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Full Metal Minerals Ltd. — Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement 2024
Nov 13, 2024
45409_rns_2024-11-13_e4cd6b6e-2f21-40aa-89fd-aba45c04b51a.pdf
Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement
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INFORMATION CIRCULAR (as at November 6, 2024, except as indicated)
This Information Circular is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Management of FULL METAL MINERALS LTD. (the “Company”) for use at the Annual General Meeting (the “Meeting”) of the shareholders of the Company (“Shareholders”), to be held at the time and place and for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of Meeting and at any adjournment thereof.
PERSONS OR COMPANIES MAKING THE SOLICITATION
THE ENCLOSED PROXY IS BEING SOLICITED BY MANAGEMENT OF THE COMPANY. Solicitations will be made by mail and possibly supplemented by telephone or other personal contact to be made without special compensation by regular officers and employees of the Company. The Company may reimburse Shareholders’ nominees or agents (including brokers holding Class A Common shares of the Company (“Shares”) on behalf of clients) for the cost incurred in obtaining from their principals authorization to execute forms of proxy. The cost of solicitation will be borne by the Company. None of the Directors of the Company have advised that they intend to oppose any action intended to be taken by Management as set forth in this Information Circular.
APPOINTMENT AND REVOCATION OF PROXIES
The persons named in the accompanying Instrument of Proxy are Directors or Officers of the Company. A Shareholder has the right to appoint a person other than the persons named in the enclosed Instrument of Proxy to attend and act for him on his behalf at the Meeting. To exercise this right, a Shareholder shall strike out the names of the persons named in the Instrument of Proxy and insert the name of his nominee in the blank space provided, or complete another Instrument of Proxy. The completed Instrument of Proxy should be deposited with the Company's Registrar and Transfer Agent, Odyssey Trust Company at their office located at United Kingdom Building, 350 – 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1T2, by mail or fax at least 48 hours before the time of the Meeting or any adjournment thereof, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays recognized in the Province of British Columbia.
The Instrument of Proxy must be signed by the Shareholder or by his duly authorized attorney. If signed by a duly authorized attorney, the Instrument of Proxy must be accompanied by the original power of attorney or a notarially certified copy thereof. If the Shareholder is a corporation, the Instrument of Proxy must be signed by a duly authorized attorney, officer, or corporate representative, and must be accompanied by the original power of attorney or document whereby the duly authorized officer or corporate representative derives his power, as the case may be, or a notarially certified copy thereof. The Chairman of the Meeting has discretionary authority to accept proxies which do not strictly conform to the foregoing requirements.
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In addition to revocation in any other manner permitted by law, a Shareholder may revoke a Proxy either by (a) signing a Proxy bearing a later date and depositing it at the place and within the time aforesaid, or (b) signing and dating a written notice of revocation (in the same manner as the Instrument of Proxy is required to be executed as set out in the notes to the Instrument of Proxy) and either depositing it at the place and within the time aforesaid or with the Chairman of the Meeting on the day of the Meeting or on the day of any adjournment thereof, or (c) registering with the Scrutineer at the Meeting as a Shareholder present in person, whereupon such Proxy shall be deemed to have been revoked.
Only registered Shareholders have the right to revoke a proxy. Non-registered holders who wish to change their vote must, at least 7 days before the Meeting, arrange for their nominees to revoke the proxy on their behalf.
A revocation of a Proxy does not affect any matter on which a vote has been taken prior to the revocation.
NON-REGISTERED HOLDERS
Only registered Shareholders or duly appointed proxyholders are permitted to vote at the Meeting. Most Shareholders of the Company are “non-registered Shareholders” because the Shares they own are not registered in their names but are instead registered in the name of the brokerage firm, bank or trust company through which they purchased the Shares. More particularly, a person is not a registered Shareholder in respect of Shares which are held on behalf of that person (the “Non-Registered Holder”) but which are registered either: (a) in the name of an intermediary (an “Intermediary”) that the Non-Registered Holder deals with in respect of the Shares (Intermediaries include, among others, banks, trust companies, securities dealers or brokers and trustees or administrators of self-administered RRSP’s, RRIFs, RESPs and similar plans); or (b) in the name of a clearing agency (such as The Canadian Depository for Securities Limited (“CDS”)) of which the Intermediary is a participant. In accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 54-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators, the Company has distributed copies of the Notice of Meeting, this Information Circular and the Proxy (collectively, the “Meeting Materials”) to the clearing agencies and Intermediaries for onward distribution to Non-Registered Holders.
Intermediaries are required to forward the Meeting Materials to Non-Registered Holders unless a NonRegistered Holder has waived the right to receive them. Very often, Intermediaries will use service companies to forward the Meeting Materials to Non-Registered Holders. Generally, Non-Registered Holders who have not waived the right to receive Meeting Materials will either:
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(a) be given a form of proxy which has already been signed by the Intermediary (typically by a facsimile, stamped signature), which is restricted as to the number of Shares beneficially owned by the Non-Registered Holder but which is otherwise not completed. Because the Intermediary has already signed the form of proxy, this form of proxy is not required to be signed by the NonRegistered Holder when submitting the proxy. In this case, the Non-Registered Holder who wishes to submit a proxy should otherwise properly complete the form of proxy and deliver it to Odyssey Trust Company as provided above; or
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(b) more typically, be given a voting instruction form which is not signed by the Intermediary , and which, when properly completed and signed by the Non-Registered Holder and returned to the Intermediary or its service company , will constitute voting instructions (often called a “proxy authorization form”) which the Intermediary must follow. Typically, the proxy authorization form will consist of a one page pre-printed form. Sometimes, instead of the one page pre-printed form, the proxy authorization form will consist of a regular printed proxy form accompanied by a page of
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instructions, which contains a removable label containing a bar code and other information. In order for the form of proxy to validly constitute a proxy authorization form, the Non-Registered Holder must remove the label from the instructions and affix it to the form of proxy, properly complete and sign the form of proxy and return it to the Intermediary or its service company in accordance with the instructions of the Intermediary or its service company.
In either case, the purpose of this procedure is to permit Non-Registered Holders to direct the voting of the Shares, which they beneficially own. Should a Non-Registered Holder who receives one of the above forms wish to vote at the meeting in person, the Non-Registered Holder should strike out the names of the Management Proxyholders and insert the Non-Registered Holder’s name in the blank space provided. In either case, Non-Registered Holders should carefully follow the instructions of their Intermediary, including those regarding when and where the proxy or proxy authorization form is to be delivered.
In accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 54-101 ("NI 54-101"), the Company has elected to send meeting materials directly to “non objecting beneficial owners”. If the Company or its agent has sent these materials directly to you (instead of through a nominee), your name, address and information about your holdings of securities have been obtained in accordance with applicable securities regulatory requirements from the nominee holding on your behalf. By choosing to send these materials to you directly, the Company (and not the nominee holding on your behalf) has assumed responsibility for (i) delivering these materials to you and (ii) executing your proper voting instructions. Please return your voting instructions as specified in the request for voting instructions.
The Company does not intend to pay for intermediaries to deliver the meeting materials and Form 54101F7 Request for Voting Instructions Made By Intermediary to objecting beneficial owners. The objecting beneficial owners will not receive the meeting materials unless the objecting beneficial owner's intermediary assumes the cost of delivery of the meeting materials.
NOTICE AND ACCESS
The Company is not sending these meeting materials to shareholders using "notice and access" as defined in NI 54-101.
VOTING OF SHARES AND EXERCISE OF DISCRETION OF PROXIES
Shares represented by a properly executed proxy will be voted or withheld from voting on each matter referred to in the Notice of Meeting in accordance with the instructions of the shareholder on any ballot that may be called for and if the shareholder specifies a choice with respect to any matter to be acted upon, the Shares will be voted accordingly.
In the absence of any direction in the Instrument of Proxy, it is intended that such Shares will be voted in favour of the motions proposed to be made at the Meeting as stated under the headings in this Information Circular. The Instrument of Proxy enclosed, when properly signed, confers discretionary authority with respect to amendments or variations to any matters which may properly be brought before the Meeting. The enclosed Instrument of Proxy does not confer authority to vote for the election of any person as a Director of the Company other than for those persons named in this Information Circular. At the time of printing of this Information Circular, the Management of the Company is not aware that any such amendments, variations or other matters are to be presented for action at the Meeting. However, if any other matters which are not now known to Management should properly come before the Meeting, the Proxies hereby solicited will be exercised on such matters in accordance with the best judgment of the nominee.
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VOTING SHARES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS THEREOF
The Company is authorized to issue (i) an unlimited number of Shares without par value, (ii) an unlimited number of Class B Common Shares without par value (the “Class B Shares”); and (iii) an unlimited number of Preferred shares without par value (the “Preferred Shares”). On November 6, 2024, 59,312,455 Shares were issued and outstanding, each Share carrying the right to one vote. No Class B Shares or Preferred Shares were issued and outstanding. At a general meeting of the Company, on a show of hands, every Shareholder present in person shall have one vote and, on a poll, every Shareholder shall have one vote for each Share of which he is the holder.
Only Shareholders of record on the close of business on November 6, 2024 who either personally attend the Meeting or who complete and deliver an Instrument of Proxy in the manner and subject to the provisions set out under the heading "Appointment and Revocation of Proxies" will be entitled to have his or her Shares voted at the Meeting or any adjournment thereof.
To the knowledge of the directors or executive officers of the Company, no persons or companies beneficially own, control or direct, directly or indirectly, Shares carrying 10% or more of the voting rights attached to the Shares, other than as set forth below:
| Name of Shareholder | No. of Shares Held | Percentage of Shareholdings(1) |
|---|---|---|
| Peter Voulgaris | 8,011,899(2) | 13.51% |
| Antofagasta Investment Company Limited |
9,677,419 | 16.32% |
(1) Based on 59,312,455 Shares issued and outstanding as of the Record Date.
(2) This includes: (i) 2,120,000 Shares held directly by Mr. Voulgaris; (ii) 2,849,745 Shares are held indirectly through Elysium Mining Ltd., a company owned and controlled by Mr. Voulgaris; and (iii) 3,042,154 Shares are held indirectly through Ladon Capital Corp., a company where Mr. Voulgaris has significant influence.
INTEREST OF CERTAIN PERSONS OR COMPANIES IN MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this Information Circular, to the knowledge of management of the Company, none of the Directors or executive officers of the Company, no proposed nominee for election as a Director of the Company, none of the persons who have been Directors or executive officers of the Company since the commencement of the Company's last completed financial year and no associate or affiliate of any of the foregoing persons has any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter to be acted upon at the Meeting other than the election of directors or the appointment of auditors.
