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General Copper Gold Corp. — Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement 2020
Nov 26, 2020
45037_rns_2020-11-26_d08b9264-61b5-4329-8541-24ec456d0a12.pdf
Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement
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CELLSTOP SYSTEMS INC.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
to be held on December 16, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) at 1558 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6G 3J4
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION CIRCULAR AND PROXY STATEMENT
November 16, 2020
CELLSTOP SYSTEMS INC.
NOTICE OF ANNUAL AND SPECIAL MEETING OF THE SHAREHOLDERS
TAKE NOTICE THAT an annual and special meeting (the "Meeting") of the shareholders of CellStop Systems Inc. (the "Corporation") will be held at 1558 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6G 3J4, on December 16, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) for the following purposes:
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- to receive and consider the financial statements of the Corporation as at and for the years ended August 31, 2019 and 2018, together with the report of the auditors thereon;
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- to fix the number of directors of the Corporation to be elected at the Meeting at 3 members;
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- to elect the directors of the Corporation for the ensuing year;
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- to appoint the auditors of the Corporation for the ensuing year and to authorize the directors of the Corporation to determine the remuneration to be paid to the auditors;
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- to consider and, if deemed advisable, to pass a special resolution, the full text of which is set forth in the accompanying Circular and proxy statement, ratifying, adopting and approving a new stock option plan of the Corporation; and
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- to transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting.
Information relating to matters to be acted upon by the shareholders at the Meeting is set forth in the accompanying Management Proxy Circular.
A shareholder may attend the Meeting in person or may be represented at the Meeting by proxy. Shareholders who are unable to attend the Meeting in person and wish to be represented by proxy are requested to date, sign and return the accompanying instrument of proxy, or other appropriate form of proxy, in accordance with the instructions set forth in the accompanying Management Proxy Circular. An instrument of proxy will not be valid unless it is deposited at the offices of Computershare Investor Services (Attention: Proxy Department) at 100 University Avenue, 9th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2Y1, in the enclosed self-addressed envelope, not less than 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays) before the time of the Meeting, or any adjournment thereof. An instrument of proxy may also be voted using a touch tone telephone at 1-866-732-VOTE (8683). Alternatively, a registered shareholder can complete internet voting by logging on at www.investorvote.com and entering the CONTROL NUMBER located on the address box of the shareholder's instrument of proxy. A person appointed as proxy holder need not be a shareholder of the Corporation.
Only shareholders of record as at the close of business on November 10, 2020 are entitled to receive notice of the Meeting.
SHAREHOLDERS ARE CAUTIONED THAT THE USE OF THE MAIL TO TRANSMIT PROXIES IS AT EACH SHAREHOLDER'S RISK.
DATED at Vancouver, British Columbia as of the 16th day of November, 2020.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"Michelle Gahagan"
Michelle Gahagan President & Chief Executive Officer
CELLSTOP SYSTEMS INC.
Management Information Circular and Proxy Statement
(Unless otherwise stated, information contained herein is given as of November 16, 2020)
INFORMATION REGARDING PROXIES AND VOTING AT THE MEETING
Solicitation of Proxies
This management information circular and proxy statement (the "Management Proxy Circular") is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the management of CellStop Systems Inc. (the "Corporation") for use at the annual and special meeting (the "Meeting") of the holders (the "Shareholders") of common shares ("Common Shares") of the Corporation to be held at 1558 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6G 3J4, on December 16, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. (Vancouver time), for the purposes set forth in the notice of annual and special meeting (the "Notice") accompanying this Management Proxy Circular. Solicitation of proxies will be primarily by mail, but may also be undertaken by way of telephone, internet, facsimile or oral communication by the directors, officers and regular employees of the Corporation, at no additional compensation. Costs associated with the solicitation of proxies will be borne by the Corporation.
Appointment of Proxyholders
Accompanying this Management Proxy Circular is an instrument of proxy for use at the Meeting. Shareholders who are unable to attend the Meeting in person and wish to be represented by proxy are required to date and sign the enclosed instrument of proxy and return it in the enclosed return envelope. All properly executed instruments of proxy for Shareholders must be mailed so as to reach or be deposited at the offices of Computershare Investor Services (Attention: Proxy Department) at 100 University Avenue, 9th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2Y1 not later than 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays in the Province of British Columbia) prior to the time set for the Meeting or any adjournment thereof. An instrument of proxy may also be voted using a touch tone telephone at 1-866-732-VOTE (8683). Alternatively, a registered shareholder can complete internet voting by logging on at www.investorvote.com and entering the CONTROL NUMBER located on the address box of the shareholder's instrument of proxy.
The persons designated in the instrument of proxy are officers and directors of the Corporation. A Shareholder has the right to appoint a person (who need not be a Shareholder) other than the persons designated in the accompanying instrument of proxy, to attend at and represent the Shareholder at the Meeting. To exercise this right, a Shareholder should insert the name of the designated representative in the blank space provided on the instrument of proxy and strike out the names of management's nominees. Alternatively, a Shareholder may complete another appropriate instrument of proxy.
Signing of Proxy
The instrument of proxy must be signed by the Shareholder or the Shareholder's duly appointed attorney authorized in writing or, if the Shareholder is a corporation, under its corporate seal or by a duly authorized officer or attorney of the Corporation. An instrument of proxy signed by a person acting as attorney or in some other representative capacity (including a representative of a corporate Shareholder) should indicate that person's capacity (following his or her signature) and should be accompanied by the appropriate instrument evidencing qualification and authority to act (unless such instrument has previously been filed with the Corporation).
Revocability of Proxies
A Shareholder who has submitted an instrument of proxy may revoke it at any time prior to the exercise thereof. In addition to any manner permitted by law, a proxy may be revoked by instrument in writing executed by the Shareholder or by his or her duly authorized attorney or, if the Shareholder is a corporation, under its corporate seal or executed by a duly authorized officer or attorney of the corporation and deposited either: (i) at the registered office of the Corporation at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day of the Meeting, or any adjournments thereof, at which the instrument of proxy is to be used; or (ii) with the Chairman of the Meeting on the day of the Meeting, or any adjournment thereof. In addition, an instrument of proxy may be revoked: (i) by the Shareholder personally attending the Meeting and voting the securities represented thereby or, if the Shareholder is a corporation, by a duly authorized representative of the corporation attending at the Meeting and voting such securities; or (ii) in any other manner permitted by law.
Voting of Proxies and Exercise of Discretion by Proxyholders
All Common Shares represented at the Meeting by properly executed proxies will be voted on any ballot that may be called for and, where a choice with respect to any matter to be acted upon has been specified in the instrument of proxy, the Common Shares represented by the instrument of proxy will be voted in accordance with such instructions. The management designees named in the accompanying instrument of proxy will vote or withhold from voting the Common Shares in respect of which they are appointed in accordance with the direction of the Shareholder appointing him or her on any ballot that may be called for at the Meeting. In the absence of such direction, such Common Shares will be voted "FOR" the proposed resolutions at the Meetings. The accompanying instrument of proxy confers discretionary authority upon the persons named therein with respect to amendments of or variations to the matters identified in the accompanying Notice and with respect to other matters that may properly be brought before the Meeting. In the event that amendments or variations to matters identified in the Notice are properly brought before the Meeting or any further or other business is properly brought before the Meeting, it is the intention of the management designees to vote in accordance with their best judgment on such matters or business. At the time of printing this Management Proxy Circular, the management of the Corporation knows of no such amendment, variation or other matter to come before the Meeting other than the matters referred to in the accompanying Notice.
INTEREST OF CERTAIN PERSONS OR COMPANIES IN MATTERS TO BE ACTED ON
Except as disclosed in this Management Proxy Circular, none of the directors or senior officers of the Corporation at any time since the beginning of the Corporation's last financial year, nor any proposed nominee for election as a director of the Corporation, nor any 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 on, other than the election of directors or the appointment of auditors.
