include statements that each of the directors and senior officers of the Company has signed a Company Voting Agreement, pursuant to which, and subject to the terms thereof, they have agreed to, among other things, vote their Company Shares and/or Company Options in favour of the Arrangement Resolution. |
| (d) | The Parent Proxy Statement shall: (i) state that the Parent Board has evaluated the Arrangement in consultation with Parent’s management and legal and financial advisors, and has unanimously determined that the Arrangement and entry into this Agreement are in the best interests of the Parent; (ii) subject to the terms of this Agreement, contain the unanimous recommendation of the Parent Board to Parent Stockholders that they vote in favour of the Parent Charter Amendment and Parent Stock Issuance; (iii) include a copy of the separate opinions of BMO Capital Markets Corp. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC to the Parent Board; (iv) include statements that each of the directors and senior officers of the Parent has signed a Parent Voting Agreement, pursuant to which, and subject to the terms thereof, they have agreed to, among other things, vote their Parent Shares in favour of the Parent Charter Amendment and Parent Stock Issuance; and (v) state the Company Director Nominees who shall become members of the Parent Board as of the Effective Time. |
| (e) | The Parent will promptly furnish to the Company such data and information relating to it, its Subsidiaries (including the Parent Canadian Sub), the Consideration Shares, and the holders of its capital stock, as is required by applicable Laws and as the Company may reasonably request for the purpose of including such data and information in the Company Circular and any amendments or supplements thereto, including any information required for the preparation by the Parent of any pro forma financial statements. The Parent shall use reasonable best efforts to obtain any necessary consents from any of its auditors, Qualified Persons (as defined in NI 43-101), reserves evaluators or other advisors to the use of any financial, technical or other expert information required to be included in the Company Circular relating to it or its Subsidiaries (including the Parent Canadian Sub) and to the identification in the Company Circular of each such advisor. |
| (f) | The Company will promptly furnish to the Parent such data and information relating to it, its Subsidiaries and the Company Securityholders, as is required by applicable Laws and as the Parent may reasonably request for the purpose of including such data and information in the Parent Proxy Statement and any amendments or supplements thereto, including any information required for the preparation by the Parent of any pro forma financial statements. The Company shall use reasonable best efforts to obtain any necessary consents from any of its auditors, Qualified Persons (as defined in NI 43-101), reserves evaluators or other advisors to the use of any financial, technical or other expert information required to be included in the Parent Proxy Statement relating to it or its Subsidiaries and to the identification in the Parent Proxy Statement of each such advisor. |
| (g) | The Parent and the Company shall each use reasonable best efforts to coordinate with each other to prepare common disclosure that will be included in both the Company Circular and the Parent Proxy Statement, and shall, to the extent reasonably practicable, provide that such disclosure is generally consistent as between the Company Circular and the Parent Proxy Statement. |
| (h) | The Parent and the Company shall make all necessary filings with respect to the Arrangement under the U.S. Securities Act and the U.S. Exchange Act and applicable blue sky laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Each Party will advise the other, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance of any stop order, or the suspension of the qualification of the Consideration Shares issuable in connection with the Arrangement for offering or sale in any jurisdiction. Each of the Company and the Parent will use reasonable best efforts to have any such stop order or suspension lifted, reversed or otherwise terminated. |
| (i) | If at any time prior to the Effective Time, any information relating to the Parent or the Company, or any of their respective affiliates, officers or directors, should be discovered by the Company or the Parent that should be set forth in an amendment or supplement to either of the Company Circular or the Parent Proxy Statement, so that such documents would not include any misstatement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, the Party which discovers such information shall promptly notify the other Party and an appropriate amendment or supplement describing such information shall be promptly filed with the U.S. SEC, the Canadian Securities Authorities or any other Governmental Entity as required, as applicable, and, to the extent required by applicable Law, disseminated to the Company Securityholders or the Parent Stockholders, as applicable. |
If (A) the Interim Order is obtained, (B) the Company Securityholder Approval is obtained at the Company Meeting as provided for in the Interim Order and (C) the Parent Stockholder Approvals are obtained at the Parent Meeting, the Company shall (a) diligently pursue and take all steps necessary to submit the Arrangement before the Court as promptly and (b) diligently pursue an application for the Final Order pursuant to section 291 of the BCBCA as reasonably practicable but, in any event, within four (4) business days after the Company Securityholder Approval is obtained.
Subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Company will diligently pursue all Court proceedings relating to obtaining the Interim Order and Final Order, and the Parent will cooperate with, assist and consent to the Company in seeking the Interim Order and the Final Order, including by providing the Company on a timely basis any information reasonably requested or required to be supplied by the Parent in connection therewith. The Company will provide the Parent and its legal counsel with a reasonable opportunity to review and comment upon drafts of all material to be filed with the Court in connection with the Arrangement, including by providing on a timely basis a description of any information to be supplied by the Parent for inclusion in such material, prior to the service and filing of such material, and will give reasonable consideration to all such comments. Subject to applicable Law, the Company will not file any material with the Court in connection with the Arrangement or serve any such material, and will not agree to modify or amend materials so filed or served, except as contemplated by this Section 2.8 or with the Parent’s prior written consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed; provided that nothing herein shall require the Parent to agree or consent to any increase in Consideration or other modification or amendment to such filed or served materials that expands or increases the Parent’s obligations set forth in any such filed or served materials or under this Agreement or the Arrangement. The Company shall also provide to the Parent’s outside counsel on a timely basis copies of any notice of appearance or other Court documents served on the Company in respect of the application for the Interim Order or the Final Order or any appeal therefrom and of any notice, whether written or oral, received by the Company indicating any intention to oppose the granting of the Interim Order or the Final Order or to appeal the Interim Order or the Final Order. The Company will ensure that all materials filed with the Court in connection with the Arrangement are consistent in all material respects with the terms of this Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. In addition, the Company will not object to the Parent’s legal counsel making such submissions on the hearing of the motion for the Interim Order and the application for the Final Order as such counsel considers appropriate, provided that the Company is advised of the nature of any submissions at least 24 hours prior to the hearing and such submissions are consistent with this Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Company will also oppose any proposal from any party that the Final Order contain any provision inconsistent with this Agreement, and, if at any time after the issuance of the Final Order and prior to the Effective Date, the Company is required by the terms of the Final Order or by Law to return to Court with respect to the Final Order, it shall do so after notice to, and in consultation and cooperation with, the Parent.
