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Lithium Ionic Corp. — Interim / Quarterly Report 2023
Nov 17, 2023
48021_rns_2023-11-16_0c6eff6d-1a99-4337-98dc-d67667673165.pdf
Interim / Quarterly Report
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Lithium Ionic Corp.
Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 (Expressed in Canadian Dollars)
NOTICE OF NO AUDITOR REVIEW OF CONDENSED INTERIM CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Under National Instrument 51-102, Part 4, subsection 4.3(3) (a), if an auditor has not performed a review of the condensed interim consolidated financial statements, they must be accompanied by a notice indicating that the interim consolidated financial statements have not been reviewed by an auditor.
The accompanying unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements of the Company have been prepared by and are the responsibility of the Company’s management.
The Company’s independent auditor has not performed a review of these condensed interim consolidated financial statements in accordance with standards established by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) for a review of interim financial statements by an entity’s auditor.
2
Lithium Ionic Corp.
Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
| (Expressed in Canadian dollars) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30, | December 31, | ||||
| As at: | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Note | $ | $ | |||
| ASSETS | |||||
| Current | |||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 6 | $ | 22,696,431 |
$ | 21,492,788 |
| Short-term investments | 6 | - | 10,000,000 | ||
| Amounts receivable | 313,953 | 572,150 | |||
| Prepaid expenses | 560,709 |
426,863 |
|||
| Total current assets | 23,571,093 | 32,491,801 | |||
| Long-term | |||||
| Equipment | 7 | 750,864 |
345,742 | ||
| Loan receivable | 8 | 1,840,160 |
- |
||
| Total assets | $ | 26,162,117 |
$ | 32,837,543 |
|
| LIABILITIES | |||||
| Current liabilities | |||||
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 16 | $ | 5,914,266 |
$ | 2,008,712 |
| Short-term lease liabilities | 9 | 220,876 | 110,792 |
||
| Total current liabilities | 6,135,142 |
2,119,504 | |||
| Long-term lease liabilities | 9 | 233,715 |
136,778 | ||
| Total liabilities | 6,368,857 | 2,256,282 | |||
| SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY | |||||
| Common shares | 12 | 86,289,765 | 49,711,875 | ||
| Warrant reserve | 13 | 4,025,110 |
1,000,896 | ||
| Option reserve | 13 | 6,925,571 |
6,773,242 | ||
| Accumulated deficit | (77,447,186) | (26,904,752) | |||
| Total shareholders' equity | 19,793,260 | 30,581,261 |
|||
| Total liabilities and shareholders' equity | $ | 26,162,117 |
$ | 32,837,543 |
|
| Nature of operations and going concern | 1 | ||||
| Commitments and contingencies | 18 | ||||
| Subsequent event | 19 |
Approved on behalf of the Board of Directors:
Signed: Helio Diniz , Director Signed: David Gower , Director
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
3
Lithium Ionic Corp.
Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Loss and Comprehensive Loss
(Expressed in Canadian dollars)
| (Expressed in Canadian dollars) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three months | ended | Nine months ended | |||||||
| September | 30, | September | 30, | ||||||
| Note | 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Expenses | |||||||||
| Exploration and evaluation expenses | 4,8,11 | $ | 11,245,460 |
$ | 6,289,135 |
$ | 46,374,742 |
$ | 7,335,748 |
| Consulting and management fees | 14 | 671,060 | 410,537 | 1,911,126 | 2,022,209 | ||||
| Shareholder communications | 190,161 | 85,090 | 688,905 | 212,264 | |||||
| Professional fees | 314,196 | 20,779 | 946,974 | 276,697 | |||||
| Office and general | 143,063 | 33,827 | 548,367 | 65,020 | |||||
| Depreciation | 7 | 89,697 | 4,016 | 181,325 | 5,615 | ||||
| Transaction costs | 5 | - | (3,793) | - | 4,640,918 | ||||
| Share-based compensation | 13 | - | 105,750 | 336,600 | 5,033,246 | ||||
| (Loss) for the period before other items | (12,653,637) $ |
$ | (6,945,341) |
(50,988,039) $ |
(19,591,717) $ |
||||
| Other items | |||||||||
| Interest income | 229,580 | 80,006 | 667,269 | 127,397 | |||||
| Lease accretion expense | 9 | (7,191) | (1,019) | (25,136) | (1,216) | ||||
| Lease extinguishment | 9 | - | - | (858) | - | ||||
| Accretion of loan receivable | 8 | 82,943 | - | 84,740 | - | ||||
| Foreign exchange (loss) | (105,953) | (84,210) | (280,425) | (75,039) | |||||
| Net (loss) and comprehensive (loss) for the | |||||||||
| period | (12,454,258) $ |
$ | (6,950,564) |
(50,542,449) $ |
(19,540,575) | ||||
| Basic and diluted (loss) per share | $ | (0.09) |
$ | (0.07) |
$ | (0.41) |
$ | (0.23) |
|
| Weighted average number of | |||||||||
| common shares outstanding | |||||||||
| Basic and Diluted | 133,666,435 | 100,817,392 | 124,645,182 | 86,179,395 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
4
Lithium Ionic Corp.
Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Changes in Shareholders' Equity
(Expressed in Canadian dollars)
| Number of Common |
Number of | Warrant | Number of | Option | Shareholders' | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shares Shares |
warrants | Reserve | options | Reserve | Deficit | equity | ||
| Balance, December 31, 2021 | 71,710,001 $ 7,487,282 | 2,372,750 | $ 179,241 | - | $ - | **$ (779,368) ** | $ 6,887,155 | |
| Reverse takeover transaction | 7,499,992 5,250,000 | 55,192 | 29,909 | - | - | - | 5,279,909 |
|
| Conversion of subscription receipts | 20,000,000 14,000,000 | - | - | - | - | - | 14,000,000 | |
| Subscription receipts | 1,257,370 880,159 | - | - | - | - | - | 880,159 | |
| Share issue costs - subscription receipts | - (880,159) | - | - | - | - | - | (880,159) | |
| Share issue costs - broker warrants | - (364,000) | 1,399,999 | 364,000 | - | - | - | - | |
| Share issue costs | - (298,998) | - | - | - | - | - | (298,998) | |
| Share-based compensation | - - | - | - | 10,070,000 | 5,033,246 | - | 5,033,246 | |
| Options exercise | 430,000 478,223 | - | - | (430,000) | (171,823) | - | 306,400 | |
| Warrants exercise | 276,991 120,011 | (276,991) | (48,829) | - | 71,182 |
|||
| Loss and comprehensive loss for theperiod | - - |
- | - | - | - |
(19,540,575) | (19,540,575) | |
| Balance, September 30, 2022 | 101,174,354 $ 26,672,518 | 3,550,950 | $ 524,321 | 9,640,000 | $ 4,861,423 | **$ (20,319,943) ** | $ 11,738,319 | |
| Balance, December 31, 2022 | 117,079,355 $ 49,711,875 | 4,208,449 | $ 1,000,896 | 11,577,000 |
$ 6,773,242 | **$ (26,904,752) ** | $ 30,581,261 | |
| Bought deal private placement | 13,690,635 $ 28,750,334 | - | $ - | - | $ - | $ | - | 28,750,334 |
| Share issue costs - broker warrants | - $ (1,635,483) | 821,438 | $ 1,635,483 | - | ||||
| Share issue costs | - $ (1,972,250) | (1,972,250) | ||||||
| Acquisition of Neolit Minerals Participacoes Ltda. | 4,000,000 9,400,000 | 1,500,000 | 1,807,500 | - | - | - | 11,207,500 | |
| Share-based compensation | - - | - | - | 200,000 | 336,600 | - | 336,600 | |
| Options exercise | 270,000 508,271 | - | - | (270,000) | (184,271) | - | 324,000 | |
| Warrants exercise | 3,145,564 1,527,018 | (3,144,811) | (418,754) | - | - | - | 1,108,264 | |
| Expiry of warrants | - - | (170) | (15) | 15 | - | |||
| Loss and comprehensive loss for theperiod | - - | - | - | - | - | (50,542,449) | (50,542,449) | |
| Balance, September 30, 2023 | 138,185,554 $ 86,289,765 | 3,384,906 | $ 4,025,110 | 11,507,000 | $ 6,925,571 | **$ (77,447,186) ** | $ 19,793,260 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
5
Lithium Ionic Corp.
Condensed Interim Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
(Expressed in Canadian dollars)
| Nine months ended | Nine months ended | Nine months ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30, | |||||
| Note | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Cash (used in)/provided by: | |||||
| Operating activities | |||||
| (Loss) for the period | $ | (50,542,449) |
$ | (19,540,575) |
|
| Items not involving cash: | |||||
| Depreciation | 7 | 181,325 |
5,615 |
||
| Lease accretion expense | 9 | 25,136 |
1,216 |
||
| Loss on lease extinguishment | 9 | 858 |
- |
||
| Acquisition of POCML 6 | 5 | - | 4,640,918 |
||
| Acquisition of Neolit | 4 | 19,548,788 | - |
||
| Fair value adjustment of loan receivable | 8 | 863,791 | - |
||
| Share-based compensation | 13 | 336,600 |
5,033,246 |
||
| Foreign exchange | 69,162 |
(224) | |||
| Changes in non cash working capital | (1,658,246) |
(969,467) |
|||
| Net cash (used in) operating activities | (31,175,035) |
(10,829,271) | |||
| Investing activities | |||||
| Redemption of GICs | 10,000,000 |
- | |||
| Acquisition of Neolit Minerals Participacoes Ltda. | 4 | (2,872,334) |
- | ||
| Cash acquired from acquisition | 140,218 | 701,110 |
|||
| Loan receivable | 8 | (2,752,000) | - | ||
| Purchase of equipment | 7 | (188,637) | (54,044) |
||
| Net cash provided by investing activities | 4,327,247 | 647,066 | |||
| Financing activities | |||||
| Proceeds from equity financings | 12 | 28,750,334 | 14,000,000 | ||
| Cost of issue | 12 | (1,972,250) | (298,998) | ||
| Options exercised | 13 | 324,000 | 306,400 | ||
| Warrants exercised | 13 | 1,108,264 | 71,182 |
||
| Principal payments on lease liability | 9 | (158,917) | (7,738) | ||
| Net cash provided by financing activities | 28,051,431 | 14,070,846 |
|||
| Change in cash | 1,203,643 | 3,888,641 | |||
| Cash, beginning of the period | 21,492,788 | 7,788,687 | |||
| Cash, end of theperiod | 22,696,431 | $ | 11,677,328 | ||
| SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION | |||||
| Value of common shares issued in acquisition | 4 | 9,400,000 | $ | - |
|
| Value of warrants issued in acquisition | 4 | 1,807,500 | - | ||
| Value of broker warrants issued | 12 | 1,635,483 | 1,399,999 | ||
| Equipment acquired through leases | 7,9 | 347,504 | 137,345 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
6
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
1. NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN
Lithium Ionic Corp. (the “Company”, or “Lithium Ionic”) was incorporated on December 21, 2020 under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) . The Company commenced trading as a Tier 2 Mining Issuer on the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) on May 24, 2022 under the new trading symbol “LTH”.