VOTING SECURITIES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF VOTING SECURITIES
Voting Shares, Record Date and Principal Shareholders
As at the date of this Management Proxy Circular, the authorized share capital of the Corporation consists of an unlimited number of Common Shares without par value. The record date for the determination of Shareholders entitled to receive notice of, and to vote at, the Meeting is November 10, 2020 (the "Record Date").As at the Record Date, there were 9,805,793 Common Shares issued and outstanding as fully paid and non-assessable.
To the knowledge of the directors and executive officers of the Corporation, there are no beneficial owners or persons exercising control or direction over Common Shares carrying more than 10% of the outstanding voting rights as of the Record Date.
Common Shares
The holders of Common Shares are entitled to notice of and to vote at all annual and special meetings of shareholders (except meetings at which only holders of a specified class or series of shares are entitled to vote) and are entitled to one vote per Common Share. The holders of Common Shares are entitled to receive such dividends as the board of directors of the Corporation (the "Board of Directors" or the "Board") declare and, upon liquidation, to receive such assets of the Corporation as are distributable to holders of Common Shares.
Voting of Common Shares – General
Only Shareholders whose names are entered in the Corporation's register of shareholders at the close of business on the Record Date and holders of Common Shares issued by the Corporation after the Record Date and prior to the Meeting will be entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Meeting, provided that, to the extent that: (i) a registered Shareholder has transferred the ownership of any Common Shares subsequent to the Record Date; and (ii) the transferee of those Common Shares produces properly endorsed share certificates, or otherwise establishes that he or she owns the Common Shares and demands, not later than ten days before the Meeting, that his or her name be included on the Shareholder list before the Meeting, in which case the transferee shall be entitled to vote his or her Common Shares at the Meeting.
Voting of Common Shares – Advice to Non-Registered Holders
Only registered holders of Common Shares, or the persons they appoint as their proxies, are permitted to attend and vote at the Meeting. However, in many cases, Common Shares beneficially owned by a holder (a "Non-Registered Holder") are registered either:
- a) in the name of an intermediary (an "Intermediary") that the Non-Registered Holder deals within respect of the Common Shares. Intermediaries include banks, trust companies, securities dealers or brokers, and trustees or administrators of self-administered RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs and similar plans; or
- b) in the name of a clearing agency (such as The Canadian Depository for Securities Limited or "CDS").
In accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 54-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators, the Corporation has distributed copies of the Notice, this Management Proxy Circular and the instrument of proxy (collectively, the "Meeting Materials") to the clearing agencies and Intermediaries for onward distribution to Non-Registered Holders.
Intermediaries are required to forward meeting materials to Non-Registered Holders unless a Non-Registered Holder has waived the right to receive them. Typically, Intermediaries will use a service Corporation (such as Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. ("Broadridge")) to forward meeting materials to Non-Registered Holders.
Generally, Non-Registered Holders who have not waived the right to receive meeting materials will:
- a) have received as part of the Meeting Materials a voting instruction form which must be completed, signed and delivered by the Non-Registered Holder in accordance with the directions on the voting instruction form; voting instruction forms sent by Broadridge permit the completion of the voting instruction form by telephone or through Internet based voting procedures; or
- b) less typically, be given a proxy which has already been signed by the Intermediary (typically by a facsimile, stamped signature) which is restricted as to the number of Common Shares beneficially owned by the Non-Registered Holder but which is otherwise uncompleted. This form of proxy need not be signed by the Non-Registered Holder. In this case, the Non-Registered Holder who wishes to submit a proxy should otherwise properly complete the form of proxy and deposit it with Computershare Investor Services at the address referred to above.
The purpose of these procedures is to permit Non-Registered Holders to direct the voting of the Common Shares they beneficially own. Should a Non-Registered Holder wish to attend and vote at the Meeting in person (or have another person attend and vote on behalf of the Non-Registered Holder), the Non-Registered Holder should strike out the names of the persons named in the proxy and insert the Non-Registered Holder's (or such other person's) name in the blank space provided or, in the case of a voting instruction form, follow the corresponding instructions on the form. In either case, Non-Registered Holders should carefully follow the instructions of their Intermediaries and their service companies.
Only registered Shareholders have the right to revoke a proxy. Non-Registered Holders who wish to change their vote must in sufficient time in advance of the Meeting, arrange for their respective Intermediaries to change their vote and if necessary revoke their proxy in accordance with the revocation procedures set above.
STATEMENT OF EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
Executive Compensation is required to be disclosed for each (i) Chief Executive Officer (or individual who served in a similar capacity during the most recently completed financial year), (ii) each Chief Financial Officer (or individual who served in a similar capacity during the most recently completed financial year), (iii) each of the three most highly compensated executive officers (other than the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer) who were serving as executive officers at the end of the most recently completed fiscal year (or three most highly compensated individuals) and whose total compensation was, individually, more than \$150,000; and (iv) each individual who would meet the definition set forth in (iii) but for the fact that the individual was neither an executive officer of the company, nor acting in a similar capacity, at the end of that financial year (the "Named Executive Officers").
The Named Executive Officers of the Corporation during the most recently completed financial year were Michelle Gahagan, President and Chief Executive Officer and David Hughes, Chief Financial Officer. There were no other Named Executive Officers during the most recently completed financial year, as no other employees earned in excess of \$150,000 in the financial year ended August 31, 2019.
Philosophy and Objectives
As the Corporation does not have a compensation committee, the functions of a compensation committee are performed by the Board of Directors as a whole and the compensation of the Named Executive Officers is reviewed and approved annually by the Board of Directors.
The objective of the Board of Directors in setting compensation levels is to attract and retain individuals of high calibre to serve as officers of the Corporation, to motivate their performance in order to achieve the Corporation's strategic objectives and to align the interests of executive officers with the long-term interests of the Shareholders. These objectives are designed to ensure that the Corporation continues to grow on an absolute basis as well as to grow cash flow and earnings for Shareholders. The Board of Directors set the compensation received by Named Executive Officers so as to be generally competitive with the compensation received by persons with similar qualifications and responsibilities who are engaged by other companies of corresponding size, stage of development, having similar assets, number of employees, market capitalization and profit margin. In setting such levels, the Board of Directors relies primarily on their own experience and knowledge.
Compensation
The Corporation compensates its executive officers based on their skill and experience levels and the existing stage of development of the Corporation. Executive officers are rewarded on the basis of the skill and level of responsibility involved in their position, the individual's experience and qualifications, the Corporation's resources, industry practice, and regulatory guidelines regarding executive compensation levels.
The Board of Directors has implemented three levels of compensation to align the interests of the executive officers with those of the shareholders. First, executive officers are paid a monthly consulting fee or salary determined by the Board of Directors, if appropriate. Second, the Board of Directors awards executive officers long term incentives in the form of stock options. Finally, and only in special circumstances, the Board of Directors may award cash or share bonuses for exceptional performance that results in a significant increase in shareholder value. The Corporation does not provide pension or other benefits to the executive officers.
The base compensation of the executive officers is reviewed and set annually by the Board of Directors. The Chief Executive Officer has substantial input in setting annual compensation levels. The Chief Executive Officer is directly responsible for the financial resources and operations of the Corporation. In addition, the Chief Executive Officer and Board of Directors from time to time determine the stock option grants to be made pursuant to the incentive plan of the Corporation (the "Plan"). Previous grants of stock options are taken into account when considering new grants. The Board of Directors awards bonuses at its sole discretion. The Board of Directors does not have pre-existing performance criteria or objectives.
The Board of Directors considers the implications of the risks associated with the Corporation's compensation policies and practices when determining rewards for its executive officers and ensures that those policies do not encourage management to take inappropriate or excessive risks. The Board of Directors does not believe that there are any risks arising from the compensation programs that would be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on the Corporation.