2.9 | U.S. Securities Law Matters |
The Parties agree that the Arrangement will be carried out with the intention that, and will use their commercially reasonable best efforts to ensure that, all Consideration Shares and the Parent Replacement Options issued pursuant to the Arrangement will be issued by the Parent in reliance on the exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act provided by section 3(a)(10) thereunder and pursuant to exemptions from applicable state securities laws. In order to ensure the availability of the exemption under section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act and to facilitate the Parent’s compliance with other U.S. Securities Laws, the Parties agree that the Arrangement will be carried out on the following basis:
| (a) | the Court will be asked to approve the procedural and substantive fairness of the Arrangement; |
| (b) | pursuant to Section 2.4, the Court will be advised of the intention of the Parties to rely upon the exemption of section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act prior to the hearing required to approve the procedural and substantive fairness of the Arrangement to the Company Shareholders to whom the Consideration Shares will be issued and to the holders of the Company Options to whom the Parent Replacement Options will be issued; |
| (c) | the Court will be advised prior to the hearing to approve the Interim Order that its approval of the Arrangement will be relied upon as a determination that the Court has satisfied itself as to the procedural and substantive fairness of the Arrangement to all Company Shareholders who are entitled to receive Consideration Shares pursuant to the Arrangement and to all holders of Company Options who are entitled to receive the Parent Replacement Options pursuant to the Arrangement; |
| (d) | the Company will ensure that each Person entitled to receive the Consideration Shares or the Parent Replacement Options pursuant to the Arrangement will be given adequate notice, in a timely manner, advising them of their right to attend the hearing of the Court to give approval of the Arrangement and providing them with sufficient information necessary for them to exercise that right; |
| (e) | each Person entitled to receive the Consideration Shares will be advised that the Consideration Shares issued pursuant to the Arrangement have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and will be issued by the Parent in reliance on the exemption under section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act, and that certain restrictions on resale under U.S. Securities Laws, including, as applicable, Rule 144 under the U.S. Securities Act, may be applicable with respect to securities issued to Persons who are, or have been within 90 days prior to the Effective Time, affiliates (as defined in Rule 144 under the U.S. Securities Act) of the Parent; |
| (f) | each Person entitled to receive the Parent Replacement Options will be advised that the Parent Replacement Options issued pursuant to the Arrangement have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act and will be issued by the Parent in reliance on the exemption under section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act, but that such exemption does not exempt the issuance of securities upon the delivery of the Parent Shares covered by such Parent Replacement Options and, as such, the underlying Parent Shares issuable in respect of the Parent Replacement Options cannot be issued in the U.S. or to a person in the U.S. in reliance upon the exemption from registration provided by section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act and the Parent Replacement Options may only be exercised pursuant to an effective registration statement or a then-available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, if any; |
| (g) | the Interim Order will specify that each Company Shareholder and each holder of Company Options will have the right to appear before the Court at the hearing of the Court to give approval to the Arrangement so long as they enter an appearance within a reasonable time; |
| (h) | the Court will hold a hearing approving the fairness of the Arrangement before issuing the Final Order; and |
| (i) | the Final Order will expressly state that the Arrangement serves as the basis of a claim to the exemption under section 3(a)(10) of the U.S. Securities Act from the registration requirements otherwise imposed by the U.S. Securities Act regarding the distribution of securities pursuant to the Plan of Arrangement and is approved by the Court as being substantively and procedurally fair to the Company Shareholders and the holders of Company Options. |
2.10 | Treatment of Company Incentive Awards |
| (a) | Company Options. As provided by the Plan of Arrangement, and notwithstanding any vesting or exercise or other provisions to which a Company Option might otherwise be subject (whether by contract, the conditions of grant, applicable Law or the terms of the applicable Company Option Plan governing such Company Option), each Company Option outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall, without any further action by or on behalf of a holder, be exchanged for a Parent Replacement Option exercisable to purchase from the Parent the number of Parent Shares equal to the product of (A) the number of Company Shares subject to the Company Option immediately before the Effective Time multiplied by (B) the Exchange Ratio (provided that if the foregoing would result in the issuance of a fraction of a Parent Share on any particular exercise of Parent Replacement Options, then the number of Parent Shares otherwise issued shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number of Parent Shares). The exercise price per Parent Share subject to any such Parent Replacement Option shall be an amount equal to the quotient of (X) the exercise price per Company Share underlying the exchanged Company Option immediately prior to the Effective Time divided by (Y) the Exchange Ratio (provided that the aggregate exercise price payable on any particular exercise of Parent Replacement Options shall be rounded up to the nearest whole cent). It is intended that (i) the provisions of subsection 7(1.4) of the Tax Act apply to the aforesaid exchange of options and (ii) such exchange of options be treated as other than the grant of a new stock right or a change in the form of payment pursuant to section 1.409A-1(b)(5)(v)(D) of the U.S. Treasury Regulations. Accordingly, and notwithstanding the foregoing, if required, the exercise price of a Parent Replacement Option will be adjusted such that the In The Money Value of the Parent Replacement Option immediately after the exchange does not exceed the In-The-Money Value of the Company Option for which it was exchanged immediately before the exchange. All terms and conditions of a Parent Replacement Option, including the term to expiry, conditions to and manner of exercising, will be the same as the Company Option for which it was exchanged, and shall be governed by the terms of the applicable Company Option Plan and any document evidencing a Company Option shall thereafter evidence and be deemed to evidence such Parent Replacement Option, provided that the provisions of Section 7.1 of the New Company Option Plan shall apply to all Parent Replacement Options that would otherwise be governed by the Legacy Company Option Plan for a period of ninety (90) days following the Effective Time. |
| (b) | Company PSUs. The Company shall take such action as may be required in order to ensure that all Company PSUs shall be fully vested pursuant to Section 12.2(b) of the Company Share Unit Plan such that all the Company PSUs will all be redeemed by the Company for cash, to be calculated in accordance with Section 7 of the Company Share Unit Plan immediately prior to the Effective Time. The vesting multiplier for each Company PSU shall be calculated immediately prior to the Effective Time in accordance with the Company Share Unit Plan and the individual award agreements. |
| (c) | Company DSUs. The Company shall take such action as may be required in order to ensure that all Company DSUs shall be fully vested pursuant to Section 12.2(b) of the Company Share Unit Plan or Section 4.2 of the Company DSU Plan, as applicable, such that all the Company DSUs will, as of immediately prior to the Effective Time, be redeemed by the Company for cash in accordance with Section 10 of the Company Share Unit Plan or Section 5 of the Company DSU Plan, as applicable. |
| (d) | Company RSUs. The Company shall take such action as may be required in order to ensure that all Company RSUs shall be fully vested pursuant to Section 12.2(b) of the Company Share Unit Plan, such that all the Company RSUs will, as of immediately prior to the Effective Time, be redeemed by the Company for cash in accordance with Section 7 of the Company Share Unit Plan. |
| (e) | General. Prior to the Effective Time, the Parent Board (or an authorized committee thereof) and the Company Board (or an authorized committee thereof), as applicable, shall take any actions and adopt any resolutions as are required to effectuate the treatment of the Company Incentive Awards pursuant to the terms of this Section 2.10. |
| (a) | The Arrangement shall become effective on the date that is three business days following the date on which all the conditions set forth in Section 6.1, Section 6.2 and Section 6.3 have been satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement (excluding conditions that, by their terms, cannot be satisfied until the Effective Date, but subject to the satisfaction or, where permitted, waiver of those conditions as of the Effective Date) unless another date or time is agreed to in writing by the Parties. From and after the Effective Time, the Plan of Arrangement will have all of the effects provided by applicable Law, including the BCBCA. |
| (b) | The closing of the Arrangement will take place remotely by electronic exchange of documents and signatures (or their electronic counterparts) at 8:00 a.m. (Toronto time) on the Effective Date, or at such other time and place as may be agreed to by the Parties. |
2.12 | Payment of Consideration |
The Parent will, on or prior to the Effective Date determined in accordance with Section 2.11, deposit in escrow, or cause to be deposited in escrow, with the Depositary (the terms and conditions of such escrow to be satisfactory to the Parties, acting reasonably) sufficient Consideration Shares to satisfy the Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement. All payment of any kind in settlement or satisfaction of the rights of any Company Shareholder exercising Dissent Rights will be made by, and from the funds set aside prior to the Effective Time by, the Company.
2.13 | Announcement and Shareholder Communications |
The Parent and the Company shall jointly publicly announce the transactions contemplated hereby promptly following the execution of this Agreement by the Parties, the text and timing of the announcement to be approved by each Party in advance, acting reasonably. The Parent and the Company agree to co-operate in the preparation of presentations, if any, to the Company Shareholders or the Parent Stockholders regarding the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and neither the Parent nor the Company (except as permitted by Article 7) shall (a) issue any press release or otherwise make public announcements with respect to this Agreement or the Plan of Arrangement without the consent of the other applicable Party (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed) or (b) make any filing with any Governmental Entity with respect thereto without prior consultation with the other applicable Party; provided, however, that each Party shall be permitted to make any disclosure or filing required under applicable Laws and the applicable Party making such disclosure shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to give prior oral or written notice to the other applicable Party and reasonable opportunity to review or comment on the disclosure or filing, and if such prior notice is not reasonably practicable, to give such notice immediately following the making of such disclosure or filing. To the extent reasonably practicable and permitted by Law, the Parent and the Company, as applicable, shall provide prior notice to the other applicable Party of any material public disclosure that it proposes to make regarding its business or operations, together with a draft copy of such disclosure. The receiving Party and its legal counsel shall be given a reasonable opportunity to review and comment on such information prior to such information being disseminated publicly or filed with any Governmental Entity and, if such prior notice is not possible, shall be given such notice immediately following the making of such disclosure or filing. Reasonable consideration shall be given to any comments made by the receiving Party and its counsel pursuant to this Section 2.13. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 2.13 related to the approval or contents of filings with Governmental Entities will not apply with respect to filings in connection with the Regulatory Approvals, the Company Circular, the Parent Proxy Statement, the Interim Order or the Final Order which are governed by other sections of this Agreement. The restrictions set forth in this Section 2.13 shall not apply to any release or public statement in connection with any dispute regarding this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
The Parent, the Company, the Depositary, their respective Subsidiaries and any other Person on their behalf, shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from any amounts payable to any Person pursuant to the Arrangement and under this Agreement including amounts distributed to any former Company Shareholder or former holders of Company Incentive Awards, such amounts as the Parent, the Company, the Depositary and their respective Subsidiaries, or any Person on behalf of any of the foregoing, is or may be required or permitted to deduct or withhold with respect to such payment under the Tax Act, the U.S. Tax Code, or any provision of local, state, federal, provincial or foreign Law, in each case, as amended, or under the administrative practice of the relevant Governmental Entity administering such Law, and to request from any recipient of any payment hereunder any necessary tax forms or any other proof of exemption from withholding or any similar information. To the extent that amounts are so deducted or withheld, such deducted or withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes hereof as having been paid to the Person to whom such amounts would otherwise have been paid. In any case where the amount so required or permitted to be deducted or withheld from any payment to a holder exceeds the cash portion of the consideration otherwise payable, the Parent, the Company, the Depositary, their respective Subsidiaries, and any Person on behalf of the foregoing, as the case may be, is authorized to sell or otherwise dispose of such portion of the consideration as is necessary in order to fully fund such liability, and such Person shall remit any unapplied balance of the net proceeds of such sale to the holder.