The Company is currently engaged in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Brazil. The head office and principal address of the Company is 36 Lombard Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5C 2X3.
The Company owns the following subsidiaries:
-
A 100% interest in Lithium Ionic Holdings Corp. (formerly Lithium Ionic Inc.), a company incorporated on July 5, 2021 as a Province of Ontario registered corporation pursuant to the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) . Lithium Ionic Holdings Corp. owns 100% of MGLIT Empreendimentos Ltda. (“MGLIT”), a company incorporated on October 29, 2018 under Brazilian corporate law.
-
In March 2023, the Company acquired a 100% interest in Neolit Minerals Participações Ltda. (“Neolit”), a Brazilian company which, as at the date of this report, owns an 85% interest in the Salinas Project (Note 4).
-
The Company, through MGLIT, owns a 10% ownership interest in Valitar Participações S.A.(“Valitar”) holding preferred shares that pass on the economic rights of Valitar to MGLIT. Valitar is a special purpose vehicle incorporated in Brazil for the purpose of acquiring surface rights on claims owned by the Company that the Company expects could result in mineral production. See Note 8.
On May 19, 2022, the Company completed a reverse takeover transaction with Lithium Ionic Inc. (Note 5).
The business of exploring for minerals involves a high degree of risk and there can be no assurance that the current exploration programs will result in profitable operations.
The Company is in the process of exploring its mineral exploration properties and has not yet determined whether these properties contain mineral reserves that are economically recoverable. The recoverability of exploration and evaluation expenditures is dependent upon the establishment of a sufficient quantity of economically recoverable reserves, the ability of the Company to obtain necessary financing to complete the development and upon future profitable production or proceeds from the disposition of these assets.
Although the Company has taken steps to verify title to the properties on which it is conducting its exploration activities, these procedures do not guarantee the Company’s title. Property title may be subject to government licensing requirements or regulations, social licensing requirements, unregistered prior agreements, unregistered claims and non-compliance with regulatory and environmental requirements. The Company’s assets may also be subject to increases in taxes and royalties, renegotiation of contracts, currency exchange fluctuations and restrictions, and political uncertainty.
At September 30, 2023, the Company had current assets of $23,571,093 and current liabilities of $6,135,142 (December 31, 2022 - $32,491,801 and $2,119,504 respectively) and an accumulated deficit of $77,447,186 (December 31, 2022 - $26,904,752). The Company has a need for equity financing for working capital and exploration and development of its properties. Because of continuing operating losses, the Company's continuance as a going concern is dependent upon its ability to obtain adequate financing and to reach profitable levels of operation. It is not possible to predict whether financing efforts will be successful or if the Company will attain profitable levels of operation.
7
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
1. NATURE OF OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN (continued)
These consolidated financial statements have been prepared using accounting policies applicable to a going concern, which contemplates the realization of assets and settlement of liabilities in the normal course of operations. Accordingly, they do not give effect to adjustments that would be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern and therefore be required to realize its assets and liquidate its liabilities and commitments in other than the normal course of business and at amounts different from those in the accompanying financial statements. Such adjustments could be material.
2. BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Statement of compliance
These condensed interim consolidated financial statements are in compliance with IAS 34, Interim Financial Reporting . Accordingly, certain information and disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”), have been omitted or condensed. These condensed interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022.
Basis of presentation
These consolidated financial statements have been prepared using the accrual basis of accounting, except for cash flow information, and have been prepared using the historical cost basis. Furthermore, these consolidated financial statements are presented in Canadian dollars, which is the functional currency of the Company and its subsidiaries. All values are rounded to the nearest dollar. References to R$ refer to the Brazilian Real.
These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated on consolidation.
Approval of the consolidated financial statements
These consolidated financial statements of the Company for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 were reviewed, approved and authorized for issue by the Board of Directors of the Company on November 16, 2023.
Significant accounting policies
The policies set out in the company’s annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2022 were consistently applied to all periods unless otherwise noted below.
New and future accounting changes
Certain new standards, interpretations, amendments and improvements to existing standards were issued by the IASB or the IFRIC that are mandatory for accounting periods commencing on or after January 1, 2023. The Company adopted such changes without any material impact to the consolidated financial statements. Updates that are not applicable or are not consequential to the Company have been excluded thereof. The following have not yet been adopted and are being evaluated to determine their impact on the consolidated financial statements.
