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Green Block Mining Corp. — AGM Information 2021
Jun 25, 2021
47735_rns_2021-06-24_f8b0aea9-a534-42e2-8ca9-8de90984baf6.pdf
AGM Information
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NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL AND SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON JULY 22, 2021
AND
INFORMATION CIRCULAR
June 21, 2021
This document requires immediate attention. If you are in doubt as to how to deal with the documents or matters referred to in this notice and information circular, you should immediately contact your advisor.
LINK GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Suite 1430, 800 West Pender Street Vancouver, BC V6C 2V6 Telephone: 877.770.6546
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL AND SPECIAL MEETING
TO THE SHAREHOLDERS:
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual general and special meeting (the “ Meeting ”) of shareholders of Link Global Technologies Inc. (the “ Company ”) will be held via teleconference, on Thursday, July 22, 2021, at the hour of 10:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) for the following purposes:
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(1) to receive the audited financial statements of the Company for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2020, and the accompanying report of the auditors;
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(2) to set the number of directors of the Company at three (3);
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(3) to elect Stephen Jenkins, Kevin Ma and Michael Vogel as directors of the Company;
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(4) to appoint Dale Matheson Carr‐Hilton Labonte LLP as the auditors of the Company for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2021 and to authorize the directors of the Company to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditors for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2021;
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(5) to consider and, if thought fit, to pass an ordinary resolution to ratify, confirm and approve the Company’s Stock Option Plan, as described in the accompanying information circular (the “ Information Circular ”);
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(6) to consider and, if thought fit, to approve an ordinary resolution to ratify, confirm and approve the Company’s long‐term incentive plan as further described in the Information Circular; and
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(7) to transact such further or other business as may properly come before the Meeting and any adjournment or postponement thereof.
The accompanying Information Circular provides additional information relating to the matters to be dealt with at the Meeting and is supplemental to, and expressly made a part of, this notice of Meeting (the “ Notice of Meeting ”).
The board of directors of the Company has fixed June 14, 2021 as the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting and at any adjournment or postponement thereof. Each registered shareholder at the close of business on that date is entitled to such notice and to vote at the Meeting in the circumstances set out in the accompanying Information Circular.
If you are a registered shareholder of the Company and unable to attend the Meeting in person, please vote by proxy by following the instructions provided in the form of proxy at least 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays recognized in the Province of British Columbia) before the time and date of the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
In view of the current and rapidly evolving COVID‐19 outbreak, the Company will not be providing a physical location for shareholders to attend the Meeting in person. As always, the Company encourages shareholders to vote prior to the Meeting. Shareholders are encouraged to vote on the matters before the Meeting by proxy and to join the Meeting by teleconference. To access the Meeting by teleconference, dial 604.900.5482.
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If you are a non‐registered shareholder of the Company and received this Notice of Meeting and accompanying materials through a broker, a financial institution, a participant, or a trustee or administrator of a retirement savings plan, retirement income fund, education savings plan or other similar savings or investment plan registered under the Income Tax Act (Canada), or a nominee of any of the foregoing that holds your securities on your behalf (each, an “ Intermediary ”), please complete and return the materials in accordance with the instructions provided to you by your Intermediary.
DATED at Vancouver, British Columbia, this 21[st] day of June, 2021.
By Order of the Board of Directors of
LINK GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
“Stephen Jenkins” Stephen Jenkins Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
PLEASE VOTE. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT. WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE MEETING BY TELECONFERENCE, PLEASE COMPLETE, SIGN AND DATE THE ENCLOSED FORM OF PROXY AND PROMPTLY RETURN IT IN THE ENVELOPE PROVIDED.
LINK GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
Suite 1430, 800 West Pender Street Vancouver, BC V6C 2V6 Telephone: 877.770.6546
INFORMATION CIRCULAR
June 21, 2021
INTRODUCTION
This information circular (the “ Information Circular ”) accompanies the notice of annual general and special meeting of shareholders (the “ Notice ”) of Link Global Technologies Inc. (the “ Company ”) and is furnished to shareholders (each, a “ Shareholder ”) holding common shares (each, a “ Share ”) of the Company in connection with the solicitation by the management of the Company of proxies to be voted at the annual general and special meeting (the “ Meeting ”) of the Shareholders to be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 22, 2021 via teleconference, or at any adjournment or postponement thereof.
Date and Currency
The date of this Information Circular is June 21, 2021. Unless otherwise stated, all amounts herein are in Canadian dollars.
COVID‐19
In view of the current and rapidly evolving COVID‐19 outbreak, the Company will not be providing a physical location for shareholders to attend the Meeting in person. As always, the Company encourages shareholders to vote prior to the Meeting. Shareholders are encouraged to vote on the matters before the Meeting by proxy and to join the Meeting by teleconference. To access the Meeting by teleconference, dial 604.900.5482.
PROXIES AND VOTING RIGHTS
Management Solicitation
The solicitation of proxies by management of the Company will be conducted by mail and may be supplemented by telephone or other personal contact to be made without special compensation to any of the directors, officers and employees of the Company. The Company does not reimburse Shareholders, nominees or agents for costs incurred in obtaining from their principals authorization to execute forms of proxy, except that the Company has requested brokers and nominees who hold stock in their respective names to furnish this proxy material to their customers who are NOBOs (as defined below), and the Company will reimburse such brokers and nominees for their related out of pocket expenses. No solicitation will be made by specifically engaged employees or soliciting agents. The cost of solicitation will be borne by the Company.
No person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representation other than as contained in this Information Circular in connection with the solicitation of proxies. If given or made, such information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Company. The delivery of this Information Circular shall not create, under any circumstances, any implication that there has been no change in the information set forth herein since the date of this Information Circular. This Information Circular does not constitute the solicitation of a proxy by anyone in any jurisdiction in which such solicitation is not authorized, or in which the person making such solicitation is not qualified to do so, or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such an offer of solicitation.
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Appointment of Proxy
Registered Shareholders are entitled to vote at the Meeting. A Shareholder is entitled to one vote for each common share that such Shareholder holds on the record date of June 14, 2021 on the resolutions to be voted upon at the Meeting, and any other matter to come before the Meeting.
The persons named as proxyholders (the “ Designated Persons ”) in the enclosed form of proxy are directors and/or officers of the Company.
A SHAREHOLDER HAS THE RIGHT TO APPOINT A PERSON OR COMPANY (WHO NEED NOT BE A SHAREHOLDER) OTHER THAN THE DESIGNATED PERSONS NAMED IN THE ENCLOSED FORM OF PROXY TO ATTEND AND ACT FOR OR ON BEHALF OF THAT SHAREHOLDER AT THE MEETING.
A SHAREHOLDER MAY EXERCISE THIS RIGHT BY INSERTING THE NAME OF SUCH OTHER PERSON IN THE BLANK SPACE PROVIDED ON THE FORM OF PROXY. SUCH SHAREHOLDER SHOULD NOTIFY THE NOMINEE OF THE APPOINTMENT, OBTAIN THE NOMINEE’S CONSENT TO ACT AS PROXY AND SHOULD PROVIDE INSTRUCTION TO THE NOMINEE ON HOW THE SHAREHOLDER’S SHARES SHOULD BE VOTED. THE NOMINEE SHOULD BRING PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION TO THE MEETING.
The Shareholder may vote by mail, by telephone or via the Internet by following instructions provided in the form of proxy at least 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays recognized in the Province of British Columbia) prior to the scheduled time of the Meeting, or any adjournment or postponement thereof. The Chairman of the Meeting, in his sole discretion, may accept completed forms of proxy on the day of the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
A proxy may not be valid unless it is dated and signed by the Shareholder who is giving it or by that Shareholder’s attorney‐in‐fact duly authorized by that Shareholder in writing or, in the case of a corporation, dated and executed by a duly authorized officer or attorney‐in‐fact for the corporation. If a form of proxy is executed by an attorney‐in‐ fact for an individual Shareholder or joint Shareholders, or by an officer or attorney‐in‐fact for a corporate Shareholder, the instrument so empowering the officer or attorney‐in‐fact, as the case may be, or a notarially certified copy thereof, must accompany the form of proxy.
Revocation of Proxies
A Shareholder who has given a proxy may revoke it at anytime before it is exercised by an instrument in writing: (a) executed by that Shareholder or by that Shareholder’s attorney‐in‐fact authorized in writing or, where the Shareholder is a corporation, by a duly authorized officer of, or attorney‐in‐fact for, the corporation; and (b) delivered either: (i) to the Company at the address set forth above, at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day of the Meeting or, if adjourned or postponed, any reconvening thereof, (ii) to the Chairman of the Meeting prior to the vote on matters covered by the proxy on the day of the Meeting or, if adjourned or postponed, any reconvening thereof, or (iii) in any other manner provided by law.
Also, a proxy will automatically be revoked by either: (i) attendance at the Meeting and participation in a poll (ballot) by a Shareholder, or (ii) submission of a subsequent proxy in accordance with the foregoing procedures. A revocation of a proxy does not affect any matter on which a vote has been taken prior to any such revocation.
Voting of Shares and Proxies and Exercise of Discretion by Designated Persons
A Shareholder may indicate the manner in which the Designated Persons are to vote with respect to a matter to be voted upon at the Meeting by marking the appropriate space on the proxy. The Shares represented by a proxy will be voted or withheld from voting 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.
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IF NO CHOICE IS SPECIFIED IN THE PROXY WITH RESPECT TO A MATTER TO BE ACTED UPON, THE PROXY CONFERS DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY WITH RESPECT TO THAT MATTER UPON THE DESIGNATED PERSONS NAMED IN THE FORM OF PROXY. IT IS INTENDED THAT THE DESIGNATED PERSONS WILL VOTE THE SHARES REPRESENTED BY THE PROXY IN FAVOUR OF EACH MATTER IDENTIFIED IN THE PROXY.
The enclosed form of proxy confers discretionary authority upon the persons named therein with respect to other matters which may properly come before the Meeting, including any amendments or variations to any matters identified in the Notice. At the date of this Information Circular, management of the Company is not aware of any such amendments, variations or other matters to come before the Meeting.
In the case of abstentions from, or withholding of, the voting of the Shares of a Shareholder on any matter, the Shares that are the subject of the abstention or withholding will be counted for determination of a quorum, but will not be counted as affirmative or negative on the matter to be voted upon.
ADVICE TO BENEFICIAL SHAREHOLDERS
The information set out in this section is of significant importance to those Shareholders who do not hold Shares in their own name. Shareholders who do not hold their Shares in their own name (referred to in this Information Circular as “Beneficial Shareholders”) should note that only proxies deposited by Shareholders whose names appear on the records of the Company as the registered holders of Shares can be recognized and acted upon at the Meeting. If Shares are listed in an account statement provided by a broker, then in almost all cases those Shares will not be registered in the Beneficial Shareholder’s name on the records of the Company. Such Shares will more likely be registered under the names of the Beneficial Shareholder’s broker or an agent of that broker. In the United States, the vast majority of such Shares are registered under the name of Cede & Co. as nominee for The Depository Trust Company (which acts as depositary for many U.S. brokerage firms and custodian banks), and in Canada, under the name of CDS & Co. (the registration name for The Canadian Depository for Securities Limited, which acts as nominee for many Canadian brokerage firms). Beneficial Shareholders should ensure that instructions respecting the voting of their Shares are communicated to the appropriate person well in advance of the Meeting.
The Company does not have access to the names of all Beneficial Shareholders. Applicable regulatory policy requires intermediaries/brokers to seek voting instructions from Beneficial Shareholders in advance of Shareholders’ meetings. Every intermediary/broker has its own mailing procedures and provides its own return instructions to clients, which should be carefully followed by Beneficial Shareholders in order to ensure that their Shares are voted at the Meeting. The form of proxy supplied to a Beneficial Shareholder by his, her or its broker (or the agent of the broker) is similar to the form of proxy provided to registered Shareholders by the Company. However, its purpose is limited to instructing the registered Shareholder (the broker or agent of the broker) how to vote on behalf of the Beneficial Shareholder. The majority of brokers now delegate responsibility for obtaining instructions from clients to Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (“ Broadridge ”) in the United States and in Canada. Broadridge typically prepares a special voting instruction form, mails this form to the Beneficial Shareholders and asks for appropriate instructions regarding the voting of Shares to be voted at the Meeting. If Beneficial Shareholders receive the voting instruction forms from Broadridge, they are requested to complete and return the voting instruction forms to Broadridge by mail or facsimile. Alternatively, Beneficial Shareholders can call a toll‐free number and access Broadridge’s dedicated voting website (each as noted on the voting instruction form) to deliver their voting instructions and to vote the Shares held by them. Broadridge then tabulates the results of all instructions received and provides appropriate instructions respecting the voting of Shares to be represented at the Meeting. A Beneficial Shareholder receiving a Broadridge voting instruction form cannot use that form as a proxy to vote Shares directly at the Meeting – the voting instruction form must be returned to Broadridge well in advance of the Meeting in order to have the applicable Shares voted at the Meeting.
Although a Beneficial Shareholder may not be recognized directly at the Meeting for the purposes of voting Shares registered in the name of his, her or its broker (or agent of the broker), a Beneficial Shareholder may attend at the Meeting as proxyholder for the registered Shareholder and vote the Shares in that capacity. Beneficial
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Shareholders who wish to attend at the Meeting and indirectly vote their Shares as proxyholder for the registered Shareholder should enter their own names in the blank space on the instrument of proxy provided to them and return the same to their broker (or the broker’s agent) in accordance with the instructions provided by such broker (or agent), well in advance of the Meeting.
Alternatively, a Beneficial Shareholder may request in writing that his, her or its broker send to the Beneficial Shareholder a legal proxy which would enable the Beneficial Shareholder to attend at the Meeting and vote his, her or its Shares.
Beneficial Shareholders consist of non‐objecting beneficial owners (each, a “ NOBO ”) and objecting beneficial owners (each, an “ OBO ”). A NOBO is a beneficial owner of securities that has provided instructions to an intermediary holding the securities in an account on behalf of the beneficial owner that the beneficial owner does not object, for that account, to the intermediary disclosing ownership information about the beneficial owner under National Instrument 54‐101 ‐ Communication with Beneficial Owners of Securities of a Reporting Issuer (“ NI 54‐101 ”) of the Canadian Securities Administrators. An OBO means a beneficial owner of securities that has provided instructions to an intermediary holding the securities in an account on behalf of the beneficial owner that the beneficial owner objects, for that account, to the intermediary disclosing ownership information about the beneficial owner under NI 54‐101.
The Company is sending proxy‐related materials directly to NOBOs of the Shares. The Company will not pay for the delivery of proxy‐related materials to OBOs of the Shares under NI 54‐101 and Form 54‐101F7 – Request for Voting Instructions Made by Intermediary . The OBOs of the Shares will not receive the materials unless their intermediary assumes the costs of delivery.
All references to Shareholders in this Information Circular are to registered Shareholders, unless specifically stated otherwise.
VOTING SECURITIES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF VOTING SECURITIES
The Company is authorized to issue an unlimited number of Shares without par value. As of the record date, determined by the board of directors of the Company (the “ Board ”) to be the close of business on June 14, 2021, a total of 52,273,497 Shares were issued and outstanding. Each Share carries the right to one vote at the Meeting.
Only registered Shareholders as of the record date are entitled to receive notice of, and to attend and vote at, the Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Meeting.
To the knowledge of the directors and executive officers of the Company, no person or company beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, or exercises control or direction over, Shares carrying more than 10% of the voting rights attached to the outstanding Shares of the Company.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended November 30, 2020 together with the auditor’s report thereon, will be presented to the Shareholders at the Meeting. The Company’s financial statements and management discussion and analysis are on available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com
NUMBER OF DIRECTORS
At the Meeting, Shareholders will be asked to pass an ordinary resolution to set the number of directors of the Company at three (3). An ordinary resolution needs to be passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by the Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting.
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Management recommends that Shareholders vote for the approval of setting the number of directors of the Company at three (3).
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
At present, the directors of the Company are elected at each annual general meeting and hold office until the next annual general meeting, or until their successors are duly elected or appointed in accordance with the Company’s Articles or until such director’s earlier death, resignation or removal.
The Company’s Articles contain an advance notice provision (the “ Advance Notice Provision ”) of the nomination of directors in certain circumstances. To be timely, the advance notice by the nominating Shareholder (the “Nominating Shareholder” ) must be made:
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(a) in the case of an annual meeting of Shareholders, not less than 30 and not more than 65 days prior to the date of the annual meeting of Shareholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual meeting of Shareholders is to be held on a date that is less than 50 days after the date (the “Notice Date” ) on which the first public announcement of the date of the annual meeting was made, notice by the Nominating Shareholder is to be made not later than the close of business on the 10th day after the Notice Date in respect of such meeting; and
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(b) in the case of a special meeting (which is not also an annual meeting) of Shareholders called for the purpose of electing directors (whether or not called for other purposes), not later than the close of business on the 15th day following the day on which the first public announcement of the date of the special meeting of Shareholders was made.