INTEREST OF INFORMED PERSONS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
For the purposes of this Information Circular, “informed person” means:
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(a) a director or executive officer of the Company;
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(b) a director or executive officer of a person or company that is itself an informed person or subsidiary of the Company;
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(c) any person or company who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, voting securities of the Company or who exercises control or direction over voting securities of the Company, or a combination of both, carrying more than 10% of the voting rights attached to all outstanding voting securities of the Company, other than voting securities held by the person or company as underwriter in the course of a distribution; and
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(d) the Company if it has purchased, redeemed or otherwise acquired any of its own securities, for so long as it holds any of its securities.
Except as otherwise disclosed, no informed person, no proposed director of the Company and no associate or affiliate of any such informed person or proposed director, has or has had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the commencement of the Company's most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction, which, in either case, has materially affected or will materially affect the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
Certain directors and officers of the Company have been granted incentive stock options by the Company.
Since the commencement of the financial year ended May 31, 2024 the Company paid or accrued the following amounts informed persons:
| Year ended | Year ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May31,2024 | May31,2023 | |||
| Consulting fees and accounting fees to key management | ||||
| personnel or companies controlled by key | ||||
| management personnel | $ | 312,000(1) |
$ | 311,000(1) |
(1) In addition, payments to companies with common directors and officers for rent, office, administration, and consulting costs totaled $32,623 for the year ended May 31, 2024 (2023 - $31,924).
During the year ended May 31, 2019, the Company loaned $182,000 to Vendetta Mining Corp., a company with an officer and director in common. The loan does not bear interest and has a term of 25 months; the Company retains the right to demand early payment of the loan by providing 30 days written notice. During the year ended May 31, 2022, the loan was repaid for a total of $212,540, including interest of $30,540.
STATEMENT OF EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
General
For the purpose of this Statement of Executive Compensation:
“ compensation securities ” includes stock options, convertible securities, exchangeable securities and similar instruments including stock appreciation rights, deferred share units and restricted stock units granted or issued by the Company or one of its subsidiaries (if any) for services provided or to be provided, directly or indirectly to the Company or any of its subsidiaries (if any);
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“ NEO ” or “ named executive officer ” means:
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(a) each individual who served as chief executive officer (“ CEO ”) of the Company, or who performed functions similar to a CEO, during any part of the most recently completed financial year,
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(b) each individual who served as chief financial officer (“ CFO ”) of the Company, or who performed functions similar to a CFO, during any part of the most recently completed financial year,
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(c) the most highly compensated executive officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (if any) other than individuals identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) at the end of the most recently completed financial year whose total compensation was more than $150,000 for that financial year, and
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(d) each individual who would be an NEO under paragraph (c) but for the fact that the individual was neither an executive officer of the Company or its subsidiaries, nor acting in a similar capacity, at the end of that financial year;
“ plan ” includes any plan, contract, authorization or arrangement, whether or not set out in any formal document, where cash, compensation securities or any other property may be received, whether for one or more persons; and
“ underlying securities ” means any securities issuable on conversion, exchange or exercise of compensation securities.
Director and Named Executive Officer Compensation, excluding Compensation Securities
The following table sets forth all direct and indirect compensation paid, payable, awarded, granted, given or otherwise provided, directly or indirectly, by the Company or any subsidiary thereof to each NEO and each director of the Company, in any capacity, including, for greater certainty, all plan and non-plan compensation, direct and indirect pay, remuneration, economic or financial award, reward, benefit, gift or perquisite paid, payable, awarded, granted, given or otherwise provided to the NEO or director for services provided and for services to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the Company or any subsidiary thereof:
| Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and position |
Year | Salary, consulting fee, retainer or commission ($) |
Bonus ($) |
Committee or meeting fees ($) |
Value of perquisites ($) |
Value of all other compensatio n ($) |
Total compensation ($) |
| Michael Williams Director, Executive Chairman, |
2024 2023 |
$60,000 $60,000(1) |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
$60,000 $60,000 |
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| Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and position |
Year | Salary, consulting fee, retainer or commission ($) |
Bonus ($) |
Committee or meeting fees ($) |
Value of perquisites ($) |
Value of all other compensatio n ($) |
Total compensation ($) |
| Cale Moodie Director |
2023 2022 |
$60,000 $60,000 |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
$60,000 $60,000 |
| Anthony Cange Director |
2023 2022 |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
| Peter Voulgaris Director, CEO and President |
2023 2022 |
$120,000(2) $120,000 |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
$120,000 $120,000 |
| Alastair Brownlow CFO and Corporate Secretary |
2023 2022 |
$36,000 $35,000(3) |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
$36,000 $35,000 |
Notes:
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(1) Mr. Williams charged consulting fees through Octavian Capital Corp., his wholly owned company, for services rendered of $5,000 monthly through fiscal year 2024.
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(2) Mr. Voulgaris charged fees through Ladon Capital Corp, a company in which he is a principal, for services rendered of $10,000 monthly through fiscal year 2024.
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(3) Mr. Brownlow charged fees through Red Fern Consulting Ltd., a company in which he is an associate, for services rendered of $3,000 per month, commencing July 1, 2022 prior to which $2,000 was charged per month.
Stock Options and Other Compensation Securities
For the most recently completed financial year ended May 31, 2024, there were no compensation securities granted or issued to Company directors and NEOs for services provided or to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the Company.
Exercise of Stock Options
No compensation securities were exercised by a Company director or NEO during the Company’s most recently completed financial year ended May 31, 2024.
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Stock Option Plans and Other Incentive Plans
The Company’s current stock option plan (the “Plan”) is a “rolling” stock option plan, whereby the aggregate number of Shares reserved for issuance, together with any other Shares reserved for issuance under any other plan or agreement of the Company, shall not exceed ten (10%) percent of the total number of issued Shares (calculated on a non-diluted basis) at the time an option is granted. The Plan provides that the Board may, from time to time, in its discretion, grant to directors, officers, employees, consultants and other personnel of the Company and its subsidiaries or affiliates, options to purchase Shares of the Company. As at the date hereof, there are zero options outstanding under the Plan. The Plan was last approved by the shareholders of the Company on November 21, 2023.
A copy of the Plan is available for review on the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca and at the office of the Company at Suite 1500 – 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 1T2 or at the registered offices of the Company, at 15[th] Floor – 1111 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6E 2J3 during normal business hours up to and including the date of the Meeting. See “Particulars of Matters To Be Acted Upon – Approval of Stock Option Plan ”.
External Management Companies
The Company has not engaged the services of an external management company to provide executive management services to the Company, directly or indirectly.
Employment, Consulting and Management Agreements
Other than as disclosed below, the Company has not entered into any agreement or arrangement under which compensation was provided to the Company during the most recently completed financial year ended May 31, 2024 or is payable in respect of services provided to the Company or any of its subsidiaries that were (a) performed by a director or named executive officer, or (b) performed by any other party but are services typically provided by a director or a NEO.
The Company has entered into a consulting agreement (the “ Williams Agreement ”) with Octavian Capital Corp. for the services of Mr. Williams as director and Executive Chairman of the Company.
Mr. Williams may terminate the Williams Agreement without good cause by providing the Company at least three months advance written notice, in which event the Contractor shall be entitled to receive Service Fees and incentives earned to the date of termination and payment of any reimbursable expenses.
If the Williams Agreement is terminated by the Company without good cause or just cause at any time by notice in writing stating the last day of engagement (the “ Termination Date ”), and the Contractor may resign on two weeks written notice (the end of such notice also being the “ Termination Date ”) for ‘good cause’ in which either event the Company shall be obligated to pay the Contractor, on the Termination Date, an amount equal to 30 months of average Service Fees earned by the Contractor during the twelve months prior thereto.
Oversight and Description of Director and NEO Compensation
The Company’s Compensation Committee, which is comprised of Anthony Cange and Michael Williams, is responsible for the compensation program for Directors and Executive Officers of the Company. Anthony Cange is considered an "independent director" as defined under applicable Canadian securities laws at the relevant times. The Company does not consider Michael Williams to be independent since he is the Executive Chairman of the Company. At the request of the Compensation Committee, other
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directors may, from time to time, provide recommendations to the Compensation Committee with respect to compensation for the Company’s NEOs.
Each member of the Compensation Committee has extensive experience with executive compensation through their current and previous roles as directors and/or officers of other public companies in the mining industry. The Board of Directors believes that the Compensation Committee collectively has the knowledge, experience and background required to fulfill its mandate. The members have the following skills and experience that enable them to make decisions on the suitability of the Company's compensation policies and practices:
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Anthony Cange is the President of Seldovia Native Association Inc. In this role, Mr. Cange has gained experience in executive compensation and human resources.
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Michael Williams is the director of several public companies in the mining industry. As a director, Mr. Williams has gained significant experience in the management of executive compensation and human resources.
The Company did not retain professional executive compensation consultants in the most recently completed financial year.
The compensation program’s objectives are to:
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Attract and retain qualified and experienced executives;
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Motivate those executives to drive the continued development of the Company and its current and future mineral exploration assets, thereby incentivizing them to create Shareholder value; and
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Provide executives, through independent research and analysis, with appropriate salaries and incentives and to reward performance, both on an individual basis and with respect to operations in general.
When determining individual compensation levels for the Company's executive officers, the Compensation Committee takes into consideration a variety of factors including the Board of Directors’ understanding of the amount of compensation generally paid by similarly situated companies to their executives who have similar roles and responsibilities; each executive officer's individual performance during the fiscal year; each executive officer's experience, skills and level of responsibility; the executive's historical compensation and performance within the Company; and existing market standards within the mining industry.
The deliberations of the Compensation Committee are private. Compensation for the Company’s NEOs is designed to reward professional achievements and length of service and consists of: (i) base cash salary or consulting fee and (ii) option grants pursuant to the Company’s Stock Option Plan.
Base cash salaries and consulting fees are paid to reward skills, capabilities, knowledge and experience and the level of responsibility and the contribution expected from each NEO. Stock options are granted to allow NEOs to participate in any appreciation of the market value of the Shares over a stated period of time, and are intended to reinforce commitment to long-term growth and shareholder value.
The Compensation Committee determines the specific compensation to be paid to NEOs based on a number of factors, including: the Committee’s understanding of executive compensation offered by companies comparable to the Company; the individual performance of the NEOs in connection with the achievement of corporate objectives; the roles and responsibilities of the NEOs; and the individual
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experience and skills of each NEO and the financial and other resources of the Company. The Compensation Committee considers all elements of the total program, rather than any single element in isolation.
The Compensation Committee reviews the compensation paid to the NEOs on an annual basis.
Pension Disclosure
The Company does not provide any pension, retirement plan or other remuneration for its directors or officers that constitutes an expense to the Company.