8
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
2. BASIS OF PRESENTATION (continued)
IFRS 10 – Consolidated Financial Statements (“IFRS 10”) and IAS 28 – Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures (“IAS 28”) were amended in September 2014 to address a conflict between the requirements of IAS 28 and IFRS 10 and clarify that in a transaction involving an associate or joint venture, the extent of gain or loss recognition depends on whether the assets sold or contributed constitute a business. The effective date of these amendments is yet to be determined; however early adoption is permitted.
3. CRITICAL JUDGMENTS AND ESTIMATION UNCERTAINTIES
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires the Company’s management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions about future events that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and related notes to the financial statements. Although these estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of the amount, event or actions, actual results may differ from those estimates.
The areas which require management to make significant judgments, estimates and assumptions in determining carrying values include, but are not limited to:
Share-based payments and warrants
Management determines costs for share-based payments and warrants issued in financing transactions using market-based valuation techniques. The fair value of the market-based share awards is determined at the date of grant using generally accepted valuation techniques. Assumptions are made and judgment used in applying valuation techniques. These assumptions and judgments include estimating the future volatility of the stock price, expected dividend yield, future employee turnover rates and future employee stock option exercise behaviors and corporate performance. Such judgments and assumptions are inherently uncertain. Changes in these assumptions affect the fair value estimates.
Income, value added, withholding and other taxes
The Company is subject to income, value added, withholding and other taxes. Significant judgment is required in determining the Company’s provisions for taxes. There are many transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain during the ordinary course of business. The Company recognizes liabilities for anticipated tax audit issues based on estimates of whether additional taxes will be due. The determination of the Company’s income, value added, withholding and other tax liabilities requires interpretation of complex laws and regulations. The Company’s interpretation of taxation law as applied to transactions and activities may not coincide with the interpretation of the tax authorities. All tax related filings are subject to government audit and potential reassessment subsequent to the financial statement reporting period. Where the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts that were initially recorded, such differences will impact the tax related accruals and deferred income tax provisions in the period in which such determination is made.
Rehabilitation provisions
The Company records management’s best estimate of the present value of the future cash requirements of any rehabilitation obligation as a long-term liability in the period in which the related environmental disturbance occurs based on the net present value of the estimated future costs. This obligation is adjusted at each period end to reflect the passage of time and any changes in the estimated future costs underlying the obligation. In determining this obligation, management must make a number of assumptions about the amount and timing of future cash flows and discount rate to be used. The actual future expenditures may differ from the amounts currently provided if the estimates made are significantly different than actual results or if there are significant changes in environmental and/or regulatory requirements in the future.
9
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
3. CRITICAL JUDGMENTS AND ESTIMATION UNCERTAINTIES (continued)
Leases under IFRS 16
Critical judgements are required in the application of IFRS 16, including identifying whether a contract (or part of a contract) includes a lease and determining whether it is reasonably certain that an extension or termination option will be exercised. Sources of estimation uncertainty include estimation of the lease term, determination of an appropriate discount rate and assessment of whether a ROU asset is impaired. Such judgments, estimates and assumptions are inherently uncertain, and changes in these assumptions affect the fair value estimates.
Contingencies
Refer to Note 18.
4. ACQUISITION OF NEOLIT MINERALS PARTICIPACOES LTDA
In March 2023, the Company acquired a 100% interest in Neolit Minerals Participações Ltda. (“Neolit”), a Brazilian company which owns a 40% interest in the Salinas Project and has the right, subject to certain exploration commitments, to acquire up to an 85% ownership interest in the Salinas Project. Subsequent to September 30, 2023, the Company increased its mineral rights ownership in the Salinas Project to 85%. The founder and CEO of Neolit, Dr. André Guimarães, joined the Company as VP Business Development. Pursuant to the purchase agreement, the Company paid a cash payment of US$2,031,005 ($2,788,569) on closing, as well as a cash payment of US$2,570,767 ($3,541,232) to settle all existing liabilities of Neolit on closing. As well, the Company issued 4,000,000 common shares of the Company and 1,500,000 common share purchase warrants. These warrants are exercisable at a price of $2.25 for a period of three years and only vest if the Company establishes an independent NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the Salinas Project of at least 20 million tonnes with an average grade greater than 1.3% Li2O. A final cash payment of US$1,500,000 is due September 10, 2024. In addition to the Salinas Project, Neolit, pursuant to a definitive agreement it has in place with an arm’s length party, can select from a land package of 10 tenements and acquire up to a 90% ownership interest in such claims by incurring exploration expenditures.