No nominations of directors for the Meeting by the Nominating Shareholders were received in accordance with the provisions of the Advance Notice Provision.
Management of the Company proposes to nominate all of the current directors of the Company, as set out in the table below, for election by the Shareholders as directors of the Company. Information concerning such persons, as furnished by the individual nominees, is as follows:
| Name, Place of Residence and Position(s) with the Company |
Principal Occupation, Business or Employment for Last Five Years(1) |
Director Since | Number of Shares Owned(1) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Jenkins(2) British Columbia, Canada President, Chief Executive Officer and Director |
Mr. Jenkins is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. He is the founder of Generating Solutions Inc., Partner at Energies Du Futur SA and a Consultant with the District of North Vancouver. |
March 26, 2018 |
1,542,000(4) |
| Kevin Ma(2) British Columbia, Canada Director |
Mr. Ma is a partner and co‐founder at Calibre Capital Corp., a corporate finance and advisory firm. Mr. Ma currently serves as officer and/or director of several publicly listed and private companies under Calibre Capital’sportfolio of clients. |
January 29, 2018 |
910,000(5) |
| Michael Vogel(2) British Columbia, Canada Director |
Mr. Vogel is the original founder of Netcoins Inc. (sold to BIGG Digital Assets Inc.) and currently Chief Executive Officer of Coinstream, a bitcoin company aimed at the U.S. market, offering a streamlined way for Americans to buy cryptocurrencies. Mr. Vogel has been a director of TechX Technologies Inc. since April 14, 2021.Mr. Vogel is also founder and Chief Executive Officer of Encore Ventures, which is involved in the development and incubation/advisory of new start‐ups and technologies in both crypto and tech spaces. |
May 6, 2021 | Nil |
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(1) Information has been furnished by the respective nominees individually.
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(2) Member of the Audit Committee.
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(4) Does not include: (i) 125,000 warrants held directly exercisable into one Share at an exercise price of $1.25 per Share until May 12, 2023, and (ii) 750,000 deferred share units.
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(5) 900,000 of these Shares are held directly and 10,000 Shares are held indirectly by KGSK Capital Management Corp., a company wholly owned by Kevin Ma. Does not include 600,000 deferred share units.
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(6) These shares are held indirectly by Encore Ventures Inc., a company wholly owned by Michael Vogel. Does not include: (i) 250,000 stock options held indirectly through Encore Ventures Inc. exercisable into one Share at an exercise price of $0.78 per Share until May 12, 2026 and (ii) 18,750 warrants held directly exercisable into one Share at an exercise price of $1.25 per Share until May 12, 2023.
Management does not contemplate that any of its nominees will be unable to serve as directors. If any vacancies occur in the slate of nominees listed above before the Meeting, then the Designated Persons intend to exercise discretionary authority to vote the Shares represented by proxies for the election of any other persons as directors.
Management recommends that Shareholders vote for the election of each of the nominees listed above as a director of the Company.
Orders
Other than disclosed below, to the best of management’s knowledge, no proposed director of the Company is, or within the ten (10) years before the date of this Information Circular has been, a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of any company that:
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(a) was subject to a cease trade order, an order similar to a cease trade 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 while the proposed director was acting in the capacity as director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer; or
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(b) was subject to a cease trade order, an order similar to a cease trade 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, chief executive officer or chief financial officer and which resulted from an event that occurred while that person was acting in the capacity as director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer.
The British Columbia Securities Commission, as principal regulator, issued a management cease‐trade order (the " MCTC ") against Chakana Copper Corp. (" Chakana ") on October 1, 2019 in connection with the late filing of Chakana's annual financial statements, management's discussion and analysis and officer's certification for the year ended May 31, 2019. The MCTO was revoked on November 19, 2019 in connection with the completion of the annual filings. Mr. Kevin Ma was the Chief Financial Officer at the time of the issuance of the MCTO.
Bankruptcies
To the best of management’s knowledge, no proposed director of the Company is, or within ten (10) years before the date of this Information Circular, has been, a director or an executive officer of any company that, while the person was acting in that capacity, or within a year of that person ceasing to act in the 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 made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcies or insolvency.
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Penalties and Sanctions
To the best of management’s knowledge, no proposed director of the Company has been subject to: (a) 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 (b) 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.
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);
“ 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 $150,000, as determined in accordance with subsection 1.3(5) of Form 51‐102F6V, for that financial year, and
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(d) each individual who would be a NEO under paragraph (c) but for the fact that the individual was neither an executive officer of the Company or its subsidiaries (if any), nor acting in a similar capacity, at the end of that financial year;
“ plan ” includes any plan, contract, authorization or arrangement, whether or not set out in any formal document, where cash, compensation securities or any other property may be received, whether for one or more persons; and
“ underlying securities ” means any securities issuable on conversion, exchange or exercise of compensation securities.
Director and Named Executive Officer Compensation, Excluding Compensation Securities
The following table sets forth all direct and indirect compensation paid, payable, awarded, granted, given or otherwise provided, directly or indirectly, by the Company or any subsidiary thereof to each NEO and each director of the Company, in any capacity, including, for greater certainty, all plan and non‐plan compensation, direct and indirect pay, remuneration, economic or financial award, reward, benefit, gift or perquisite paid, payable, awarded, granted, given or otherwise provided to the NEO or director for services provided and for services to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the Company or any subsidiary thereof for each of the two most recently completed financial years, other than stock options and other compensation securities:
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| Name and Position |
Year | Salary, Consulting Fee, Retainer or Commission($) |
Bonus ($) |
Committee or Meeting Fees ($) |
Value of Perquisites(1) ($) |
Value of All Other Compensation ($) |
Total Compensation ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Jenkins(2) President, CEO and Director |
2020 2019 |
105,235 76,025 |
26,030 Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
131,265 76,025 |
| Emmery Wang(3) CFO and Corporate _Secretary _ |
2020 2019 |
47,598 N/A |
7,437 N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
55,035 N/A |
| Everhard Johan Looman(4) Chief Technology Officer |
2020 2019 |
23,390 Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
23,390 Nil |
| Michael Schader(5) Vice President, Technology of the Company |
2020 2019 |
37,575 Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
37,575 Nil |
| Alex Tong(6) Former CFO |
2020 2019 |
Nil 56,792 |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil 56,792 |
| Alexis Stewart(7) Former Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Secretary |
2020 2019 |
18,593 1,880 |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
18,593 1,880 |
| Kevin Ma(8) Director |
2020 2019 |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
| Bijan Alizadeh(9) Former Director |
2020 2019 |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
| Munaf Ali(10) Former Director |
2020 2019 |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
Nil N/A |
| Robert Pirooz(11) Former Director |
2020 2019 |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
Nil Nil |
(1) “Perquisites” include perquisites provided to a NEO or director that are not generally available to all employees and that, in aggregate, are: (a) $15,000, if the NEO or director’s total salary for the financial year is $150,000 or less, (b) 10% of the NEO or director’s salary for the financial year if the NEO or director’s total salary for the financial year is greater than $150,000 but less than $500,000, or (c) $50,000 if the NEO or director’s total salary for the financial year is $500,000 or greater.
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(2) Stephen Jenkins has been the president of the Company since April 24, 2018 and the CEO of the Company since November 25, 2019.
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(3) Emmery Wang has been the CFO of the Company since December 1, 2019 and the Corporate Secretary of the Company since September 6, 2020.
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(4) Everhard Johan Looman has been the Chief Technology Officer of the Company since October 12, 2018.
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(5) Michael Shader has been the Vice President, Technology of the Company since November 25, 2019.
-
(6) Alex Tong was the CFO of the Company from September 10, 2018 to December 1, 2019.
-
(7) Alexis Stewart was the Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Secretary of the Company from November 25, 2019 to September 6, 2020.
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(8) Kevin Ma has been a director of the Company since January 29, 2018.
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(9) Bijan Alizadeh was a director of the Company from September 6, 2020 to May 5, 2021.
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(10) Munaf Ali was a director of the Company from September 6, 2020 to May 5, 2021.
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- (11) Robert Pirooz was a director of the Company from October 4, 2018 to September 6, 2020.
Stock Options and Other Compensation Securities
The following table sets out all compensation securities granted or issued to each director and NEO by the Company or any subsidiary thereof in the year ended November 30, 2020 for services provided, or to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the Company or any subsidiary thereof:
| Name and Position |
Type of Compensation Security |
Number of Compensation Securities/Number of Underlying Securities /Percentage of Class |
Date of Issue or Grant |
Issue, Conversion or Exercise Price ($) |
Closing Price of Security or Underlying Security on Date of Grant |
Closing Price of Security or Underlying Security at Year End |
Expiry Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Jenkins(2) President, CEO and Director |
Stock Options | Nil | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Emmery Wang(3) CFO and Corporate _Secretary _ |
Stock Options | 75,000 / 75,000 / 1.72% |
May 19, 2020 |
$0.35 | $0.35 | $0.50 | May 19, 2025 |
| Everhard Johan Looman Chief Technology Officer |
Stock Options | Nil | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Michael Schader Vice President, Technology of the Company |
Stock Options | 200,000 / 200,000 / 4.58% |
May 19, 2020 |
$0.35 | $0.35 | $0.50 | May 19, 2025 |
| Alex Tong Former CFO |
Stock Options | Nil | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Alexis Stewart Former Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Secretary |
Stock Options | Nil | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Kevin Ma Director |
Stock Options | Nil | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Bijan Alizadeh Former Director |
Stock Options | 750,000 / 750,000 / 17.18% |
September 9,2020 |
$0.42 | $0.48 | $0.50 | September 9, 2025 |
| Deferred Share Units |
500,000 / 500,000 / 50% |
September 9,2020 |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Munaf Ali Former Director |
Stock Options | 750,000 / 750,000 / 17.18% |
September 9,2020 |
$0.42 | $0.48 | $0.50 | September 9, 2025 |
| Deferred Share Units |
500,000 / 500,000 / 50% |
September 9,2020 |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Robert Pirooz Former Director |
Stock Options | Nil | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
As at November 30, 2020:
‐ 10 ‐
-
(a) Stephen Jenkins, the President, CEO and a director of the Company, did not own any compensation securities, comprised solely of stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.10 per common share until October 12, 2021;
-
(b) Emmery Wang, CFO and Corporate of the Company, owned an aggregate of 75,000 compensation securities, comprised solely of stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.35 per common share until May 19, 2025;
-
(c) Everhard Johan Looman, the Chief Technology Officer of the Company, owned an aggregate of 200,000 compensation securities, comprised solely of stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.10 per common share until October 12, 2021;
-
(d) Michael Shader, Vice President, Technology of the Company, owned an aggregate of 200,000 compensation securities, comprised solely of stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.35 per common share until May 19, 2025;
-
(e) Alex Tong, the former CFO of the Company, owned an aggregate of 200,000 compensation securities, comprised solely of stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.10 per common share until October 12, 2021;
-
(f) Alexis Stewart, the former Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Corporate Secretary of the Company, did not own any compensation securities;
-
(g) Kevin Ma, a director of the Company, owned an aggregate of 400,000 compensation securities, comprised solely of stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.10 per common share until October 12, 2021;
-
(h) Bijan Alizadeh, a former director of the Company, owned an aggregate of 1,250,000 compensation securities, comprised of 750,000 stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.42 per common share until September 17, 2025 and 500,000 deferred share units;
-
(i) Munaf Ali, a former director of the Company, owned an aggregate of 1,250,000 compensation securities, comprised of 750,000 stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.42 per common share until September 17, 2025 and 500,000 deferred share units; and
-
(j) Robert Pirooz, a former director of the Company, owned an aggregate of 1,000,000 compensation securities, comprised solely of stock options, each of which is exercisable into one common share exercisable at a price of $0.10 per common share until October 12, 2021.
All of the stock options and deferred share units set out above vest immediately.
Exercise of Compensation Securities by Directors and NEOs
No compensation securities were exercised by an NEO or director of the Company during the year ended November 30, 2020.
Stock Option Plans and Other Incentive Plans
The Board adopted an incentive stock option plan on September 17, 2018 (the “ Stock Option Plan ”), whereby it can grant stock options to directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. Unless authorized by the shareholders of the Company in accordance with applicable securities laws, the number of common shares that may be reserved for issuance under the Stock Option Plan, together with all of the Company’s other compensation
‐ 11 ‐
or incentive mechanisms involving the issuance or potential issuance of common shares, is subject to the restrictions imposed under applicable securities laws.
A copy of the Stock Option Plan is attached as Schedule “B” to the Information Circular.
As of the date hereof, the Company has granted 3,136,710 stock options to its directors, officers, employees and consultants. Stock options may be granted under the Stock Option Plan to such directors, officers, employees, or consultants of the Company and its affiliates, if any, as the Board may from time to time designate. See “Particulars of Matters to be Acted Upon – Approval of Stock Option Plan” for further details.
On September 9, 2020, the Board adopted a long term incentive plan (the “ LTIP ”) for the purposes of attracting, retaining and motivating key individuals. A total of 3,623,922 Shares are issuable under the LTIP. The LTIP provides for the grant of restricted share units, performance share units and deferred share units (collectively, an “ Award ”) to directors, key employees and consultants. To date, 3,400,000 Awards have been granted under the LTIP. See “Particulars of Matters to be Acted Upon – Approval of Long Term Incentive Plan” for further details.
The Company does not have any other incentive plans other than its Stock Option Plan and its LTIP.
Employment, Consulting and Management Agreements
Other than disclosed below, the Company has not entered into written employment or consulting agreements with any of its executive officers.
On November 30, 2019, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Alex Tong (the “ Tong Agreement ”), former CFO of the Company, pursuant to Mr. Tong’s agreement to provide certain financial and accounting services to the Company in consideration for a continuation of 200,000 incentive stock options previously granted to Mr. Tong when he was CFO. The Tong Agreement will expire July 12, 2021, unless earlier terminated on 30 days written notice (i) by Mr. Tong at his discretion or (b) by the Company in the event of a material, uncured breach by Mr. Tong of the Tong Agreement.
On December 1, 2019, the Company entered into a consulting agreement with Emmery Wang, pursuant to Ms. Wang’s agreement to provide certain services to the Company in the capacity of CFO in consideration for a monthly fee of C$7,000 for services rendered. The consulting period continues to May 31, 2020, and is renewable for consecutive terms upon agreement between Ms. Wang and the Company.
The Company entered into a CEO Employment Agreement with Stephen Jenkins effective January 1, 2020 (the “ Jenkins Agreement ”), with regard to his services as Chief Executive Officer of the Company, for an initial two year term that is automatically extended for successive one‐year periods unless either party gives four‐months’ notice not to renew prior to the current term’s end. Pursuant to the Jenkins Agreement, the Company has agreed to pay Mr. Jenkins a base salary of C$120,000 per annum until June 1, 2020, at which time his salary will increase to C$156,000 per annum, and up to C$1,500 per month for office/administrative expenses and C$1,000 per month as a vehicle allowance. The Jenkins Agreement may be terminated by the Company for cause without notice or without cause subject to the following payment obligations. Where termination of employment is made without cause, or Mr. Jenkins terminates his employment for good reason, the Company will pay to Mr. Jenkins: (i) if such without cause termination occurs before the first anniversary of the effective date of the Jenkins Agreement, an amount equal to two months’ base salary; or (ii) if such without cause termination occurs after the first anniversary of the effective date of the Jenkins Agreement, an amount equal to six months’ base salary plus 1 additional month’s salary per year of service by Mr. Jenkins as CEO of the Company, to a maximum of twenty months. On a defined change of control event, if, within six months following the event, Mr. Jenkins terminates his services for good reason or the Company terminates Mr. Jenkins employment without cause, then Mr. Jenkins will be entitled to be paid by the Company an amount equal to 200% of his annual base salary at the time of the event, and the vesting of all outstanding stock options or other equity‐based awards held by Mr. Jenkins at the time will automatically accelerate and any outstanding stock options and equity‐based awards held by Mr. Jenkins shall
‐ 12 ‐
continue to be exercisable for six months following the date of termination of employment. The Jenkins Agreement contains non‐disclosure and non‐solicitation provisions typical of an agreement of its nature.
Oversight and Description of Director and NEO Compensation
Philosophy
The objectives of the Company’s compensation policies and procedures are to align the interests of the Company’s directors and NEOs with the interests of the shareholders of the Company. The Company intends to rely on Board discussion without a formal agenda for objectives, criteria and analysis, when determining compensation for the Company’s directors and NEOs. Compensation is not tied to performance criteria or goals such as milestones, agreements, or transactions, and the Company does not use a “peer group” to determine compensation.
At present the Board does not have a compensation committee or a nominating committee. As such, all tasks related to developing and monitoring the Company’s approach with respect to the compensation of the directors and officers of the Company and to developing and monitoring the Company’s approach to the nomination of directors to the Board are performed by the members of the Board. Compensation for the Company’s directors and NEOs is reviewed, recommended and approved by the Board as a whole, including the independent directors. The Company may form a compensation committee which will oversee compensation.