The Corporation's compensation program includes certain mechanisms to ensure risk taking behaviour falls within reasonable risk tolerance levels, including (i) the establishment of a compensation package that is competitive with the compensation received by persons with similar qualifications and responsibilities who are engaged by other companies of corresponding size, stage of development, having similar assets, number of employees, market capitalization and profit margin; and (ii) utilizing long term incentive plans (option based awards) for diversification and alignment with risk realization periods.
Neither executive officers nor directors are permitted to take any derivative or speculative positions in the Corporation's securities. This is to prevent the purchase of financial instruments that are designed to hedge or offset any decrease in the market value of the Corporation's securities.
Compensation for the most recently completed financial year should not be considered an indicator of expected compensation levels in future periods. All compensation is subject to and dependent on the Corporation's financial resources and prospects.
Summary Compensation Table
The following table sets forth information concerning the total compensation paid during the years ended August 31, 2019, August 31, 2018 and August 31, 2017 to the Named Executive Officers.
| Annual Compensation | Non-Equity Plan Compensation (\$) |
||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and | Salary | Share Based Awards |
Option Based Awards |
Annual Incentive |
Long-Term Incentive |
Pension Value |
All Other Compensation |
Total Compensation |
|
| Principal Position | Year | (\$) | (\$) | (\$) | Plans | Plans | (\$) | (\$) | (\$) |
| David Hughes(1) | 2019 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Former Chief | 2018 | 4,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | 4,000 |
| Financial Officer | 2017 | 4,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | 4,000 |
| Michelle Gahagan | 2019 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| President and Chief | 2018 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Executive Officer | 2017 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Notes:
(1) Mr. David Hughes was appointed CFO on August 1, 2015 and resigned on July 29, 2020, replaced by Ms. Kelsey Chin.
Incentive Plan Awards
Outstanding Share-Based Awards and Option-Based Awards
The Board of Directors approved a new Stock Option Plan (the "Plan") effective November 16, 2020. The Plan was established to provide an incentive to the directors, officers, employees, consultants and other personnel of the Corporation to achieve the longer-term objectives of the Corporation, to give suitable recognition to the ability and industry of such persons who contribute materially to the success of the Corporation and to attract to and retain in the employ of the Corporation, persons of experience and ability, by providing them with the opportunity to acquire an increased proprietary interest in the Corporation.
The following is a summary of the material terms of the Plan and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Plan, which is attached hereto as Schedule "C":
- The number of Common Shares to be reserved and authorized for issuance pursuant to options granted under the Plan shall not exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the total number of issued and outstanding shares in the Corporation.
- Under the Plan, the aggregate number of optioned Common Shares granted to any one optionee in a 12 month period must not exceed 5% of the Corporation's issued and outstanding shares. The number of optioned Common Shares granted to any one consultant in a 12 month period must not exceed 2% of the Corporation's issued and outstanding shares. The aggregate number of optioned Common Shares granted to an optionee who is employed to provide investor relations' services must not exceed 2% of the Corporation's issued and outstanding Common Shares in any 12 month period.
- The exercise price for options granted under the Plan will not be less than the market price of the Corporation's Common Shares at the time of the grant, less applicable discounts permitted by the policies of the stock exchange on which the Common Shares are listed and posted for trading or a quotation system for a published market upon which the price of the Common Shares is quoted (the "Market"), as may be selected for such purpose by the Board of Directors.
- Options will be exercisable for a term of up to ten years, subject to earlier termination in the event of the optionee's death or the cessation of the optionee's services to the Corporation.
Options granted under the Plan are non-assignable, except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.
The following table sets forth all share-based or option-based awards outstanding at the financial year ended August 31, 2019 to the Corporation's Name Executive Officers. The table also includes awards granted before August 31, 2019 to the Corporation's Name Executive Officers:
| Option-based Awards | Share-based Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Number of securities underlying unexercised options (#) |
Option exercise price (\$) |
Option expiration date |
Value of unexercised in-the money options (\$) |
Number of shares or units of shares that have not vested (#) |
Market or payout value of share-based awards that have not vested (\$) |
Market or payout value of vested share based awards not paid out or distributed (\$) |
| David Hughes Former Chief Financial Officer |
Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Michelle Gahagan President and Chief Executive Officer |
Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Incentive Plan Awards – Value Vested or Earned During the Year
The following table sets forth all share-based or option-based awards that vested in or were earned by the Corporation's Named Executive Officers during the financial year ended August 31, 2019.
| Name | Option-based awards – Value vested during the year (\$) |
Share-based awards – Value vested during the year (\$) |
Non-equity incentive plan compensation – Value earned during the year (\$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Hughes Former Chief Financial Officer |
Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Michelle Gahagan President and Chief Executive Officer |
Nil | Nil | Nil |
Pension Plan Benefits
The Corporation does not have any defined benefit or defined contribution pension plans in place which provide for payments or benefits at, following, or in connection with retirement.
Termination and Change of Control Benefits
Pursuant to the terms of the Plan, if an optionee holds his or her option as director, employee or consultant of the Corporation and such optionee ceases to be a director, employee or consultant of the Corporation, other than by reason of death, then the optionee may exercise such part of the option as is exercisable immediately prior to the time of ceasing to be a director, employee or consultant of the Corporation within a period which is the earlier of the normal expiry date of the option and 90 days following ceasing to be a director, employee or consultant of the Corporation and all unexercised options of the optionee will immediately terminate forthwith without further notice.
If an optionee engaged in investor relations activities ceases to be employed to perform investor relations activities, other than by reason of death, then the optionee may exercise such part of the option as is exercisable immediately prior to the time of ceasing to be employed to perform investor relations activities within a period which is the earlier of the normal expiry date of the option and 30 days following ceasing to be employed to perform investor relations activities and all unexercised options of the optionee will immediately terminate forthwith without further notice.
In the event of the death of an optionee, any options which the optionee could have exercised immediately prior to death are exercisable by the executors or personal representatives of the optionee within the earlier of the normal expiry date of the option and 12 months after the optionee's death and all unexercised options of the optionee will immediately terminate forthwith without further notice.
In the event of a consolidation or merger in which the Corporation is not the surviving company, or in the event the Common Shares are converted into securities of another entity or exchanged for other consideration, or in the event of an offer for fifty percent or more of shares being made by a third party that constitutes a take-over bid as that term is defined in the Securities Act (British Columbia) or would constitute a take-over bid as that term is defined in the Securities Act (British Columbia) but for the fact that the offeree is not in British Columbia, the Board may make such arrangements as the Board deems appropriate for the exercise of outstanding options or continuance of outstanding options.
Other than the aforementioned agreements, there are no compensatory plans, contracts or arrangements with any Named Executive Officer (including payments to be received from the Corporation or any subsidiary), which result or will result from the resignation, retirement or any other termination of employment of such Named Executive Officer or from a change of control of the Corporation or any subsidiary thereof or any change in such Named Executive Officer's responsibilities, where the Named Executive Officer is entitled to payment or other benefits.