The Company assessed the acquisition and determined it to be an asset acquisition for accounting purposes, as the requirements of IFRS 3, Business Combinations, were not met. The purchase price in excess of the net assets acquired was allocated to property acquisition costs under exploration and evaluation expenses on the statement of operations.
| Cash | 140,218 |
|---|---|
| Accounts receivable | 3,900 |
| Prepaid expenses | 5,719 |
| Fixed assets | 72,028 |
| Accounts payable | (3,631,319) |
| Net Assets of Neolit: | (3,409,454) |
| Consideration provided: | |
| Shares (4,000,000 @ $2.35) | 9,400,000 |
| Warrants (1,500,000 @ $1.21) | 1,807,500 |
| Cash payment (US$2,031,005) | 2,788,569 |
| Deferred cash consideration (US$1,500,000) | 2,059,500 |
| Total consideration | 16,055,569 |
| Purchasepriceprovided less net assets acquired: | 19,465,023 |
10
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
4. ACQUISITION OF NEOLIT MINERALS PARTICIPACOES LTDA (continued)
The fair value of the 4,000,000 shares of the Company was $2.35 per share which was the fair market value based on the quoted market value of the Company’s shares on the acquisition date. The value of the warrants was estimated using the Black-Scholes model with the following assumptions: share price of $2.35; expected dividend yield of 0%; expected volatility of 73.57%; risk-free interest rate of 3.31% and an expected life of 3 years.
The Company incurred transactions costs related to this acquisition of $83,765.
5. REVERSE ACQUISITION
During the prior year, on May 19, 2022, the Company completed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding shares of Lithium Ionic Inc. by way of a three-cornered amalgamation with a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. For accounting purposes, Lithium Ionic Inc. was treated as the accounting parent company (legal subsidiary) and the Company has been treated as the accounting subsidiary (legal parent) in these condensed interim consolidated financial statements. As Lithium Ionic Inc. was deemed to be the acquirer for accounting purposes, its assets, liabilities and operations since incorporation are included in these financial statements at their historical carrying value. The Company’s results of operations have been included from the transaction date, May 19, 2022. As POCML 6 Inc. did not qualify as a business according to the definition in IFRS 3 Business Combinations, this reverse acquisition does not constitute a business combination. It has been accounted for in accordance with IFRS 2 Share-based Payments, such that Lithium Ionic Inc. is deemed to have issued shares in exchange for the net assets and listing status of POCML 6 Inc.
Pursuant to the Transaction, the Company issued 7,499,992 common shares to the shareholders of POCML 6 Inc. The issued and outstanding common shares of Lithium Ionic Inc. were exchanged for shares of the Company on a 1:1 basis. As part of the acquisition, the Company acquired working capital of $638,991. Transaction costs, being the excess of the value of the shares issued over net assets, were $4,640,918.
Details of the allocation of the estimated fair values of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed, and price consideration are as follows:
| Consideration paid: Issuance of Common Shares (7,499,992 @ $0.70) Issuance of Warrants (55,192 @ $0.5419) Purchase price allocation: Cash Accounts receivable Accounts payable Transaction costs |
5,250,000 $ 29,909 |
|---|---|
| 5,279,909 $ |
|
| 701,110 $ 9,925 (72,044) 4,640,918 |
|
| 5,279,909 $ |
The value of the shares was based on the price of the subscription receipts. The value of the warrants was estimated using the Black-Scholes model with the following assumptions: expected dividend yield of 0%; expected volatility of 69%; risk-free interest rate of 2.7% and an expected life of 0.9 years.
11
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
6. CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS
| September | September | 30, | December 31, | December 31, | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | ||||
| Cash | $ | 2,696,431 |
$ | 992,788 |
|
| Guaranteed investment certificate ("GIC"), bearing a variable interest rate | |||||
| (4.45% at December 31, 2022), redeemable and maturing July 22, 2023 | - | 4,500,000 | |||
| Guaranteed investment certificate ("GIC"), bearing an interest rate of 4.20%, | |||||
| maturing January 5, 2023 | - | 10,000,000 | |||
| Guaranteed investment certificate ("GIC"), bearing an interest rate of 4.00%, | |||||
| maturing February 23, 2023 | - | 6,000,000 | |||
| Guaranteed investment certificate ("GIC"), bearing a variable interest rate | |||||
| (5.2% at September 30, 2023), redeemable and maturing August 3, 2024 | 5,000,000 | - | |||
| Guaranteed investment certificate ("GIC"), bearing an interest rate of 5.45%, | |||||
| maturing November 1, 2023 | 15,000,000 | - | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents | 22,696,431 | 21,492,788 | |||
| Guaranteed investment certificate ("GIC"), bearing an interest rate of 4.50%, | |||||
| maturing April 5, 2023 | - | 10,000,000 | |||
| Short-term investments | - | 10,000,000 |
7. EQUIPMENT
The following table sets out the changes to the carrying value of equipment:
| Office furniture |
Computers & office equipment |
Field and lab equipment |
Vehicles | Software | Right-of-Use assets |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | $ | |
| Cost | |||||||
| As at December 31,2022 | 11,274 | 30,201 | 6,865 | 117,270 | 22,498 | 190,787 | 378,895 |
| Acquired through Neolit transaction | 1,997 | 1,904 | 3,978 | 85,262 | - | - | 93,141 |
| Additions | 53,711 | 67,084 | 2,885 | - | 67,774 | 344,687 | 536,141 |
| Lease extinguishment (Note 9) | - | - | - | - | - | (32,398) | (32,398) |
| As at September 30, 2023 | 66,982 | 99,189 | 13,728 | 202,532 | 90,272 | 503,077 | 975,780 |
| Accumulated Depreciation | |||||||
| As at December 31,2022 | (374) | (1,320) | (339) | (7,818) | (1,875) | (21,427) | (33,153) |
| Acquired through Neolit transaction | (137) | (46) | (20) | (20,909) | - | - | (21,112) |
| Depreciation | (2,808) | (7,951) | (903) | (20,922) | (39,524) | (109,217) | (181,325) |
| Lease extinguishment(Note 9) | - | - | - | - | - | 10,675 | 10,675 |
| As at September 30, 2023 | (3,319) | (9,317) | (1,262) | (49,649) | (41,399) | (119,969) | (224,915) |
| Net book value as at December 31, 2022 | 10,900 | 28,881 | 6,526 | 109,452 | 20,623 | 169,360 | 345,742 |
| Net book value as at September 30, 2023 | 63,663 | 89,872 | 12,466 | 152,883 | 48,873 | 383,108 | 750,864 |
12
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
8. LOAN RECEIVABLE
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company entered into an agreement with Valitar Participações S.A. (“Valitar”) for a non-revolving credit facility of R$10,000,000 ($2,752,000), with the full facility drawn down at September 30, 2023. The purpose of this facility was to pay for the acquisition of surface rights in Brazil by Valitar. Valitar is a special purpose vehicle incorporated in Brazil for the purpose of acquiring surface rights so that the Company ultimately benefits from royalties owing to landowners.