Elements of Executive Compensation
The Company’s executive compensation program currently consists of the following elements: (i) base salary or consulting fees; (ii) bonus payments; and (iii) long‐term incentives in the form of participation in the Stock Option Plan. The Board reviews the compensation of NEOs and will make adjustments, if appropriate, to ensure the compensation of NEOs is commensurate with the services they provide.
Base Salary or Consulting Fees
The Board considers the following factors when determining an NEO’s Base salary or consulting fees:
-
(a) particular responsibilities related to the position;
-
(b) the experience level of the NEO;
-
(c) the amount of time and commitment the NEO devotes to the Company; and
-
(d) the NEO’s overall performance and performance in relation to the achievement of corporate objectives.
The Company did not grant any salary raises to a NEO in the most recent financial year ended November 30, 2020.
Bonus Payments
The Board exercises discretion as to whether and when a bonus payment to a NEO is made. The amount paid is based on the Board’s assessment of the Company’s performance and meeting of corporate objectives. Factors considered in determining bonus amounts include individual performance, financial criteria (such as cash management and share price performance) and operational criteria (such as deployment of crypto mining machines and procurement of low cost power for such activities).
The Company awarded a bonus to its President and CEO in the amount of C$35,000 in March 2020 in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the success of the Company during the previous year.
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Equity Participation
The Company currently offers equity participation in the Company through its Stock Option Plan.
Director Compensation
To date, the Company has not paid to its directors any fees or other of monetary compensation relating to the services rendered and duties assumed in relation to their positions on the Board. Any remuneration to the Company’s directors has generally been limited to the grant of stock options.
Compensation Risk Assessment and Mitigation
The Board has not considered the implications of the risks associated with the Company’s compensation policies and practices; however, the Company does not currently believe there are any risks arising from compensation policies and practices that are reasonably likely to have an adverse effect on the Company.
The Company has not adopted a policy forbidding directors or officers from purchasing financial instruments designed to hedge or offset a decrease in market value of the Company’s securities granted as compensation or held, directly or indirectly, by directors or officers. The Company is not, however, aware of any of its directors or officers having entered into this type of transaction.
Recent Significant Changes to the Company’s Compensation Policies
There have been no significant changes to the Company’s compensation policies during the financial year ended November 30, 2020 that could or will have an effect on director or NEO compensation.
Pension Plan Benefits
The Company does not have any pension plans that provide for payments or benefits to the NEOs at, following, or in connection with retirement, including any defined benefits plan or any defined contribution plan. The Company does not have a deferred compensation plan with respect to any NEO.
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
The following table sets forth details of the Stock Option Plan and the LTIP, being the Company’s only equity compensation plans, as of November 30, 2020.
| Plan Category | Number of shares to be issued upon exercise of outstanding securities (1) |
Weighted‐average exercise price of outstanding securities |
Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column(a)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity compensation plans approved by Shareholders |
Nil | N/A | Nil |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by Shareholders |
4,365,378 stock options | $0.25 | N/A |
| 1,000,000 deferred share units |
$0.40 | 2,623,922 | |
| Total | 4,365,378 stock options |
$0.25 | N/A |
| 1,000,000 deferred share units |
$0.40 | 2,623,922 |
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- (1) The Company does not have any warrants or rights outstanding under any equity compensation plans.
APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR
At the Meeting, Shareholders will be asked to pass an ordinary resolution to appoint Dale Matheson Carr‐Hilton Labonte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as auditors of the Company for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2021, and to authorize the directors of the Company to fix the remuneration to be to be paid to the auditors for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2021. An ordinary resolution needs to be passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by the Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting. Dale Matheson Carr‐Hilton Labonte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, has always been the auditor of the Company.
Management recommends that Shareholders vote for the appointment of Dale Matheson Carr‐Hilton LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants as the Company’s auditors for the Company’s fiscal year ending November 30, 2021 and the authorization of the directors of the Company to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditors for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2021.
AUDIT COMMITTEE DISCLOSURE
Under National Instrument 52‐110 – Audit Committees (“ NI 52‐110 ”), a reporting issuer is required to provide disclosure annually with respect to its audit committee, including the text of its audit committee charter, information regarding composition of the audit committee, and information regarding fees paid to its external auditor. The Company provides the following disclosure with respect to its audit committee (the “ Audit Committee ”):
The Audit Committee Charter
The full text of the Company’s audit committee charter (the “ Audit Committee Charter ”) is attached as Schedule “A” to the Information Circular.
Composition of the Audit Committee
The following are the members of the Audit Committee as at the date hereof:
| Audit Committee Members | ||
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Jenkins | Not Independent(1) | Financially Literate(2) |
| Kevin Ma | Not Independent(1) | Financially Literate(2) |
| Michael Vogel | Independent(1) | Financially Literate(2) |
(1) A member of an audit committee is independent if the member has no direct or indirect material relationship with the Company, which could, in the view of the Board, reasonably interfere with the exercise of a member’s independent judgment. Under NI 52‐110, an individual who is, or has been within the last three years, an employee or executive officer of the issuer, is considered to have a material relationship with the issuer. Stephen Jenkins is considered not independent because of his position as President and CEO of the Company and Kevin Ma is considered not independent because of his having held the position of Treasurer between January 29, 2018 and October 12, 2018.
(2) An individual is financially literate if he has the ability to read and understand a set of financial statements that present a breadth of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of the issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the Company’s financial statements.
The Audit Committee is responsible for review of both interim and annual financial statements for the Company. For the purposes of performing their duties, the members of the Audit Committee have the right, at all times, to inspect all the books and financial records of the Company and any subsidiaries and to discuss with management and the external auditors of the Company any accounts, records and matters relating to the financial statements of
‐ 15 ‐
the Company. The Audit Committee members meet periodically with management and annually with the external auditors.
Relevant Education and Experience
The following sets out the education and experience of each Audit Committee member that is relevant to the performance of their responsibilities as an Audit Committee member and that provides each member with: (i) an understanding of the accounting principles used by the Company to prepare its financial statements; (ii) the ability to assess the general application of such accounting principles in connection with the accounting for estimates, accruals and provisions, (iii) 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 (iv) an understanding of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting:
Stephen Jenkins
Mr. Jenkins is the President and CEO of the Company. He is an entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience. He holds a Master’s Degree from Royal Roads University. From May 2011 to November 2016, he served as a director of Remington Resources Inc., a company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Mr. Jenkin’s experience has provided him with an understanding of financial reporting requirements respecting financial statements sufficient enough to enable him to discharge his duties as a member of the Audit Committee.
Kevin Ma
Mr. Ma, a CPA, CA, is currently a partner and co‐founder of Calibre Capital Corp., and has over 15 years of financial management and public company experience. Mr. Ma holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma in Accounting from the University of British Columbia. Mr. Ma currently serves on the board of directors of several publicly listed companies. See “Corporate Governance – Directorships” below. Mr. Ma’s education and experience has provided him with an understanding of financial reporting requirements respecting financial statements sufficient enough to enable him to discharge his duties as a member of the Audit Committee.
Michael Vogel
Mr. Vogel is the original founder of Netcoins Inc. (sold to BIGG Digital Assets Inc.) and currently CEO of Coinstream, a bitcoin company aimed at the U.S. market, offering a streamlined way for Americans to buy cryptocurrencies. Mr. Vogel has been a director of TechX Technologies Inc. since April 14, 2021. Mr. Vogel is also founder and CEO of Encore Ventures, which is involved in the development and incubation/advisory of new start‐ups and technologies in both crypto and tech spaces. Mr. Vogel's specialty is fast‐growing start‐ups in disruptive sectors ‐‐ taking new ideas and products from concept to market to scale, something he has done multiple times in building several multi‐million‐dollar start‐ups, through which he has gained an understanding of financial reporting requirements respecting financial statements sufficient enough to enable him to discharge his duties as a member of the Audit Committee.
Each member of the Audit Committee has:
-
an understanding of the accounting principles used by the Company to prepare its financial statements, and the ability to assess the general application of those principles in connection with estimates, accruals and reserves;
-
experience with 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
‐ 16 ‐
that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the Company’s financial statements, or experience actively supervising individuals engaged in such activities; and
- an understanding of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting.
Audit Committee Oversight
Since the commencement of the Company’s most recently completed financial year, the Board has not failed to adopt a recommendation of the Audit Committee to nominate or compensate an external auditor.
Reliance on Certain Exemptions
Since the commencement of the Company’s most recently completed financial year, the Company has not relied on the exemptions in sections 2.4, 6.1.1(4), 6.1.1(5), 6.1.1(6) or Part 8 of NI 52‐110. Section 2.4 (De Minimis Non‐ Audit Services) 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 financial year in which the non‐audit services were provided. Sections 6.1.1(4) ( Circumstance Affecting the Business or Operations of the Venture Issuer ), 6.1.1(5) ( Events Outside Control of Member ) and 6.1.1(6) ( Death, Incapacity or Resignation ) provide exemptions from the requirement that a majority of the members of the Company’s Audit Committee must not be executive officers, employees or control persons of the Company or of an affiliate of the Company. Part 8 (Exemptions) permits a company to apply to a securities regulatory authority or regulator for an exemption from the requirements of NI 52‐110 in whole or in part.
Pre‐Approval Policies and Procedures
Formal policies and procedures for the engagement of non‐audit services have yet to be formulated and adopted. Subject to the requirements of NI 52‐110, the engagement of non‐audit services is considered by, as applicable, the Board and the Audit Committee, on a case‐by‐case basis.
External Auditor Service Fees
The aggregate fees billed by the Company’s external auditor in the last two fiscal years, by category, are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31 | Audit Fees(1) | Audit Related Fees(2) | Tax Fees(3) | All Other Fees(4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $96,159 | Nil | $2,100 | Nil |
| 2019 | $80,976 | $7,000 | $1,950 | Nil |
(1) “ Audit Fees ” include fees necessary to perform the annual audit and quarterly reviews of our financial statements. Audit Fees include fees for review of tax provisions and for accounting consultations on matters reflected in the financial statements. Audit Fees also include audit or other attest services required by legislation or regulation, such as comfort letters, consents, reviews of securities filings and statutory audits.
(2) “ Audit‐Related Fees ” for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Company’s financial statements and are not reported as audit fees. The services provided in this category include due diligence assistance, accounting consultations on proposed transactions, and consultation on International Financial Reporting Standards conversion.
(3) “ Tax Fees ” include fees for all tax services other than those included in “Audit Fees” and “Audit‐Related Fees”. This category includes fees for tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice.
(4) “ All Other Fees ” includes all fees other than those reported as Audit Fees, Audit‐Related Fees or Tax Fees.
‐ 17 ‐
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.
INDEBTEDNESS OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
No current or former director, executive officer, proposed nominee for election to the Board, or associate of such persons is, or at any time since the beginning of the Company’s most recently completed financial year has been, indebted to the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
No indebtedness of current or former director, executive officer, proposed nominee for election to the Board, or associate of such person 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 any of its subsidiaries.
INTEREST OF INFORMED PERSONS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
Except as otherwise disclosed herein, no: (a) director, proposed director or executive officer of the Company; (b) person or company who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, Shares or who exercises control or direction of Shares, or a combination of both, carrying more than ten percent of the voting rights attached to the Shares outstanding (each, an “ Insider ”); (c) director or executive officer of an Insider; or (d) associate or affiliate of any of the directors, executive officers or Insiders, 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 has materially affected or would materially affect the Company, except with an interest arising from the ownership of Shares where such person or company will receive no extra or special benefit or advantage not shared on a pro rata basis by all holders of the same class of Shares.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS
There were no management functions of the Company, which were, to any substantial degree, performed by a person other than the directors or executive officers of the Company, except as otherwise described in this Information Circular.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to National Instrument 58‐101 – Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices , the Company is required to disclose its corporate governance practices as follows:
Board of Directors
The Board facilitates its exercise of independent supervision over the Company’s management through frequent meetings of the Board.
Michael Vogel is “independent” in that he is 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 with the best interests of the Company, other than the interests and relationships arising from being shareholders of the Company. Stephen Jenkins is the CEO and President of the Company and is therefore not independent. Kevin Ma is considered not independent because of his having held the position of Treasurer between January 29, 2018 and October 12, 2018.
‐ 18 ‐
Directorships
Certain directors of the Company are currently also directors of other reporting issuers, as described in the table below:
| Name of Director of the Company | Names of Other Reporting Issuers |
|---|---|
| Kevin Ma | Carl Data Solutions Inc. – Canadian Securities Exchange Netcoins Holdings Inc. – Canadian Securities Exchange Kalo Gold Holdings Corp. – TSX Venture Exchange Black Shield Metals Corp. – Canadian Securities Exchange |
| Michael Vogel | TechX Technologies Inc. – Canadian Securities Exchange Netcoins Holdings Inc. – Canadian Securities Exchange |
Orientation and Continuing Education
The Board provides an overview of the Company’s business activities, systems and business plan to all new directors. New directors have access to the Company’s records and management in order to conduct their own due diligence and are briefed on the strategic plans, short, medium and long term corporate objectives, business risks and mitigation strategies, corporate governance guidelines, and existing policies of the Company. The directors are encouraged to update their skills and knowledge by taking courses and attending professional seminars.
Ethical Business Conduct
The Board believes good corporate governance is an integral component to the success of the Company and to meet responsibilities to Shareholders. Generally, the Board has found that the fiduciary duties placed on individual directors by the Company’s governing corporate legislation and the common law, and the restrictions placed by applicable corporate legislation on an 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 interest of the Company.
The Board is also responsible for applying governance principles and practices, tracking development in corporate governance, and adapting “best practices” to suit the needs of the Company. Certain of the directors of the Company may also be directors and officers of other companies, and conflicts of interest may arise between their duties. Such conflicts must be disclosed in accordance with, and are subject to such other procedures and remedies as applicable under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia).
Nomination of Directors
The Board has not formed a nominating committee or similar committee to assist the Board with the nomination of directors for the Company. The Board considers itself too small to warrant creation of such a committee; however each of the directors has contacts he can draw upon to identify new members of the Board as needed from time to time.
The Board will continually assess its size, structure and composition, taking into consideration its current strengths, skills and experience, proposed retirements and the requirements and strategic direction of the Company. As required, directors will recommend suitable candidates for consideration as members of the Board.
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Compensation
The Board reviews the compensation of its directors and executive officers annually. The directors will determine compensation of directors and executive officers taking into account the Company’s business ventures and the Company’s financial position. See “ Executive Compensation ”.
Other Board Committees
The Board has no other committees other than the Audit Committee.
Assessments
The Board of Directors has not implemented a process for assessing its effectiveness. As a result of the Company’s small size and the Company’s stage of development, the Board considers a formal assessment process to be inappropriate at this time. The Board plans to continue evaluating its own effectiveness on an ad hoc basis.
The Board does not formally assess the performance or contribution of individual Board members or committee members.
INTEREST OF CERTAIN PERSONS OR COMPANIES IN MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
Except as disclosed elsewhere in this Information Circular, no director or executive officer of the Company who was a director or executive officer since the beginning of the Company’s last financial year, no proposed nominee for election as a director of the Company, nor any associate or affiliates of any such directors, officers or nominees, has any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of Shares or other securities in the Company or otherwise, in any matter to be acted upon at the Meeting, other than the election of directors, the grant of stock options which may be granted to such persons under the Stock Option Plan and the grant of awards which may be granted to such persons upon the approval of the Company’s long‐term incentive plan (the “ LTIP ”), as further discussed below.
Directors, executive officers, proposed nominees for election as director of the Company may be interested in the approval of the Stock Option Plan, pursuant to which they may be options. See “ Particulars of Matters to be Acted Upon – Approval of Stock Option Plan ”, below, for more information.
Directors, executive officers, proposed nominees for election as director of the Company may be interested in the approval of the LTIP, pursuant to which they may be granted awards. See “ Particulars of Matters to be Acted Upon – Approval of Long‐Term Incentive Plan ”, below, for more information.
PARTICULARS OF MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
Approval of Stock Option Plan
The Company is seeking Shareholder approval of the Stock Option Plan at the Meeting. Although Shareholder approval of the Stock Option Plan is not required pursuant to the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange (the “ Exchange ”), the Board wishes to obtain maximum flexibility with respect to the granting of stock options under the Stock Option Plan.
National Instrument 45‐106 Prospectus Exemptions (“ NI 45‐106 ”) provides exemptions from the requirement to prepare and file a prospectus in connection with a distribution of securities. As the Company is listed on the Exchange, the Company is classified as an “unlisted reporting issuer” for purposes of the exemption provided in Section 2.24 of NI 45‐106 for distributions of securities to employees, executive officers, directors and consultants of the Company (the “ Exemption ”). NI 45‐106 restricts the use of the Exemption by “unlisted reporting issuers” such as the Company unless the Company obtains Shareholder approval. Specifically, NI 45‐106 provides that the
‐ 20 ‐
Exemption does not apply to a distribution to an employee or consultant of the “unlisted reporting issuer” who is an investor relations person of the issuer, an associated consultant of the issuer, an executive officer of the issuer, a director of the issuer, or a permitted assign of those persons if, after the distribution,
-
(a) the number of securities, calculated on a fully diluted basis, reserved for issuance under options granted to
-
(i) related persons, exceeds 10% of the outstanding securities of the issuer, or
-
(ii) a related person, exceeds 5% of the outstanding securities of the issuer, or
-
(b) the number of securities, calculated on a fully diluted basis, issued within 12 months to
-
(i) related persons, exceeds 10% of the outstanding securities of the issuer, or
-
(ii) a related person and the associates of the related person, exceeds 5% of the outstanding securities of the issuer.