Director Compensation
The Corporation has no standard arrangement pursuant to which directors are compensated by the Corporation for their services in their capacity as directors except for the granting from time to time of incentive stock options in accordance with the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The following table sets forth compensation that was paid to any director of the Corporation for the director's services as a director during the financial year ended August 31, 2019.
| Name | Fees earned (\$) |
Share-based awards (\$) |
Option-based awards (\$)(1) |
Non-equity incentive plan compensation (\$) |
Pension value (\$) |
All other compensation (\$) |
Total (\$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Gahagan | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Michael Curtis | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Brian Tingle | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Share-Based Awards, Option-Based Awards and Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation
Incentive plan awards – Outstanding share-based awards and option-based awards
The following table sets forth all share-based or option-based awards outstanding at the financial year ended August 31, 2019 to the Corporation's directors. The table also includes awards granted before August 31, 2019 to the Corporation's directors:
| Option-based Awards | Share-based Awards | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market or | Market or | ||||||
| Number of | payout value | payout value of | |||||
| securities | Value of | Number of | of share-based | vested share | |||
| underlying | Option | unexercised | shares or units | awards that | based awards | ||
| unexercised | exercise | in-the-money | of shares that | have not | not paid out or | ||
| options | price | Option expiration | options | have not vested | vested | distributed | |
| Name | (#) | (\$) | date | (\$) | (#) | (\$) | (\$) |
| Michelle Gahagan | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Michael Curtis | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Brian Tingle | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Incentive plan awards – value vested or earned during the year
The following table sets forth all share-based or option-based awards that vested in or were earned by the Corporation's directors during the financial year ended August 31, 2019.
| Name | Option-based awards – Value vested during the year (\$) |
Share-based awards – Value vested during the year (\$) |
Non-equity incentive plan compensation – Value earned during the year (\$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Gahagan | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Michael Curtis | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Brian Tingle | Nil | Nil | Nil |
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
The following table sets out information as at the end of the Corporation's most recently completed financial year with respect to compensation plans under which equity securities of the Corporation are authorized for issuance.
| 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 |
- | - | 1,001,159(1) |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by securityholders |
- | - | - |
| Total | - | - | 1,001,159(1) |
Note:
(1) The Plan provides that the aggregate number of securities reserved for issuance under the Plan is 1,001,159, being 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Corporation as at August 31, 2019. As of the Record Date, there were 9,805,793 Common Shares issued and outstanding with no outstanding options, leaving 1,961,158 options available to the Corporation to be granted. As at the Record Date, the Corporation was listed on the NEX so while the plan remains in place only 980,579, being 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding shares in the Corporation, may be reserved for issuance or issued in any 12-month period.
INDEBTEDNESS OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
None of the directors and officers of the Corporation, any proposed management nominee for election as a director of the Corporation or any associate of any director, officer or proposed management nominee is or has been indebted to the Corporation at any time during the last completed financial year.
INTEREST OF INFORMED PERSONS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
Except as disclosed in this Management Proxy Circular, none of the informed persons of the Corporation (as defined in National Instrument 51-102), nor any proposed nominee for election as a director of the Corporation, nor any person who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, shares carrying more than 10% of the voting rights attached to the issued shares of the Corporation, nor any associate or affiliate of the foregoing persons has any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the commencement of the Corporation's most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction which, in either case, has or will materially affect the Corporation and none of such persons has any material interest in any transaction proposed to be undertaken by the Corporation that will materially affect the Corporation.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The British Columbia Securities Commission has issued guidelines on corporate governance disclosure for venture issuers as set out in Form 58-101F2 (the "Disclosure"). The Disclosure addresses matters relating to constitution and independence of directors, the functions to be performed by the directors of a Corporation and their committees and effectiveness and evaluation of proposed corporate governance guidelines and best practices specified by the Canadian securities regulators. The Corporation's approach to corporate governance in the context of the 8 specific Disclosure issues outlined in Form 58-101F2 is set out in the attached Schedule "A".
AUDIT COMMITTEE
Audit Committee Charter
The Charter of the Corporation's Audit Committee is attached to this Management Proxy Circular as Schedule "B".
Composition of the Audit Committee
The following are the members of the Audit Committee:
| Name | Independent | Financially literate(2) |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle Gahagan | No(1) | Yes |
| Michael Curtis | Yes | Yes |
| Brian Tingle | Yes | Yes |
Notes:
(1) Michelle Gahagan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation and therefore does not satisfy the definition of Independent, as that term is defined in National Instrument 52-110 ("NI 52-110").
(2) As defined in National Instrument 52-110 ("NI 52-110").
Education and Experience
Each member of the Audit Committee brings unique education and experience relevant to the performance of their responsibilities and duties as an Audit Committee member. This includes, but is not limited to, an understanding of the accounting principles used by the Corporation to prepare its financial statements; the ability to assess the general application of accounting principles in connection with the accounting for estimates, accruals and provisions; experience preparing, auditing, analyzing or evaluating financial statements covering a breadth and level of complexity relative to the Corporation or experience actively supervising one or more individuals engaged in such activities; and an understanding of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting.
Michelle Gahagan – Ms. Gahagan currently provides consulting services to public and private companies, and previously served as a principal of a privately-held merchant bank based in Vancouver and London. Prior to the commencement of her involvement in merchant banking, Ms. Gahagan graduated from Queens University Law School and practiced corporate law for 20 years. Ms. Gahagan has extensive experience advising companies with respect to international tax-driven structures, mergers and acquisitions.
Michael Curtis – Mr. Curtis has more than 35 years of experience in the Canadian financial industry in areas including trading, research, corporate finance and the management of public companies. Beginning in 1972, he spent 16 years as an equity specialist on the Floor of the Toronto and Montreal Exchanges, working for Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. and later, as the chief equity trader for Prudential Bache Securities Inc., where he built a team of twelve stock and options inventory traders. He served on various committees at the Montreal Exchange and as chair of the Floor Procedures Committee. In 1988, he left Prudential Bache Securities to work in the management and development of a variety of publicly traded companies. In 1988, Mr. Curtis founded and became president and director of Cardwell Capital Inc., a private investment and trading corporation, which invests in small and mid-capitalization public companies trading in North American markets.
Brian Tingle – For the past 20 years, Mr. Tingle has worked in financing and advising public and private companies across a wide range of industries. Mr. Tingle has a Bachelor of Commerce degree (finance) from the Sauder School of Business (UBC).
Audit Committee Oversight
At no time since the commencement of the Corporation's most recently completed financial year was a recommendation of the Audit Committee to nominate or compensate an external auditor not adopted by the Board of Directors.
Reliance on Certain Exemptions
At no time since the commencement of the Corporation's most recently completed financial year has the Corporation relied on:
- (a) exemption in Section 2.4 of NI 52-110 (De Minimis Non-audit Services);
- (b) exemption in Subsection 6.1.1(4) (Circumstance Affecting the Business or Operations of the Venture Issuer);
- (c) exemption in Subsection 6.1.1(5) (Events Outside Control of Member);
- (d) exemption in Subsection 6.1.1(6) (Death, Incapacity or Resignation); or
- (e) an exemption from NI 52-110, in whole or in part, granted under Part 8 (Exemption).
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The Audit Committee has not adopted specific policies and procedures for the engagement of non-audit services as described below under the heading "External Auditors"; however, such engagement is with the mandate of the Audit Committee.
External Auditor Service Fees (By Category)
The aggregate fees billed by the Corporation's external auditors in each of the last two fiscal years for audit fees are as follows:
| Financial Year Ending | Audit Fees | Audit Related Fees | Tax Fees | All Other Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | \$10,000 | Nil | \$1,750 | Nil |
| 2018 | \$15,000 | Nil | \$1,750 | Nil |
Exemption
The Corporation is relying on the exemption provided in Section 6.1 of NI 52-110.
PARTICULARS OF MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
Financial Statements
The audited financial statements of the Corporation for the years ended August 31, 2019 and 2018 and the auditors' report thereon accompanying this Management Proxy Circular will be placed before the Shareholders at the Meeting for their consideration. Shareholders who wish to receive interim financial statements are encouraged to send the enclosed notice, in the addressed envelope to Computershare Investor Services. No formal action will be taken at the Meeting to approve the financial statements, which have been approved by the Board of Directors of the Corporation in accordance with applicable corporate and securities legislation. Any questions regarding the financial statements may be brought forward at the Meeting.