The facility is repayable in full on June 2, 2026 and carries an interest rate of 1% per annum. It is anticipated that Valitar will authorize MGLIT to perform mineral activities on its properties and upon commencement of production, MGLIT will pay royalties to Valitar.
MGLIT has a 10% ownership interest in Valitar, holding preferred shares that pass on the economic rights to MGLIT. The Company’s President, Mr. Helio Diniz, controls a company which owns a 90% ownership interest in Valitar.
The loan receivable was initially recognized at a fair value of R$6,488,774 ($1,785,711) using a discount rate of 20% and measured at amortized cost. An amount of R$3,511,266 ($961,645) was recorded to exploration and evaluation expenses, under mineral license and land acquisition as a result of this valuation. Accrued interest income of R$25,228 ($6,931) and R$25,776 ($7,082) and accretion of discount of R$301,877 ($82,943) and R$308,440 ($84,740) related to this loan receivable was recorded for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 respectively.
9. LEASE LIABILITY
The following table sets out the changes to the carrying value of lease liabilities:
| As at December 31,2022 | $ | 247,570 |
|---|---|---|
| Leases assumed during the period | 347,504 |
|
| Lease accretion | 25,136 | |
| Lease payments | (158,917) | |
| Lease extinguishment | (21,601) |
|
| Foreign exchange | 14,899 |
|
| As at September 30, 2023 | $ | 454,591 |
| Current portion of lease liability | $ | 220,876 |
| Long-termportion of lease liability | $ | 233,715 |
The Company’s lease liabilities include financing arrangements for vehicles as well as right-of-use leases for office space, dormitories and warehouses in Brazil.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, MGLIT signed lease agreements for dormitories and warehouses, located in Araçuaí and Salinas, MG. These agreements are for terms of 30 to 36 months. Monthly rent payments for these new agreements total R$40,562 ($10,940). An estimated incremental borrowing rate of 7.5% per annum was used.
During the period, the Company terminated a lease agreement entered into the prior year. As a result, a loss of $835 was recorded on the statement of loss and comprehensive loss.
13
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
9. LEASE LIABILITY (continued)
Future payments on all of the Company’s financing agreements and right-of-use leases are shown in the table below:
| R$ | CAD$ | |
|---|---|---|
| Payments due within 1 year | 940,479 | 253,647 |
| Payments due in 1-3 years | 942,918 | 254,305 |
10. ACQUISITION OF MINING LICENSES
In January 2023, the Company entered into a binding share purchase agreement with Exotic Mineração Ltda. (“Exotic”). Pursuant to which MGLIT has the option to acquire up to a 100% interest in Vale Do Litio Mineração Ltda. (“Vale Litio”), who has a 100% beneficial ownership interest in three lithium mining claims in Minas Gerais. The Company has acquired an initial 2.78% equity ownership interest in Vale Litio through a payment to Exoitc of R$900,000 (approximately $235,000) in cash. The Company may acquire the following ownership interest through the following payments to Exotic:
-
R$500,000 ($129,947) in cash to acquire an additional 1.54% equity ownership in Vale Litio on or before February 20, 2023 (paid in February 2023);
-
R$500,000 in cash to acquire an additional 1.54% equity ownership in Vale Litio on or before July 20, 2023 (paid in July 2023);
-
R$500,000 in cash to acquire an additional 1.54% equity ownership in Vale Litio on or before February 20, 2024;
-
R$30,000,000 in cash to acquire an additional 92.6% equity ownership in Vale Litio on or before July 20, 2024.
If the Company establishes a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the Vale claims of at least six million tonnes with an average content greater than 1.3% Li2O, the Company shall pay Exotic a cash bonus of R$10,000,000. The Company may terminate the agreement at any time without incurring any additional financial penalties.