The term “related person” is defined in NI 45‐106 and generally refers to a director or executive officer of the issuer or of a related entity of the issuer, an associate of a director or executive officer of the issuer or of a related entity of the issuer, or a permitted assign of a director or executive officer of the issuer or of a related entity of the issuer. The term “permitted assign” includes a spouse of the person.
In accordance with the requirements of NI 45‐106, the Board wishes to provide the following information with respect to the Stock Option Plan so that the Shareholders may form a reasoned judgment concerning the Stock Option Plan.
The purpose of the Stock Option Plan is to advance the interests of the Company by encouraging the directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company to acquire Shares thereby increasing their proprietary interest in the Company, encouraging them to remain associated with the Company and furnishing them with additional incentive in their efforts on behalf of the Company in the conduct of its affairs.
Under the Stock Option Plan, the aggregate number of optioned shares that may be issued, together with all of the Company’s other compensation or incentive mechanisms involving the issuance or potential issuance of Shares, is subject to the restrictions imposed under applicable securities laws.
The Board has the discretion to grant options pursuant to the terms of the Stock Option Plan. Options may be granted to eligible persons, being: directors, executive officers, employees or consultants.
Pursuant to the Stock Option Plan, the exercise price at the time each option is granted, is subject to the following conditions: (a) if the Shares are listed on a stock exchange, then the exercise price for the options granted will not be less than the minimum prevailing price permitted by such stock exchange; (b) if the Shares are not listed, posted and trading on any stock exchange or quoted on any quotation system, then the exercise price for the options granted will be determined by the Board at the time of granting; and (c) in all other cases, the exercise price shall be determined in accordance with the applicable securities laws and policies of any applicable stock exchange.
The Board shall establish the expiry date for each option at the time such option is granted, subject to the following conditions: (a) the option will expire upon the occurrence of any termination event set out in the Stock Option Plan; and (b) the expiry date cannot be longer than the maximum exercise period as determined by the applicable securities laws and policies of any applicable stock exchange.
All options granted under the Stock Option Plan are non‐transferable and non‐assignable.
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Options will expire immediately upon the optionee leaving his or her employment/office except that:
-
(a) in the case of death of an optionee, any vested options held by the deceased at the date of death will become exercisable by the optionee’s estate until the earlier of one year after the date of death and the date of expiration of the term otherwise applicable to such option;
-
(b) options granted to an optionee may be exercised in whole or in part by the optionee for a period of 30 days after the optionee ceases to be employed/provide services but only to the extent that such optionee was vested in the option at the date the optionee ceased to be employed/provide services; and
-
(c) in the case of an optionee dismissed from employment/service for cause, such options, whether vested or not, will immediately terminate without right to exercise same.
The Company must obtain approval of the Shareholders other than votes attaching to securities beneficially owned by related persons to whom securities may be issued as compensation or under that plan.
As of the date of this Information Circular, to the Company’s knowledge, a total of 2,452,000 Shares are held by officers and directors of the Company and will not be included for the purpose of determining whether Shareholder approval of the Stock Option Plan has been obtained.
A copy of the Stock Option Plan is attached as Schedule “B” to this Information Circular. A copy of the Stock Option Plan is also available free of charge at the office of the Company, Suite 1430, 800 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2V6, during normal business hours up to and including the date of the Meeting.
Approval of Stock Option Plan
The Board is requesting that Shareholders affirm, ratify and approve the Stock Option Plan. Accordingly, at the Meeting, disinterested Shareholders will be asked to approve the following ordinary resolution (the “ Plan Resolution ”), which must be approved by at least a majority of the votes cast by disinterested Shareholders represented in person or by proxy at the Meeting who vote in respect of the Plan Resolution:
“BE IT RESOLVED, AS AN ORDINARY RESOLUTION OF DISINTERSTED SHAREHOLDERS THAT:
-
the Company’s Stock Option Plan (the “ Plan ”) in the form attached as Schedule “B” to the management information circular of the Company dated as of June 21, 2021, be and is hereby affirmed, ratified and approved;
-
the board of directors of the Company be authorized in its absolute discretion to administer the Plan and amend or modify the Plan in accordance with its terms and conditions and with the policies of the Exchange; and
-
any one director or officer of the Company be and is hereby authorized and directed to do all such acts and things and to execute and deliver, under the corporate seal of the Company or otherwise, all such deeds, documents, instruments and assurances as in his or her opinion may be necessary or desirable to give effect to this resolution, including making any amendments to the Plan as may be required by regulatory authorities, without further approval of the shareholders of the Company.”
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The form of the Plan Resolution set forth above is subject to such amendments as management may propose at the Meeting, but which do not materially affect the substance of the Plan Resolution.
Management of the Company recommends that disinterested Shareholders vote in favour of the Plan Resolution at the Meeting. It is the intention of the Designated Persons named in the enclosed form of proxy, if not expressly directed otherwise in such form of proxy, to vote such proxy FOR the Plan Resolution.
Approval of Long‐Term Incentive Plan
At the Meeting, Shareholders will be asked to pass an ordinary resolution to affirm, ratify and approve the LTIP. The purpose of the LTIP is to promote the long‐term success of the Company and the creation of shareholder value by: (i) encouraging the attraction and retention of directors, key employees and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries; (ii) encouraging such directors, key employees and consultants to focus on critical long‐term objectives; and (iii) promoting greater alignment of the interests of such directors, key employees and consultants with the interests of the Company.
The following is a summary of the LTIP and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the LTIP, a current copy of which is attached as Schedule “C” to this Information Circular. The LTIP remains subject to the approval of the Exchange, as applicable, and is subject to any modifications as may be required by the rules and policies thereof. A copy of the LTIP will be available at the Meeting and is available for review at the offices of the Company at Suite 1430, 800 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2V6 during normal business hours up to and including the date of the Meeting.
Description of the LTIP
The LTIP is available to directors, key employees and consultants of the Company, as determined by the Board. The maximum number of Shares available for issuance under the LTIP in respect of Awards, shall not exceed 3,623,922 Shares.
So long as it is required by the rules and policies of the Exchange or such other exchange upon which the Shares may be come listed for trading, the total number of Shares issuable to persons performing investor relations activities on behalf of the Company pursuant to the LTIP, together with Shares issuable to all persons performing investor relations activities under all of the Company’s other security‐based compensation arrangements, shall not exceed one (1%) percent of the issued and outstanding Shares in any twelve‐month period. Except as otherwise provided in an applicable award agreement or as determined by the Board, neither awards nor any rights under any such awards shall be assignable or transferable other than pursuant to a will or by the laws of descent and distribution.
The LTIP provides for the issuance of “restricted share units”, “performance share units” and “deferred share units”.
Restricted Share Units. The LTIP provides that the Board may, from time to time, in its sole discretion, grant awards of restricted share units (each, an “ RSU ”) to directors, key employees and consultants. Each RSU shall represent one Share on vesting. RSUs shall be subject to such restrictions as the Board may establish in the applicable award agreement. The typical restriction for RSUs is time based (i.e. vesting after a fixed period of time). All RSUs will vest and become payable by the issuance of Shares at the end of the applicable restriction period if all applicable restrictions have lapsed.
Restrictions on any RSUs shall lapse immediately and become fully vested to the participant upon a change of control. Upon the death of a participant, subject to the applicable award agreement, any RSUs that have not vested will be immediately and automatically forfeited and cancelled without action and without any cost or payment, provided that any RSUs granted to such participant that had vested prior to the participant’s death will accrue to the participant’s estate in accordance with the LTIP. If a participant’s employment is terminated for
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cause, any RSUs granted to the participant will immediately terminate without payment and be cancelled as of the termination date. If a participant’s employment is terminated without cause, is voluntarily terminated by the participant or termination is due to the participant’s retirement or disability, any RSUs granted to the participant will, subject to the applicable award agreement, immediately terminate without payment and be cancelled as of the termination date, provided, however, that any RSUs granted to such participant that had vested prior to the participant’s termination without cause, voluntary termination, retirement or disability will accrue to the participant in accordance with the LTIP. In the case of directors, if a participant ceases to be a director for any reason, subject to the applicable award agreement, all RSUs granted to such participant will immediately terminate without payment and be cancelled, provided, however, that any RSUs granted to such participant that had vested prior to the participant ceasing to be a director will accrue to the participant in accordance with the LTIP. Where a consultant’s service to the Company terminates for any reason, subject to the applicable award agreement and any other contractual commitments between the participant and the Company, all RSUs granted to such participant will immediately terminate without payment and be cancelled, provided, however, that any RSUs granted to such participant that had vested prior to the termination of the participant's service to the Company will accrue to the participant in accordance with the LTIP.
Performance Share Units. The LTIP provides that the Board may, from time to time, in its sole discretion, grant awards of performance share units (each, a “ PSU ”) to key employees and consultants. Each PSU shall, contingent upon the attainment of the performance criteria within the applicable performance cycle, represent one Share, unless otherwise specified in the applicable award agreement. The performance criteria will be established by the Board which, without limitation, may include criteria based on the participant’s individual performance and/or financial performance of the Company and its subsidiaries. Typical performance criteria could include gross revenues, EBITDA, share price performance, the attainment of a specified amount of financing or satisfaction of a participant’s key performance indicators. The applicable award agreement may provide the Board with the right to revise the performance criteria during a performance cycle or after it has ended, if unforeseen events occur, including, without limitation, changes in capitalization, equity restructuring, acquisitions or divestitures, if such events have a substantial effect on the financial results of the Company and make the application of the performance criteria unfair absent a revision.
All PSUs will vest and become payable to the extent that the performance criteria are satisfied in the sole determination of the Board. PSUs granted to a participant shall become fully vested and payable to such participant within 90 days after the last day of the performance cycle or upon a change of control. Upon the death of a participant, subject to the applicable award agreement, all PSUs granted to the participant which, prior to the participant’s death, had not vested, will immediately be forfeited and cancelled without payment, provided, however, that the Board may determine, in its discretion, the number of the participant’s PSUs that will vest based upon the extent to which the applicable performance criteria have been satisfied in that portion of the performance cycle that has lapsed. If a participant’s employment is terminated for cause, any PSUs granted to the participant will immediately terminate without payment and be cancelled as of the termination date. If a participant’s employment is terminated without cause, by voluntary termination, or if the participant’s employment terminates due to retirement or disability, all PSUs granted to the participant which, prior to such termination without cause, voluntary termination, retirement or disability, had not vested, will immediately be forfeited and cancelled without payment, provided, however, that the Board may determine, in its discretion, the number of the participant’s PSUs that will vest based upon the extent to which the applicable performance criteria have been satisfied in that portion of the performance cycle that has lapsed. Where a consultant’s service to the Company terminates for any reason, subject to the applicable award agreement and any other contractual commitments between the participant and the Company, all PSUs granted to such participant will immediately be forfeited and cancelled without payment, provided, however, that the Board may determine, in its discretion, the number of the participant’s PSUs that will vest based upon the extent to which the applicable performance criteria have been satisfied in that portion of the performance cycle that has lapsed.
Deferred Share Units. The LTIP provides that the Board may, from time to time, in its sole discretion, grant awards of deferred share units (each, a “ DSU ”) to directors in lieu of director fees (but not to key employees or consultants). Directors become participants effective as of the date each is first appointed or elected as a director
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and cease to be participants at the time they cease to be a director for any reason. The number of DSUs to be granted to a participant shall be calculated by dividing the amount of fees selected by the director by the market price on the grant date. The market price is defined in the LTIP as the five‐day weighted average closing price of the Shares on the immediately preceding five trading days prior to the grant date.
Each participant shall be entitled to receive, subsequent to the effective date that the participant ceases to be a director for any reason or any earlier vesting period(s) set forth in the applicable award agreement, either (a) that number of Shares equal to the number of DSUs granted to such participant, or (b) a cash payment in an amount equal to the market price of the DSUs granted to such participant on the trading day following the day that the participant ceases to be a director, net of applicable withholdings, and subject to adjustments if the value of a DSU is determined during applicable black‐out periods. Upon the death of a participant, such participant’s estate shall be entitled to receive, within 120 days, a cash payment or Shares that would otherwise have been payable upon such participant ceasing to be a director.
Approval of LTIP
The Board is requesting that Shareholders affirm, ratify and approve the LTIP. Accordingly, at the Meeting, Shareholders will be asked to consider, and if thought fit, to approve the following ordinary resolution (the “ LTIP Resolution ”):
“BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED, as an ordinary resolution of the shareholders of Link Global Technologies Inc. (the “ Company ”), with or without amendment, that:
-
the Company’s Long‐Term Performance Incentive Plan (the “ LTIP ”), in the form attached as Schedule “B” to the management information circular of the Company dated as of June 21, 2021, be and is hereby affirmed, ratified and approved;
-
the board of directors of the Company be authorized on behalf of the Company to make any amendments to the LTIP as may be required by regulatory authorities, without further approval of the shareholders of the Company, in order to ensure adoption of the LTIP; and
-
any one director or officer of the Company be and is hereby authorized and directed to do all such acts and things and to execute and deliver, under the corporate seal of the Company or otherwise, all such deeds, documents, instruments and assurances as in his or her opinion may be necessary or desirable to give effect to this resolution, including making any amendments to the LTIP as may be required by regulatory authorities, without further approval of the shareholders of the Company.”
The form of the LTIP Resolution set forth above is subject to such amendments as management may propose at the Meeting, but which do not materially affect the substance of the LTIP Resolution.
Management of the Company recommends that shareholders vote in favour of the LTIP Resolution at the Meeting. It is the intention of the Designated Persons named in the enclosed form of proxy, if not expressly directed otherwise in such form of proxy, to vote such proxy FOR the LTIP Resolution.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Shareholders may contact the Company at its office by mail at Suite 1430, 800 West Pender Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 2V6, to request copies of the Company’s financial statements and related Management’s Discussion and Analysis (the “ MD&A ”). Financial information is provided in the Company’s audited financial statements and MD&A for the most recently completed financial year and in the financial statements and MD&A for subsequent financial periods, which are available on SEDAR.
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OTHER MATTERS
Other than the above, management of the Company know of no other matters to come before the Meeting other than those referred to in the Notice. If any other matters that are not currently known to management should properly come before the Meeting, the accompanying form of proxy confers discretionary authority upon the Designated Persons named therein to vote on such matters in accordance with their best judgment.
APPROVAL OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The contents of this Information Circular have been approved, and the delivery of it to each shareholder of the Company entitled thereto and to the appropriate regulatory agencies has been authorized, by the Board.
Dated at Vancouver, British Columbia this 21[st] day of June, 2021.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
LINK GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
“Stephen Jenkins” Stephen Jenkins Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
SCHEDULE A
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
LINK BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES INC.
(the “ Corporation ”)
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
1. MANDATE
The audit committee will assist the board of directors of the Corporation (the “ Board ”) in fulfilling its financial oversight responsibilities. The committee will review and consider, in consultation with the Corporation’s external auditors, the financial reporting process, the system of internal control over financial reporting and the audit process. In performing its duties, the audit committee will maintain effective working relationships with the Board, management and the external auditors. To effectively perform his or her role, each committee member must obtain an understanding of the principal responsibilities of committee membership as well as the Corporation’s business, operations and risks.
2. COMPOSITION
The Board will appoint, from among their membership, an audit committee after each annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation. The audit committee will consist of a minimum of three directors.
2.1 Independence
A majority of the members of the audit committee must be “independent” (as defined in Sec. 1.4 of National Instrument 52‐110 (Audit Committees)) (“ NI 52‐110 ”).
2.2 Expertise of Committee Members
A majority of the members of the audit committee must be “financially literate” (as defined in Sec. 1.6 of NI 52‐ 110) or must become financially literate within a reasonable period of time after their appointment to the committee. At least one member of the committee must have accounting or related financial management expertise.
3. MEETINGS
The audit committee shall meet in accordance with a schedule established each year by the Board, and at other times that the audit committee may determine. The audit committee shall meet at least annually with the Corporation’s Chief Financial Officer and external auditors in separate executive sessions.