Election of Directors
Advance Notice Policy
The Corporation adopted an advance notice policy on September 26, 2014 (the "Advance Notice Policy"). The Advance Notice Policy provides for advance notice to the Corporation in circumstances where nominations of persons for election to the Board of Directors are made by Shareholders of the Corporation other than pursuant to (i) a requisition of a meeting made pursuant to the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) or (ii) a shareholder proposal made pursuant to the provisions of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).
The purpose of the Advance Notice Policy is to ensure that all Shareholders - including those participating in a meeting by proxy rather than in person - receive adequate notice of the nominations to be considered at a meeting and can thereby exercise their voting rights in an informed manner. Among other things, the Advance Notice Policy fixes a deadline by which holders of Common Shares must submit director nominations to the Corporation prior to any annual or special meeting of Shareholders and sets forth the minimum information that a Shareholder must include in the notice to the Corporation for the notice to be in proper written form.
The foregoing is merely a summary of the Advance Notice Policy, is not comprehensive and is qualified by the full text of such policy which is available under the Corporation's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
As of the date of the Management Proxy Circular, the Corporation has not received notice of a nomination in compliance with the Advance Notice Policy.
Nominees
The persons named below are the nominees of management for election as directors. The term of office of each of the present directors expires at the Meeting. At the Meeting, the Shareholders will be asked to fix the number of directors of the Corporation to be elected at three members. Management of the Corporation proposes to nominate the persons named below for election as directors of the Corporation at the Meeting to serve until the next annual meeting of the Shareholders of the Corporation, unless his office is earlier vacated. All of the nominees are currently members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
Approval of the election of directors will require the affirmative votes of the holders of not less than half of the votes cast in respect thereof by Shareholders present in person or by proxy at the Meeting. Unless otherwise directed, the management designees named in the accompanying instrument of proxy intend to vote in favour of the election, as directors, of the nominees whose names are set forth below. In the event that prior to the Meeting, any vacancies occur on the slate of nominees submitted herewith, it is intended that discretionary authority will be granted to vote proxies solicited by or on behalf of management for the election of any other person or persons as directors. Management is not currently aware that any such nominees would not be willing to serve as director if elected.
| Name, Residence and Present Office Held |
Principal Occupation or Employment | Director Since |
Number of Common Shares Beneficially Owned or Controlled and percentage of total issued and outstanding(1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Gahagan(2) Vancouver, British Columbia Director |
Ms. Gahagan was a practicing lawyer for over 20 years, and currently serves as a self-employed consultant for private and public companies. |
2011 | Nil |
| Michael Curtis(2) Montreal, Quebec Director |
Self-employed businessman providing services to publicly traded companies. |
2010 | Nil |
| Brian Tingle (2) Vancouver, British Columbia Director |
Self-employed financial consultant for private and public companies. |
2017 | 60,000 0.61% |
The following information concerning the proposed nominees has been furnished by each of them:
Notes:
- (1) The information as to the number of Common Shares beneficially owned, not being within the knowledge of the Corporation, has been furnished by the respective nominees. These figures do not include any securities that are convertible into or exercisable for Common Shares.
- (2) Member of the Audit Committee.
Corporate Cease Trade Orders or Bankruptcies
Other than as set forth below, no director or proposed director of the Corporation is, or has been within the past ten years, a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of any other Corporation that, while such person was acting in that capacity:
(i) was the subject of a cease trade order, an order similar to a cease trade order or an order that denied the Corporation access to any exemptions under securities legislation, and that was in effect for a period of more than 30 consecutive days; or
(ii) was the subject of a cease trade order, an order similar to a cease trade order or an order that denied the Corporation access to any exemptions under securities legislation, that was issued after that individual ceased to be a director or chief executive officer or chief financial officer and which resulted from an event that occurred while such person was acting in a capacity as a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer.
Mr. Michael Curtis is currently a director and an officer of Quinto Real Capital Corporation (TSXV – QIT) ("Quinto"). Quinto, having failed to complete a Qualifying Transaction within 24 months of its listing, was suspended from trading on September 18, 2012 and has since completed a transaction and is trading.
No director or proposed director of the Corporation is, or has been within the past ten years, a director or executive officer of any other Corporation that, while such person was acting in that capacity, or within a year of that individual 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.
Individual Bankruptcies
No director or proposed director of the Corporation is or has, within the ten years prior to the date hereof, 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 that individual.
Penalties or Sanctions
No director or proposed director of the Corporation has been subject to any penalties or sanctions imposed by a court relating to securities legislation or by a securities regulatory authority or have entered into a settlement agreement with a securities regulatory authority. No director or proposed director of the Corporation 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.
Conflicts of Interest
The directors and officers of the Corporation may, from time to time, be involved with the business and operations of other mining issuers, in which case a conflict of interest may arise between their duties as officers and directors of the Corporation and as officer and directors of such other companies. Such conflicts must be disclosed in accordance with, and are subject to such procedures and remedies, as applicable, under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).
Ratification and Approval of Stock Option Plan
For a summary of the Plan, please refer to the section herein entitled "Incentive Plan Awards" or refer to Schedule "C" hereto where the text of the Plan is attached in its entirety.
The Board of Directors approved a new 15% rolling Stock Option Plan on November 16, 2020. The approval by Shareholders requires a favourable vote of a majority of the disinterested security holders representing Common Shares voted in respect thereof at the Meeting. To the best of the Corporation's knowledge, the aggregate number of common shares held by related persons as of the date of this report total 60,000, and will not be included for the purpose of determining whether security holder approval has been obtained.
The Corporation is currently listed on the NEX Board of the Exchange. Shareholder and Exchange approval is not required until the Corporation graduates to Tier 2 of the Exchange; however, the Corporation chooses to seek shareholder approval at this time.
A full copy of the Plan will be available for inspection at the Meeting. The Board will also have the authority to amend the Plan to reduce, but not increase the benefits to its participants if in their discretion it is necessary or advisable in order to obtain any necessary regulatory approvals.
At the Meeting shareholders will be requested to approve the following special resolution, with or without variation, that the Corporation ratify and approve the Plan and reserve up to 15% of its issued and outstanding Common Shares at any time until the next annual meeting for issuance under the Plan, subject to regulatory approval.
"BE IT RESOLVED that:
-
- the 15% rolling stock option plan (the "Plan") of the Corporation, as described in the management information circular of the Corporation dated November 16, 2020, as may be amended by the board of directors as required by applicable securities regulatory authorities or stock exchanges, is hereby ratified, adopted and approved;
-
- the form of the Plan may be amended in order to satisfy the requirements or requests of any regulatory authorities without requiring further approval of the shareholders of the Corporation;
-
- the shareholders of the Corporation hereby expressly authorize the board of directors to revoke this resolution before it is acted upon without requiring further approval of the shareholders in that regard; and
-
- any one director or officer of the Corporation is authorized, on behalf of the Corporation, to execute and deliver all documents and do all things as such person may determine to be necessary or advisable to give effect to this resolution."
The Board recommends that the shareholders vote FOR the resolution to ratify, adopt and approve the Plan.
Appointment of Auditors
Manning Elliott LLP, ("Manning Elliott" or the "Successor Auditor") of 1700, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 2Y3 are the auditors of the Company. Unless otherwise instructed, the proxies given pursuant to this solicitation will be voted for the appointment of Manning Elliott as the auditors of the Company to hold office for the ensuing year at a remuneration to be fixed by the directors.
Manning Elliott were first appointed as auditors of the Company on November 15, 2019 when, pursuant to National Instrument 51-102 ("NI 51-102"), the Company requested that their former auditor, Davidson & Company LLP (the "Former Auditor"), resign as the Company's auditor.