In February 2023, the Company, through MGLIT, acquired a strategic mining claim from Clésio Alves Gonçalves Mineraçao E Comercio Ltda. (“Clesio”). The Company paid R$500,000 ($129,947) in cash to acquire the claim. If the Company establishes a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the Clesio claim of at least two million tonnes with an average content greater than 1.3% Li2O by August 13, 2025, the Company shall pay Clesio a cash bonus of USD$1,000,000. If the Company establishes a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the Clesio claim of at least five million tonnes with an average content greater than 1.3% Li2O by February 13, 2027, the Company shall pay Clesio an additional cash bonus of USD$1,000,000.
14
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
11. EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION EXPENSES
Lithium Ionic owns a 100% ownership interest in the Bandeira Project in Brazil, comprising certain exploration permits, the Galvani Licenses, the Borges, Clesio and Vale claims and 40% of the Salinas claims from its acquisition of Neolit, all located in Minas Gerais state (MG), Brazil.
In June 2023, the Company acquired land in Araçuaí for consideration of R$1,000,000 ($268,617). It is anticipated that this will be developed for administrative use.
Exploration and evaluation expenses are detailed in the following table.
| Three months | Three months | ended | Nine months ended | Nine months ended | Nine months ended | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 30, | September 30, | ||||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |||||
| Acquisition of Neolit property (Note 4) | $ | - |
$ | - |
$ | 19,548,788 |
$ | - |
| Drilling and geophysics | 9,308,059 | 1,329,108 |
20,702,055 | 1,590,903 | ||||
| Mining licenses and land acquisition (Note 8 & 10) | 137,625 |
4,210,882 | 1,863,367 |
4,339,140 | ||||
| Technical reports | 627,669 |
570,924 | 1,455,045 |
1,094,981 | ||||
| Project overhead costs | 444,194 | 64,086 | 1,149,691 | 106,085 | ||||
| Labour | 345,881 | 19,932 | 668,896 | 25,964 | ||||
| Land management fees, taxes and permits | 277,612 |
34,457 | 697,033 |
51,175 | ||||
| Professional fees | 88,206 | 5,597 | 229,938 | 35,760 | ||||
| Travel, meals and accomodation | 16,214 | 54,149 | 59,929 |
91,740 | ||||
| Total exploration and evaluation expenses | $ | 11,245,460 |
$ | 6,289,135 |
$ | 46,374,742 |
$ | 7,335,748 |
12. COMMON SHARES
Authorized
On September 30, 2023, the authorized share capital consisted of an unlimited number of common shares without par value.
without par value. |
without par value. |
|---|---|
| Number of shares outstanding Amount |
|
| Balance, December 31, 2022 117,079,355 |
$ 49,711,875 |
| Bought deal private placement (i) 13,690,635 |
28,750,334 |
| Share issue costs (i) - Value of broker warrants (i) - Acquisition of Neolit (Note 4) 4,000,000 Exercise of options (ii) 270,000 Valuation allocation of exercise of options - Exercise of warrants (iii) 3,145,564 Valuation allocation of exercise of warrants - |
(1,972,250) (1,635,483) |
| 9,400,000 | |
| 324,000 | |
| 184,271 | |
| 1,108,264 | |
| 418,754 | |
| Balance, September 30, 2023 138,185,554 |
86,289,765 $ |
15
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
12. COMMON SHARES (continued)
-
(i) On July 31, 2023, the Company completed an underwritten private placement financing issuing a total of 13,690,635 common shares for gross proceeds of $28,750,334. These common shares are subject to a four-month hold period. The underwriters received a commission of 6% of the gross proceeds in addition to 821,438 broker warrants. The value of the broker warrants was estimated using the BlackScholes model with the following assumptions: share price of $2.59; expected dividend yield of 0%; expected volatility of 155.66%; risk-free interest rate of 4.67% and an expected life of 2 years. Each broker warrant is exercisable into one common share of the Company at an exercise price of $2.10 with an expiry date of July 31, 2025. Issue costs include the commission as well as legal and regulatory fees amounting in aggregate to $1,972,250.
-
(ii) During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, 270,000 of the Company’s stock options were exercised at a weighted-average price of $1.20 per common share, generating proceeds of $324,000.
-
(iii) During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, 3,145,564 warrants were exercised at a weightedaverage price of $0.35 per common share, generating proceeds of $1,108,265.
13. EQUITY RESERVES
Warrants
The changes in warrants issued during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 are as follows:
| Weighted | Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of | average | of | |||
| warrants | exercise price | warrants | |||
| Balance, December 31, 2022 | 4,208,449 | $ | 0.64 |
$ | 1,000,896 |
| Granted, Neolit acquisition (Note 4) | 1,500,000 | 2.25 | 1,807,500 | ||
| Granted, broker warrants (Note 12) | 821,438 | 2.10 | 1,635,483 | ||
| Exercised | (3,144,811) | $ | 0.35 |
$ | (418,754) |
| Expiry | (170) | $ | 0.16 |
$ | (15) |
| Balance, September 30, 2023 | 3,384,906 | $ | 1.98 |
$ | 4,025,110 |
The following table summarizes the warrants outstanding as of September 30, 2023:
| Number of | Number of | Estimated | Risk-free | Expected | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| warrants | warrants | Exercise | fair value at | interest | Expected | dividend |
|||
| outstanding | exercisable | Grant date | Expiry date | price | grant date | Volatility | rate | life | yield |
| # | # | $ | $ | Years | |||||
| 125,968 | 125,968 | 19-May-22 | 19-May-24 | 0.70 | 32,752 |
68% | 1.00% | 2.00 | 0% |
| 937,500 | 937,500 | 5-Oct-22 |
5-Oct-24 | 1.60 | 549,375 |
65% | 3.85% | 2.00 | 0% |
| 1,500,000 | - | 13-Mar-23 | 10-Mar-26 | 2.25 | 1,807,500 | 74% | 3.31% | 3.00 | 0% |
| 821,438 | 821,438 | 31-Jul-23 | 31-Jul-25 | 2.10 | 1,635,483 | 156% | 4.67% | 2.00 | 0% |
| 3,384,906 | 1,884,906 | 4,025,110 |
The weighted-average remaining contractual life of the warrants as of September 30, 2023 is 1.83 years (December 31, 2022: 1.22 years).