2.15 | Intended U.S. Tax Treatment |
The Arrangement is intended to qualify as two independent reorganizations within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the U.S. Tax Code, and this Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement shall constitute a “plan of reorganization” within the meaning of the U.S. Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 368 of the U.S. Tax Code (the “Intended U.S. Tax Treatment”). Each party hereto shall file all Tax Returns consistent with the Intended U.S. Tax Treatment, unless otherwise required by applicable Law. Following the Effective Date, Parent will prepare and file in accordance with Treasury Regulations (including by posting a copy on the investor relations section of its website) an IRS Form 8937 with respect to the Arrangement. Each party hereto shall act in a manner that is consistent with the Intended U.S. Tax Treatment, and, except as provided by this Agreement or by applicable Law, shall not take any action, or knowingly fail to take any action, if such action or failure to act would reasonably be expected to prevent the Arrangement from qualifying as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a).
| (a) | At the reasonable request of the Parent from time to time, the Company shall provide the Parent with a list (in both written and electronic form) of the registered Company Shareholders, together with their addresses and respective holdings of Company Shares, a list of the names and addresses and holdings of all Persons having rights issued by the Company to acquire Company Shares (including holders of Company Options, Company RSUs, Company PSUs and Company DSUs), a list of non-objecting beneficial owners of Company Shares, together with their addresses and respective holdings of Company Shares (provided such list may only be used in the manner prescribed in section 7.1 of NI 54‑101). The Company shall from time to time furnish, and shall require that its registrar and transfer agent furnish, the Parent with such additional information, including updated or additional lists of the Company Shareholders, the holdings of such Company Shareholders, holders of Company Options, Company RSUs, Company PSUs, Company DSUs and other assistance as the Parent may reasonably request. |
| (b) | At the reasonable request of the Company from time to time, the Parent shall provide the Company with a list (in both written and electronic form) of the registered Parent Stockholders, together with their addresses and respective holdings of Parent Shares, and a list of the names and addresses and holdings of all Persons having rights issued by the Parent to acquire Parent Shares. The Parent shall from time to time furnish, and shall require that its registrar and transfer agent furnish, the Company with such additional information, including updated or additional lists of the Parent Stockholders, the holdings of such Parent Stockholders and other assistance as the Company may reasonably request. |
The Parent covenants with the Company that it will take all actions necessary to provide that, as of the Effective Time, two of the members of the Company Board shall be members of the Parent Board (the “Company Director Nominees”) and at the next annual general meeting of the Parent held to consider the election of directors that occurs following the Effective Date, the Company Director Nominees shall be nominated by the Parent for election as a director of the Parent, provided that (i) the Company Director Nominees meet any applicable qualification requirements to serve as directors under applicable Laws, and (ii) the Company Director Nominees have delivered to the Parent a consent to act as a director of the Parent.
In accordance with the DGCL, no appraisal rights shall be available to Parent Stockholders with respect to the Arrangement.
ARTICLE 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
3.1 | Representations and Warranties |
Except as disclosed in (x) the forms, documents and reports filed or furnished by the Company on SEDAR+ (including all exhibits, supplements and schedules thereto and information incorporated by reference) and publicly available since January 1, 2022 and prior to the date hereof (but excluding any disclosures set forth in any “risk factors” section, any disclosures in any “forward looking statements” section and any other disclosures included therein in each case to the extent they are predictive or forward-looking in nature), or (y) the Company Disclosure Letter (which disclosures shall apply against any representations and warranties to which it is reasonably apparent it should relate), the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Parent and the Parent Canadian Sub as follows, and acknowledges that the Parent and the Parent Canadian Sub are relying upon such representations and warranties in connection with the entering into of this Agreement:
| (a) | Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is duly incorporated or an entity duly created and validly existing under all applicable Laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, continuance or creation, and has the requisite power and authority to own its assets and conduct its business as now owned and conducted. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is duly qualified to carry on business and has authority to own, lease and operate properties, assets and carry on business as presently conducted, and is in good standing in each jurisdiction where such qualification is applicable and in which the character of its properties or the nature of its activities makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect . True and complete copies of the constating documents of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have been delivered or made available to the Parent, and no action has been taken to amend or supersede such documents. |
| (b) | Authority Relative to this Agreement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement have been duly authorized by the Company Board and no other corporate proceedings on the part of the Company are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the consummation of the Arrangement, other than the Interim Order, the Final Order, approval of the Company Circular by the Company Board and the Company Securityholder Approval. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable by the Parent and the Parent Canadian Sub against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or other Laws of general application relating to or affecting creditors’ rights generally, and subject to the qualification that equitable remedies, including specific performance, may be granted only in the discretion of a court of competent jurisdiction. |
| (c) | No Conflict; Required Filings and Consent. |
| (i) | The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the performance by it of its obligations hereunder and the completion of the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (or would not with the giving of notice, the lapse of time or both, or the happening of any other event or condition): |
| (A) | violate, conflict with or result in a breach of: |
| (1) | the constating documents of the Company or those of any of its Subsidiaries; |
| (2) | except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(c)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, any Company Material Contract or Authorization to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is bound, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect; or |
| (3) | any Law to which the Company or its Subsidiaries is subject or by which the Company or its Subsidiaries is bound, subject to receipt of the Regulatory Approvals and except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect; |
| (B) | except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(c)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, give rise to any right of termination, allow any Person to exercise any rights, or cause or permit the termination, cancellation, acceleration or other change of any right or obligation or the loss of any benefit to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is entitled, under any Contract or Authorization to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect; or |
| (C) | give rise to any pre-emptive rights, including rights of first refusal or rights of first offer, or trigger any change in control provisions or any restriction or limitation under any Contract or Authorization, or result in the imposition of any Lien (other than a Company Permitted Lien) upon any of the Company’s assets or the assets of any of its Subsidiaries, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect. |
| (ii) | Other than the Regulatory Approvals, the rules and policies of the TSX and the NYSE American, as applicable, the Interim Order and the Final Order, no Authorization of, or other action by or in respect of, or filing, recording, registering or publication with, or notification to, any Governmental Entity is necessary on the part of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in order for the Company to proceed with the execution and delivery of this Agreement and the consummation of the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, not prevent or materially delay the consummation of the Arrangement. |
| (i) | The Company does not have Subsidiaries or hold, directly or indirectly, any interests in any Person, including any equity interests, other than those listed in Schedule 3.1(d)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter. Other than for the Regulatory Approvals, none of the Company’s Subsidiaries is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such Subsidiary’s shares, or from repaying to the Company any loans or advances made thereto. |
| (ii) | The following information with respect to each of the Company’s Subsidiaries is accurately set out in Schedule 3.1(d)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Letter: (A) its name; (B) the Company’s percentage equity ownership of it and if applicable, any other shareholder’s ownership of it; (C) capital stock; (D) its board of directors and any other officer; (E) its valid powers of attorney; and (F) its jurisdiction of incorporation, organization or formation. |
| (iii) | Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(d)(iii) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, all of the issued and outstanding securities of each of its Subsidiaries and there are no outstanding options, rights, entitlements, understandings or commitments (contingent or otherwise) to acquire any issued or unissued securities or other ownership interests in any of the Company’s Subsidiaries. |
| (iv) | All of the issued and outstanding shares or other equity securities in the capital of each of the Company’s Subsidiaries are: (A) validly issued, fully-paid and, where the concept exists, non-assessable (and no such shares or other equity interests have been issued in violation of any pre-emptive or similar rights) and all such shares or other equity interests are owned free and clear of all Liens (other than Company Permitted Liens); and (B) free of any other restrictions including any restriction on the right to vote, sell or otherwise dispose of shares or other equity interests. |
| (e) | Compliance with Laws and Constating Documents. |
| (i) | The Company and each of its Subsidiaries is and, since January 1, 2022, has been, in compliance, in all material respects, with all applicable Laws in each jurisdiction in which it conducts business and, to the knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is under investigation with respect to any material violation of applicable Laws from any Governmental Entity, or has received any notice that any material violation of any Law is being or may be alleged from any Governmental Entity. |
| (ii) | As of the date hereof, none of the Company or its Subsidiaries is in conflict with, or in default (including cross defaults) under or in violation of its articles or by-laws or equivalent organizational documents, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect. |
| (f) | Company Authorizations. |
| (i) | The Company and its Subsidiaries have obtained, and are in compliance in all material respects with, all Authorizations required by Law (including Environmental Law) that are necessary to conduct their business as now being conducted, and such Authorizations are in full force and effect in accordance with their terms. True copies of all such material Authorizations have been made available to the Parent. |
| (ii) | The Company and its Subsidiaries have fully complied with and are in compliance with all such Authorizations, except, in each case, for such non-compliance which, individually or in the aggregate, would not have a Company Material Adverse Effect. |