Pursuant to Section 204(4) of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia), the directors of the Company were entitled to fill any casual vacancy in the office of the auditor and accordingly appointed the Successor Auditor in the place and stead of the Former Auditor until the close of the next annual general meeting of the Company. There were no reservations in the Former Auditor's reports in connection with:
- a) the audit of the Company's most recently completed financial year ended August 31, 2018; and
- b) any period subsequent to the most recently completed period for which an audit report was issued and preceding the date of expiry of the Former Auditor's term of office.
There were no 'reportable events' including disagreements, unresolved issues and consultations, as defined in NI 51- 102, between the Company and the Former Auditor or the Successor Auditor and the resignation and the recommendation to appoint the Successor Auditor was approved by the Audit Committee and the board of directors of the Company (the "Board").
As required to section 4.11 of NI 51-102, the Company filed the "Reporting Package" (comprised of the Notice of Change in Auditor, Successor Auditor Letter and Former Auditor Letter) on SEDAR and a copy of the documents comprising the Reporting Package are attached to this Circular as Schedule "D".
Unless otherwise directed, management designees named in the accompanying instrument of proxy intend to vote in favor of the appointment of Manning Elliott LLP, as auditors of the Corporation, to hold office until the close of the next annual meeting, at a remuneration to be determined by the Board of Directors of the Corporation. Approval of the appointment of the auditors will require the affirmative votes of the holders of not less than half of the votes cast in respect thereof by Shareholders present in person or by proxy at the Meeting. The Board recommends that the shareholders vote FOR the re-appointment of Manning Elliott LLP as auditor of the Company for the ensuing year.
Other Matters to Be Acted Upon
The Corporation has no active operations at this time, but is currently evaluating and analyzing various opportunities in the travel and leisure sector in which to invest its capital.
Management knows of no matters to come before the Meeting other than the matters referred to in the Notice of Meeting. However, if any other matters properly come before the Meeting, the accompanying proxy will be voted on such matters in the best judgment of the person or persons voting the proxy.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS
No management functions of the Corporation or any subsidiary of the Corporation are, to any substantial degree, performed by a person or company other than the directors or executive officers of the Corporation.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information relating to the Corporation is available through the internet on the Canadian System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) which can be accessed at www.sedar.com. Financial information on the Corporation is provided in the comparative financial statements and management discussion and analysis of the Corporation which can also be accessed at www.sedar.com or which may be obtained upon request from the Corporation at 1558 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6G 3J4, or via fax at (604) 639- 4451.
SCHEDULE "A"
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE POLICY
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE (FORM 58-101F2)
- 1. Board of Directors — Disclose how the board of directors (the board) facilitates its exercise of independent supervision over management, including
- (i) the identity of directors that are independent, and Michael Curtis, Brian Tingle
- (ii) the identity of directors who are not independent, and the basis for that determination. Michelle Gahagan
In determining whether a director is independent, the Corporation chiefly considers whether the director has a relationship which could, or could be perceived to interfere with the director's exercise of independent judgement.
Michelle Gahagan is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation and therefore does not satisfy the definition of Independent as that term is defined in NI 52-110.
2. Directorships — If a director is presently a director of any other issuer that is a reporting issuer (or the equivalent) in a jurisdiction or a foreign jurisdiction, identify both the director and the other issuer.
The directors of the Corporation are directors of other reporting issuers (or equivalent) in a jurisdiction or a foreign jurisdiction as follows:
| Name of Director | Issuer |
|---|---|
| Michelle Gahagan | Canadian Palladium Resources Inc. Moovly Media Inc. Versus Systems Inc. |
| Michael Curtis | Intema Solutions Inc. |
| Brian Tingle | Versus Systems Inc. |
3. Orientation and Continuing Education — Describe what steps, if any, the board takes to orient new board members, and describe any measures the board takes to provide continuing education for directors.
The Corporation has not developed an official orientation or training program for new directors. As required, new directors will have the opportunity to become familiar with the Corporation by meeting with other directors and its officers and employees. Orientation activities will be tailored to the particular needs and expertise of each director and the overall needs of the Board.
4. Ethical Business Conduct — Describe what steps, if any, the board takes to encourage and promote a culture of ethical business conduct.
The Corporation does not currently have a formal code of business conduct or policy in place for its directors, officers, employees and consultants. The Board believes that the Corporation's size facilitates informal review of and discussions with employees and consultants.
The Board monitors ethical conduct of the Corporation and ensures that it complies with applicable legal and regulatory requirements, such as those of relevant securities commissions and stock exchanges. The Board has found that the fiduciary duties placed on individual directors by the Corporation's governing corporate legislation and the common law, as well as the restrictions placed by applicable corporate legislation on the individual director's participation in decisions of the Board in which the director has an interest, have been sufficient to ensure that the Board operates independently of management and in the best interests of the Corporation.
- 5. Nomination of Directors — Disclose what steps, if any, are taken to identify new candidates for board nomination, including:
- (i) who identifies new candidates, and
- (ii) the process of identifying new candidates.
The Board has not appointed a nominating committee as the Board fulfills these functions as a whole. When the Board identifies the need to fill a position on the Board, the Board requests that current directors forward potential candidates for consideration.
- 6. Compensation — Disclose what steps, if any, are taken to determine compensation for the directors and CEO, including:
- (i) who determines compensation, and
Management of the Corporation is responsible for making recommendations to the Board with respect to compensation for the directors and the CEO. The Board has the ability to adjust and approve such compensation.
(ii) the process of determining compensation.
Market comparisons as well as evaluation of similar positions in different industries in the same geography are the criteria used in determining compensation.
7. Other Board Committees — If the board has standing committees other than the audit and compensation identify the committees and describe their function.
The Corporation does not have any other committees other than the audit committee.
8. Assessments — Disclose what steps, if any, that the board takes to satisfy itself that the board, its committees, and its individual directors are performing effectively.
The Board takes responsibility for monitoring and assessing its effectiveness and the performance of individual directors, its committees, including reviewing the Board's decision making processes and the quality of information provided by management.
SCHEDULE "B"
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
Name
There shall be a committee of the Board of Directors (the "Board") of CellStop Systems Inc. (the "Corporation") known as the Audit Committee (the "Committee").
Mandate
The primary function of 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 Corporation to regulatory authorities and shareholders, the Corporation's systems of internal controls regarding finance and accounting and the Corporation's auditing, accounting and financial reporting processes. The Committee's primary duties and responsibilities are to:
- Serve as an independent and objective party to monitor the Corporation's financial reporting and internal control system and review the Corporation's financial statements.
- Review and appraise the performance of the Corporation's external auditors.
- Provide an open avenue of communication among the Corporation's auditors, financial and senior management and the Board of Directors.
Composition
The Committee shall be comprised of three directors as determined by the Board of Directors, the majority of whom shall be free from any relationship that, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, would interfere with the exercise of his 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 Audit Committee 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 Corporation'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.
Meetings
The Committee shall meet a least twice annually, 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.
Responsibilities and Duties
To fulfill its responsibilities and duties, the Committee shall:
Documents/Reports Review
(a) Review and update the Charter annually.
(b) Review the Corporation's financial statements, MD&A and any annual and interim earnings, press releases before the Corporation 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
- (a) 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 Corporation.
- (b) Recommend to the Board of Directors the selection and, where applicable, the replacement of the external auditors nominated annually for shareholder approval.
- (c) Review with management and the external auditors the audit plan for the year-end financial statements and intended template for such statements.
- (d) 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 Corporation's external auditors.
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
- (a) In consultation with the external auditors, review with management the integrity of the Corporation's financial reporting process, both internal and external.
- (b) Consider the external auditors' judgments about the quality and appropriateness of the Corporation's accounting principles as applied in its financial reporting.
- (c) Consider and approve, if appropriate, changes to the Corporation's auditing and accounting principles and practices as suggested by the external auditors and management.
- (d) 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.
- (e) Review any significant disagreement among management and the external auditors in connection with the preparation of the financial statements.