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
The following table sets forth details of the Company’s compensation plans under which equity securities of the Company were authorized for issuance at the end of the Company’s most recently completed financial year.
| Plan Category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (a) |
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (b) |
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity compensation plans approved by securityholders |
Nil | Nil | 5,931,245 |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by securityholders |
Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Total | Nil | Nil | 5,931,245 |
The Company’s equity compensation plan consists only of stock options. The Stock Option Plan is described under “Particulars of Matters To Be Acted Upon – Approval of Stock Option Plan ”.
INDEBTEDNESS OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
As at November 6, 2024 there was no indebtedness outstanding of any current or former Director, executive officer or employee of the Company or its subsidiaries which is owing to the Company or its subsidiaries, or, which is owing to another entity which indebtedness is the subject of a guarantee, support agreement, letter of credit or other similar arrangement or understanding provided by the Company or its subsidiaries, entered into in connection with a purchase of securities or otherwise .
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No individual who is, or at any time during the most recently completed financial year was, a Director or executive officer of the Company, no proposed nominee for election as a Director of the Company and no associate of such persons:
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(i) is or at any time since the beginning of the most recently completed financial year has been, indebted to the Company or its subsidiaries; or
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(ii) is indebted to another entity, which indebtedness is, or at any time since the beginning of the most recently completed financial year has been, the subject of a guarantee, support agreement, letter of credit or other similar arrangement or understanding provided by the Company or its subsidiaries, in relation to a securities purchase program or other program.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE
National Policy 58-201 – Corporate Governance Guidelines (“NP 58-201”) establishes corporate governance guidelines which apply to all public companies. The Company has reviewed its own corporate governance practices in light of these guidelines. In certain cases, the Company’s practices comply with the guidelines, however, the Board of Directors considers that some of the guidelines are not suitable for the Company at its current stage of development and therefore these guidelines have not been adopted. National Instrument 58-201 mandates disclosure of corporate governance practices which disclosure is set out below.
INDEPENDENCE OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
The Company's Board consists of four directors, two of whom are “independent” in that they are independent and free from any interest and any business or other relationship which could or could reasonably be perceived to, materially interfere with the director’s ability to act in the best interests of the Company, other than the interests and relationships arising from shareholdings. Anthony Cange and Cale Moodie are independent. Michael Williams is not considered independent as he is the Executive Chairman of the Company and Peter Voulgaris is not considered independent as he is the President and CEO of the Company
The size of the Company is such that all the Company’s operations are conducted by a small management team which is also represented on the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors considers that management is effectively supervised by the independent directors on an informal basis as the independent directors are actively and regularly involved in reviewing the operations of the Company and have regular and full access to management. The independent directors are able to meet at any time without any members of management including the non-independent directors, being present. Further supervision is performed through the audit committee which is composed of a majority of independent directors who meet with the Company's auditors. The independent directors exercise their responsibilities for independent oversight of management through their majority control of the Board of Directors.
DIRECTORSHIPS
The following table discloses directors and nominees who are currently directors of other Reporting Issuers:
| Name of Director: | Other Reporting Issuers: |
|---|---|
| Michael Williams | Aftermath Silver Ltd. (formerly Full Metal Zinc Ltd.) |
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| Name of Director: | Other Reporting Issuers: |
|---|---|
| Vendetta Mining Corp. | |
| Anthony Cange | - |
| Cale Moodie | Brixton Metals Corporation Lions Gate Metals Inc. Neptune Dash Technologies Corp. Eden Empire Inc. |
| Peter Voulgaris | Vendetta Mining Corp. |
ORIENTATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
While the Company does not have formal orientation and training programs, new Board members are provided with:
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information respecting the functioning of the Board of Directors and committees;
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access to recent, publicly filed documents of the Company, technical reports in respect of the Company’s mineral properties and the Company’s internal financial information;
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access to management and technical experts and consultants; and
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a summary of significant corporate and social responsibilities.
Board members are encouraged to communicate with management, auditors and technical consultants; to keep themselves current with industry trends and developments and changes in legislation with management’s assistance; and to attend related industry seminars and visit the Company’s operations. Board members have full access to the Company's records.
ETHICAL BUSINESS CONDUCT
The Board of Directors views good corporate governance as an integral component to the success of the Company and to meet responsibilities to Shareholders. The Company has implemented a code of ethics and conduct which is available to be viewed on the Company website.
NOMINATION OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors has responsibility for identifying potential board candidates. The Board of Directors assesses potential Board candidates to fill perceived needs on the Board of Directors for required skills, expertise, independence and other factors. Members of the Board of Directors and representatives of the mining exploration industry are consulted for possible candidates.
COMPENSATION OF DIRECTORS AND THE CEO
Anthony Cange is considered to be an independent director of the Company. Mr. Cange along with Michael Williams, the Executive Chairman of the Company, make up the Company’s compensation and corporate governance committee and have the responsibility for determining compensation for the directors and senior management. To determine compensation payable, the compensation committee reviews compensation paid for directors and CEOs of companies of similar size and stage of development
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in the mining exploration industry and determine an appropriate compensation reflecting the need to provide incentive and compensation for the time and effort expended by the directors and senior management while taking into account the financial and other resources of the Company. In setting the compensation the independent directors/compensation and corporate governance committee periodically review(s) the performance of the CEO in light of the Company's objectives and consider(s) other factors that may have impacted the success of the Company in achieving its objectives.
BOARD COMMITTEES
The Company currently has an Audit Committee and a Compensation & Corporate Governance Committee. The Board of Directors has determined that additional committees are not necessary at this stage of the Company’s development.
ASSESSMENTS
The Board of Directors does not consider that formal assessments would be useful at this stage of the Company’s development. The Board of Directors periodically conducts informal assessments of the Board of Directors’ effectiveness, the individual directors and each of its committees.
AUDIT COMMITTEE AND RELATIONSHIP WITH AUDITOR
Under National Instrument 52-110 – Audit Committees (“NI 52-110”), of the Canadian Securities Administrators, the Company is required, as a venture issuer, to disclose annually in its Information Circular certain information concerning the constitution of its audit committee and its relationship with its independent auditor, as set forth below.
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
The Company’s audit committee is governed by an audit committee charter, the text of which is attached as Schedule “A” to this Information Circular.
COMPOSITION OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The Company’s audit committee is comprised of Michael Williams, Anthony Cange and Cale Moodie. As defined in NI 52-110, Messrs. Cange and Moodie are considered “independent” and Audit Committee members are “financially literate”.
The educational background or experience of the following audit committee members has enabled each to perform his responsibilities as an audit committee member and has provided the member with an understanding of the accounting principles used by the Company to prepare its financial statements, the ability to assess the general application of such accounting principles in connection with the accounting for estimates, accruals and reserves as well as experience preparing, auditing, analyzing or evaluating financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the Company's financial statements, or experience actively supervising one or more individuals engaged in such activities and an understanding of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting:
RELEVENT EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Anthony Cange is a director of the Company. Cange is presently employed as the CEO of Seldovia Native Association, an Alaska Native Corporation. He serves as a Director for the Natives of Kodiak Inc.
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Audit and Finance committee. Tony also serves as a Commissioner for the Municipality of Anchorage’s Planning and Zoning board as a Director for Anchorage Downtown Partnership serving on the Finance and Policy Committee. Cange has served on several other municipal boards and commissions including various local non-profits.
Cale Moodie is a director of the Company. Mr. Moodie is a director of the Company and serves as CFO to numerous publicly listed companies.
Michael Williams is the Executive Chairman and founder of the Company. Mr. Williams is also a director of several other public companies and is a member of several audit committees. He is also the founder of Octavian Capital and President & CEO of Vendetta Mining Corporation.
AUDIT COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT
Since the commencement of the Company’s most recently completed financial year, the Company’s Board of Directors has not failed to adopt a recommendation of the audit committee to nominate or compensate an external auditor.
RELIANCE ON CERTAIN EXEMPTIONS
At no time since the commencement of the Company's most recently completed financial year has the Company relied on the exemptions contained in section 2.4 of NI 52-110 or an exemption from NI 52110 in whole or in part, granted under Part 8 of NI 52-110. Section 2.4 provides an exemption from the requirement that the audit committee must pre-approve all non-audit services to be provided by the auditor, where the total amount of fees related to the non-audit services are not expected to exceed 5% of the total fees payable to the auditor in the fiscal year in which the non-audit services were provided. Part 8 permits a company to apply to a securities regulatory authority for an exemption from the requirements of NI 52-110, in whole or in part.
PRE-APPROVAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The audit committee has specific policies and procedures for the engagement of non-audit services, as described in its audit committee charter.
EXTERNAL AUDITOR SERVICE FEES
In the following table, “audit fees” are fees billed by the Company’s external auditor for services provided in auditing the Company’s annual financial statements for the subject year. “Audit-related fees” are fees not included in audit fees that are billed by the auditor for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s financial statements. “Tax fees” are fees billed by the auditor for professional services rendered for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning. “All other fees” are fees billed by the auditor for products and services not included in the foregoing categories.
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The fees paid by the Company to its auditor in each of the last two fiscal years ended May 31, by category, are as follows:
| Financial Year Ending |
Audit Fees | Audit Related Fees |
Tax Fees | All Other Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2024 | $18,500 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| May 31, 2023 | $17,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
EXEMPTION
The Company is relying on the exemption provided by section 6.1 of NI 52-110 which provides that the Company, as a venture issuer, is not required to comply with Part 3 (Composition of the Audit Committee) and Part 5 (Reporting Obligations) of NI 52-110.
PARTICULARS OF MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The persons named in the enclosed Form of Proxy intend to vote in favour of fixing the number of directors at four (4).
Each director of the Company is elected annually and holds office until the next Annual General Meeting of the Shareholders unless that person ceases to be a director before then. In the absence of instructions to the contrary the Shares represented by proxy will be voted for the nominees herein listed.
Management does not contemplate that any of the nominees will be unable to serve as a director.
Management proposes that the number of directors for the Company be determined at four (4) for the ensuing year subject to such increases as may be permitted by the Articles of the Company, and the Management nominees for the Board of Directors and information concerning them as at November 6, 2024 as furnished by the individual nominees are as follows:
| Name, Jurisdiction of | Principal Occupation | Previous | Holdings of Securities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residence and Position | or Employment | Service as a | of the Company1 |
| Director | |||
| Michael J. Williams 2, 3 |
President, Full Metal Minerals Ltd. | Since June 2003 | 2,726,9984 |
| British Columbia, Canada | since 2003; President/CEO, Vendetta | ||
| Executive Chairman | Mining Corp since 2010; Executive Chairman, Aftermath Silver Corp. |
||
| since 2014. | |||
| Cale Moodie 2 British Columbia, Canada |
CFO of multiple public companies | Since Oct 2014 | 3,932,2355 |
| Anthony Cange 2, 3 |
CEO, Seldovia Native Association | Since Sept 2011 | N/A |
| Anchorage, AK | Inc. | ||
| Peter Voulgaris British Columbia, Canada |
Geologist & Engineer. Consultant with private consulting firm Elysium |
Since Dec 2020 | 8,011,8996 |
| President and CEO | Mining Ltd. |
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1 Shares beneficially owned, or controlled or directed, directly or indirectly, as at November 6, 2024, based upon information filed by individual directors on SEDI. Unless otherwise indicated, such Shares are held directly.