4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The audit committee shall fulfill the following roles and discharge the following responsibilities:
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4.1 External Audit
The audit committee shall be directly responsible for overseeing the work of the external auditors in preparing or issuing the auditor’s report, or performing other audit, review or attestation services, including the resolution of disagreements between management and the external auditors regarding financial reporting. In carrying out this duty, the audit committee shall:
-
(a) recommend to the Board that the external auditor to be nominated for the purpose of preparing or issuing an auditor’s report or performing other audit, review or attestation services for the Corporation;
-
(b) review (by discussion and enquiry) the external auditors’ proposed audit scope and approach;
-
(c) review the performance of the external auditors and recommend to the Board the appointment or discharge of the external auditors;
-
(d) review and recommend to the Board the compensation to be paid to the external auditors;
-
(e) review and confirm the independence of the external auditors by reviewing the non‐audit services provided and the external auditors’ assertion of their independence in accordance with professional standards; and
-
(f) review and approve the Corporation’s hiring policies regarding partners and employees, and former partners and employees, of the present and former external auditor of the Corporation.
4.2 Internal Control
The audit committee shall consider whether adequate controls are in place over annual and interim financial reporting as well as controls over assets, transactions and the creation of obligations, commitments and liabilities of the Corporation. In carrying out this duty, the audit committee shall:
-
(a) evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of management’s system of internal controls over the accounting and financial reporting system within the Corporation; and
-
(b) ensure that the external auditors discuss with the audit committee any event or matter which suggests the possibility of fraud, illegal acts or deficiencies in internal controls.
4.3 Financial Reporting
The audit committee shall review the financial statements and financial information of the Corporation prior to their release to the public. In carrying out this duty, the audit committee shall:
General
-
(a) review significant accounting and financial reporting issues, especially complex, unusual and related party transactions;
-
(b) review and ensure that the accounting principles selected by management in preparing financial statements are appropriate;
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Annual Financial Statements
-
(c) review the draft annual financial statements and provide a recommendation to the Board with respect to the approval of the financial statements;
-
(d) meet with management and the external auditors to review the financial statements and the results of the audit, including any difficulties encountered;
-
(e) review management’s discussion & analysis respecting the annual reporting period prior to its release to the public;
Interim Financial Statements
-
(f) review and approve the interim financial statements prior to their release to the public;
-
(g) review management’s discussion & analysis respecting the interim reporting period prior to its release to the public; and
Release of Financial Information
- (h) where reasonably possible, review and approve all public disclosure containing financial information, including news releases, prior to release to the public. An audit committee must be satisfied that adequate procedures are in place for the review of the Corporation’s public disclosure of financial information extracted or derived from the Corporation’s financial statements, and must periodically assess the adequacy of those procedures.
4.4 Non‐Audit Services
All non‐audit services (being services other than services rendered for the audit and review of the financial statements or services that are normally provided by the external auditor in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements) which are proposed to be provided by the external auditors to the Corporation or any subsidiary of the Corporation shall be subject to the prior approval of the audit committee.
Delegation of Authority
- (a) The audit committee may delegate to one or more independent members of the audit committee the authority to approve non‐audit services, provided any non‐audit services approved in this manner must be presented to the audit committee at its next scheduled meeting.
De‐Minimis Non‐Audit Services
-
(b) The audit committee may satisfy the requirement for the pre‐approval of non‐audit services if:
-
(i) the aggregate amount of all non‐audit services that were not pre‐approved is reasonably expected to constitute no more than five per cent of the total amount of fees paid by the Corporation and its subsidiaries to the external auditor during the fiscal year in which the services are provided; or
-
(ii) the services are brought to the attention of the audit committee and approved, prior to the completion of the audit, by the audit committee or by one or more of its members to whom authority to grant such approvals has been delegated.
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Pre‐Approval Policies and Procedures
-
(c) The audit committee may also satisfy the requirement for the pre‐approval of non‐audit services by adopting specific policies and procedures for the engagement of non‐audit services, if:
-
(i) the pre‐approval policies and procedures are detailed as to the particular service;
-
(ii) the audit committee is informed of each non‐audit service; and
-
(iii) the procedures do not include delegation of the audit committee's responsibilities to management.
4.5 Other Responsibilities
The audit committee shall:
-
(a) establish procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Corporation regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters;
-
(b) establish procedures for the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Corporation of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters;
-
(c) ensure that significant findings and recommendations made by management and the external auditor are received and discussed on a timely basis;
-
(d) review the policies and procedures in effect for considering officers’ expenses and perquisites;
-
(e) perform other oversight functions as requested by the Board; and
-
(f) review and update this Charter and receive approval of changes to this Charter from the Board.
4.6 Reporting Responsibilities
The audit committee shall regularly update the Board about committee activities and make appropriate recommendations.
5. RESOURCES AND AUTHORITY OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The audit committee shall have the resources and the authority appropriate to discharge its responsibilities, including the authority to
-
(a) engage independent counsel and other advisors as it determines necessary to carry out its duties;
-
(b) set and pay the compensation for any advisors employed by the audit committee; and
-
(c) communicate directly with the internal and external auditors.
6. GUIDANCE – ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES
The audit committee should consider undertaking the actions described in the following guidance, which is intended to provide the audit committee members with additional guidance on fulfilment of their roles and responsibilities on the committee:
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6.1 Internal Control
-
(a) evaluate whether management is setting the goal of high standards by communicating the importance of internal control and ensuring that all individuals possess an understanding of their roles and responsibilities;
-
(b) focus on the extent to which external auditors review computer systems and applications, the security of such systems and applications, and the contingency plan for processing financial information in the event of an IT systems breakdown; and
-
(c) gain an understanding of whether internal control recommendations made by external auditors have been implemented by management;
6.2 Financial Reporting
General
-
(a) review significant accounting and reporting issues, including recent professional and regulatory pronouncements, and understand their impact on the financial statements;
-
(b) ask management and the external auditors about significant risks and exposures and the plans to minimize such risks; and
-
(c) understand industry best practices and the Corporation’s adoption of them;
Annual Financial Statements
-
(d) review the annual financial statements and determine whether they are complete and consistent with the information known to committee members, and assess whether the financial statements reflect appropriate accounting principles in light of the jurisdictions in which the Corporation reports or trades its shares;
-
(e) pay attention to complex and/or unusual transactions such as restructuring charges and derivative disclosures;
-
(f) focus on judgmental areas such as those involving valuation of assets and liabilities, including, for example, the accounting for and disclosure of loan losses; warranty, professional liability; litigation reserves; and other commitments and contingencies;
-
(g) consider management’s handling of proposed audit adjustments identified by the external auditors; and
-
(h) ensure that the external auditors communicate all required matters to the committee;
Interim Financial Statements
-
(i) be briefed on how management develops and summarizes interim financial information, the extent to which the external auditors review interim financial information;
-
(j) meet with management and the auditors, either telephonically or in person, to review the interim financial statements;
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-
(k) to gain insight into the fairness of the interim statements and disclosures, obtain explanations from management on whether:
-
(i) actual financial results for the quarter or interim period varied significantly from budgeted or projected results;
-
(ii) changes in financial ratios and relationships of various balance sheet and operating statement figures in the interim financial statements are consistent with changes in the Corporation’s operations and financing practices;
-
(iii) generally accepted accounting principles have been consistently applied;
-
(iv) there are any actual or proposed changes in accounting or financial reporting practices;
-
(v) there are any significant or unusual events or transactions;
-
(vi) the Corporation’s financial and operating controls are functioning effectively;
-
(vii) the Corporation has complied with the terms of loan agreements, security indentures or other financial position or results dependent agreement; and
-
(viii) the interim financial statements contain adequate and appropriate disclosures;
6.3 Compliance with Laws and Regulations
-
(a) periodically obtain updates from management regarding compliance with this policy and industry “best practices”;
-
(b) be satisfied that all regulatory compliance matters have been considered in the preparation of the financial statements; and
-
(c) review the findings of any examinations by securities regulatory authorities and stock exchanges; and
6.4 Other Responsibilities
- (a) review, with the Corporation’s counsel, any legal matters that could have a significant impact on the Corporation’s financial statements.
.
SCHEDULE B
STOCK OPTION PLAN
LINK GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION PLAN
PART 1 INTERPRETATION
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1.1 Definitions. In this Plan, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:
-
(a) “ Affiliate ” means a company that is a parent or Subsidiary of the Company, or that is controlled by the same person as the Company;
-
(b) “ Board ” means the board of directors of the Company or any committee thereof duly empowered and authorized to grant Options under this Plan;
-
(c) “ Change of Control ” means the occurrence of any one of the following events:
-
(i) there is a report filed with any securities commission or securities regulatory authority in Canada, disclosing that any offeror (as the term “offeror” is defined in Section 1.1 of Multilateral Instrument 62‐104 Take‐Over Bids and Issuer Bid s) has acquired beneficial ownership of, or the power to exercise control or direction over, or securities convertible into, any shares of capital stock of any class of the Company carrying voting rights under all circumstances (the “ Voting Shares ”), that, together with the offeror’s securities would constitute Voting Shares of the Company representing more than 50% of the total voting power attached to all Voting Shares of the Company then outstanding,
-
(ii) there is consummated any amalgamation, consolidation, statutory arrangement, merger, business combination or other similar transaction involving the Company: (1) in which the Company is not the continuing or surviving corporation, or (2) pursuant to which any Voting Shares of the Company would be reclassified, changed or converted into or exchanged for cash, securities or other property, other than (in each case) an amalgamation, consolidation, statutory arrangement, merger, business combination or other similar transaction involving the Company in which the holders of the Voting Shares of the Company immediately prior to such amalgamation, consolidation, statutory arrangement, merger, business combination or other similar transaction have, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the Voting Shares of the continuing or surviving corporation immediately after such transaction,
-
(iii) any person or group of persons shall succeed in having a sufficient number of its nominees elected as directors of the Company such that such nominees, when added to any existing directors of the Company, will constitute a majority of the directors of the Company, or
-
(iv) there is consummated a sale, transfer or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company,
-
provided that an event shall not constitute a Change of Control if its sole purpose is to change the jurisdiction of the Company’s organization or to create a holding company, partnership or trust that will be owned in substantially the same proportions by the persons who held the Company’s securities immediately before such event;
-
(d) “ Company ” means Link Global Technologies Inc.;
-
2 -
-
(e) “ Consultant ” means an individual or Consultant Company, other than an Employee, Director or Officer, that:
-
(i) is engaged to provide on an ongoing bona fide basis, consulting, technical, management or other services to the Company or to an Affiliate, other than services provided in relation to a distribution of securities,
-
(ii) provides such services under a written contract between the Company or an Affiliate,
-
(iii) in the reasonable opinion of the Company, spends or will spend a significant amount of time and attention on the affairs and business of the Company or an Affiliate, and
-
(iv) has a relationship with the Company or an Affiliate that enables the individual to be knowledgeable about the business and affairs of the Company;
-
(f) “ Consultant Company ” means for an individual Consultant, a company or partnership of which the individual is an employee, shareholder or partner;
-
(g) “ CSE ” means the Canadian Securities Exchange;
-
(h) “ Director ” means a director of the Company or a Subsidiary;
-
(i) “ Disability ” means any disability with respect to an Optionee which the Board, in its sole and unfettered discretion, considers likely to prevent the Optionee from permanently:
-
(i) being employed or engaged by the Company, an Affiliate 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 an Affiliate, or
-
(ii) acting as a director or officer of the Company or an Affiliate,
and “ Date of Disability ” means the effective date of the Disability as determined by the Board in its sole and unfettered discretion;
-
(j) “ Eligible Person ” means a bona fide Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant, or a corporation wholly owned by such Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant;
-
(k) “ Employee ” means:
-
(i) an individual who is considered an employee of the Company or an Affiliate under the Income Tax Act (and for whom income tax, employment insurance and CPP deductions must be made at source);
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(ii) an individual who works full‐time for the Company or an Affiliate providing services normally provided by an employee and who is subject to the same control and direction by the Company over the details and methods of work as an employee of the Company, but for whom income tax deductions are not made at source; or
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(iii) an individual who works for the Company or an Affiliate on a continuing and regular basis for a minimum amount of time per week providing services normally provided by an employee and who is subject to the same control and direction by the Company over the details and methods of work as an employee of the Company, but for whom income tax deductions need not be made at source;
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(l) “ Exchange ” means the CSE or any other stock exchange on which the Shares are listed for trading;
-
(m) “ Exchange Policies ” means the policies, bylaws, rules and regulations of the Exchange governing the granting of options by the Company, as amended from time to time;
-
(n) “ Exercise Price ” means the amount payable per Share on the exercise of an Option, as determined in accordance with the terms hereof;
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(o) “ Expiry Date ” means 5:00 p.m. (Vancouver time) on the day on which an Option expires as specified in the Option Agreement therefor or in accordance with the terms of this Plan;
-
(p) “ Grant Date ” for an Option means the date of grant thereof by the Board;
-
(q) “ Income Tax Act ” means the Income Tax Act (Canada), as amended from time to time;
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(r) “ Insider ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Securities Act;
-
(s) “ Investor Relations Activities ” means any activities or communications, by or on behalf of the Company or a shareholder of the Company, that promote or reasonably could be expected to promote the purchase or sale of securities of the Company, but does not include:
-
(i) the dissemination of information or preparation of records in the ordinary course of business of the Company:
-
(A) to promote the sale of products or services of the Company, or
-
(B) to raise public awareness of the Company,
-
that cannot reasonably be considered to promote the purchase or sale of securities of the Company,
-
(ii) activities or communications necessary to comply with the requirements of:
-
(A) applicable Securities Laws,
-
(B) the Exchange, or
-
(C) the bylaws, rules or other regulatory instruments of any self‐regulatory body or exchange having jurisdiction over the Company; or
-
-
(iii) activities or communications that may be otherwise specified by the Exchange;
-
(t) “ Option ” means the right to purchase Shares granted hereunder to an Eligible Person;
-
(u) “ Option Agreement ” means the stock option agreement between the Company and an Eligible Person whereby the Company provides notice of grant of an Option to such Eligible Person;
-
(v) “ Optioned Shares ” means Shares that may be issued in the future to an Eligible Person upon the exercise of an Option;
-
(w) “ Optionee ” means the recipient of an Option hereunder, their heirs, executors and administrators;
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(x) “ Officer ” means any senior officer of the Company or an Affiliate;
-
(y) “ Plan ” means this incentive stock option plan, as amended from time to time;
-
(z) “ Securities Act ” means the Securities Act (British Columbia), as amended from time to time;
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(aa) “ Securities Laws ” means the applicable acts, policies, bylaws, rules and regulations of the securities commissions governing the granting of Options by the Company, as amended from time to time;
-
(bb) “ Shares ” means the common shares in the capital of the Company, provided that, in the event of any adjustment pursuant to Section 4.7, “Shares” shall thereafter mean the shares or other property resulting from the events giving rise to the adjustment; and
-
(cc) “ Subsidiary ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Securities Act.
-
1.2 Gender. Throughout this Plan, whenever the singular or masculine or neuter is used, the same shall be construed as meaning the plural or feminine or body politic or corporate, and vice‐versa as the context or reference may require.
-
1.3 Currency. Unless otherwise indicated, all dollar amounts referred to in this Plan are in Canadian funds.
-
1.4 Interpretation. This Plan will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule that would cause the application of the domestic substantive laws of any other jurisdiction.
PART 2 PURPOSE
- 2.1 Purpose. The purpose of this Plan is to attract and retain Directors, Officers, Employees and Consultants and to motivate them to advance the interests of the Company by affording them with the opportunity to acquire an equity interest in the Company through Options granted under this Plan.
PART 3 GRANTING OF OPTIONS
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3.1 Establishment of Plan. This Plan is hereby established to recognize contributions made by Eligible Persons and to create an incentive for their continuing assistance to the Company and its Affiliates.
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3.2 Eligibility. Options to purchase Shares may be granted hereunder to Eligible Persons from time to time by the Board.
-
3.3 Options Granted Under the Plan. All Options granted under the Plan will be evidenced by an Option Agreement in such form determined by the Board setting forth the number of Optioned Shares, the term of the Option, the vesting terms, if any, the Exercise Price and such other terms as determined by the Board.
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3.4 Terms Incorporated. Subject to specific variations approved by the Board, all terms and conditions set out herein will be deemed to be incorporated into and form part of an Option Agreement made hereunder. In the event of any discrepancy between this Plan and an Option Agreement, the provisions of this Plan shall govern.
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3.5 Limitations on Shares Available for Issuance. Unless authorized by the shareholders of the Company in accordance with applicable Securities Laws, the number of Shares reserved for issuance under this Plan, together with all of the Company’s other previously established or proposed stock options, stock option plans, employee stock purchase plans or any other compensation or incentive mechanisms involving the issuance or potential issuance of Shares, is subject to the restrictions imposed under applicable Securities Laws.
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3.6 Options Not Exercised. In the event an Option granted under the Plan expires unexercised, is terminated or is otherwise lawfully cancelled prior to exercise of the Option, the Optioned Shares that were issuable thereunder will be returned to the Plan and will be available again for an grant under this Plan.
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3.7 Acceleration of Unvested Options. If there is a Change of Control, then all outstanding Options, whether fully vested and exercisable or remaining subject to vesting provisions or other limitations on exercise, shall be exercisable in full.