- (f) Review with the external auditors and management the extent to which changes and improvements in financial or accounting practices have been implemented.
- (g) Review any complaints or concerns about any questionable accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters.
- (h) Review certification process.
- (i) Establish a procedure for the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Corporation of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters.
Other
Review any related-party transactions.
SCHEDULE "C"
2020 STOCK OPTION PLAN
ADOPTED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS ON NOVEMBER 16, 2020
1. PURPOSE: The purpose of this Stock Option Plan (the "Plan") is to enable Cellstop Systems Inc. (the "Corporation") and its subsidiaries or affiliates to attract and retain directors, officers, employees, consultants and advisors who will contribute to the Corporation's success by their ability, ingenuity and industry, and to enable such persons to participate in the long-term success and growth of the Corporation by giving them a proprietary interest in the Corporation in the form of options to purchase common shares of the Corporation (the "Stock Options").
2. ELIGIBILITY: Stock Options may be granted under the Plan to:
(a) directors, officers or employees, whether full or part time, of the Corporation or of any person or company that controls or is controlled by the Corporation or that is controlled by the same person or company that controls the Corporation (an "Affiliated Entity");
(b) bona fide consultants or advisors to the Corporation or to an Affiliated Entity, and such other service providers as may be permitted by regulatory authorities;
(collectively, the "Eligible Persons") provided, however, that Stock Options may be conditionally granted to persons who are prospective directors, officers or employees of, or consultants, advisors or service providers to, the Corporation or an Affiliated Entity, but no such grant shall become, by its terms, effective earlier than the date as of which the board of directors approves the grant or the date as of which the prospective Eligible Persons becomes a director, officer or employee of, or a consultant or advisor to (as the case may be), the Corporation. For the purposes of this section 2, a person or company shall be considered to control another person or company if the first person or company provides, directly or indirectly, the principal direction or influence over the business and affairs of the second person or company by virtue of (i) ownership or direction of voting securities of the second person or company, (ii) a written agreement or indenture, (iii) being or controlling the general partner of a limited partnership, or (iv) being a trustee of a trust.
3. ADMINISTRATION: The Plan shall be administered by the Board of Directors of the Corporation or any committee of the Board of Directors of the Corporation appointed for that purpose (the "Board"), who shall have full authority to interpret the Plan and to make such rules and regulations and establish such procedures as they deem appropriate for the administration of the Plan. A decision of the majority of persons comprising the Board in respect of any matter hereunder shall be binding and conclusive for all purposes and upon all persons. The Board is authorized and directed to do all things and execute and deliver all instruments, undertakings and applications as they in their absolute discretion consider necessary for the implementation of the Plan.
4. SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN: The total number of common shares of the Corporation (the "Shares") which are at any one time reserved and set aside for issuance under this Plan, and under all other management options outstanding and employee stock purchase plans, if any, shall not in the aggregate exceed a number of Shares equal to 15% of the number of Shares issued and outstanding at that time. All Shares issued pursuant to the Plan will be issued as fully paid Shares. The maximum number of Shares which are reserved and set aside for issuance under this Plan may be subsequently increased as further Shares are issued by the Corporation, or by further votes of the shareholders of the Corporation. Any Stock Options granted under the Plan which are cancelled, terminated or expire, will remain available for granting under the Plan at the current Market Price (as defined in section 7(b), below), subject to regulatory approval.
The aggregate number of shares reserved for issuance to any one optionee, whether under this Plan or any other share option agreement, option for services or share purchase plan of the Corporation, shall, unless permitted by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction and by a vote of shareholders, not exceed five percent (5%) of the aggregate number of issued and outstanding shares of the Corporation in any 12 month period.
In the case of optionees who are consultants, the aggregate number of shares reserved for issuance to any one consultant, whether under this Plan or any other share option agreement, option for services or share purchase plan of the Corporation, shall, unless permitted by regulatory authorities having jurisdiction and by a vote of shareholders, not exceed two percent (2%) of the aggregate number of issued and outstanding shares of the Corporation in any 12 month period.
The aggregate number of shares reserved for issuance to all optionees who are granted options as a consultant or employee engaged in investor relations activities shall not exceed two percent (2%) of the issued and outstanding shares in any 12 month period and shall vest in stages over 12 months with no more than one quarter of the options vesting in any three month period. The Corporation must obtain disinterested shareholder approval of stock options if a stock option plan, together with all of the Corporation's previously established and outstanding stock option plans or grants, could result at any time in the number of Shares reserved for issuance under stock options granted to insiders exceeding 15% of the issued shares.
5. PARTICIPATION: Stock Options shall be granted under the Plan only to Eligible Persons as shall be designated from time to time by the Board and shall be subject to the approval by such regulatory authorities as may have jurisdiction. Approval of the Plan also constitutes shareholder approval of Stock Options that may be granted under the Plan as provided herein.
6. OPTION AGREEMENTS: Each Stock Option shall be evidenced by a written agreement (an "Option Agreement"), containing such terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the Plan, as the Board may, in its discretion, determine. Each Option Agreement shall be executed by the Corporation and the optionee. Option Agreements may differ among optionees.
7. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF OPTIONS: Subject to the provisions of section 11 herein, the terms and conditions of each Stock Option granted under the Plan shall include the following, as well as such other provisions, not inconsistent with the Plan as may be deemed advisable by the Board:
- (a) Number of Shares: At no time shall the number of Shares reserved for issuance to any one person pursuant to stock options, granted under the Plan or otherwise, exceed five (5%) percent of the outstanding Shares in any 12 month period.
- (b) Option Price: The option price of an Stock Option granted under the Plan shall be fixed by the Board but shall be not less than the Market Price (as defined herein) of the Shares at the time the Stock Option is granted, or such lesser price as may be permitted pursuant to the rules of any regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the Shares issued which rules may include provisions for certain discounts in respect to the option price. For the purpose of this paragraph, the "Market Price" at any date in respect of the Shares shall mean, subject to a minimum exercise price of \$0.10 per option, the greater of:
- (i) the closing price of such Shares on a stock exchange on which the Shares are listed and posted for trading or a quotation system for a published market upon which the price of the Shares is quoted, as may be selected for such purpose by the Board (the "Market"), on the last trading day prior to the date the Stock Option is granted; and
-
(ii) the closing price of such Shares on the Market on the date on which the Stock Option is granted. In the event that such Shares did not trade on such trading day, the Market Price shall be the average of the bid and ask prices in respect of such Shares at the close of trading on such trading day as reported thereof. In the event that such Shares are not listed and posted for trading or quoted on any Market, the Market Price shall be the fair market value of such Shares as determined by the Board in its sole discretion.
-
(c) Reduction in Option Price: The option price of a Stock Option granted under the Plan to an insider of the Corporation (as that term is defined in the Securities Act (British Columbia)) shall not be reduced without prior approval from the disinterested shareholders of the Corporation.
- (d) Payment: The full purchase price payable for shares under a Stock Option shall be paid in cash or certified funds upon the exercise thereof. A holder of a Stock Option shall have none of the rights of a shareholder until the Shares are paid for and issued.
- (e) Term of Option: Stock Options may be granted under this Plan for a period not exceeding ten (10) years. Any Stock Options granted pursuant hereto, to the extent not validly exercised, will terminate on the date of expiration specified in the option agreement, subject to earlier termination as provided in sections 8, 10 and 11 below.
- (f) Vesting: Unless the Board determines otherwise at its discretion, a Stock Option shall vest immediately upon being granted.