2 Member of the Audit Committee
3 Member of the Compensation and Corporate Governance Committee
4 Of these 2,726,998 Shares: (i) 470,633 are held directly, (ii) 2,235,032 are held indirectly through Octavian Capital Corp., a company wholly owned and controlled by Mr. Williams, and (ii) 21,333 are held indirectly through Vanessa Williams RRSP.
5 These Shares are held indirectly through Spartan Holdings Ltd., a company wholly owned and controlled by Mr. Moodie.
6 Of these 8,011,899 Shares: (i) 2,120,000 are held directly, (ii) 2,849,745 are held indirectly through Elysium Mining Ltd., a company wholly owned and controlled by Mr. Voulgaris, and (ii) 3,042,154 are held indirectly through Ladon Capital Corp., a company wholly owned and controlled by Mr. Voulgaris.
The term of office of those nominees set out above, who are presently directors, will expire as of the date of the Meeting. All of the directors who are elected at the Meeting will have their term of office expire at the next annual general meeting or at such time when their successors are duly elected or appointed in accordance with the Articles, or with the provisions of applicable corporate legislation or until such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal.
The persons named as proxies in the enclosed form of proxy intend to cast the votes represented by proxy in favour of the foregoing resolution unless the holder of Shares who has given such proxy has directed that the votes be otherwise cast.
Orders, Bankruptcies, Penalties or Sanctions
Other than as set forth below, to the knowledge of the Company, no proposed director of the Company:
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(a) is, at the date of this Information Circular, or has been within 10 years before the date of this Information Circular, a director, CEO or CFO of any company (including the Company) that:
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i) was the subject, while the proposed director was acting in the capacity of a director, CEO or CFO of such company, of a cease trade order or similar order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under securities legislation that was in effect for a period of more than 30 consecutive days; or
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ii) was subject to a cease trade or similar order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under securities legislation that was in effect for a period of more than 30 consecutive days that was issued after the proposed director ceased to be a director, CEO or CFO and which resulted from an event that occurred while that person was acting in the capacity as director, CEO or CFO of such company; or
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(b) is, at the date of this Information Circular, or has been within 10 years before the date of this Information Circular, a director, CEO or CFO of any company (including the Company) that, while that person was acting in that capacity, or within a year of that person ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets; or
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(c) has within the 10 years prior to the date of this Information Circular, become bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or become subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of the proposed director; or
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(d) has been subject to any penalties or sanctions imposed by a court relating to securities legislation or by a securities regulatory authority or has entered into a settlement agreement with a securities regulatory authority; or
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(e) has been subject to any other penalties or sanctions imposed by a court or regulatory body that would likely be considered important to a reasonable securityholder in deciding whether to vote for a proposed director.
Mr. Michael Williams is Executive Chairman, Vice President and a Director of Aftermath Silver Ltd, a British Columbia company that is listed on the NEX Board of the TSX Venture Exchange (“ TSXV ”). On October 6, 2015, Aftermath Silver was subject to a cease trade order for failure to file financial statements. The cease trade order was lifted on August 18, 2017 by the British Columbia Securities Commission.
APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR
Management proposes the re-appointment of Davidson & Company LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, as auditor of the Company for the ensuing year at a remuneration to be fixed by the directors. Davidson & Company LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants were first appointed as auditor of the Company effective July 20, 2016.
The persons named as proxies in the enclosed form of proxy intend to cast the votes represented by proxy in favour of the foregoing resolution unless the holder of Shares who has given such proxy has directed that the votes be otherwise cast.
APPROVAL OF STOCK OPTION PLAN
On October 17, 2022, the Board approved the Company’s form of 10% “rolling” stock option plan (the “ Stock Option Plan ”). The Stock Option Plan incorporates certain requirements of Exchange Policy 4.4 - Security Based Compensation (" Policy 4.4 ") which was amended on November 24, 2021. The information below should be read in conjunction with the Stock Option Plan. Any definitions or capitalized terms used or referenced below have the same meaning attributed to them in the Stock Option Plan which is attached to this Information Circular as Schedule “B” and is accessible on the Company’s SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.
The purpose of the Stock Option Plan is to give to Eligible Persons (as defined herein) additional compensation, the opportunity to participate in the success of the Company by granting to such individuals Stock Options, exercisable over periods of up to ten (10) years as determined by the Board, to buy Shares of the Company at a price not less than the Market Price (as defined herein) prevailing on the date the Stock Option is granted less applicable discount, if any, permitted by the policies of the Exchange and approved by the Board. The general terms and conditions of the Stock Option Plan are reflected in the disclosure below.
Key Terms Summary Administration The Board shall, without limitation, have full and final authority in their discretion, but subject to the express provisions of the Stock Option Plan, to interpret the Stock Option Plan, to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Stock Option Plan and to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable in respect of the Stock Option Plan. Except as set forth in certain sections of the Stock Option Plan and subject to any required prior Exchange
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Key Terms Summary approval, the interpretation and construction of any provision of the Stock Option Plan by the Board shall be final and conclusive. Administration of the Stock Option Plan shall be the responsibility of the appropriate officers of the Company and all costs in respect thereof shall be paid by the Company. Number of Shares The maximum aggregate number of Shares that are issuable pursuant to securitybased compensation granted or issued under the Stock Option Plan and all of the Company's other previously established or proposed security-based compensation plans (to which the following limits apply under Exchange policies):
(a) to all Eligible Persons granted a Stock Option pursuant to the Stock Option Plan and their heirs, executors, and administrators (“ Optionees ”) as a group (including for greater certainty Insiders (as a group) shall not exceed 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis at any point in time;
(b) to Insiders (as a group) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the date specified in an agreement whereby the Company grants an Optionee a Stock Option (an “ Option Agreement ”) as the date on which a Stock Option is granted (the “ Grant Date ”), unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies;
(c) to any one Optionee (including, where permitted under applicable policies of the Exchanges, any companies that are wholly owned by such Optionee) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 5% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies.
(d) to any one Consultant (as defined under the policies of the Exchange) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 2% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date;
(e) to Investor Relations Service Providers (as defined under the policies of the Exchange) (as a group) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 2% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, and Investor Relations Service Providers shall not be eligible to receive any security- based compensation other than Stock Options if the Shares are listed on the Exchange at the time of any issuance or grant; and
(f) to Eligible Charitable Organizations (as defined under the policies of the Exchange) (as a group) shall not exceed 1% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date.
Securities Each Stock Option entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share (subject to adjustment in certain circumstances) at an exercise price determined by the Board.
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| Key Terms | Summary |
|---|---|
| Participation Any directors, officers, Employees (as defined under the policies of the Exchange), Management Company Employees (as defined under the policies of the Exchange), Consultants and Eligible Charitable Organizations (as defined under the policies of the Exchange) of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively "Eligible Persons"). Stock Option Price The price per Share specified in an Option Agreement, adjusted from time to time, (the “Option Price”) under each Stock Option shall be not less than the Market Price on the Grant Date less the applicable discount permitted under the policies of the Exchanges or, if the Shares are not listed on any Exchange, less 25%. Exercise Period The exercise period of a Stock Option will be the period from and including the Grant Date up to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the expiry date that will be determined by the Board at the time of grant (the “Expiry Date”), provided that the Expiry Date of a Stock Option will be no later than the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date of the Stock Option. In the event that the Expiry Date of a Stock Option falls during, a trading blackout period imposed by the Company (the “Blackout Period”), the Expiry Date of such Stock Option shall automatically be extended to a date which is ten (10) trading days following the end of such Blackout Period (the “Extension Period”), subject to no cease trade order being in place under applicable securities laws; provided that if an additional Blackout Period is subsequently imposed by the Company during the Extension Period, then such Extension Period shall be deemed to commence following the end of such additional Blackout Period to enable the exercise of such Stock Option within ten (10) trading days following the end of the last imposed Blackout Period. |
Ceasing to be an If an Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person, his or her Option shall be Eligible Person exercisable as follows:
(a) Death or Disability
If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person, due to his or her death or disability or, in the case of an Optionee that is a company, the death or disability of the person who provides management or consulting services to the Company or to any entity controlled by the Company, the Stock Option then held by the Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire the number of Shares, at a particular time, which have been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of a Stock Option but which have not been issued, as adjusted from time to time (“ Unissued Option Shares ”) that have become exercisable in respect of a number of Option Shares by the Optionee pursuant to the terms of the Option Agreement (“ Vested ”) at any time up to but not after the earlier of:
(i) 365 days after the date of death or disability; and (ii) the Expiry Date;
(b) Termination For Cause
If the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a
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Key Terms Summary
Consultant Company (as defined under the policies of the Exchange), the Optionee’s employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person as a result of termination for cause as that term is interpreted by the courts of the jurisdiction in which the Optionee, or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, of the Optionee’s employer, is employed or engaged; any outstanding Stock Option held by such Optionee on the date of such termination, whether in respect of Option Shares that are Vested or not, shall be cancelled as of that date.
(c) Early Retirement, Voluntary Resignation or Termination Other than For Cause
If the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee’s employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person due to his or her retirement at the request of his or her employer earlier than the normal retirement date under the Company’s retirement policy then in force, or due to his or her termination by the Company other than for cause, or due to his or her voluntary resignation, the Stock Option then held by the Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of the Expiry Date and the date which is 90 days (30 days if the Optionee was engaged in Investor Relations Activities) after the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee’s employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person.
(d) Spin-Out Transactions
If pursuant to the operation of section 5.3(c) of the Stock Option Plan (in connection with a corporate reorganization) an Optionee receives options (the " New Options ") to purchase securities of another company (the " New Company ") in respect of the Optionee's Stock Options (the " Subject Options "), subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges, the New Options shall expire on the earlier of: (i) the Expiry Date of the Subject Options; (ii) if the Optionee does not become an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company, the date that the Subject Options expire pursuant to paragraph (a), (b) or (c) above, as applicable; (iii) if the Optionee becomes an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company, the date that the New Options expire pursuant to the terms of the New Company's stock option plan that correspond to section (a), (b) or (c) above; and (iv) the date that is one (1) year after the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company or such shorter period as determined by the Board.