-
3.8 Powers of the Board. The Board will be responsible for the general administration of the Plan and the proper execution of its provisions, the interpretation of the Plan and the determination of all questions arising hereunder. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Board has the power to:
-
(a) allot Shares for issuance in connection with the exercise of Options;
-
(b) grant Options hereunder;
-
(c) subject to appropriate shareholder and regulatory approval, amend, suspend, terminate or discontinue the Plan, or revoke or alter any action taken in connection therewith, except that no general amendment or suspension of the Plan will, without the written consent of all applicable Optionees, alter or impair any Option previously granted under the Plan;
-
(d) delegate all or such portion of its powers hereunder as it may determine to one or more committees of the Board, either indefinitely or for such period of time as it may specify, and thereafter each such committee may exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the Board in respect of the Plan so delegated to the same extent as the Board is hereby authorized so to do; and
-
(e) may in its sole discretion amend this Plan (except for previously granted and outstanding Options) to reduce the benefits that may be granted to Eligible Persons (before a particular Option is granted) subject to the other terms hereof.
PART 4 TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF OPTIONS
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4.1 Exercise Price. The Board shall establish the Exercise Price at the time each Option is granted, subject to the following conditions:
-
(a) if the Shares are listed on an Exchange, then the Exercise Price for the Options granted will not be less than the minimum prevailing price permitted by the Exchange;
-
(b) if the Shares are not listed, posted and trading on any stock exchange or quoted on any quotation system, then the Exercise Price for the Options granted will be determined by the Board at the time of granting; and
-
(c) in all other cases, the Exercise Price shall be determined in accordance with the applicable Securities Laws and Exchange Policies.
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4.2 Term of Option. The Board shall establish the Expiry Date for each Option at the time such Option is granted, subject to the following conditions:
-
(a) the Option will expire upon the occurrence of any event set out in Section 4.6 and at the time period set out therein; and
-
(b) the Expiry Date cannot be longer than the maximum exercise period as determined by the applicable Securities Laws and Exchange Policies.
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4.3 Automatic Extension of Term of Option. The Expiry Date will be automatically extended if the Expiry Date falls within a blackout period during which the Company prohibits Optionees from exercising their Options, provided that:
-
(a) the blackout period has been formally imposed by the Company pursuant to its internal trading policies as a result of the bona fide existence of undisclosed material information (as defined in applicable Securities Laws and Exchange Policies);
-
(b) the blackout period expires upon the general disclosure of the undisclosed material information and the expiry date of the affected Options is extended to no later than ten (10) business days after the expiry of the blackout period; and
-
(c) the automatic extension will not be permitted where the Optionee or the Company is subject to a cease trade order (or similar order under applicable securities laws) in respect of the Company’s securities.
4.4 Vesting of Options.
-
(a) No Option shall be exercisable until it has vested. The Board shall establish a vesting period or periods at the time each Option is granted to an Eligible Person, subject to the compliance with applicable Securities Laws and Exchange Policies.
-
(b) If no vesting schedule is specified at the time of grant and the Optionee is not performing Investor Relations Activities, the Option shall vest immediately.
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4.5 Non Assignable. Subject to Section 4.6, all Options will be exercisable only by the Optionee to whom they are granted and will not be assignable or transferable.
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4.6 Termination of Option. Unless the Board determines otherwise, the Options will terminate in the following circumstances:
-
(a) Termination of Services For Cause. If the engagement of the Optionee as a Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant is terminated for cause (as determined by common law), any Option granted hereunder to such Optionee shall terminate and cease to be exercisable immediately upon the Optionee ceasing to be a Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant by reason of termination for cause;
-
(b) Termination of Services Without Cause or Upon by Resignation. If the engagement of the Optionee as a Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant of the Company is terminated for any reason other than cause (as determined by common law), disability or death, or if such Director, Officer, Employee, or Consultant resigns, as the case may be, the Optionee may exercise any Option granted hereunder to the extent that such Option was exercisable and had vested on the date of termination until the date that is the earlier of (i) the Expiry Date, and (ii) the date that is
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90 days after the effective date of the Optionee ceasing to be a Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant for such reason or because of such resignation;
-
(c) Death. If the Optionee dies, the Optionee’s lawful personal representatives, heirs or executors may exercise any Option granted hereunder to the Optionee to the extent such Option was exercisable and had vested on the date of death until the earlier of (i) the Expiry Date, and (ii) one year after the date of death of such Optionee;
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(d) Disability. If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person due to his Disability, or, in the case of an Optionee that is a company, the Disability of the person who provides management or consulting services to the Company or to an Affiliate, the Optionee may exercise any Option granted hereunder to the extent that such Option was exercisable and had vested on the Date of Disability until the earlier of (i) the Expiry Date, and (ii) the date that is one year after the Date of Disability; and
-
(e) Changes in Status of Eligible Person. If the Optionee ceases to be one type of Eligible Person but concurrently is or becomes one or more other type of Eligible Person, the Option will not terminate but will continue in full force and effect and the Optionee may exercise the Option until the earlier of (i) the Expiry Date, and (ii) the applicable date set forth in Sections 4.6(a) to 4.6(d) above where the Optionee ceases to be any type of Eligible Person. If the Optionee is an Employee, the Option will not be affected by any change of the Optionee’s employment where the Optionee continues to be employed by the Company or an Affiliate.
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4.7 Adjustment of the Number of Optioned Shares. The number of Common Shares subject to an Option will be subject to adjustment in the events and in the manner following:
-
(a) Following the date an Option is granted, the exercise price for and the number of Optioned Shares which are subject to an Option will be adjusted, with respect to the then unexercised portion thereof, in the events and in accordance with the provisions and rules set out in this Section 4.7, with the intent that the rights of Optionees under their Options are, to the extent possible, preserved and maintained notwithstanding the occurrence of such events. Any dispute that arises at any time with respect to any adjustment pursuant to such provisions and rules will be conclusively determined by the Board, and any such determination will be binding on the Company, the Optionee and all other affected parties.
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(b) If there is a change in the outstanding Shares by reason of any share consolidation or split, reclassification or other capital reorganization, or a stock dividend, arrangement, amalgamation, merger or combination, or any other change to, event affecting, exchange of or corporate change or transaction affecting the Shares, the Board shall make, as it shall deem advisable and subject to the requisite approval of the relevant regulatory authorities, appropriate substitution and/or adjustment in:
-
(i) the number and kind of shares or other securities or property reserved or to be allotted for issuance pursuant to this Plan;
-
(ii) the number and kind of shares or other securities or property reserved or to be allotted for issuance pursuant to any outstanding unexercised Options, and in the exercise price for such shares or other securities or property; and
-
(iii) the vesting of any Options, including the accelerated vesting thereof on conditions the Board deems advisable, and if the Company undertakes an arrangement or is amalgamated, merged or combined with another corporation, the Board shall make such provision for the protection of the rights of Optionees as it shall deem advisable.
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(c) If the outstanding Shares are changed into or exchanged for a different number of shares or into or for other securities of the Company or securities of another company or entity, in a manner other than as specified in Section 4.6(b), then the Board, in its sole discretion, may make such adjustment to the securities to be issued pursuant to any exercise of the Option and the exercise price to be paid for each such security following such event as the Board in its sole and absolute discretion determines to be equitable to give effect to the principle described in Section 4.7, and such adjustments shall be effective and binding upon the Company and the Optionee for all purposes.
-
(d) No adjustment provided in this Section 4.7 shall require the Company to issue a fractional share and the total adjustment with respect to each Option shall be limited accordingly.
-
(e) The grant or existence of an Option shall not in any way limit or restrict the right or power of the Company to effect adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations, arrangements or changes of its capital or business structure, or to amalgamate, merge, consolidate, dissolve or liquidate, or to sell or transfer all or any part of its business or assets.
PART 5 COMMITMENT AND EXERCISE PROCEDURES
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5.1 Option Agreement. Upon grant of an Option hereunder, an authorized director, officer or agent of the Company will deliver to the Optionee an Option Agreement detailing the terms of such Options and upon such delivery the Optionee will be subject to the Plan and have the right to purchase the Optioned Shares at the Exercise Price set out therein subject to the terms and conditions hereof.
-
5.2 Manner of Exercise. An Optionee who wishes to exercise his Option, in its entirety or any portion thereof, may do so by delivering:
-
(a) a notice of exercise to the Company specifying the number of Optioned Shares being acquired pursuant to the Option; and
-
(b) cash, a certified cheque or a bank draft payable to the Company for the aggregate Exercise Price for the Optioned Shares being acquired.
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5.3 Subsequent Exercises. If an Optionee exercises only a portion of the total number of his Options, then the Optionee may, from time to time, subsequently exercise all or part of the remaining Options until the Expiry Date.
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5.4 Delivery of Certificate and Hold Periods. As soon as practicable after receipt of the Notice of Exercise described in Section 5.2 and payment in full for the Optioned Shares being received by the Company, the Company will or will direct its transfer agent to issue a certificate to the Optionee for the appropriate number of Optioned Shares. Such certificate issued may bear a legend stipulating any resale restrictions required under applicable Securities Laws and Exchange Policies.
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5.5 Withholding. The Company may withhold from any amount payable to an Optionee, either under this Plan or otherwise, such amount as it reasonably believes is necessary to enable the Company to comply with the applicable requirements of any federal, provincial, local or foreign law, or any administrative policy of any applicable tax authority, relating to the withholding of tax or any other required deductions with respect to options (the “ Withholding Obligations ”). The Company may also satisfy any liability for the Withholding Obligations, on such terms and conditions as the Company may determine in its discretion, by:
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(a) requiring an Optionee, as a condition to the exercise of any Options, to make such arrangements as the Company may require so that the Company can satisfy the Withholding Obligations including, without limitation, requiring the Optionee to remit to the Company in advance, or reimburse the Company for, the Withholding Obligations; or
-
(b) selling on the Optionee’s behalf, or requiring the Optionee to sell, Optioned Shares acquired by the Optionee under the Plan, or retaining any amount which would otherwise be payable to the Optionee in connection with any such sale.
PART 6 AMENDMENTS
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6.1 Amendment of the Plan. The Board reserves the right, in its absolute discretion, to at any time amend, modify or terminate the Plan with respect to all Shares in respect of Options which have not yet been granted hereunder. Any amendment to any provision of the Plan will be subject to shareholder approval, if applicable, and any necessary regulatory approvals. If this Plan is suspended or terminated, the provisions of this Plan and any administrative guidelines, rules and regulations relating to this Plan shall continue in effect for the duration of such time as any Option remains outstanding.
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6.2 Amendment of Outstanding Options. The Board may amend any Option with the consent of the affected Optionee and the Exchange, if required, including any shareholder approval required by the Exchange Policies or applicable Securities Laws.
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6.3 Amendment Subject to Approval. If the amendment of an Option requires shareholder or regulatory approval, such amendment may be made prior to such approvals being given, but no such amended Options may be exercised unless and until such approvals are given.
PART 7 GENERAL
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7.1 Exclusion from Severance Allowance, Retirement Allowance or Termination Settlement. If the Optionee retires, resigns or is terminated from employment or engagement with the Company or Affiliate, the loss or limitation, if any, pursuant to the Option Agreement with respect to the right to purchase Optioned Shares, 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.
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7.2 Employment and Services. Nothing contained in the Plan will confer upon or imply in favour of any Optionee any right with respect to office, employment or provision of services with the Company, or interfere in any way with the right of the Company to lawfully terminate the Optionee’s office, employment or service at any time pursuant to the arrangements pertaining to same. Participation in the Plan by an Optionee is voluntary.
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7.3 No Rights as Shareholder. Nothing contained in this Plan nor in any Option granted thereunder shall be deemed to give any Optionee any interest or title in or to any Shares or any rights as a shareholder of the Company or any other legal or equitable right against the Company whatsoever other than as set forth in this Plan and pursuant to the exercise of any Option in accordance with the provisions of the Plan and the Option Agreement.
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7.4 No Representation or Warranty. The Company makes no representation or warranty as to the future market value of Optioned Shares issued in accordance with the provisions of the Plan or to the effect of the Income Tax Act or any other taxing statute governing the Options or the Optioned Shares issuable thereunder or the tax consequences to a Optionee. Compliance with applicable Securities Laws as to the
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disclosure and resale obligations of each Optionee is the responsibility of such Optionee and not the Company.
-
7.5 Other Arrangements. Nothing contained herein shall prevent the Board from adopting other or additional compensation arrangements, subject to any required approval.
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7.6 No Fettering of Discretion. The awarding of Options under this Plan is a matter to be determined solely in the discretion of the Board. This Plan shall not in any way fetter, limit, obligate, restrict or constrain the Board with regard to the allotment or issue of any Shares or any other securities in the capital of the Company or any of its Affiliates other than as specifically provided for in this Plan.
PART 8
EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN
- 8.1 Effective Date. This Plan shall become effective upon its approval by the Board.
SCHEDULE C
LONG TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
LONG‐TERM PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE PLAN
LINK GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES INC.
(the “ Company ”)
LONG‐TERM PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE PLAN
SECTION 1
ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE OF THIS PLAN
The Company wishes to establish this long‐term performance incentive plan (the “ Plan ”). The purpose of this Plan is to promote the long‐term success of the Company and the creation of shareholder value by: (i) encouraging the attraction and retention of Directors, Key Employees and Consultants of the Company and its Subsidiaries; (ii) encouraging such Directors, Key Employees and Consultants to focus on critical long‐term objectives; and (iii) promoting greater alignment of the interests of such Directors, Key Employees and Consultants with the interests of the Company.
To this end, this Plan provides for the grant of Restricted Share Units, Performance Share Units and Deferred Share Units to Directors, Key Employees and Consultants of the Company as further described in this Plan.