- (g) Exercise of Option: Subject to the provisions contained in sections 8, 10 and 11 below, no Stock Option may be exercised unless the optionee is at the time of exercise an Eligible Person (as defined in section 1, above). If the optionee is an employee or consultant, the optionee shall represent to the Corporation that he or she is a bona fide employee or consultant of the Corporation. This Plan shall not confer upon the optionee any right with respect to continuation of employment by the Corporation. Leave of absence approved by an officer of the Corporation authorized to give such approval shall not be considered an interruption of employment for any purpose of the Plan. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, a Stock Option may be exercised from time to time by delivery to the Corporation of written notice of exercise specifying the number of shares with respect to which the Stock Option is being exercised and accompanied by payment in full, by cash or certified cheque, of the purchase price of the Shares then being purchased.
- (h) Non-transferability of Stock Option: No Stock Option shall be assignable or transferable by the optionee, except to a personal holding corporation of the optionee, other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
- (i) Applicable Laws or Regulations: The Corporation's obligation to sell and deliver Shares under each Stock Option is subject to such compliance by the Corporation an any optionee as the Corporation deems necessary or advisable with regards to any laws, rules and regulations of Canada and any provinces and/or territories thereof applying to the authorization, issuance, listing or sale of securities and is also subject to the acceptance for listing of the Shares which may be issued upon the exercise thereof by each stock exchange upon which Shares of the Corporation are then listed for trading.
8. TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT, DISABILITY AND DEATH: Unless the Option Agreement provides otherwise, all Stock Options will terminate:
- (a) in the case of Stock Options granted to an employee or consultant employed or retained to provide investment relations services, thirty (30) days after the optionee ceases to be employed or retained to provide investment relations services;
- (b) in the case of Stock Options granted to other employees, consultants, directors, officers or advisors, ninety (90) days following (i) the termination by the Corporation, with or without cause, of the optionee's employment or other relationship with the Corporation or an Affiliated Entity, or (ii) the termination by the optionee of any such relationship with the Corporation or an Affiliated Entity; or (c) in the case of death or permanent and total disability of the optionee, all Stock Options will terminate twelve (12) months following the death or permanent and total disability of the optionee, and the deceased optionee's
heirs or administrators may exercise all or a portion of the Stock Option during that period. Such period or periods shall be set forth in the Option Agreement evidencing such Stock Option.
9. ADJUSTMENTS IN SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN: The aggregate number and kind of Shares available under the Plan and the exercise price of any Stock Options granted under the Plan shall be appropriately adjusted in the event of a reorganization, recapitalization, stock split, stock dividend, combination of shares, merger, consolidation, rights offering or any other change in the corporate structure or shares of the Corporation. In any of such events, the Board may determine the adjustments to be made in the number and kind of Shares covered by Stock Options theretofore granted or to be granted and in the option price for said Stock Options.
10. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF PLAN: Subject to the approval of regulatory authorities having jurisdiction, the Board may from time to time amend or revise the terms of the Plan, or may terminate the Plan at any time, provided however that no such action shall, in any manner adversely affect the rights of any optionee under any Stock Option theretofore granted under the Plan without said optionee's prior consent. Upon the mutual consent of the optionee and the Board, the terms of an Option Agreement may be amended, subject to regulatory approval and shareholder approval as may be required from time to time.
11. CORPORATE TRANSACTIONS: In the event of the Shares being exchanged for securities, cash or other property of any other corporation or entity as the result of a reorganization, merger or consolidation in which the Corporation is not the surviving corporation, the dissolution or liquidation of the Corporation, or the sale of all or substantially all the assets of the Corporation, the Board or the board of directors of any successor corporation or entity may, in its discretion and subject to regulatory approval, as to outstanding Stock Options:
- (a) upon written notice to the holders thereof, accelerate the exercise date or dates of such Stock Options;
- (b) provided that the Stock Options have been accelerated pursuant to item (a) above, terminate all such Stock Options prior to consummation of the transaction unless exercised within a prescribed period following written notice to the holders thereof;
- (c) provide for payment of an amount equal to the excess of the Market Price, as determined by the Board or such board of directors of any successor corporation or entity, over the option price of such Shares as of the date of the transaction, in exchange for the surrender of the right to exercise such Stock Options; or
- (d) provide for the assumption of such Stock Options, or the substitution therefor of new Stock Options, by the successor corporation or entity.
12. ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS: Unless an ordinary resolution of disinterested shareholders of the Corporation (being all shareholders of the Corporation other than those who are Related Persons, as defined below) provides otherwise, the number of Stock Options which may be granted under the Plan, together with any other share compensation arrangements of the Corporation, is subject to the following additional restrictions:
- (a) at no time shall the number of Shares reserved for issuance under Stock Options granted to Related Persons (as defined below) exceed 10% of the number of Shares issued and outstanding at that time (the "Outstanding Issue");
-
(b) at no time shall Related Persons be issued, within a twelve-month period, a number of Shares exceeding 10% of the Outstanding Issue;
-
(c) at no time shall the number of Shares reserved for issuance under Stock Options granted to any Related Person and such Related Person's associates exceed 5% of the Outstanding Issue; and
- (d) at no time shall any one Related Person and such Related Person's associates be issued, within a twelve-month period, a number of Shares exceeding 5% of the Outstanding Issue.
Upon resolution of disinterested shareholders permitting the Corporation to exceed the above specified thresholds, the foregoing restrictions shall be of no force or effect to the Plan, and the President of the Corporation shall make note of such resolution below:
The undersigned President of the Corporation, hereby confirms that the disinterested shareholders of the Corporation have passed a resolution permitting the Corporation to exceed the above specified thresholds as of ____________________, _____.
DATED this 16th day of November, 2020.
"Michelle Gahagan" Signature of the President
Michelle Gahagan Print Name
For the purposes of this section 12, a "Related Person" shall mean a director or senior officer of the Corporation or an Affiliated Entity.
13. EFFECTIVE DATE AND DURATION OF PLAN: This Plan shall be effective as at November 16, 2020, subject to shareholder approval to be given by a resolution passed by shareholders of the Corporation at the next annual or special meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation. Any Stock Options granted prior to such shareholder approval and acceptance shall be conditional upon such approval and acceptance being given and no such Stock Options may be exercised until such approval and acceptance is given. The Plan shall remain in full force and effect thereafter from year to year until amended or terminated and for so long thereafter as Stock Options remain outstanding in favour of any optionee.
SCHEDULE "D"
CHANGE OF AUDITOR REPORTING PACKAGE
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TO THE SHAREHOLDERS:
NOTICE OF CHANGE OF AUDITOR
Cellstop Systems Inc. (the "Company") is changing its auditor from Davidson & Company LLP of Suite 1200, 609 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V7Y 1G6, to Manning Elliott LLP, of Suite 1700, 1030 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6E 2Y3. Davidson & Company LLP resigned at the Company's request effective November 15, 2019.
There are no reservations or modified opinions in any auditor's report nor any reportable events as defined in National Instrument 51-102 in connection with the audits by Davidson & Company LLP of the Company's most recently completed fiscal year or any subsequent period.
The resignation of Davidson & Company LLP as auditor and the recommendation to appoint Manning Elliott LLP as successor auditor has been approved by the Company's audit committee and board of directors.
DATED this 25th day of November, 2019
Cellstop Systems Inc.
Per: _"Michelle Gahagan" Chief Executive Officer and Director

November 25, 2019
Attention: Continuous Disclosure
Alberta Securities Commission British Columbia Securities Commission Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan Manitoba Securities Commission Ontario Securities Commission
Dear Sirs/Mesdames:
Re: CellStop Systems Inc. (the "Company")
We have read the Notice of Change of Auditor (the "Notice") of the Company dated November 25, 2019, delivered to us pursuant to Part 4.11 of National Instrument 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations.
In this regard, we confirm that we are in agreement with the statements contained in such Notice, except that we are not in a position to agree or disagree with the Company's statement that there are no reportable events between the Company and Davidson & Company LLP. The confirmation is based on our knowledge of the information as at the date of this letter.
Yours truly,
MANNING ELLIOTT LLP