| (iii) | No action, investigation or proceeding is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in respect of or regarding any such Authorization that would reasonably be expected to result in a suspension, loss or revocation of any such Authorization, except in each case, for revocations, non-renewals or amendments which would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect. Schedule 3.1(f) of the Company Disclosure Letter lists the Authorizations that are material to the operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. |
| (g) | Capitalization and Listing. |
| (i) | The authorized share capital of the Company consists of an unlimited number of Company Shares without par value and an unlimited number of preferred shares without par value. As at the close of business on September 30, 2024, there were: (A) 148,656,601 Company Shares validly issued and outstanding as fully-paid and non-assessable shares of the Company; (B) 2,897,503 outstanding Company Options providing for the issuance of up to 2,897,503 Company Shares upon the exercise thereof; (C) 498,215 outstanding Company RSUs providing for the issuance of up to 498,215 Company Shares upon the settlement thereof; (D) 188,150 outstanding Company PSUs providing for the issuance of 188,150 Company Shares upon the settlement thereof (assuming a 100% multiplier), and which are subject to a multiplier from 0% to 200% depending upon the achievement level of certain performance targets; (E) 346,800 outstanding Company DSUs; and (F) no outstanding preferred shares. Except for the Company Options, Company RSUs, Company PSUs and Company DSUs referred to in this Section 3.1(g)(i) and as set forth in Schedule 3.1(g)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, (1) there are no other options, warrants, conversion privileges, calls or other rights, shareholder rights plans, agreements, arrangements, commitments, or obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries requiring any of them to issue or sell any shares or other securities of the Company or of any of its Subsidiaries, or any securities or obligations convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or otherwise carrying or evidencing the right or obligation to acquire, any securities of the Company (including Company Shares) or any Subsidiary of the Company, and (2) no Person is entitled to any pre-emptive or other similar right granted by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. All Company Shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding Company Options, Company RSUs, and Company PSUs will, when issued in accordance with the terms of their respective plans, as the case may be, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully-paid and non-assessable, and are not and will not be subject to, or issued in violation of, any pre-emptive rights. |
| (ii) | Schedule 3.1(g)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth, as of the date hereof, (A) the names and holdings of each Person who holds outstanding Company Options, Company RSUs, Company PSUs and Company DSUs, and (B) the exercise price of each Company Option. |
| (iii) | There are no outstanding contractual obligations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise acquire any Company Shares or any shares of any of its Subsidiaries, or qualify securities for public distribution in Canada or elsewhere, or with respect to the voting or disposition of any securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. No Subsidiary of the Company owns any Company Shares. |
| (iv) | All outstanding securities of the Company have been issued in material compliance with all applicable Laws and any pre-emptive or similar rights applicable to them. |
| (v) | There are no outstanding bonds, debentures or other evidences of indebtedness of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any other agreements, arrangements, instruments or commitments of any kind giving any Person, directly or indirectly, the right to vote (or that are convertible or exercisable for securities having the right to vote) with the holders of the Company Shares on any matters, except Company Options, Company RSUs and Company PSUs. |
| (h) | Shareholder and Similar Agreements. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is party to any shareholder, pooling, voting trust or other similar agreement relating to the ownership or voting of any issued and outstanding Company Shares or the shares of any of the Company’s Subsidiaries. |
| (i) | Reporting Issuer Status. |
| (i) | The Company is a reporting issuer not on the list of reporting issuers in default (or the equivalent) under applicable Securities Laws in each of the provinces of Canada, other than Quebec, and is in material compliance with all Securities Laws applicable therein. |
| (ii) | The Company has not taken any action to cease to be a reporting issuer in any province of Canada, nor has the Company received notification from the British Columbia Securities Commission, as principal regulator, or any other applicable securities commissions or securities regulatory authority of a province of Canada seeking to revoke the Company’s reporting issuer status. No delisting of, suspension of trading in, or cease trade order with respect to, any securities of the Company and, to the knowledge of the Company, no inquiry or investigation (formal or informal) of any Canadian Securities Authority has occurred, is in effect or ongoing or, to the knowledge of the Company, has been threatened in writing with respect to the foregoing. |
| (j) | Reports. Since January 1, 2022, the Company has filed with all applicable Governmental Entities the Company Public Documents that the Company is required to file in accordance with applicable Securities Laws. The Company Public Documents as of their respective dates (and the dates of any amendments thereto): (i) did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and (ii) complied in all material respects with the requirements of applicable Securities Laws. Any amendments to the Company Public Documents required to be made have been filed on a timely basis with the applicable Governmental Entity. The Company has not filed any confidential material change report with any Governmental Entity which at the date hereof remains confidential. |
| (k) | Stock Exchange Matters. |
| (i) | The Company Shares are listed on the TSX and the NYSE American and are not listed or quoted on any market other than the TSX and the NYSE American. |
| (ii) | The Company is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable listing and corporate governance rules and regulations of the TSX and the NYSE American. The Company has not taken any action which would be reasonably expected to result in the delisting or suspension of the Company Shares on or from the TSX or the NYSE American. |
| (i) | The audited consolidated financial statements for the Company and its Subsidiaries as at and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, including the notes thereto, the reports by the Company’s auditors thereon and related management’s discussion and analysis, have been, and all financial statements of the Company which are publicly disseminated by the Company in respect of any subsequent periods prior to the Effective Date will be, (A) prepared in accordance with IFRS applied on a basis consistent with prior periods and all applicable Laws, and (B) present fairly, in all material respects, the assets, liabilities (whether accrued, absolute, contingent or otherwise), consolidated financial position and results of operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the respective dates thereof and for the periods indicated therein, and its results of operations and cash flows for the respective periods covered thereby (except as may be indicated expressly in the notes thereto). There have been no material changes to the Company’s accounting policies, except as described in the Company Public Documents, since December 31, 2023. |
| (ii) | The Company has: (A) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused them to be designed under the supervision of its Chief Executive Officer, its Interim Chief Financial Officer and its Vice President, Governance, Risk and Sustainability, to provide reasonable assurance that material information relating to the Company and its Subsidiaries is made known to the Chief Executive Officer and the Interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company by others, particularly during the periods in which annual or interim filings are being prepared; and (B) designed such internal controls over financial reporting, or caused them to be designed under such Chief Executive Officer’s and Interim Chief Financial Officer’s supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with IFRS. |
| (iii) | The Company has established “disclosure controls and procedures” and “internal control over financial reporting” (each as defined in NI 52-109) to the extent required by NI 52-109 and Securities Laws, and, as of the date hereof, the Company does not have knowledge, and has not been advised by its auditors, of any “material weakness” (as defined in NI 52-109), in each case, except as disclosed in the Company Public Documents. |
| (iv) | Since January 1, 2023, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any Representative of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has received or otherwise obtained knowledge of any complaint, allegation or claim, whether written or oral, regarding the accounting or auditing practices or internal auditing controls of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, including any complaint, allegation, assertion, or claim that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has engaged in questionable accounting or auditing practices, which has not been resolved to the satisfaction of the audit committee of the Company Board. |
| (m) | Auditors. There is not now, and there has never been, any reportable event (as defined in NI 51-102) with respect to the present or any former auditor of the Company. |
| (n) | No Undisclosed Liabilities. The Company and its Subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis, have no material outstanding liabilities or obligations of any nature, whether or not accrued, contingent, unasserted or absolute, except for: (i) liabilities and obligations that are specifically presented on the audited balance sheet of the Company as of December 31, 2023 or disclosed in the notes thereto; (ii) liabilities and obligations that are disclosed in the Company Public Documents; (iii) liabilities and obligations incurred in the ordinary course; or (iv) liabilities and obligations incurred in connection with the Arrangement and this Agreement (including transaction related expenses). |
| (o) | Interest in Properties and Mineral Rights. |
| (i) | Schedule 3.1(o)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter discloses, as of the date of this Agreement: (A) all material real property owned by the Company and its Subsidiaries (“Company Owned Real Property”); (B) all material real property leased, subleased, licensed and/or otherwise used or occupied (whether as tenant, subtenant, licensee or pursuant to any other occupancy arrangement) by the Company or its Subsidiaries, in each case, in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries as it is now being conducted (“Company Leased Real Property” and together with the Company Owned Real Property, the “Company Property”); and (C) all Mineral Rights, concessions, leases or claims of the Company and its Subsidiaries that are material to operation to their business as currently conducted (collectively, with the Company Property, the “Company Mineral Interests”). |
| (ii) | The Company or one of its Subsidiaries is the sole holder of record of, and is the sole registered or beneficial owner of, and has valid title to the Company Mineral Interests, free and clear of all Liens (except Company Permitted Liens). The Company or a Subsidiary enjoys peaceful and undisturbed possession of the Company Leased Real Property under Contracts pursuant to which the Company or a Subsidiary holds its interest in the Company Leased Real Property. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in violation of any material covenants, or not in compliance with any material condition or restriction under any leasehold contracts. |
| (iii) | All of the mineral concessions comprising Company Mineral Interests have been properly located and are recorded or in the process of being recorded in compliance with applicable Law in all material respects and are comprised of valid and subsisting mineral claims. |