SECTION 2 DEFINITIONS
2.1 Definitions
As used in this Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
-
(a) “ Associate ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Securities Act;
-
(b) “ Award ” means any award of Restricted Share Units, Performance Share Units or Deferred Share Units granted under this Plan;
-
(c) “ Award Agreement ” means any written agreement, contract, or other instrument or document, including an electronic communication, as may from time to time be designated by the Company as evidencing any Award granted under this Plan;
-
(d) “ Board ” means the board of directors of the Company;
-
(e) “ Change of Control ” means the acquisition by any person or by any person and a joint actor, whether directly or indirectly, of voting securities (as such terms are interpreted in the Securities Act ) of the Company, which, when added to all other voting securities of the Company at the time held by such person or by such person and a person “acting jointly or in concert” with another person, as that phrase is interpreted in National Instrument 62‐103, totals for the first time not less than fifty (50%) percent of the outstanding voting securities of the Company or the votes attached to those securities are sufficient, if exercised, to elect a majority of the Board;
-
(f) “ Company ” means Link Global Technologies Inc. , a company incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) , and any of its successors or assigns;
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(g) “ Consultant ” means a Person (other than a Key Employee or Director) that:
-
(i) is engaged to provide, on an ongoing bona fide basis, consulting, technical, management or other services to the Company or an affiliate of the Company, other than services provided in relation to a distribution (as defined in the Securities Act );
-
(ii) provides the services under a written contract between the Company or an affiliate of the Company and the Person, as the case may be;
-
(iii) in the reasonable opinion of the Company, spends or will spend a significant amount of time on the affairs and business of the Company or an affiliate of the Company; and
-
(iv) has a relationship with the Company or an affiliate of the Company that enables the Person to be knowledgeable about the business and affairs of the Company,
and includes:
-
(v) for a Person that is an individual, a corporation of which such individual is an employee or shareholder, and a partnership of which the individual is an employee or partner; and
-
(vi) for a Person that is not an individual, an employee, executive officer or director of the consultant, provided that the individual employee, executive officer or director spends or will spend a significant amount of time on the affairs and business of the Company or an affiliate of the Company;
-
(h) “ Deferred Share Unit ” means a right to receive on a deferred basis a payment in either Shares or cash as provided in Section 5.3 hereof and subject to the terms and conditions of this Plan and the applicable Award Agreement;
-
(i) “ Determination Date ” means a date determined by the Board in its sole discretion but not later than 90 days after the expiry of a Performance Cycle;
-
(j)
-
“ Director ” means a member of the Board;
-
(k) “ Disability ” means any medical condition which qualifies a Participant for benefits under a long‐term disability plan of the Company or Subsidiary;
-
(l) “ Effective Date ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8;
-
(m) “ Election Form ” means the form to be completed by a Director specifying the amount of Fees he or she wishes to receive in Deferred Share Units under this Plan;
-
(n) “ Eligible Person ” means Directors, Key Employees and Consultants;
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(o) “ Exchange ” means the Canadian Securities Exchange, or such other exchange upon which the Shares of the Company may become listed for trading;
-
(p) “ Fees ” means the annual board retainer, chair fees, meeting attendance fees or any other fees payable to a Director by the Company;
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(q) “ Grant Date ” means, for any Award, the date specified by the Board as the grant date at the time it grants the Award or, if no such date is specified, the date upon which the Award was actually granted;
-
(r) “ Insider ” means any insider, as that term is defined in the Securities Act;
-
(s) “ Investor Relations Activities ” means any activities, by or on behalf of the Company or a shareholder of the Company, which promote or reasonably could be expected to promote the purchase or sale of securities of the Company, but does not include:
-
(i) the dissemination of information provided, or records prepared, in the ordinary course of business of the Company
-
(A) to promote the sale of products or services of the Company, or
-
(B) to raise public awareness of the Company, that cannot reasonably be considered to promote the purchase or sale of securities of the Company;
-
-
(ii) activities or communications necessary to comply with the requirements of:
-
(A) applicable securities laws, or
-
(B) Exchange requirements or the by‐laws, rules or other regulatory instruments of any other self‐regulatory body or exchange having jurisdiction over the Company;
-
-
(iii) communications by a publisher of, or writer for, a newspaper, magazine or business or financial publication, that is of general and regular paid circulation, distributed only to subscribers to it for value or to purchasers of it, if:
-
(A) the communication is only through the newspaper, magazine or publication; and
-
(B) the publisher or writer receives no commission or other consideration other than for acting in the capacity of publisher or writer; or
-
-
(iv) activities or communications that may be otherwise specified by the Exchange
-
(t) “ Key Employees ” means employees, including officers, whether Directors or not, and including both full‐time and part‐time employees of the Company or any Subsidiary who, by the nature of their positions or jobs are, in the opinion of the Board, in a position to contribute to the success of the Company;
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(u) “ Market Unit Price ” means the value of a Share determined by reference to the five‐day volume weighted average closing price of a Share on the immediately preceding five (5) Trading Days on which trading in the Shares took place;
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(v) “ Option ” means incentive share purchase options entitling the holder thereof to purchase Shares;
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(w) “ Option Plan ” means the stock option plan of the Company adopted by the Board on September 17, 2018 , as amended and restated from time to time;
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(x) “ Participant ” means any Eligible Person to whom Awards under this Plan are granted;
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(y) “ Participant’s Account ” means a notional account maintained for each Participant’s participation in this Plan which will show any Restricted Share Units, Performance Share Units or Deferred Share Units credited to a Participant from time to time;
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(z) “ Performance‐Based Award ” means, collectively, Performance Share Units and Restricted Share Units;
-
(aa) “ Performance Criteria ” means criteria established by the Board which, without limitation, may include criteria based on the Participant’s personal performance and/or financial performance of the Company and its Subsidiaries, and that are to be used to determine the vesting of the Performance Share Units;
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(bb) “ Performance Cycle ” means the applicable performance cycle of the Performance Share Units as may be specified by the Board in the applicable Award Agreement;
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(cc) “ Performance Share Unit ” means a right awarded to a Participant to receive a payment in Shares as provided in Section 5.2 hereof and subject to the terms and conditions of this Plan and the applicable Award Agreement;
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(dd) “ Person ” means any individual, corporation, partnership, association, joint‐stock company, trust, unincorporated organization, or governmental authority or body;
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(ee) “ Restriction Period ” means the time period between the Grant Date and the Vesting Date of an Award of Restricted Share Units specified by the Board in the applicable Award Agreement, which period shall be no less than 12 months, provided the Board may, in its discretion, permit earlier vesting, no sooner than quarterly, of the Restricted Share Units;
-
(ff) “ Restricted Share Unit ” means a right awarded to a Participant to receive a payment in Shares as provided in Section 5.1 hereof and subject to the terms and conditions of this Plan and the applicable Award Agreement;
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(gg) ‘‘ Retirement ” means retirement from active employment with the Company or a Subsidiary with the consent of an officer of the Company or the Subsidiary;
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(hh) “ Securities Act ” means the Securities Act (British Columbia), as amended, from time to time;
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(ii) “ Security‐Based Compensation Arrangement ” shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the rules and policies of the Exchange, or in the event that such term is not defined in the rules and policies of the Exchange, shall mean a stock option, including the Option Plan, employee stock purchase plan, long‐term incentive plan or any other compensation or incentive mechanism involving the issuance or potential issuance of Shares to one or more full‐time employees, officers, Insiders, service providers or Consultants of the Company or a Subsidiary, including a share purchase from treasury by a full‐time employee, officer, Insider, service provider or Consultant which is financially assisted by the Company or a Subsidiary by way of loan, guarantee or otherwise;
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(jj) “ Shares ” means the common shares of the Company;
-
(kk) “ Subsidiary ” means a corporation, company or partnership that is controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Company;
-
(ll) “ Termination Date ” means, as applicable:
-
(i) in the event of a Participant’s Retirement, voluntary termination or termination of employment as a result of a Disability, the date on which such Participant ceases to be an employee of the Company or a Subsidiary; and
-
(ii) in the event of termination of the Participant’s employment by the Company or a Subsidiary, the date on which such Participant is advised by the Company or a Subsidiary, in writing or verbally, that his or her services are no longer required;
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(mm) “ Trading Day ” means any date on which the Exchange is open for trading; and
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(nn) “ Vesting Date ” means in respect of any Award, the date when the Award is fully vested in accordance with the provisions of this Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.
SECTION 3 ADMINISTRATION
3.1 Board to Administer Plan
Except as otherwise provided herein, this Plan shall be administered by the Board and the Board shall have full authority to administer this Plan, including the authority to interpret and construe any provision of this Plan and to adopt, amend and rescind such rules and regulations for administering this Plan as the Board may deem necessary in order to comply with the requirements of this Plan.
3.2 Delegation to Committee
All of the powers exercisable hereunder by the Board may, to the extent permitted by applicable law and as determined by resolution of the Board, be delegated to and exercised by such committee as the Board may determine.
3.3
Interpretation
All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made or approved by the Board in good faith shall be final and conclusive and shall be binding on the Participants and the Company.
3.4
No Liability
No Director shall be personally liable for any action taken or determination or interpretation made or approved in good faith in connection with this Plan and the Directors shall, in addition to their rights as Directors, be fully protected, indemnified and held harmless by the Company with respect to any such action taken or determination or interpretation made. The appropriate officers of the Company are hereby authorized and empowered to do all things and execute and deliver all instruments, undertakings and applications and writings as they, in their absolute discretion, consider necessary for the implementation of this Plan and of the rules and regulations established for administering this Plan. All costs incurred in connection with this Plan shall be for the account of the Company.
SECTION 4 SHARES AVAILABLE FOR AWARDS
4.1 Limitations on Shares Available for Issuance
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(a) Subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 4.3, a total of 3,623,922 Shares shall be available for the grant of Awards. For so long as any Awards are outstanding, the Company shall keep available at all times such number of Shares as would be issuable on the due exercise of all of such Awards; and
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(b) the total number of Shares issuable to Persons performing Investor Relations Activities on behalf of the Company pursuant to the Plan, together with Shares issuable to all Persons performing Investor Relations Activities under all of the Company’s other Security‐Based Compensation Arrangements, shall not exceed one (1%) percent of the issued and outstanding Shares in any twelve‐month period.
4.2 Accounting for Awards
For purposes of this Section 4:
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(a) if an Award is denominated in Shares, the number of Shares covered by such Award, or to which such Award relates, shall be counted on the Grant Date of such Award against the aggregate number of Shares available for granting Awards under this Plan; and
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(b) notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, any Shares related to Awards which terminate by expiration, forfeiture, cancellation, or otherwise without the issuance of such Shares, or are exchanged with the Board’s permission, prior to the issuance of Shares, for Awards not involving Shares, shall be available again for granting Awards under this Plan.
4.3 Anti‐Dilution
If the number of outstanding Shares is increased or decreased as a result of a stock split, consolidation or recapitalization and not as a result of the issuance of Shares for additional consideration or by way of stock dividend, the Board may make appropriate adjustments to the number and price (or other basis upon which an Award is measured) of Restricted Share Units, Performance Share Units and/or Deferred Share Units credited to a Participant. Any determinations by the Board as to the required adjustments shall be made in its sole discretion and all such adjustments shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes under this Plan.
SECTION 5 AWARDS
5.1 Restricted Share Units
- (a) Eligibility and Participation ‐ Subject to the provisions of this Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Board may prescribe, the Board may, from time to time, grant Awards of Restricted Share Units to Directors, Key Employees and Consultants. Restricted Share Units granted to a Participant shall be credited, as of the Grant Date, to the Participant’s Account. The number of Restricted Share Units to be credited to each Participant shall be determined by the Board in its sole discretion in accordance with this Plan. Each Restricted Share Unit shall, contingent upon the lapse of any restrictions, represent one (1) Share. The
number of Restricted Share Units granted pursuant to an Award and the Restriction Period in respect of such Restricted Share Units shall be specified in the applicable Award Agreement.
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(b) Restrictions ‐ Restricted Share Units shall be subject to such restrictions as the Board, in its sole discretion, may establish in the applicable Award Agreement, which restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such time or times and on such terms, conditions and satisfaction of objectives as the Board may, in its discretion, determine at the time an Award is granted.
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(c) Vesting ‐ All Restricted Share Units will vest and become payable by the issuance of Shares at the end of the Restriction Period if all applicable restrictions have lapsed, as such restrictions may be specified in the Award Agreement.
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(d) Change of Control ‐ In the event of a Change of Control, all restrictions upon any Restricted Share Units shall lapse immediately and all such Restricted Share Units shall become fully vested in the Participant and will accrue to the Participant in accordance with Section 5.1(j) hereof.
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(e) Death ‐ Other than as may be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement, upon the death of a Participant, any Restricted Share Units granted to such Participant which, prior to the Participant’s death, have not vested, will be immediately and automatically forfeited and cancelled without further action and without any cost or payment, and the Participant or his or her estate, as the case may be, shall have no right, title or interest therein whatsoever. Any Restricted Share Units granted to such Participant which, prior to the Participant’s death, had vested pursuant to the terms of the applicable Award Agreement will accrue to the Participant’s estate in accordance with Section 5.1(j) hereof.
(f) Termination of Employment
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(i) Where, in the case of a Key Employee, a Participant’s employment is terminated by the Company or a Subsidiary for cause, all Restricted Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan will immediately terminate without payment, be forfeited and cancelled and shall be of no further force or effect as of the Termination Date.
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(ii) Where, in the case of a Key Employee, a Participant’s employment terminates by reason of termination by the Company or a Subsidiary without cause, by voluntary termination or due to Retirement by the Participant, all Restricted Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan that have not vested will, unless the applicable Award Agreement provides otherwise and subject to the provisions below, immediately terminate without payment, be forfeited and cancelled and shall be of no further force or effect as of the Termination Date; provided, however , that any Restricted Share Units granted to such Participant which, prior to the Participant’s termination without cause, voluntary termination or Retirement, had vested pursuant to the terms of the applicable Award Agreement will accrue to the Participant in accordance with Section 5.1(j) hereof.
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(iii) Upon termination of a Participant’s employment with the Company or a Subsidiary, the Participant’s eligibility to receive further grants of Awards of Restricted Share Units under this Plan shall cease as of the Termination Date.
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(g) Disability ‐ Where, in the case of a Key Employee, a Participant becomes afflicted by a Disability, all Restricted Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan will continue to vest in accordance with the terms of such Restricted Share Units; provided, however , that no Restricted Share Units may be redeemed during a leave of absence. Where a Key Employee’s employment is terminated due to Disability, all Restricted Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan that have not vested will, unless the applicable Award Agreement provides otherwise and subject to the provisions below, immediately terminate without payment, be forfeited and cancelled and shall be of no further force or effect as of the Termination Date; provided, however , that any Restricted Share Units granted to such Participant which, prior to the Participant’s termination due to Disability, had vested pursuant to terms of the applicable Award Agreement will accrue to the Participant in accordance with Section 5.1(j) hereof.
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(h) Cessation of Directorship ‐ Where, in the case of Directors, a Participant ceases to be a Director for any reason, any Restricted Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan that have not yet vested will, unless the applicable Award Agreement provides otherwise and subject to the provisions below, immediately terminate without payment, be forfeited and cancelled and shall be of no further force or effect as of the date the Participant ceases to be a Director; provided, however , that any Restricted Share Units granted to such Participant which, prior to the Participant ceasing to be a Director for any reason, had vested pursuant to the terms of the applicable Award Agreement will accrue to the Participant in accordance with Section 5.1(j) hereof.
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(i) Termination of Service ‐ Where, in the case of Consultants, a Participant’s service to the Company terminates for any reason, subject to the applicable Award Agreement and any other contractual commitments between the Participant and the Company, any Restricted Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan that have not yet vested will be forfeited and cancelled and shall be of no further force or effect as of the date of termination of service; provided, howeve r, that any Restricted Share Units granted to such Participant which, prior to the termination of the Participant’s service to the Company for any reason, had vested pursuant to the terms of the applicable Award Agreement will accrue to the Participant in accordance with Section 5.1(j) hereof.
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(j) Payment of Award ‐ As soon as practicable after each Vesting Date of an Award of Restricted Share Units, the Company shall issue from treasury to the Participant, or if Section 5.1(e) applies, to the Participant’s estate, a number of Shares equal to the number of Restricted Share Units credited to the Participant’s Account that become payable on the Vesting Date. As of the Vesting Date, the Restricted Share Units in respect of which such Shares are issued shall be cancelled and no further payments shall be made to the Participant under this Plan in relation to such Restricted Share Units.
5.2 Performance Share Units
- (a) Eligibility and Participation ‐ Subject to the provisions of this Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Board may prescribe, the Board may, from time to time, grant Awards of Performance Share Units to Key Employees and Consultants. Performance Share Units granted to a Participant shall be credited, as of the Grant Date, to the Participant’s Account. The number of Performance Share Units to be credited to each Participant shall be determined by the Board, in its sole discretion, in accordance with this Plan. Each Performance Share Unit shall, contingent upon the attainment of the Performance Criteria within the Performance Cycle, represent one (1) Share. The number of Performance Share
Units granted pursuant to an Award, the Performance Criteria which must be satisfied in order for the Performance Share Units to vest and the Performance Cycle in respect of such Performance Share Units shall be specified in the applicable Award Agreement.
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(b) Performance Criteria ‐ The Board will select, settle and determine the Performance Criteria (including without limitation the attainment thereof), for purposes of the vesting of the Performance Share Units, in its sole discretion. An Award Agreement may provide the Board with the right, during a Performance Cycle or after it has ended, to revise the Performance Criteria and the Award amounts if unforeseen events (including, without limitation, changes in capitalization, an equity restructuring, an acquisition or a divestiture) occur which have a substantial effect on the financial results and which in the sole judgment of the Board make the application of the Performance Criteria unfair unless a revision is made. Notices will be provided by the Company to applicable regulatory authorities or stock exchanges as may be required with respect to the foregoing.
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(c) Vesting ‐ All Performance Share Units will vest and become payable to the extent that the Performance Criteria set forth in the Award Agreement are satisfied for the Performance Cycle, the determination of which satisfaction shall be made by the Board on the Determination Date.
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(d) Change of Control ‐ In the event of a Change of Control, all Performance Share Units granted to a Participant shall become fully vested in such Participant (without regard to the attainment of any Performance Criteria) and shall become payable to the Participant in accordance with Section 5.2(i) hereof.
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(e) Death ‐ Other than as may be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement and below, upon the death of a Participant, all Performance Share Units granted to the Participant which, prior to the Participant’s death, have not vested, will immediately and automatically be forfeited and cancelled without further action and without any cost or payment, and the Participant or his or her estate, as the case may be, shall have no right, title or interest therein whatsoever; provided, however , the Board may determine, in its sole discretion, the number of the Participant’s Performance Share Units that will vest based on the extent to which the applicable Performance Criteria set forth in the Award Agreement have been satisfied in that portion of the Performance Cycle that has lapsed. The Performance Share Units that the Board determines to have vested shall become payable in accordance with Section 5.2(i) hereof.
(f) Termination of Employment
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(i) Where, in the case of Key Employees, a Participant’s employment is terminated by the Company or a Subsidiary for cause, all Performance Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan will immediately terminate without payment, be forfeited and cancelled and shall be of no further force or effect as of the Termination Date.
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(ii) Where, in the case of Key Employees, other than as may be set forth in the applicable Award Agreement and below, a Participant’s employment is terminated by the Company or a Subsidiary without cause, by voluntary termination or due to Retirement, all Performance Share Units granted to the Participant which, prior to the Participant’s termination, have not vested, will immediately and automatically be forfeited and cancelled without further action and without any cost or payment,
and the Participant shall have no right, title or interest therein whatsoever as of the Termination Date; provided, however , the Board may determine, in its sole discretion, the number of the Participant’s Performance Share Units that will vest based on the extent to which the applicable Performance Criteria set forth in the Award Agreement have been satisfied in that portion of the Performance Cycle that has lapsed. The Performance Share Units that the Board determines to have vested shall become payable in accordance with Section 5.2(i) hereof.