(e) Eligible Charitable Organizations
If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person due to no longer being an Eligible Charitable Organization, the Stock Options then held by that Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of the Expiry Date and the date which is 90 days after the date the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may, in its sole discretion if it determines such is in the best interests of the Company and subject to the policies
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| Key Terms | Summary |
|---|---|
| of the Exchanges, extend the early Expiry Date (as set out above in paragraphs (a) to (e)) of any Stock Option held by an Optionee who ceases to be an Eligible Person to a later date within a reasonable period, subject to such period not exceeding 12 months from the date the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person. Vesting The Board shall determine the terms upon which each Stock Option shall vest at the time of grant, subject to the policies of the Exchanges. Unless otherwise specified by the Board at the time of granting a Stock Option, all Stock Options shall vest and become exercisable in full upon grant, except Stock Options granted to Investor Relations Service Providers, which Stock Options must vest in stages over twelve months with no more than one-quarter of the Stock Options vesting in any three month period. Acceleration Events (Take-Over Bid and Change of Control) If at any time when a Stock Option granted under the Stock Option Plan remains unexercised with respect to any Unissued Option Shares, an Offer is made by an offeror, the Board may, upon notifying each Optionee of full particulars of the Offer and subject to the approval of the Exchanges with respect to Investor Relations Service Providers, declare all Option Shares issuable upon the exercise of Stock Options granted under the Stock Option Plan, Vested, and declare that the Expiry Date for the exercise of all unexercised Stock Options granted under the Stock Option Plan is accelerated so that all Stock Options will either be exercised or will expire prior to the date upon which Shares must be tendered pursuant to the Offer. |
If a Change of Control occurs, all Option Shares subject to each outstanding Stock Option will become Vested, whereupon such Stock Option may be exercised in whole or in part by the Optionee, subject to the approval of the Exchanges with respect to Investor Relations Service Providers or if otherwise necessary.
Amendments The Board may from time to time, subject to applicable law and to the prior approval, if required, of the shareholders (or disinterested shareholders, if required), Exchanges or any other regulatory body having authority over the Company or the Stock Option Plan, suspend, terminate or discontinue the Stock Option Plan at any time, or amend or revise the terms of the Stock Option Plan or of any Stock Option granted under the Stock Option Plan and the Option Agreement relating thereto, provided that no such amendment, revision, suspension, termination or discontinuance shall in any manner adversely affect any Stock Option previously granted to an Optionee under the Stock Option Plan without the consent of that Optionee. Shares Not Any Unissued Option Shares not acquired by an Optionee under a Stock Option Acquired which has been settled in cash, cancelled, terminated, surrendered, forfeited or expired without being exercised may be made the subject of a further Stock Option pursuant to the provisions of the Stock Option Plan. Adjustments The Stock Option Plan provides for certain standard adjustments to the Option Price and the number of Unissued Option Shares in the event of a share reorganization, special dividend distribution or corporate reorganization. Any adjustment is subject to the prior approval of the Exchange, other than adjustments
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| Key Terms | Summary |
|---|---|
| due to a share subdivision, combination or consolidation. Rights of Optionees An Optionee shall have no rights whatsoever as a shareholder of the Company in respect of any of the Unissued Option Shares (including, without limitation, voting rights or any right to receive dividends, warrants or rights under any rights offering). Previously Granted Stock Options Stock Options which are outstanding under pre-existing stock option plan(s) of the Company as of the effective date of the Stock Option Plan shall continue to be exercisable and shall be deemed to be governed by and be subject to the terms and conditions of the Stock Option Plan except to the extent that the terms of the Stock Option Plan are more restrictive than the terms of such pre-existing plan(s) under which such stock options were originally granted, in which case the applicable pre- existing plan(s) shall govern, provided that any stock options granted, issued or amended after November 23, 2021 must comply with TSXV Policy 4.4 -Incentive Stock Options(as at November 24, 2021). |
Shareholders will be asked at the Meeting to approve, with or without variation, the following ordinary resolution (the “ Stock Option Resolution ”):
“BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
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(a) subject to TSXV approval, the Company’s Stock Option Plan be confirmed and approved, and that in connection therewith a maximum of 10% of the issued and outstanding Class A Common shares of the Company at the time of each grant be approved for granting as options; and
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(b) any director or officer of the Company be authorized and directed to do all acts and things and to execute and deliver all documents required, as in the opinion of such director or officer may be necessary or appropriate in order to give effect to this resolution.”
The full text of the Stock Option Plan is available for viewing by request to the Company at Suite 1500 – 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1T2, and will be available for viewing at the Meeting.
The directors of the Company believe the passing of the foregoing ordinary resolution is in the best interests of the Company and recommend that Shareholders of the Company vote in favour of the resolution.
OTHER MATTERS
Management knows of no other matters to come before the Meeting other than those referred to in the Notice of Meeting. Should any other matters properly come before the Meeting, the Shares represented by the Instrument of Proxy solicited hereby will be voted on such matters in accordance with the best judgment of the persons voting by proxy.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information concerning the Company is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. Shareholders wishing to obtain a copy of the Company’s financial statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis may contact the Company at Suite 1500 – 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 1T2, Telephone: (604) 484-7855.
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Financial information is provided in the Company’s comparative financial statements and Management’s Discussion and Analysis for its most recently completed financial period which are filed on SEDAR+.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
“Michael Williams”
Michael J. Williams Executive Chairman and a Director
A-1
SCHEDULE “A”
FULL METAL MINERALS LTD.
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
I.
Mandate
The primary function of the audit committee (the "Committee") is to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its financial oversight responsibilities by reviewing the financial reports and other financial information provided by the Company to regulatory authorities and Shareholders, the Company’s systems of internal controls regarding finance and accounting, and the Company’s auditing, accounting and financial reporting processes. Consistent with this function, the Committee will encourage continuous improvement of, and should foster adherence to, the Company’s policies, procedures and practices at all levels. The Committee’s primary duties and responsibilities are to:
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Serve as an independent and objective party to monitor the Company’s financial reporting and internal control system and review the Company’s financial statements.
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Review and appraise the performance of the Company’s external auditors.
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Provide an open avenue of communication among the Company’s auditors, financial and senior management and the Board of Directors.
II.
Composition
The Committee shall be comprised of three directors as determined by the Board of Directors, each of whom shall be free from any relationship that, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, would interfere with the exercise of his or her independent judgment as a member of the Committee.
At least one member of the Committee shall have accounting or related financial management expertise. All members of the Committee that are not financially literate will work towards becoming financially literate to obtain a working familiarity with basic finance and accounting practices. For the purposes of the Company's Charter, the definition of “financially literate” is the ability to read and understand a set of financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of the issues that can presumably be expected to be raised by the Company's financial statements.
The members of the Committee shall be elected by the Board of Directors at its first meeting following the annual Shareholders’ meeting. Unless a Chair is elected by the full Board of Directors, the members of the Committee may designate a Chair by a majority vote of the full Committee membership.
III.
Meetings
The Committee shall meet at least quarterly , or more frequently as circumstances dictate. As part of its job to foster open communication, the Committee will meet at least annually with the Chief Financial Officer and the external auditors in separate sessions.
A-2
IV. Responsibilities and Duties
To fulfill its responsibilities and duties, the Committee shall:
Documents/Reports Review
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Review and update this Charter annually.
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Review the Company's financial statements, MD&A and any annual and interim earnings, press releases before the Company publicly discloses this information and any reports or other financial information (including quarterly financial statements), which are submitted to any governmental body, or to the public, including any certification, report, opinion, or review rendered by the external auditors.
External Auditors
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Review annually the performance of the external auditors who shall be ultimately accountable to the Board of Directors and the Committee as representatives of the Shareholders of the Company.
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Obtain annually, a formal written statement of external auditors setting forth all relationships between the external auditors and the Company, consistent with Independence Standards Board Standard 1.
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Review and discuss with the external auditors any disclosed relationships or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the external auditors.
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Take, or recommend that the full Board of Directors take, appropriate action to oversee the independence of the external auditors.
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Recommend to the Board of Directors the selection and, where applicable, the replacement of the external auditors nominated annually for Shareholder approval.
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At each meeting, consult with the external auditors, without the presence of management, about the quality of the Company’s accounting principles, internal controls and the completeness and accuracy of the Company's financial statements.
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Review and approve the Company's hiring policies regarding partners, employees and former partners and employees of the present and former external auditors of the Company.
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Review with management and the external auditors the audit plan for the year-end financial statements and intended template for such statements.
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Review and pre-approve all audit and audit-related services and the fees and other compensation related thereto, and any non-audit services, provided by the Company’s external auditors. The pre-approval requirement is waived with respect to the provision of non-audit services if:
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i. the aggregate amount of all such non-audit services provided to the Company constitutes not more than five percent of the total amount of revenues paid by the
A-3
Company to its external auditors during the fiscal year in which the non-audit services are provided;
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ii. such services were not recognized by the Company at the time of the engagement to be non-audit services; and
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iii. such services are promptly brought to the attention of the Committee by the Company and approved prior to the completion of the audit by the Committee or by one or more members of the Committee who are members of the Board of Directors to whom authority to grant such approvals has been delegated by the Committee.
Provided the pre-approval of the non-audit services is presented to the Committee's first scheduled meeting following such approval such authority may be delegated by the Committee to one or more independent members of the Committee.
Financial Reporting Processes
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In consultation with the external auditors, review with management the integrity of the Company's financial reporting process, both internal and external.
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Consider the external auditors’ judgments about the quality and appropriateness of the Company’s accounting principles as applied in its financial reporting.
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Consider and approve, if appropriate, changes to the Company’s auditing and accounting principles and practices as suggested by the external auditors and management.
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Review significant judgments made by management in the preparation of the financial statements and the view of the external auditors as to appropriateness of such judgments.
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Following completion of the annual audit, review separately with management and the external auditors any significant difficulties encountered during the course of the audit, including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to required information.
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Review any significant disagreement among management and the external auditors in connection with the preparation of the financial statements.
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Review with the external auditors and management the extent to which changes and improvements in financial or accounting practices have been implemented.
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Review any complaints or concerns about any questionable accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters.
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Review certification process.
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Establish a procedure for the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Company of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters.
Other
- Review any related-party transactions.
B-1
SCHEDULE “B”
FULL METAL MINERALS LTD.
October 17[th] , 2022
10% ROLLING STOCK OPTION PLAN
1. PURPOSE OF THE PLAN
The Company hereby establishes a stock option plan for Directors, Officers, Employees, Management Company Employees, Consultants and Eligible Charitable Organizations (as such terms are defined below) of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively " Eligible Persons "), to be known as the " Full Metal Minerals Ltd. Stock Option Plan" (the " Plan "). The purpose of the Plan is to give to Eligible Persons as additional compensation, the opportunity to participate in the success of the Company by granting to such individuals Options, exercisable over periods of up to ten (10) years as determined by the board of directors of the Company, to buy shares of the Company at a price not less than the Market Price prevailing on the date the Option is granted less applicable discount, if any, permitted by the policies of the Exchanges and approved by the Board.