| (iv) | The Company Mineral Interests are in good standing under applicable Law and, to the knowledge of the Company, all work required to be performed and filed in respect thereof has been performed and filed in all material respects, all Taxes, rentals, fees, expenditures and other payments in respect thereof have been paid or incurred in all material respects, and all material filings in respect thereof have been made. To the knowledge of the Company, the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company has a public or private right of access to all Company Mineral Interests. |
| (v) | Except as set out in Schedule 3.1(o)(v) of the Company Disclosure Letter, no Person other than the Company and its Subsidiaries has any material interest in the Company Mineral Interests or the production or profits therefrom or any royalty or streaming or similar interest in respect thereof or any right to acquire any such interest from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. |
| (vi) | There are no back-in rights, earn-in rights, rights of first refusal or similar provisions or rights which would materially affect the Company’s or a Subsidiary’s interest in the Company Mineral Interests. |
| (vii) | There are no material restrictions on the ability of the Company and its Subsidiaries to (A) use or exploit the Company Mineral Interests in the manner currently used or exploited, or (B) transfer the Company Mineral Interests (other than as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(o)(vii) of the Company Disclosure Letter), except, in each case, any restrictions imposed by Law or the terms of the Company Mineral Interests. |
| (viii) | Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any notice, whether written or oral, from any Governmental Entity or any Person of any revocation, expropriation, or challenge to ownership, adverse claim or intention to revoke, expropriate or challenge the interest of the Company or its Subsidiaries in any of the Company Mineral Interests and, to the knowledge of the Company, there is no intention or proposal to give such notice. There are no material disputes regarding boundaries, easements, covenants or other matters relating to any of the Company Mineral Interests. |
| (ix) | The Company and its Subsidiaries have all surface rights, including fee simple estates, leases, easements, rights of way and permits or licences from landowners or Governmental Entities permitting the use of land by the Company and its Subsidiaries, and mineral interests that are required as at the date of this Agreement to conduct its current operations. |
| (x) | All mines and mineral properties formerly owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which were abandoned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries were abandoned in all material respects in accordance with good mining industry practice and standards and in compliance with applicable Laws. The Company Public Documents accurately disclose, in all material respects, all material remediation and reclamation obligations known to the Company as of the applicable dates set forth in such Company Public Documents. |
| (xi) | With respect to the Company Mineral Interests, true and correct copies of all material title documents and any amendments thereto in the possession or control of the Company or its Subsidiaries have been made available to the Parent as of the date of this Agreement. |
| (xii) | The Company has provided the Parent with access to full and complete copies of all material exploration information and data within its possession or control including, without limitation, all material geological, geophysical and geochemical information and data (including all drill, sample and assay results and all maps) and all of its technical reports, feasibility studies and other similar reports and studies concerning the Company Mineral Interests and the Company or one of its Subsidiaries has the sole right, title and ownership of all such information, data, reports and studies. |
| (xiii) | The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company will not violate, conflict with or result in a violation or breach of any provision of, or require a consent, approval or notice under or constitute a default under or result in a right of termination under or with respect to any Company Property or Mineral Right. |
| (xiv) | All activities conducted on the Company Mineral Interests by the Company or its Subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, by any other Person appointed by the Company, have been carried out in all material respects in accordance with good mining industry practice and standards and in compliance with all applicable Laws, and neither the Company, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any other Person, has received any notice of any material breach of any such applicable Laws. |
| (xv) | There have been no incidents of material non-compliance with safety legislation in connection with operations or activities at the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ mine sites in the 18 months preceding the date of this Agreement. |
| (xvi) | Neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor any Person owned or controlled by the Company or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any Person which owns or controls the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, has been notified by any Governmental Entity, that the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is: (A) ineligible to receive any mining permit (including any surface mining permit); or (B) under investigation to determine whether their eligibility to receive such permits should be revoked. |
| (p) | Mineral Reserves and Resources. The estimates of mineral resources and mineral reserves for mineral properties for the Company or its Subsidiaries, as set forth in the Company Public Documents, were prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with sound mining, engineering, geoscience and other applicable industry standards and practices and disclosed, in all material respects, in accordance with applicable Laws, including the requirements of NI 43-101. There has been no material reduction in the aggregate amount of estimated mineral reserves, estimated mineral resources or mineralized material with respect to such properties, from the amounts most recently set forth in the Company Public Documents, with the exception of depletion in the ordinary course. The information provided by the Company and its Subsidiaries to the Qualified Persons (as defined in NI 43-101) in connection with the preparation of such estimates was accurate and complete in all material respects as of the time such information was provided. |
| (q) | Scientific and Technical Information. The Las Chispas Operation is the only property material to the Company for the purpose of NI 43-101. The technical report prepared for the Company entitled “Las Chispas Operation Technical Report” with an effective date of July 19, 2023 and a report date of September 5, 2023 (the “Company Technical Report”) complied in all material respects with the requirements of NI 43-101 at the time of filing thereof. The Company made available to the authors of the Company Technical Report, prior to issuance thereof, for the purpose of preparing such reports, all information requested by them and none of such information contained any Misrepresentation as of the time such information was provided. The Company is in compliance in all material respects with the provisions of NI 43-101, has filed all technical reports required thereby, and there has been no material change of which the Company is aware that would materially disaffirm or materially change any aspect of the Company Technical Report or that would require the filing of a new technical report under NI 43-101. |
| (r) | Personal Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries have good and valid title to, or a valid and enforceable leasehold interest in, all personal property that is, individually or in the aggregate, material to the operation of the Company’s business as currently conducted, free and clear of any Liens (other than Company Permitted Liens). |
| (i) | Schedule 3.1(s)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a complete list of each management level Company Employee as at the date hereof, together with each such Company Employee’s (i) position or function, (ii) work location, (iii) date of hire, (iv) annual base salary or hourly rate of pay, (v) any employment benefits of over $15,000 per Company Employee, and incentive or bonus arrangement, (vi) bonus paid for the most recently completed year, (vii) accrued vacation time, (viii) monthly salary, (viii) status as active or inactive (and where inactive, the reason for such leave and expected date of return, if known), and (ix) type of contract (e.g., for a definite term, for an indefinite term, for initial training, etc.). The Company has provided a complete list of each Company Employee as at the date hereof setting forth each Company Employee’s (i) position or function, (ii) work location, (iii) date of hire, (iv) annual base salary or hourly rate of pay, (v) any incentive or bonus arrangement, (vi) bonus paid for the most recently completed year, (vii) accrued vacation time, and (viii) status as active or inactive (and where inactive, the reason for such leave and expected date of return, if known). |
| (ii) | Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(s)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, the Company and each of its Subsidiaries have made available to the Parent the form(s) of the Contracts executed by each management level Company Employee and the Contracts of all Company Employees are substantially in the form(s) of the Contracts made available to the Parent, and no Company Employee Contract materially deviates therefrom. Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(s)(ii) of the Company Disclosure Letter, no Company Employee has any agreement as to length of notice or severance payment required to terminate his or her employment in excess of the statutory minimum notice of termination (or payment in lieu of notice), and severance payment (if applicable) required pursuant to applicable employment standards legislation (other than such as results by Law for any employee without an agreement as to notice of termination or severance). |
| (iii) | Other than as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(s)(iii) of the Company Disclosure Letter or as provided for or permitted by this Agreement or the Plan of Arrangement, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has entered into any written or oral agreement providing for employment, severance, retention, bonus, golden parachute, change of control, or termination payments or entitlements to any current or former Company Employee in connection with the termination of their position or their employment with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, in connection with the consummation of the Arrangement, or as a result of a change in control of the Company. |
| (iv) | Other than as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(s)(iv) of the Company Disclosure Letter, as at the date hereof, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (A) is a party to any collective bargaining agreement, or (B) is subject to any application for certification or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened or apparent union-organizing campaigns for employees not covered under a collective bargaining agreement. To the knowledge of the Company, no labour strike, lock-out, slowdown or work stoppage is pending or threatened against or directly affecting the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. As at the date hereof, there are no employee associations, voluntary recognized or certified unions authorized to represent any of the employees of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. |
| (v) | All amounts due or accrued for all salary, wages, bonuses, commissions, vacation pay, sick days and benefits under the Company Benefit Plans have either been paid or are accurately reflected in the books and records of the Company and its Subsidiaries. All liabilities in respect of the Company Employees have or shall have been paid or accrued to the Effective Date, including premium contributions, remittances and assessments for employment insurance, employer health tax, Canada Pension Plan, income tax, workers’ compensation and any other employment-related legislation. |
| (vi) | The Company and its Subsidiaries are in material compliance with all material terms and conditions of employment (including the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreement) and applicable Laws relating to employment or termination of employment, including pay equity, employees’ profit sharing (participación de los trabajadores en las utilidades) obligations, subcontracting regime (régimen de subcontratación) in terms of the Mexican Federal Labor Law (Ley Federal del Trabajo), assignment of employees and personnel provision services, wages, hours of work, overtime, vacation, human rights, employer health tax, workers compensation and occupational health and safety. |