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(iii) In the case of Key Employees, upon termination of a Participant’s employment with the Company or a Subsidiary, the Participant’s eligibility to receive further grants of Awards of Performance Share Units under this Plan shall cease as of the Termination Date.
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(g) Disability ‐ Where a Participant becomes afflicted by a Disability, all Performance Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan will continue to vest in accordance with the terms of such Performance Share Units; provided, however , that no Performance Share Units may be redeemed during a leave of absence. Where a Participant’s employment is terminated due to Disability, all Performance Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan that have not vested will, unless the applicable Award Agreement provides otherwise and subject to the provisions below, immediately and automatically be forfeited and cancelled without further action and without any cost or payment, and the Participant shall have no right, title or interest therein whatsoever as of the Termination Date; provided, however , that the Board may determine, in its sole discretion, the number of the Participant’s Performance Share Units that will vest based on the extent to which the applicable Performance Criteria set forth in the Award Agreement have been satisfied in that portion of the Performance Cycle that has lapsed. The Performance Share Units that the Board determines to have vested shall become payable in accordance with Section 5.2(i) hereof.
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(h) Termination of Service ‐ Where, in the case of Consultants, a Participant’s service to the Company terminates for any reason, subject to the applicable Award Agreement and any other contractual commitments between the Participant and the Company, all Performance Share Units granted to the Participant under this Plan that have not vested will, unless the applicable Award Agreement provides otherwise and subject to the provisions below, immediately and automatically be forfeited and cancelled without further action and without any cost or payment, and the Participant shall have no right, title or interest therein whatsoever as of the Termination Date; provided, however , that the Board may determine, in its sole discretion, the number of the Participant’s Performance Share Units that will vest based on the extent to which the applicable Performance Criteria set forth in the Award Agreement have been satisfied in that portion of the Performance Cycle that has lapsed. The Performance Share Units that the Board determines to have vested shall become payable in accordance with Section 5.2(i) hereof.
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(i) Payment of Award ‐ Payment to Participants in respect of vested Performance Share Units shall be made after the Determination Date for the applicable Award and in any case within ninety‐five (95) days after the last day of the Performance Cycle to which such Award relates. Such payments shall be made entirely in Shares. The Company shall issue from treasury to the Participant, or if Section 5.2(e) applies, to the Participant’s estate, a number of Shares equal to the number of Performance Share Units that have vested. As of the Vesting Date, the Performance Share Units in respect of which such Shares are issued shall
be cancelled and no further payments shall be made to the Participant under this Plan in relation to such Performance Share Units.
5.3 Deferred Share Units
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(a) Eligibility and Participation ‐ Subject to the provisions of this Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Board may prescribe, the Board may, from time to time, grant Awards of Deferred Share Units to Directors in lieu of Fees. A Director becomes a Participant effective as of the date be or she is first appointed or elected as a Director and ceases to be a Participant at the time he or she ceases to be a Director for any reason. Deferred Share Units granted to a Participant in accordance with Section 5.3 hereof shall be credited, as of the Grant Date, to the Participant’s Account.
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(b) Election ‐ Each Director may elect to receive any or all of his or her Fees in Deferred Share Units under this Plan. Elections by Participants regarding the amount of their Fees that they wish to receive in Deferred Share Units shall be made no later than 90 days after this Plan is adopted by the Board, and thereafter no later than December 31 of any given year with respect to Fees for the following year. Any Director who becomes a Participant during a calendar year and wishes to receive an amount of his or her Fees for the remainder of that year in Deferred Share Units must make his or her election within 60 days of becoming a Director.
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(c) Calculation ‐ The number of Deferred Share Units to be credited to the Participant’s Account shall be calculated by dividing the amount of Fees selected by a Director in the applicable Election Form by the Market Unit Price on the Grant Date (or such other price as required under Exchange policies) which shall be the 10th business day following each financial quarter end. If, as a result of the foregoing calculation, a Participant shall become entitled to a fractional Deferred Share Unit, the Participant shall only be credited with a full number of Deferred Share Units (rounded down) and no payment or other adjustment will be made with respect to the fractional Deferred Share Unit.
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(d) Payment of Award ‐ Each Participant shall be entitled to receive, after the effective date that the Participant ceases to be a Director for any reason, on a day designated by the Participant and communicated to the Company by the Participant in writing at least 15 days prior to the designated day (or such earlier date after the Participant ceases to be a Director as the Participant and the Company may agree, which date shall be no later than the end of the calendar year following the year in which the Participant ceases to be a Director) and if no such notice is given, then on the first anniversary of the effective date that the Participant ceases to be a Director, at the sole discretion of the Board, either:
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(i) that number of Shares equal to the number of Deferred Share Units credited to the Participant’s Account, such Shares to be issued from treasury of the Company; or
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(ii) a cash payment in an amount equal to the Market Unit Price on the next Trading Day after the Participant ceases to be a Director of the Deferred Share Units credited to a Participant’s Account, net of applicable withholdings.
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(e) Exception ‐ In the event that the value of a Deferred Share Unit would be determined with reference to a period commencing at a fiscal quarter‐end of the Company and ending prior to the public disclosure of interim financial statements for the quarter (or annual financial statements in the case of the fourth quarter), the cash payment of the value of the Units
will be made to the Participant with reference to the five (5) Trading Days immediately following the public disclosure of the interim financial statements for that quarter (or annual financial statements in the case of the fourth quarter).
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(f) Death ‐ Upon death of a Participant, the Participant’s estate shall be entitled to receive, within 120 days after the Participant’s death and at the sole discretion of the Board, a cash payment or Shares that would have otherwise been payable in accordance with Section 5.3(d) hereof to the Participant upon such Participant ceasing to be Director.
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(g) Deductions ‐ Whenever cash is to be paid on redemption of Deferred Share Units, the Company shall have the right to deduct from all cash payments made to a Participant any taxes required by law to be withheld with respect to such payments. Whenever Shares are to be delivered on redemption of Deferred Share Units, the Company shall have the right to deduct from any other amounts payable to the Participant any taxes required by law to be withheld with respect to such delivery of Shares, or if any payment due to the Participant is not sufficient to satisfy the withholding obligation, to require the Participant to remit to the Company in cash an amount sufficient to satisfy any taxes required by law to be withheld. At the sole discretion of the Board, a Participant may be permitted to satisfy the foregoing requirement by:
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(i) electing to have the Company withhold from delivery Shares having a value equal to the amount of tax required to be withheld; or
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(ii) delivering (on a form prescribed by the Company) an irrevocable direction to a securities broker approved by the Company to sell all or a portion of the Shares and deliver to the Company from the sales proceeds an amount sufficient to pay the required withholding taxes.
5.4 General Terms Applicable to Awards
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(a) Forfeiture Events ‐ The Board will specify in an Award Agreement at the time of the Award that the Participant’s rights, payments and benefits with respect to an Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or recoupment upon the occurrence of certain specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of an Award. Such events shall include, but shall not be limited to, termination of employment for cause, violation of material Company policies, fraud, breach of non‐competition, confidentiality or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the Participant or other conduct by the Participant that is detrimental to the business or reputation of the Company.
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(b) Awards May be Granted Separately or Together ‐ Awards may, in the discretion of the Board, be granted either alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or in substitution for any other Award or any award granted under any other Security‐Based Compensation Arrangement of the Company. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards, or in addition to or in tandem with awards granted under any other Security‐Based Compensation Arrangement of the Company, may be granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Awards or awards.
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(c) Non‐Transferability of Awards ‐ Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement or determined by the Board in its sole discretion, no Award and no right under any such Award, shall be assignable, alienable, saleable, or transferable by a Participant otherwise
than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. No Award and no right under any such Award, may be pledged, alienated, attached, or otherwise encumbered, and any purported pledge, alienation, attachment, or encumbrance thereof shall be void and unenforceable against the Company.
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(d) Conditions and Restrictions Upon Securities Subject to Awards ‐ The Board may provide that the Shares issued under an Award shall be subject to such further agreements, restrictions, conditions or limitations as the Board in its sole discretion may specify, including without limitation, conditions on vesting or transferability and forfeiture or repurchase provisions or provisions on payment of taxes arising in connection with an Award. Without limiting the foregoing, such restrictions may address the timing and manner of any resales by the Participant or other subsequent transfers by the Participant of any Shares issued under an Award, including without limitation:
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(i) restrictions under an insider trading policy or pursuant to applicable law;
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(ii) restrictions designed to delay and/or coordinate the timing and manner of sales by Participant and holders of other Security‐Based Compensation Arrangements;
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(iii) restrictions as to the use of a specified brokerage firm for such resales or other transfers; and
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(iv) provisions requiring Shares to be sold on the open market or to the Company in order to satisfy tax withholding or other obligations.
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(e) Share Certificates ‐ All Shares delivered under this Plan pursuant to any Award shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Board may deem advisable under this Plan or the rules, regulations, and other requirements of any securities commission, the Exchange, and any applicable securities legislation, regulations, rules, policies or orders, and the Board may cause a legend or legends to be put on any such certificates to make appropriate reference to such restrictions.
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(f) Conformity to Plan ‐ In the event that an Award is granted which does not conform in all particulars with the provisions of this Plan, or purports to grant an Award on terms different from those set out in this Plan, the Award shall not be in any way void or invalidated, but the Award shall be adjusted to become, in all respects, in conformity with this Plan.
5.5 General Terms Applicable to Performance‐Based Awards
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(a) Performance Evaluation; Adjustment of Goals ‐ At the time that a Performance‐Based Award is first issued, the Board, in the Award Agreement or in another written document, shall specify whether performance will be evaluated including or excluding the effect of any of the following events that occur during the Performance Cycle or Restriction Period, as the case may be:
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(i) judgments entered or settlements reached in litigation;
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(ii) the write‐down of assets;
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(iii) the impact of any reorganization or restructuring;
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(iv) the impact of changes in tax laws, accounting principles, regulatory actions or other laws affecting reported results;
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(v) extraordinary non‐recurring items as may be described in the Company’s management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations for the applicable financial year;
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(vi) the impact of any mergers, acquisitions, spin‐offs or other divestitures; and
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(vii) foreign exchange gains and losses.
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(b) Adjustment of Performance‐Based Awards ‐ The Board shall have the sole discretion to adjust the determinations of the degree of attainment of the pre‐established Performance Criteria or restrictions, as the case may be, as may be set out in the applicable Award Agreement governing the relevant Performance‐Based Award. Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, the Board may not make any adjustment or take any other action with respect to any Performance‐Based Award that will increase the amount payable under any such Award. The Board shall retain the sole discretion to adjust Performance‐ Based Awards downward or to otherwise reduce the amount payable with respect to any Performance‐Based Award.
SECTION 6 AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION
6.1 Amendments and Termination of this Plan
The Board may at any time or from time to time, in its sole and absolute discretion and without the approval of shareholders of the Company, amend, suspend, terminate or discontinue this Plan and may amend the terms and conditions of any Awards granted hereunder, subject to:
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(a) any required approval of any applicable regulatory authority or the Exchange; and
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(b) any approval of shareholders of the Company as required by the rules of the Exchange or applicable law, provided that shareholder approval shall not be required for the following amendments and the Board may make any changes which may include but are not limited to:
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(i) amendments of a “housekeeping nature”;
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(ii) amendments for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, error or omission in this Plan or to correct or supplement any provision of this Plan that is inconsistent with any other provision of this Plan;
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(iii) amendments which are necessary to comply with applicable law or the requirements of the Exchange;
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(iv) amendments respecting administration and eligibility for participation under this Plan;
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(v) changes to the terms and conditions on which Awards may be or have been granted pursuant to this Plan including changes to the vesting provisions and terms of any Awards;
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(vi) amendments which alter, extend or accelerate the terms of vesting applicable to any Awards; and
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(vii) changes to the termination provisions of an Award or this Plan which do not entail an extension beyond the original fixed term.
If this Plan is terminated, prior Awards shall remain outstanding and in effect in accordance with their applicable terms and conditions.
6.2 Amendments to Awards
The Board may waive any conditions or rights under, amend any terms of, or amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate, any Awards theretofore granted, prospectively or retroactively. No such amendment or alteration shall be made which would impair the rights of any Participant, without such Participant’s consent, under any Award theretofore granted, provided that no such consent shall be required with respect to any amendment or alteration if the Board determines in its sole discretion that such amendment or alteration either:
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(a) is required or advisable in order for the Company, this Plan or the Award to satisfy or conform to any law or regulation or to meet the requirements of any accounting standard; or
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(b) is not reasonably likely to significantly diminish the benefits provided under such Award.
SECTION 7 GENERAL PROVISIONS
7.1 No Rights to Awards
No Director, Key Employee, Consultant or other Person shall have any claim to be granted any Award under this Plan, or, having been selected to receive an Award under this Plan, to be selected to receive a future Award. There is no obligation for uniformity of treatment of Directors, Key Employees, Consultant or holders or beneficiaries of Awards under this Plan. The terms and conditions of Awards need not be the same with respect to each Participant.
7.2 Withholding
The Company shall be authorized to withhold from any Award granted or any payment due or transfer made under any Award or under this Plan the amount (in cash, Shares, other securities, or other Awards) of withholding taxes due in respect of an Award, its exercise, or any payment or transfer under such Award or under this Plan and to take such other action as may be necessary in the opinion of the Company to satisfy statutory withholding obligations for the payment of such taxes.
7.3 No Limit on Other Security‐Based Compensation Arrangements
Nothing contained in this Plan shall prevent the Company or a Subsidiary from adopting or continuing in effect other Security‐Based Compensation Arrangements, and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.
7.4 No Right to Employment
The grant of an Award shall neither constitute an employment contract nor be construed as giving a Participant the right to be retained in the employ of the Company. Further, the Company may at any time dismiss a Participant from employment, free from any liability, or any claim under this Plan, unless otherwise expressly provided in this Plan or in an applicable Award Agreement.
7.5 No Right as Shareholder
Neither the Participant nor any representatives of a Participant’s estate shall have any rights whatsoever as shareholders in respect of any Shares covered by such Participant’s Restricted Share Units, Performance Share Units and/or Deferred Share Units until the date of issuance of a share certificate to such Participant or representatives of a Participant’s estate for such Shares.
7.6 Governing Law
This Plan and all of the rights and obligations arising herefrom shall be interpreted and applied in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.
7.7
Severability
If any provision of this Plan or any Award is or becomes or is deemed to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, or as to any Person or Award, or would disqualify this Plan or any Award under any law deemed applicable by the Board, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to conform to applicable laws, or if it cannot be so construed or deemed amended without, in the determination of the Board, materially altering the intent of this Plan or the Award, such provision shall be stricken as to such jurisdiction, Person or Award, and the remainder of this Plan and any such Award shall remain in full force and effect.
7.8 No Trust or Fund Created
Neither this Plan nor any Award shall create or be construed to create a trust or separate fund of any kind or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and a Participant or any other Person. To the extent that any Person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company pursuant to an Award, such right shall be no greater than the right of any unsecured creditor of the Company.
7.9 No Fractional Shares
No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to this Plan or any Award, and the Board shall determine whether cash, or other securities shall be paid or transferred in lieu of any fractional Shares, or whether such fractional Shares or any rights thereto shall be cancelled, terminated, or otherwise eliminated.
7.10 Headings
Headings are given to the Sections and subsections of this Plan solely as a convenience to facilitate reference. Such headings shall not be deemed in any way material or relevant to the construction or interpretation of this Plan or any provision thereof.
7.11
No Representation or Warranty
The Company makes no representation or warranty as to the value of any Award granted pursuant to this Plan or as to the future value of any Shares issued pursuant to any Award.
7.12 No Representations or Covenant with Respect to Tax Qualification
Although the Company may, in its discretion, endeavor to (i) qualify an Award for favourable Canadian tax treatment or (ii) avoid adverse tax treatment, the Company makes no representation to that effect and expressly disavows any covenant to maintain favorable or avoid unfavorable tax treatment. The Company shall be unconstrained in its corporate activities without regard to the potential negative tax impact on holders of Awards under this Plan.
7.13 Conflict with Award Agreement
In the event of any inconsistency or conflict between the provisions of this Plan and an Award Agreement, the provisions of this Plan shall govern for all purposes.
7.14 Compliance with Laws
The granting of Awards and the issuance of Shares under this Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or stock exchanges on which the Company is listed as may be required. The Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver evidence of title for Shares issued under this Plan prior to:
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(a) obtaining any approvals from governmental agencies that the Company determines are necessary or advisable; and
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(b) completion of any registration or other qualification of the Shares under any applicable national or foreign law or ruling of any governmental body that the Company determines to be necessary or advisable or at a time when any such registration or qualification is not current, has been suspended or otherwise has ceased to be effective.
The inability or impracticability of the Company to obtain or maintain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.
SECTION 8 EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS PLAN
8.1 Effective Date
This Plan shall become effective upon the date (the “ Effective Date ”) of approval by the Board.
SECTION 9 TERM OF THIS PLAN
9.1 Term
This Plan shall terminate automatically 10 years after the Effective Date and may be terminated on any earlier date as provided in Section 6 hereof.