2. DEFINITIONS
In this Plan, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
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2.1 " Board " means the Board of Directors of the Company.
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2.2 " Change of Control " means the occurrence of any one or more of the following events:
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(i) a consolidation, reorganization, amalgamation, merger, acquisition or other business combination (or a plan of arrangement in connection with any of the foregoing), other than solely involving the Company and any one or more of its affiliates, with respect to which all or substantially all of the persons who were the beneficial owners of the Shares and other securities of the Company immediately prior to such consolidation, reorganization, amalgamation, merger, acquisition, business combination or plan of arrangement do not, following the completion of such consolidation, reorganization, amalgamation, merger, acquisition, business combination or plan of arrangement, beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the resulting voting rights (on a fully-diluted basis) of the Company or its successor;
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(ii) the sale, exchange or other disposition to a person other than an affiliate of the Company of all, or substantially all of the Company’s assets;
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(iii) a resolution is adopted to wind-up, dissolve or liquidate the Company;
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(iv) a change in the composition of the Board, which occurs at a single meeting of the shareholders of the Company or upon the execution of a shareholders’ resolution, such that individuals who are members of the Board immediately prior to such meeting or resolution cease to constitute a majority of the Board, without the Board, as constituted immediately prior to such meeting or resolution, having approved of such change; or
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(v) any person, entity or group of persons or entities acting jointly or in concert (an “ Acquiror ”) acquires or acquires control (including, without limitation, the right to
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vote or direct the voting) of Voting Securities of the Company which, when added to the Voting Securities owned of record or beneficially by the Acquiror or which the Acquiror has the right to vote or in respect of which the Acquiror has the right to direct the voting, would entitle the Acquiror and/or associates and/or affiliates of the Acquiror to cast or to direct the casting of 20% or more of the votes attached to all of the Company's outstanding Voting Securities which may be cast to elect directors of the Company or the successor Company (regardless of whether a meeting has been called to elect directors);
For the purposes of the foregoing, “ Voting Securities ” means Shares and any other shares entitled to vote for the election of directors and shall include any security, whether or not issued by the Company, which are not shares entitled to vote for the election of directors but are convertible into or exchangeable for shares which are entitled to vote for the election of directors including any options or rights to purchase such shares or securities;
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2.3
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" Company " means Full Metal Minerals Ltd. and its successors.
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2.4
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" Consultant " means a "Consultant" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.5 " Consultant Company " means a "Consultant Company" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.6
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" Director " means a “Director” as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.7 " Disability " means any disability with respect to an Optionee which the Board, in its sole and unfettered discretion, considers likely to prevent permanently the Optionee from:
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a. being employed or engaged by the Company, its subsidiaries or another employer, in a position the same as or similar to that in which he was last employed or engaged by the Company or its subsidiaries; or
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b. acting as a director or officer of the Company or its subsidiaries.
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2.8 " Eligible Charitable Organization " means an "Eligible Charitable Organization" as defined in TSXV Policies.
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2.9 " Eligible Persons " has the meaning given to that term in section 1 hereof.
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2.10
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" Employee " means an "Employee" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.11 " Exchanges " means the TSX Venture Exchange and, if applicable, any other stock exchange on which the Shares are listed.
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2.12
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“ Exchange Hold Period ” means “Exchange Hold Period" as defined in TSXV Policies.
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2.13 " Expiry Date " means the date set by the Board under section 3.1 of the Plan, as the last date on which an Option may be exercised.
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2.14 " Grant Date " means the date specified in an Option Agreement as the date on which an Option is granted.
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2.15 " Insider " means an "Insider" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.16 " Investor Relations Activities " means "Investor Relations Activities" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.17 “ Investor Relations Service Provider ” means "Investor Relations Service Provider" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.18 " Joint Actor " means a person acting "jointly or in concert with" another person as that phrase is interpreted in National Instrument 62-104 – Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids .
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2.19 " Management Company Employee " means a "Management Company Employee" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.20 " Market Price " of Shares at any Grant Date means the market price per Share as determined by the Board, provided that if the Company is listed on an Exchange, such price shall not be less than the market price determined in accordance with the rules of such Exchange.
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2.21 "Officer" means an “Officer” as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.22 " Option " means an option to purchase Shares granted pursuant to, or governed by, this Plan and any pre-existing stock option plan of the Company.
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2.23 " Option Agreement " means an agreement, in the form attached hereto as Schedule "A", whereby the Company grants to an Optionee an Option.
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2.24 " Optionee " means each of the Eligible Persons granted an Option pursuant to this Plan and their heirs, executors and administrators.
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2.25 " Option Price " means the price per Share specified in an Option Agreement, adjusted from time to time in accordance with the provisions of section 5.
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2.26 " Option Shares " means the aggregate number of Shares which an Optionee may purchase under an Option.
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2.27 " Plan " means this Full Metal Minerals Ltd. Stock Option Plan.
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2.28 " Securities Act " means the Securities Act (British Columbia), R.S.B.C. 1996, c.418, as amended, as at the date hereof.
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2.29 "Security Based Compensation" means “Security Based Compensation” as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.30 " Shares " means the common shares in the capital of the Company as constituted on the Grant Date provided that, in the event of any adjustment pursuant to section 5, "Shares" shall thereafter mean the shares or other property resulting from the events giving rise to the adjustment.
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2.31 " TSXV Policies " means the policies included in the TSX Venture Exchange Corporate Finance Manual and “ TSXV Policy ” means any one of them.
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2.32 " Unissued Option Shares " means the number of Shares, at a particular time, which have been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of an Option but which have not been issued, as adjusted from time to time in accordance with the provisions of section 5, such adjustments to be cumulative.
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2.33 " Vested " means that an Option has become exercisable in respect of a number of Option Shares by the Optionee pursuant to the terms of the Option Agreement.
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3. GRANT OF OPTIONS
3.1 Option Terms
The Board may from time to time authorize the issue of Options to Eligible Persons. Where permitted under applicable policies of the Exchanges, companies that are wholly owned by Eligible Persons may also be issued Options. The Option Price under each Option shall be not less than the Market Price on the Grant Date less the applicable discount permitted under the policies of the Exchanges or, if the Shares are not listed on any Exchange, less 25%. The Expiry Date for each Option shall be set by the Board at the time of issue of the Option and shall not be more than ten years after the Grant Date, subject to the operation of section 4.1. Options shall not be assignable or transferable by the Optionee.
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3.2 Limits on Shares Issuable on Exercise of Options
The maximum aggregate number of Shares that are issuable pursuant to Security Based Compensation granted or issued under the Plan and all of the Company's other previously established or proposed
Security Based Compensation plans (to which the following limits apply under Exchange policies):
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(a) to all Optionees as a group (including for greater certainty Insiders (as a group)) shall not exceed 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis at any point in time;
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(b) to Insiders (as a group) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies;
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(c) to any one Optionee (including, where permitted under applicable policies of the Exchanges, any companies that are wholly owned by such Optionee) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 5% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies.
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(d) to any one Consultant in any 12-month period shall not exceed 2% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date;
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(e) to Investor Relations Service Providers (as a group) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 2% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, and Investor Relations Service Providers shall not be eligible to receive any Security Based Compensation other than Options if the Shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange at the time of any issuance or grant; and
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(f) to Eligible Charitable Organizations (as a group) shall not exceed 1% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date.
3.3 Option Agreements
Each Option shall be confirmed by the execution of an Option Agreement. Each Optionee shall have the option to purchase from the Company the Option Shares at the time and in the manner set out in the Plan and in the Option Agreement applicable to that Optionee. In respect of Options granted to Employees, Consultants, Consultant Companies or Management Company Employees, the Company and the Optionee is representing herein and in the applicable Option Agreement that the Optionee is a bona fide Employee, Consultant, Consultant Company or Management Company Employee, as the case may be, of the Company or its subsidiary. The execution of an Option Agreement shall constitute conclusive evidence that it has been completed in compliance with this Plan. All Options shall be subject to any applicable resale restrictions pursuant to applicable securities laws. In addition, Options and Option Shares that are subject to the Exchange Hold Period pursuant to TSXV Policy 1.1 must be legended with the Exchange Hold Period commencing on the Grant Date, and the Option Agreement shall contain any applicable resale restriction or Exchange Hold Period.
4. EXERCISE OF OPTION
4.1 When Options May be Exercised
Subject to the operation of this section 4 of the Plan with respect to the conditions and acceleration of the vesting of an Option and the acceleration and extension of the Expiry Date of an Option, an Option may be exercised to purchase any number of Shares up to the number of Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time after the Grant Date up to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the Expiry Date and shall not be exercisable
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thereafter. In the event that the Expiry Date of an Option falls during a trading blackout period imposed by the Company (the “ Blackout Period ”), the Expiry Date of such Option shall automatically be extended to a date which is ten (10) trading days following the end of such Blackout Period (the “ Extension Period ”), subject to no cease trade order being in place under applicable securities laws; provided that if an additional Blackout Period is subsequently imposed by the Company during the Extension Period, then such Extension Period shall be deemed to commence following the end of such additional Blackout Period to enable the exercise of such Option within ten (10) trading days following the end of the last imposed Blackout Period.
4.2 Manner of Exercise
The Option shall be exercisable by delivering to the Company a notice specifying the number of Option Shares in respect of which the Option is exercised together with payment in full of the Option Price for each such Option Share. Upon notice and payment there will be a binding contract for the issue of the Option Shares in respect of which the Option is exercised, upon and subject to the provisions of the Plan. Delivery of the Optionee's cheque payable to the Company or such other method of cash payment as is acceptable to the Company in the amount of the Option Price shall constitute payment of the Option Price unless the cheque or other method of cash payment, as the case may be, is not honoured upon presentation in which case the Option shall not have been validly exercised.
4.3 Vesting of Option Shares
The Board, subject to the policies of the Exchanges, may determine and impose terms upon which each Option shall become Vested in respect of Option Shares. Unless otherwise specified by the Board at the time of granting an Option, and subject to the other limits on Option grants set out in Section 3.2 hereof, all Options granted under the Plan shall vest and become exercisable in full upon grant, except Options granted to Investor Relations Service Providers, which Options must vest in stages over twelve months with no more than one-quarter of the Options vesting in any three month period.
4.4 Termination of Employment
If an Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person, his or her Option shall be exercisable as follows:
(a) Death or Disability
If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person, due to his or her death or Disability or, in the case of an Optionee that is a company, the death or Disability of the person who provides management or consulting services to the Company or to any entity controlled by the Company, the Option then held by the Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of:
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(i) 365 days after the date of death or Disability; and
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(ii) the Expiry Date;
(b) Termination For Cause
If the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee’s employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person as a result of termination for cause as that term is interpreted by the courts of the jurisdiction in which the Optionee, or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, of the Optionee’s employer, is employed or engaged; any outstanding Option held by such Optionee on the date of such termination, whether in respect of Option Shares that are Vested or not, shall be cancelled as of that date.