| (vii) | There are no material employment-related claims, complaints, investigations or orders under applicable Laws respecting employment now pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by or before any Governmental Entity as of the date of this Agreement. |
| (viii) | Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has properly characterized retained individuals as either employees or independent contractors for the purposes of Taxes and other applicable Laws, and none of them has received any notice from any Governmental Entity disputing such classification. |
| (ix) | Each and every Company Employee has all the necessary permits under applicable Laws to lawfully work in the country of their employment, including without limitation any working visa that may be required. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has the necessary permits to employ each and every Company Employee in terms of applicable Laws, including without limitation any migratory permit to hire foreign employees, as applicable. |
| (x) | The individual employment agreements entered into by the Company and its Subsidiaries with the Company Employees respect and have respected the statutory grounds and requirements. |
| (xi) | Other than as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(s)(xi) of the Company Disclosure Letter or as provided for or permitted by this Agreement or the Plan of Arrangement, other than in the ordinary course of business (including annual cost-of-living salary increases), (i) since December 31, 2023, the Company and its Subsidiaries have not granted or promised any Company Employee any extraordinary or special increases in compensation or benefits, or any payment of any bonus, or deferred compensation or similar arrangement, and (ii) no Company Employee is entitled to any increase in compensation or bonus or other increase in benefits after, or as a result of, the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. |
| (xii) | No Company Employee has given written notice to the Company and/or its Subsidiaries of an intention to terminate employment and, no such Company Employee intends to terminate employment. To the knowledge of the Company, the termination of all past Company Employees have been implemented in accordance with applicable Laws and to the knowledge of the Company, the departure, either by resignation or termination, of all past Company Employees have been duly documented pursuant to applicable Laws. |
| (xiii) | To the knowledge of the Company, no Company Employee has been terminated for cause as provided by the Ley Federal del Trabajo. |
| (t) | Absence of Certain Changes or Events. Except as disclosed in the Company Public Documents, since December 31, 2023: |
| (i) | the Company and its Subsidiaries have conducted their respective businesses in the ordinary course in all material respects and have not taken any steps to take any actions which, if taken after the date hereof, would require the Parent’s consent pursuant to Section 5.1 of this Agreement; |
| (ii) | there has not been any damage, destruction or other casualty loss with respect to any asset owned, leased or otherwise used by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that is material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not covered by insurance (other than in the ordinary course or regular wear and tear); |
| (iii) | there has not been any acquisition or disposition (including any reconveyance) by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries of any property or asset that would be material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, other than the Arrangement or as expressly permitted by this Agreement; |
| (iv) | there has not been any material write down by the Company of the value of any of the material assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; and |
| (v) | through to the date of this Agreement, there has not been any change, effect, event, occurrence or state of facts or circumstance that has had, or would reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect. |
| (u) | Litigation. Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(u) of the Company Disclosure Letter, there are no claims, actions, suits, demands, arbitrations, charges, indictments, orders, hearings or other civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceedings, or other investigations or examinations pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, the business of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or affecting any of their properties or assets, before or by any Governmental Entity which, if adversely determined, would have, or would reasonably be expected to have, a Company Material Adverse Effect or would significantly impede the ability of the Company to consummate the Arrangement. To the knowledge of the Company, there are no events or circumstances which would reasonably be expected to give rise to or serve as a basis for the commencement of any such claim, action, suit, demand, arbitration, charge, indictment, order, hearing or other civil, criminal, administrative or investigative proceeding, or other investigation or examination. There are no outstanding orders, judgments, injunctions, or decrees against the Company or its Subsidiaries that materially and adversely impact the business, property or assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries does not intend to initiate any suits, actions, claims or arbitrations. |
| (v) | Intellectual Property. Schedule 3.1(v) of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a complete list of all registered and unregistered Company and its Subsidiaries Intellectual Property. The Company and its Subsidiaries have sufficient rights to use or otherwise exploit the Intellectual Property necessary to carry on the business now operated by them and (i) there is no action, suit, proceeding or claim pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by others challenging the rights of the Company and its subsidiaries in or to any Intellectual Property which is used for the conduct of the business of the Company and its Subsidiaries as currently carried on, and as set out in the Company Public Documents, and (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, the conduct of the business as currently carried on as set forth in the Company Public Documents, including the use of Intellectual Property, does not infringe upon the Intellectual Property of any Person in any material respect. To the knowledge of the Company, no Person is currently infringing upon, misappropriating or otherwise violating any of the Intellectual Property owned by the Company or its Subsidiaries in any material respect. |
| (w) | Indigenous Claims. There are no material claims or actions with respect to Indigenous rights currently outstanding or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened or pending, with respect to the Company Property. There are no material land entitlement claims having been asserted or any legal actions relating to Indigenous rights having been instituted with respect to the Company Property, and no dispute in respect of the Company Property with any Indigenous group exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is threatened or imminent which, if adversely determined, would have, or would reasonably be expected to have, a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company Properties that were ejidos or communal property, as applicable, were disincorporated from the ejido regime and passed to the private property regime through the adoption of full ownership duly approved by the relevant assembly of ejidatarios, in which the requirements and formalities established by the applicable agrarian laws were fully complied with (the “Acts of Adoption of Full Ownership”). The relevant Acts of Adoption of Full Ownership were duly notarized before a notary public and registered before the National Agrarian Registry (Registro Agrario Nacional) and the corresponding Public Registry of Property. (Registro Público de Propiedad). Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(w) of the Company Disclosure Letter, no Company Property is a national, ejidal or communal land and does not adjoin ejidal or communal land and no Company Property is encroaching on any private, ejidal or communal property in respect of which any third party, ejido or community may be the owner under any title of ownership or resolution of endowment and/or restitution of land whatsoever. |
| (x) | Community Relations. To the knowledge of the Company, no authorized representative of any community in the vicinity (including any ejido) of any of the Company Properties has communicated in writing to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries: (i) a requirement that the consent of such community be obtained as a condition to continued operation of any such Company Property, (ii) any violation related to agrarian, ejido or communal restrictions, including proceedings related to ejido donations or endowments or extensions or requests for ejido or agrarian appropriations or pre-emptive rights or similar rights in agrarian matters on any of the Company Properties, or (iii) a material increase in the compensation payments payable by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries under any community development or social framework or similar agreements as a condition to the continued operation of such Company Properties, other than such communications in the ordinary course. |
| (y) | No Expropriation. No property or asset of the Company or its Subsidiaries (including any Company Mineral Interests) has been taken or expropriated by any Governmental Entity nor has any notice or proceeding in respect thereof been given or commenced nor, to the knowledge of the Company, is there any intent or proposal to give any such notice or to commence any such proceeding. |
| (i) | Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has duly and timely filed all material Tax Returns required to be filed by it prior to the date hereof and all such Tax Returns are true, complete and correct in all material respects. |
| (ii) | No Tax Return of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is under audit by any Governmental Entity, and no written or oral notice of such an audit has been received by the Company. The Company is not a party to, or otherwise subject to, a proceeding in which Taxes are being contested. |
| (iii) | Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has paid on a timely basis all material Taxes which are due and payable by it on or before the date hereof (including instalments) and has provided accruals in accordance with IFRS in the most recently published consolidated financial statements of the Company for any Taxes of the Company and its Subsidiaries for the period covered by such financial statements that have not been paid whether or not shown as being due on any Tax Returns. Since such publication date, no material liability in respect of Taxes not reflected in such statements or otherwise provided for has been assessed, proposed to be assessed, incurred or accrued, other than in the ordinary course. |
| (iv) | No material deficiencies, litigation, audits, claims, proposed adjustments or matters in controversy exist or have been asserted with respect to Taxes of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, and neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries, is a party to any action or proceeding for assessment or collection of Taxes and no such event has been asserted or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective assets. |
| (v) | No claim has been made by any Governmental Entity in a jurisdiction where the Company or any of its Subsidiaries does not file Tax Returns that the Company, or any of its Subsidiaries, is or may be subject to Tax by that jurisdiction or is or may be required to file a tax return in that jurisdiction. |
| (vi) | There are no Liens with respect to Taxes upon any of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (other than Company Permitted Liens). |
| (vii) | Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has withheld, deducted or collected all material amounts required to be withheld, deducted or collected by it on account of Taxes and has remitted all such amounts to the appropriate Governmental Entity as required by Law. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries has complied with all related information reporting, withholding and record retention requirements. |