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(c) Early Retirement, Voluntary Resignation or Termination Other than For Cause
If the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee’s employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person due to his or her retirement at the request of his or her employer earlier than the normal retirement date under the Company’s retirement policy then in force, or due to his or her termination by the Company other than for cause, or due to his or her voluntary resignation, the Option then held by the Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of the Expiry Date and the date which is 90 days (30 days if the Optionee was engaged in Investor Relations Activities) after the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee’s employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person.
(d) Spin-Out Transactions
If pursuant to the operation of sub-section 5.3(c) an Optionee receives options (the " New Options ") to purchase securities of another company (the " New Company ") in respect of the Optionee's Options (the " Subject Options "), subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges, the New Options shall expire on the earlier of: (i) the Expiry Date of the Subject Options; (ii) if the Optionee does not become an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company, the date that the Subject Options expire pursuant to sub-section 4.4(a), (b) or (c), as applicable; (iii) if the Optionee becomes an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company, the date that the New Options expire pursuant to the terms of the New Company's stock option plan that correspond to sub-section 4.4(a), (b) or (c) hereof; and (iv) the date that is one (1) year after the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company or such shorter period as determined by the Board.
(e) Eligible Charitable Organizations
If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person due to no longer being an Eligible Charitable Organization, the Options then held by that Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of the Expiry Date and the date which is 90 days after the date the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may, in its sole discretion if it determines such is in the best interests of the Company and subject to the policies of the Exchanges, extend the early Expiry Date (as set out above in this section 4.4) of any Option held by an Optionee who ceases to be an Eligible Person to a later date within a reasonable period, subject to such period not exceeding 12 months from the date the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person.
For purposes of this section 4.4, the dates of death, Disability, termination, retirement, voluntary resignation, ceasing to be an Eligible Person and incapacity shall be interpreted to be without regard to any period of notice (statutory or otherwise) or whether the Optionee or his or her estate continues thereafter to receive any compensatory payments from the Company or is paid salary by the Company in lieu of notice of termination.
For greater certainty, an Option that had not become Vested in respect of certain Unissued Option Shares at the time that the relevant event referred to in this section 4.4 occurred, shall not be or become vested or exercisable in respect of such Unissued Option Shares and shall be cancelled.
4.5 Effect of a Take-Over Bid
If a bona fide offer ( an " Offer ") for Shares is made to the Optionee or to shareholders of the Company generally or to a class of shareholders which includes the Optionee, which Offer, if accepted in whole or in part, would result in the offeror becoming a control person of the Company, within the meaning of subsection 1(1) of the Securities Act, the Company shall, immediately upon receipt of notice of the Offer, notify each Optionee of full particulars of the Offer, whereupon (subject to the approval of the Exchanges
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with respect to Investor Relations Service Providers) all Option Shares subject to such Offer will become Vested and the Option may be exercised in whole or in part by the Optionee so as to permit the Optionee to tender the Option Shares received upon such exercise, pursuant to the Offer. However, if:
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(a) the Offer is not completed within the time specified therein; or
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(b) all of the Option Shares tendered by the Optionee pursuant to the Offer are not taken up or paid for by the offeror in respect thereof,
then the Option Shares received upon such exercise, or in the case of clause (b) above, the Option Shares that are not taken up and paid for, may be returned by the Optionee to the Company and reinstated as authorized but unissued Shares and with respect to such returned Option Shares, the Option shall be reinstated as if it had not been exercised and the terms upon which such Option Shares were to become Vested pursuant to section 4.3 shall be reinstated. If any Option Shares are returned to the Company under this section 4.5, the Company shall immediately refund the exercise price to the Optionee for such Option Shares.
4.6 Acceleration of Expiry Date
If at any time when an Option granted under the Plan remains unexercised with respect to any Unissued Option Shares, an Offer is made by an offeror, the Board may, upon notifying each Optionee of full particulars of the Offer and subject to the approval of the Exchanges with respect to Investor Relations Service Providers, declare all Option Shares issuable upon the exercise of Options granted under the Plan, Vested, and declare that the Expiry Date for the exercise of all unexercised Options granted under the Plan is accelerated so that all Options will either be exercised or will expire prior to the date upon which Shares must be tendered pursuant to the Offer. The Board shall give each Optionee as much notice as possible of the acceleration of the Options under this section, except that not less than 5 business days of notice is required and more than 30 days of notice is not required.
4.7 Compulsory Acquisition or Going Private Transaction
If and whenever, following a take-over bid or issuer bid, there shall be a compulsory acquisition of the Shares pursuant to Division 6 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) or any successor or similar legislation, or any amalgamation, merger or arrangement in which securities acquired in a formal take-over bid may be voted under the conditions described in Section 8.2 of Multilateral Instrument 61101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions , then following the date upon which such compulsory acquisition, amalgamation, merger or arrangement is effective, an Optionee shall be entitled to receive, and shall accept, for the same exercise price, in lieu of the number of Option Shares to which such Optionee was theretofore entitled to purchase upon the exercise of his or her Options, the aggregate amount of cash, shares, other securities or other property which such Optionee would have been entitled to receive as a result of such bid if he or she had tendered such number of Option Shares to the take-over bid.
4.8 Effect of a Change of Control
If a Change of Control occurs, all Option Shares subject to each outstanding Option will become Vested, whereupon such Option may be exercised in whole or in part by the Optionee, subject to the approval of the Exchanges with respect to Investor Relations Service Providers or if otherwise necessary.
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4.9 Exclusion from Severance Allowance, Retirement Allowance or Termination Settlement
If the Optionee, or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee's employer, retires, resigns or is terminated from employment or engagement with the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, the loss or limitation, if any, pursuant to the Option Agreement with respect to the right to purchase Option Shares which were not Vested at that time or which, if Vested, were cancelled, shall not give rise to any right to damages and shall not be included in the calculation of nor form any part of any severance allowance, retiring allowance or termination settlement of any kind whatsoever in respect of such Optionee.
4.10 Shares Not Acquired
Any Unissued Option Shares not acquired by an Optionee under an Option which has been settled in cash, cancelled, terminated, surrendered, forfeited or expired without being exercised may be made the subject of a further Option pursuant to the provisions of the Plan.
5. ADJUSTMENT OF OPTION PRICE AND NUMBER OF OPTION SHARES
5.1 Share Reorganization
Subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges (other than in the case of a Share subdivision or consolidation), whenever the Company issues Shares to all or substantially all holders of Shares by way of a stock dividend or other distribution, or subdivides all outstanding Shares into a greater number of Shares, or combines or consolidates all outstanding Shares into a lesser number of Shares (each of such events being herein called a " Share Reorganization ") then effective immediately after the record date for such dividend or other distribution or the effective date of such subdivision, combination or consolidation, for each Option:
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(a) the Option Price will be adjusted to a price per Share which is the product of:
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(i) the Option Price in effect immediately before that effective date or record date; and
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(ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the total number of Shares outstanding on that effective date or record date before giving effect to the Share Reorganization, and the denominator of which is the total number of Shares that are or would be outstanding immediately after such effective date or record date after giving effect to the Share Reorganization; and
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(b) the number of Unissued Option Shares will be adjusted by multiplying (i) the number of Unissued Option Shares immediately before such effective date or record date by (ii) a fraction which is the reciprocal of the fraction described in subsection 5.1 (a)(ii).
Any increase in the number of Unissued Option Shares as a result of the adjustment provisions provided in this section 5.1 is subject to compliance with the limits set out in section 3.2 and, if any increase in the number of Unissued Option Shares as a result of the adjustment provisions provided in this section 5.1 would result in any limit set out in section 3.2 being exceeded, then the Company may, if determined by the Board in its sole and unfettered discretion (subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges), make payment in cash to the Optionee in lieu of increasing the number of Unissued Option Shares in order to properly reflect any diminution in value of the Option Shares as a result of such Share Reorganization.
5.2 Special Distribution
Unless the Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, whenever the Company issues by way of a dividend or otherwise distributes to all or substantially all holders of Shares;
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(a) shares of the Company, other than the Shares;
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(b) evidences of indebtedness;
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- (c) any cash or other assets, excluding cash dividends (other than cash dividends which the Board has determined to be outside the normal course); or
(d) rights, options or warrants;
then to the extent that such dividend or distribution does not constitute a Share Reorganization (any of such non-excluded events being herein called a " Special Distribution "), and effective immediately after the record date at which holders of Shares are determined for purposes of the Special Distribution, for each Option the Option Price will be reduced, and the number of Unissued Option Shares will be correspondingly increased, by such amount, if any, as is determined by the Board in its sole and unfettered discretion to be appropriate in order to properly reflect any diminution in value of the Option Shares as a result of such Special Distribution.
Any increase in the number of Unissued Option Shares as a result of the adjustment provisions provided in this section 5.2 is subject to compliance with the limits set out in section 3.2 and, if any increase in the number of Unissued Option Shares as a result of the adjustment provisions provided in this section 5.2 would result in any limit set out in section 3.2 being exceeded, then the Company may, if determined by the Board in its sole and unfettered discretion (subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges, provided that no adjustment pursuant to the operation of section 5.2 may occur while the Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange), make payment in cash to the Optionee in lieu of increasing the number of Unissued Option Shares in order to properly reflect any diminution in value of the Option Shares as a result of such Special Distribution.
5.3 Corporate Organization
Subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges, whenever there is:
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(a) a reclassification of outstanding Shares, a change of Shares into other shares or securities, or any other capital reorganization of the Company, other than as described in sections 5.1 or 5.2;
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(b) a consolidation, merger or amalgamation of the Company with or into another corporation resulting in a reclassification of outstanding Shares into other shares or securities or a change of Shares into other shares or securities;
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(c) an arrangement or other transaction under which, among other things, the business or assets of the Company become, collectively, the business and assets of two or more companies with the same shareholder group upon the distribution to the Company's shareholders, or the exchange with the Company's shareholders, of securities of the Company, or securities of another company, or both; or
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(d) a transaction whereby all or substantially all of the Company's undertaking and assets become the property of another corporation,
(any such event being herein called a " Corporate Reorganization ") the Optionee will have an option to purchase (at the times, for the consideration, and subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Plan) and will accept on the exercise of such option, in lieu of the Unissued Option Shares which he/she would otherwise have been entitled to purchase, the kind and amount of shares or other securities or property that he/she would have been entitled to receive as a result of the Corporate Reorganization if, on the effective date thereof, he/she had been the holder of all Unissued Option Shares or if appropriate, as otherwise determined by the Board.