| (viii) | There are no outstanding agreements, arrangements, elections, waivers or objections extending or waiving the statutory period of limitations applicable to any material claim for, or the period for the collection or assessment or reassessment of Taxes due from the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, for any taxable period and no request for any such waiver or extension is currently pending. |
| (ix) | The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has made available to the Parent true, correct and complete copies of all material Tax Returns, examination reports and statements of deficiencies for taxable periods, or transactions consummated, for which the applicable statutory periods of limitations have not expired. |
| (x) | None of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has, at any time, directly or indirectly transferred any property or supplied any services to, or acquired any property or services from, a Person with whom the Company or Subsidiary, as the case may be, was not dealing at arm’s length (within the meaning of the Tax Act) for consideration other than consideration equal to the fair market value of such property or services at the time of transfer, supply or acquisition, as the case may be, nor has the Company or any of its Subsidiaries been deemed to have done so for purposes of the Tax Act. |
| (xi) | The Company and its Subsidiaries have complied in all material respects with the transfer pricing (including any contemporaneous documentation) provisions of each applicable Law, including for greater certainty, under section 247 of the Tax Act (and the corresponding provisions of any applicable provincial Law). |
| (xii) | There are no circumstances existing which could result in the material application of Section 78 or Sections 80 to 80.04 of the Tax Act, or any equivalent provision under provincial Law, to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. Except as in accordance with past practices, the Company and its Subsidiaries have not claimed nor will they claim any reserve under any provision of the Tax Act or any equivalent provincial provision, if, as a result, any material amount could be included in the income of the Company or its Subsidiaries for any period ending after the Effective Date. |
| (xiii) | For the purposes of the Tax Act, any applicable Tax treaty and any other relevant Tax purposes (i) the Company is resident in, and is not a non-resident of, Canada, and is a “taxable Canadian Corporation” and (ii) each of its Subsidiaries is resident in the jurisdiction in which it was formed, and is not resident in any other country and if resident in Canada and is a corporation, is a “taxable Canadian corporation”. |
| (xiv) | Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is, or has been, a member of any affiliated, consolidated, combined or unitary Tax group, other than a group the common parent of which is the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company. |
| (xv) | Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to, or is bound by or has any obligation under any material Tax Sharing Agreement. |
| (xvi) | Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has taken or agreed to take any action that would prevent the Arrangement from qualifying for the Intended U.S. Tax Treatment, and the Company is not aware of any agreement, plan or other circumstance that would prevent the Arrangement from qualifying for the Intended U.S. Tax Treatment. |
| (xvii) | The Company and each of its Subsidiaries retains all material tax, accounting and Corporate Records required by applicable Law to support any tax or accounting position, filing or claim made by them with respect to Taxes. |
| (xviii) | The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has not incurred any material liability for Taxes arising from transactions outside the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices. |
| (xix) | The Company and each of its Subsidiaries will not be required, as a result of (i) a change in accounting method for a Tax period ending on or before the closing of the Arrangement, (ii) any closing agreement or (iii) any amounts received prior to the closing of the Arrangement, to include any material amount of additional taxable income for any Tax period beginning on or after the closing of the Arrangement. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries does not have an application pending with any Governmental Entity requesting permission for any change in accounting method that relates to its business. |
| (xx) | Neither the Company, each of its Subsidiaries or any third party provider who has issued CFDIs in favor of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries are mentioned in the list provided under Article 69 B of the Código Fiscal de la Federación. |
| (i) | The Corporate Records have been maintained in accordance with all applicable Laws, and the minute books of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries as made available to the Parent are complete and accurate in all material respects, except for minutes relating to the Arrangement or this Agreement. |
| (ii) | The financial books and records and accounts of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries: (A) have been maintained, in all material respects, in accordance with IFRS; (B) are stated in reasonable detail and accurately and fairly reflect, in all material respects, the transactions and dispositions of assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries; and (C) accurately and fairly reflect, in all material respects, the basis for the Company’s consolidated financial statements. |
| (bb) | Insurance. As at the date hereof, the Company and its Subsidiaries have in place the insurance policies disclosed in Schedule 3.1(bb) of the Company Disclosure Letter specifying the insurer, amount and nature of coverage, and the date through which coverage will continue by virtue of premiums already paid. All insurance maintained by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is in full force and effect and in good standing, and neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries are in default, whether as to payment of premium or otherwise. To the knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has failed to make a claim thereunder on a timely basis, or received notice or otherwise become aware of any intent of an insurer to either claim any default on the part of the Company or its Subsidiaries or not to renew any policy of insurance on its expiry. The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain the insurance policies required by applicable Laws and any Company Material Contract, including all required insurance policies to operate their business as currently conducted. |
| (cc) | Non-Arm’s Length Transactions. Other than employment, indemnification or compensation agreements entered into in the ordinary course, there are no current Contracts or other transactions currently in place (including relating to indebtedness by or to the Company or its Subsidiaries) between the Company or its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any (i) officer or director of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) any holder of record or, to the knowledge of the Company, beneficial owner, of 10% or more of the voting securities of the Company, or (iii) to the knowledge of the Company, any affiliate or associate of any officer, director or beneficial owner, on the other hand. |
| (i) | Schedule 3.1(dd)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter contains a true and complete list of all material Company Benefit Plans. Current and complete copies of all the Company Benefit Plans as amended as of the date hereof have been delivered or made available to the Parent together with copies of all material documents relating to the Company Benefit Plans. |
| (ii) | No Company Benefit Plan: |
| (A) | is a “registered pension plan”, a “retirement compensation arrangement”, a “deferred profit sharing plan”, or a “salary deferral arrangement”, as each such term is defined in the Tax Act; |
| (B) | is a “multi-employer plan” as such term is defined in subsection 8500(i) of the Regulations of Tax Act; |
| (C) | contains a “defined benefit provision” as defined in subsection 147.1(1) of the Tax Act; |
| (D) | provides for health and welfare benefits which are not fully-insured; |
| (E) | provides for retiree or post-termination benefits to Company Employees or former Company Employees or beneficiaries or dependents thereof (other than as required by applicable Laws); or |
| (F) | except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(dd)(i) of the Company Disclosure Letter, provides benefits to independent contractors. |
| (iii) | Each Company Benefit Plan is, and has been, established, registered (if required), amended, funded, operated, communicated, administered and invested, in all material respects, in compliance with its terms and all Laws; all employer and employee payments, contributions and premiums required to be remitted, paid to or in respect of each Company Benefit Plan, as of the date hereof, have been paid or remitted in a timely fashion in accordance with its terms and all Laws; and all obligations in respect of each Company Benefit Plan have been properly accrued and reflected in the Company’s financial statements. |
| (iv) | To the knowledge of the Company, there are no investigations by a Governmental Entity or material claims (other than routine claims for payment of benefits) pending involving any Company Benefit Plan, and to the knowledge of the Company there exists no state of facts which would reasonably be expected to give rise to such investigations or material claims (other than routine claims for payment of benefits). |
| (v) | There has been no amendment to, or announcement by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries relating to, or change in employee participation or coverage under, any Company Benefit Plan and no Company Benefit Plan contains provisions permitting retroactive increase or payments on termination which, in each case, would materially increase the expense of maintaining such plan above the level of the expense incurred therefor for the most recent fiscal year. |
| (vi) | Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(dd)(vi) of the Company Disclosure Letter, neither the execution of this Agreement by the Company nor the consummation of the Arrangement pursuant to the Plan of Arrangement (whether alone or in conjunction with any subsequent events) would result in (A) any Company Employees receiving termination or severance pay or any increase in termination or severance pay upon any termination of employment after the date hereof, (B) acceleration of the time of payment or vesting or result in any payment or funding (through a grantor trust or otherwise) of compensation or benefits under, increase the amount payable or result in any other material obligation pursuant to any of the Company Benefit Plans, or (C) limiting or restricting the right of the Company or, after the consummation of the Arrangement, the Parent to merge, amend or terminate any of the Company Benefit Plans, other than those limits or restrictions pursuant to applicable Laws. |
| (vii) | There is no entity other than the Company or its Subsidiaries participating in any Company Benefit Plan. |
| (viii) | All data necessary to administer each Company Benefit Plan is in the possession of the Company or its Subsidiaries or its agents and is in a form which is sufficient for the proper administration of the Company Benefit Plan in accordance with its terms and, to the knowledge of the Company, such data is complete and correct in all material respects. |
| (ix) | Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(dd)(vi) of the Company Disclosure Letter, neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement nor the consummation of the transactions provided herein (either alone or in conjunction with any other event (whether contingent or otherwise) entitle any current or former Company Employee, including any officer (administrador, directivo or gerente) or director (consejero) of the Company and/or its Subsidiaries to severance payment, unemployment compensation or any other similar termination payment by the Company and/or its Subsidiaries. |
| (ee) | Environmental. Except for any matters that, individually or in the aggregate, would not have or would not reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect: |
| (i) | since January 1, 2021, all facilities and operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries have been conducted, and are now, in compliance with all Environmental Laws; |
| (ii) | the Company and its Subsidiaries are in possession of, and in compliance with, all Environmental Permits that are required to own, lease and operate the Company Mineral Interests and to conduct their respective business as they are now being conducted, which are legal, valid, binding and in full force and effect, all of which appear in the name of the Company and/or its Subsidiaries; |