5.4 Determination of Option Price and Number of Unissued Option Shares
If any questions arise at any time with respect to the Option Price or number of Unissued Option Shares deliverable upon exercise of an Option following a Share Reorganization, Special Distribution or Corporate Reorganization, such questions shall be conclusively determined by the Company’s auditor, or, if they decline to so act, any other firm of Chartered Accountants in Vancouver, British Columbia, that the
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Board may designate and who will have access to all appropriate records and such determination will be binding upon the Company and all Optionees.
5.5 Regulatory Approval
Any adjustment to the Option Price or the number of Unissued Option Shares purchasable under the Plan pursuant to the operation of any one of sections 5.1, 5.2 or 5.3 is subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges and any other governmental authority having jurisdiction, provided that no adjustment pursuant to the operation of section 5.2 may occur while the Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Notwithstanding the foregoing, adjustments pursuant to section 5.1 due to a Share subdivision or consolidation do not require prior approval of the Exchanges.
6. MISCELLANEOUS
6.1 Right to Employment
Neither this Plan nor any of the provisions hereof shall confer upon any Optionee any right with respect to employment or continued employment with the Company or any subsidiary of the Company or interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to terminate such employment.
6.2 Necessary Approvals
The Plan shall be effective upon the approval of the Plan by the Board and the Exchange or any regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the securities of the Company and shall be ratified thereafter by the shareholders of the Company by way of an ordinary resolution at the next duly convened meeting of the shareholders of the Company. Disinterested shareholder approval (as required by the Exchanges) will be obtained for any reduction in the exercise price, or any extension of the term, of any Option granted under this Plan if the Optionee is an Insider of the Company at the time of the proposed amendment. In addition, any amendment to an Option (including any cancellation of an Option and subsequent grant of a new Option to the same Person within one year) that results in a benefit to an Insider of the Company at the time of amendment will be subject to disinterested shareholder approval (as required by the Exchanges). The obligation of the Company to sell and deliver Shares in accordance with the Plan is subject to the approval of the Exchanges and any governmental authority having jurisdiction. If any Shares cannot be issued to any Optionee for any reason, including, without limitation, the failure to obtain such approval, then the obligation of the Company to issue such Shares shall terminate and any Option Price paid by an Optionee to the Company shall be immediately refunded to the Optionee by the Company.
6.3 Administration of the Plan
The Board shall, without limitation, have full and final authority in their discretion, but subject to the express provisions of the Plan, to interpret the Plan, to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan and to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable in respect of the Plan. Except as set forth in section 5.4 and subject to any required prior Exchange approval, the interpretation and construction of any provision of the Plan by the Board shall be final and conclusive. Administration of the Plan shall be the responsibility of the appropriate officers of the Company and all costs in respect thereof shall be paid by the Company.
6.4 Withholding Taxes
The exercise of each Option granted under the Plan is subject to the condition that if at any time the Company determines, in its discretion, that the satisfaction of withholding tax or other withholding liabilities is necessary or desirable in respect of such exercise, such exercise is not effective unless such withholding has been effected to the satisfaction of the Company. In such circumstances, the Company may require that the Optionee pay to the Company, in addition to and in the same manner as the exercise price for the Shares, such amount as the Company is obliged to remit to the relevant tax authority in respect of the exercise of the Option. Alternatively, the Company shall have the right in its discretion to satisfy any such liability for withholding or other required deduction amounts by retaining or acquiring any
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Shares acquired upon exercise of any Option, or retaining any amount payable, which would otherwise be issued or delivered, provided or paid to an Optionee by the Company, whether or not such amounts are payable under the Plan. For greater certainty, the application of this section 6.4 to any exercise of an Option shall not conflict with the policies of the Exchanges that are in effect at the relevant time and the Company will obtain prior Exchange acceptance and/or shareholder approval of any application of this section 6.4 if required pursuant to such policies.
6.5 Amendments to the Plan
The Board may from time to time, subject to applicable law and to the prior approval, if required, of the shareholders (or disinterested shareholders, if required), Exchanges or any other regulatory body having authority over the Company or the Plan, suspend, terminate or discontinue the Plan at any time, or amend or revise the terms of the Plan or of any Option granted under the Plan and the Option Agreement relating thereto, provided that no such amendment, revision, suspension, termination or discontinuance shall in any manner adversely affect any Option previously granted to an Optionee under the Plan without the consent of that Optionee.
6.6 Form of Notice
A notice given to the Company shall be in writing, signed by the Optionee and delivered to the head business office of the Company.
6.7 No Representation or Warranty
The Company makes no representation or warranty as to the future market value of any Shares issued in accordance with the provisions of the Plan.
6.8 Compliance with Applicable Law
If any provision of the Plan or any Option Agreement contravenes any law or any order, policy, by-law or regulation of any regulatory body or Exchange having authority over the Company or the Plan, then such provision shall be deemed to be amended to the extent required to bring such provision into compliance therewith.
6.9 No Assignment or Transfer
No Optionee may assign or transfer any of his or her rights under the Plan or any option granted thereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, where permitted under applicable policies of the Exchanges, companies that are wholly owned by Eligible Persons may be issued Options.
6.10 Rights of Optionees
An Optionee shall have no rights whatsoever as a shareholder of the Company in respect of any of the Unissued Option Shares (including, without limitation, voting rights or any right to receive dividends, warrants or rights under any rights offering).
6.11 Previously Granted Options
Stock options which are outstanding under pre-existing stock option plan(s) of the Company as of the effective date of this Plan shall continue to be exercisable and shall be deemed to be governed by and be subject to the terms and conditions of this Plan except to the extent that the terms of this Plan are more restrictive than the terms of such pre-existing plan(s) under which such stock options were originally granted, in which case the applicable pre-existing plan(s) shall govern, provided that any stock options granted, issued or amended after November 23, 2021 must comply with TSXV Policy 4.4 - Incentive Stock Options (as at November 24, 2021).
B-13
6.12 Conflict
In the event of any conflict between the provisions of this Plan and an Option Agreement, the provisions of this Plan shall govern.
6.13 Governing Law
The Plan and each Option Agreement issued pursuant to the Plan shall be governed by the laws of the province of British Columbia.
6.14 Time of Essence
Time is of the essence of this Plan and of each Option Agreement. No extension of time will be deemed to be or to operate as a waiver of the essentiality of time.
6.15 Entire Agreement
This Plan and the Option Agreement sets out the entire agreement between the Company and the Optionees relative to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements, undertakings and understandings, whether oral or written.
Approved by the Board of Directors of the Company effective October 17, 2022.
Approved by the shareholders of the Company on November 21, 2022.
B-14
SCHEDULE "A"
FULL METAL MINERALS LTD.
STOCK OPTION PLAN - OPTION AGREEMENT
[If the Company is listed on the TSXV at the time of the option grant, the following legend is required in respect of: (i) Options with an Option Price at a discount to the Market Price; or (ii) Options granted to directors, officers, promoters of the Company or persons holding securities carrying more than 10% of the voting rights and who have elected or appointed or have the right to elect or appoint one or more directors or senior officers of the Company: Without prior written approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and compliance with all applicable securities legislation, the securities represented by this agreement and any securities issued upon exercise thereof may not be sold, transferred, hypothecated or otherwise traded on or through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange or otherwise in Canada or to or for the benefit of a Canadian resident until ⚫ , 20 ⚫ (being four months and one day after the date of grant). ]
This Option Agreement is entered into between Full Metal Minerals Ltd. (the " Company ") and the OPTIONEE named below pursuant to the Company Stock Option Plan (the " Plan "), a copy of which is attached hereto, and confirms that:
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on ⚫, 20⚫ (the " Grant Date ");
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⚫ (the " Optionee ");
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was granted the option (the " Option ") to purchase ⚫ common shares (the " Option Shares ") of the Company;
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for the price (the " Option Price ") of $⚫ per share;
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which rights to purchase the Option Shares under the Option may be exercised and will vest on the Grant Date [OR set forth applicable vesting schedule – NOT LESS THAN QUARTERLY VESTING OVER A MINIMUM OF 1 YEAR FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDERS ]; and
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the Option will terminate on ⚫ (the " Expiry Date ");
all on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the Plan. For greater certainty, Option Shares continue to be exercisable until the termination or cancellation thereof as provided in this Option Agreement and the Plan.
Where the Optionee is resident in or otherwise subject to the securities laws of the United States, the Optionee acknowledges that any Option Shares received by him/her upon exercise of the Option have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933 , as amended, or the Blue Sky laws of any state (collectively, the " Securities Acts "). The Optionee acknowledges and understands that the Company is under no obligation to register, under the Securities Acts, the Option Shares received by him/her or to assist him/her in complying with any exemption from such registration if he/she should at a later date wish to dispose of the Option Shares. The Optionee acknowledges that the Option Shares shall bear a legend restricting the transferability thereof, such legend to be substantially in the following form:
" The shares represented by this certificate have not been registered or qualified under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended or state securities laws. The shares may not be offered for sale, sold, pledged or otherwise disposed of unless so registered or qualified, unless an exemption exists or unless such disposition is not subject to U.S. federal or state securities laws, and the Company may require that the availability of any exemption or the inapplicability of such securities laws be established by an opinion of counsel, which opinion of counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company. "
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By signing this Option Agreement, the Optionee acknowledges that the Optionee has read and understands the Plan and agrees to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement (including without limitation all representations set out therein with respect to the Optionee).
Acknowledgement – Personal Information
The undersigned hereby acknowledges and consents to:
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(a) the disclosure to the TSX Venture Exchange and all other regulatory authorities of all personal information of the undersigned obtained by the Company; and
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(b) the collection, use and disclosure of such personal information by the TSX Venture Exchange and all other regulatory authorities in accordance with their requirements, including the provision to third party service providers, from time to time.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have executed this Option Agreement as of the ⚫ day of ⚫, 20⚫.
FULL METAL MINERALS LTD.
Signature
Per:
Authorized Signatory
Print Name
Address
B-16
FULL METAL MINERALS LTD. STOCK OPTION PLAN NOTICE OF EXERCISE OF OPTION
TO: Full Metal Minerals Ltd. (the “Company”)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably gives notice, pursuant to the stock option plan of the Company (the of the exercise of stock options (“ Options ”) to acquire and hereby subscribes for (cross out inapplicable item):
(a) all of the Option Shares; or
(b) of the Option Shares,
which are the subject of the Option Agreement attached hereto.
The undersigned tenders herewith payment to " Full Metal Minerals Ltd.", or such other payee as directed by the Company, in an amount equal to the aggregate exercise price of the aforesaid Option Shares and directs the Company to issue the certificate evidencing said Option Shares in the name of the undersigned and mail a copy of that certificate to the undersigned at the following address:
DATED the day of , 20 .
Signature of Option Holder