| (iii) | to the knowledge of the Company, no Environmental Liabilities presently exist with respect to any portion of any currently or formerly owned, leased, used or otherwise controlled property, interests and rights or relating to the operations and business of the Company and its Subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, there is no basis for any such Environmental Liabilities to arise in the future as a result of any activity in respect of such property, interests, rights, operations and business; |
| (iv) | neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is subject to or has received notice of any proceeding, application, order or directive from any Governmental Entity which relates to environmental matters and which may require any material work, repairs, construction or expenditures, and to the knowledge of the Company, there are no pending environmental claims; |
| (v) | to the knowledge of the Company, there are no changes in the status, terms or conditions of any Environmental Permits held by the Company or its Subsidiaries or any renewal, modification, revocation, reassurance, alteration, transfer or amendment of any such Environmental Permits, or any review by, or approval of, any Governmental Entity of such Environmental Permits that are required in connection with the execution or delivery of this Agreement, the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein or the continuation of the business of the Company or its Subsidiaries following the Effective Date; and |
| (vi) | the Company and its Subsidiaries have made available to the Parent true, correct and complete copies of all material audits, studies, plans, assessments, investigation reports (including Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments) and regulatory correspondence with respect to environmental matters in their possession or control. |
| (ff) | Company Material Contracts. Schedule 3.1(ff) of the Company Disclosure Letter lists all of the Company Material Contracts to which the Company and its Subsidiaries are parties and which are in full force and effect and are enforceable in accordance with their terms with respect to each of the Company and its Subsidiaries. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries has complied in all material respects with all the terms of the Company Material Contracts to which it is a party. Except as disclosed in Schedule 3.1(ff) of the Company Disclosure Letter, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in breach of, or default under, any Company Material Contract to which it is a party or bound, nor does the Company have knowledge of any condition that with the passage of time or the giving of notice or both would result in such a breach or default, except in each case where any such breaches or defaults would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to be, or result in, a Company Material Adverse Effect. As of the date hereof, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries knows of, or has received written notice of, any breach or default under (nor, to the knowledge of the Company, does there exist any condition which with the passage of time or the giving of notice or both would result in such a breach or default under) any such Company Material Contract by any other party thereto except where any such violation or default would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to be, or result in, a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company has made available to the Parent true and complete copies of all of the Company Material Contracts. All Company Material Contracts are legal, valid, binding and in full force and effect and are enforceable by the Company (or a Subsidiary of the Company, as the case may be) in accordance with their respective terms (subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other applicable Laws affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and subject to the qualification that equitable remedies may be granted only in the discretion of a court of competent jurisdiction). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received notice that any party to a Company Material Contract intends to cancel, terminate, materially modify or not renew such Company Material Contract. |
| (gg) | Standstill Agreements. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has waived any Company Standstill Agreement to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a Party, except to permit submissions of expressions of interest prior to the date of this Agreement. |
| (hh) | Whistleblower Reporting. No employee of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, nor any legal counsel representing the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, has reported evidence of a material violation of any Securities Laws, breach of fiduciary duty or similar material violation by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents or independent contractors to the Company’s management, or audit committee (or other committee designated for such purpose) of the Company Board. |
| (ii) | Restrictions on Business Activities. There is no agreement, judgement, injunction, order or decree binding upon the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that has or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting or restricting any acquisition of property by the Company or any such Subsidiary or the conduct of business by the Company or any such Subsidiary as currently conducted (including following the transaction contemplated by this Agreement), other than the Company Credit Agreement and such agreements, judgements, injunctions, orders or decrees which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect. |
| (jj) | Brokers. Except as set out in Schedule 3.1(jj) of the Company Disclosure Letter, none of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any of their respective officers, directors or employees has employed any broker or finder or incurred any liability for any brokerage fees, commissions or finder’s fees on behalf of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. A true and complete copy of the engagement letter between the Company and each Company Financial Advisor has been made available to the Parent. |
| (kk) | Corrupt Practices Legislation. |
| (i) | None of the Company, its Subsidiaries and affiliates, nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of their Representatives or other Persons acting on behalf of the Company or any its Subsidiaries has, directly or indirectly, offered, promised, agreed, paid, authorized, given or taken any act in furtherance of any such offer, promise, agreement, payment or authorization on behalf of the Company or its Subsidiaries, anything of value, directly or indirectly, to any official of a Governmental Entity, any political party or official thereof or any candidate for political office, for the purpose of any of the following: |
| (A) | influencing any action or decision of such person in such person’s official capacity, including a decision to fail to perform such person’s official function in order to obtain or retain an advantage in the course of business; |
| (B) | inducing such person to use such person’s influence with any Governmental Entity to affect or influence any act or decision of such Governmental Entity to assist the Company or one of its Subsidiaries in obtaining or retaining business for, with, or directing business to, any Person or otherwise to obtain or retain an advantage in the course of business; or |
| (C) | to assist the Company or one of its Subsidiaries in obtaining or retaining business for, with, or directing business to, any Person. |
| (ii) | None of the Company and its Subsidiaries, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any of their respective Representatives has, directly or indirectly, taken any action that is or would be otherwise inconsistent with or prohibited by or would cause the Company or one of its Subsidiaries to be in violation of the substantive prohibitions or requirements of the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (Canada), the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (Canada), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (United States), as amended, or any law of similar effect prohibiting corruption, bribery and money laundering in any jurisdiction in which it conducts its business and to which it is subject (collectively, “Company Applicable Anti-Corruption Law”) for the purposes of this Section 3.1(kk)(ii)). Neither the Company, nor its Subsidiaries, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, their respective Representatives, has violated any Company Applicable Anti-Corruption Law and, to the knowledge of the Company, no condition or circumstances exist that would form the basis of any such allegations. |
| (iii) | All contracts and arrangements between the Company or one of its Subsidiaries and any other Person are in compliance with Company Applicable Anti-Corruption Law. Since January 1, 2022, the Company and its Subsidiaries have maintained policies and procedures applicable to it and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and representatives in place in respect thereof as are appropriate to prevent and detect violations of Company Applicable Anti-Corruption Law. |
| (iv) | None of the Company or its Subsidiaries nor any of its directors, officers, employees, agents or representatives has (A) conducted or initiated any review, audit or internal investigation that concluded that the Company or one of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents or representatives has materially violated any Company Applicable Anti-Corruption Law, or (B) made a voluntary, directed or involuntary disclosure to any Governmental Entity responsible for enforcing Company Applicable Anti-Corruption Law, in each case with respect to any alleged act or omission arising under or relating to material non-compliance with any such Laws, or received any notice, request or citation from any person alleging material non-compliance with any such Laws. |
| (v) | The Company and its Subsidiaries have maintained systems of internal controls intended to ensure compliance by the foregoing and their respective directors, officers, employees, and agents, with Company Applicable Anti-Corruption Law. |
| (i) | Neither the Company, nor any of its Subsidiaries, nor any of their respective directors, officers or employees nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agents or persons acting on any of their behalf: (A) is a Restricted Party; or (B) has received written notice of or is aware of any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation against it with respect to Sanctions by any Sanctions Authority. |
| (ii) | None of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any director, officer, employee or to the knowledge of the Company, agent of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a Person that is, or is owned or controlled by Persons that are: (A) the subject/target of any Sanctions, or (B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions, including Russia, Crimea, Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic of Ukraine, the Kherson and the Zaporizhzhia oblasts of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Syria. |
| (iii) | The Company, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers and employees and, to the knowledge of the Company, the agents of the Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable Sanctions. The Company and its Subsidiaries have instituted and maintain policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with applicable Sanctions. |
| (iv) | The Company represents and covenants that neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has knowingly engaged in, or is now knowingly engaged in, or will engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person or in property that is owned, held or controlled by or on behalf of any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was a Restricted Party or the subject of Sanctions, in violation of Sanctions. |
| (i) | The Company and its Subsidiaries consistently act in compliance with the fundamental principles defined and protected by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, by the fundamental principles of the International Labor Organization, and in particular with rules relating to the prohibition of forced labour, child labour and human trafficking in their operations and supply chains. |
| (ii) | The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with the requirements of applicable Modern Slavery Laws. |
| (iii) | The Company and its Subsidiaries have policies and procedures in place reasonably designed to ensure compliance with applicable Modern Slavery Laws. |