16
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
13. EQUITY RESERVES (continued)
Share-based payments
The changes in stock options issued during the nine months ended September 30, 2023 are as follows:
| Weighted | Value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of | average | of | |||
| options | exercise price | options | |||
| Balance, December 31, 2022 | 11,577,000 |
$ | 1.02 |
$ | 6,773,242 |
| Granted | 200,000 | 2.89 | 336,600 | ||
| Exercised | (270,000) | 1.20 | (184,271) | ||
| Balance, September 30, 2023 | 11,507,000 |
$ | 1.05 |
$ | 6,925,571 |
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company granted 200,000 stock options to consultants of the Company at an exercise price of $2.89 expiring five years from the date of grant (September 30, 2022: 10,070,000 stock options granted at a weighted average exercise price of $0.87). These options vested immediately. The grant date fair value of these options was estimated to be $336,600 (September 30, 2022: $5,033,246) using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions: expected dividend yield of 0%; expected volatility of 66.36% based on the volatility of comparable companies; risk-free interest rate of 3.57%; and an expected life of 5 years.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, 270,000 of the Company’s options were exercised at a weighted-average exercise price of $1.20 generating proceeds of $324,000 (period ended September 30, 2022: 430,000 exercised at a weighted-average exercise price of $0.71). The Company’s weighted average share price at the time of the option exercises was $2.08 (September 30, 2022: $1.56).
For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, $nil and $336,600 in share-based compensation has been recognized in the consolidated statements of loss and comprehensive loss respectively (three and nine months ended September 30, 2022: $105,750 and $5,033,246 respectively).
Options outstanding as of September 30, 2023 are as follows:
| Number of | Number of | Estimated | Risk-free | Expected | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| options | options | Exercise | fair value at | interest | Expected | dividend |
|||
| outstanding | exercisable | Grant date | Expiry date | price | grant date | Volatility | rate | life | yield |
| # | # | $ | $ | Years | |||||
| 6,280,000 | 6,280,000 | 20-Apr-22 | 20-Apr-27 | 0.70 | 2,463,644 | 65% | 2.63% | 5.00 | 0% |
| 2,690,000 | 2,690,000 | 1-Jun-22 |
1-Jun-27 | 1.24 | 1,898,333 | 66% | 2.86% | 5.00 | 0% |
| 250,000 |
250,000 | 13-Jun-22 | 13-Jun-27 | 1.06 | 209,425 |
66% | 3.48% | 5.00 | 0% |
| 150,000 | 150,000 | 5-Aug-22 |
5-Aug-27 | 1.22 | 105,750 |
67% | 2.90% | 5.00 |
0% |
| 1,937,000 | 1,937,000 | 3-Nov-22 |
3-Nov-27 | 1.69 | 1,911,819 | 67% | 3.59% | 5.00 | 0% |
| 200,000 |
200,000 | 27-Feb-23 | 27-Feb-28 | 2.89 | 336,600 | 66% | 3.57% | 5.00 | 0% |
| 11,507,000 | 11,507,000 | 6,925,571 |
17
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
14. CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
The Company manages and adjusts its capital structure based on available funds in order to support the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties. The Board does not establish quantitative return on capital criteria for management, but rather relies on the expertise of the Company’s management to sustain future development of the business. The Company considers its capital to consist of common shares, warrants and options.
The properties in which the Company currently has an interest are in the exploration and evaluation stage; as such, the Company is dependent on external financing to fund its activities. In order to carry out planned exploration and evaluation and pay for administrative costs, the Company must raise additional amounts.
The Company may continue to assess new properties and may seek to acquire an interest in additional properties if it feels there is sufficient geologic or economic potential and if it has adequate financial resources to do so.
The Company and its subsidiaries are not subject to any capital requirements imposed by a lending institution or regulatory body, other than the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSXV”) which requires adequate working capital or financial resources of the greater of (i) $50,000 and (ii) an amount required to maintain operations and cover general and administrative expenses for a period of 6 months.
Management reviews its capital management approach on an ongoing basis and believes that this approach, given the relative size of the Company, is reasonable. There were no significant changes in the Company’s approach to capital management during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023.
15. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Financial instruments recorded at fair value on the statement of financial position are classified using a fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used in making the measurements. The fair value hierarchy has the following levels:
-
a) Level 1 - Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
-
b) Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for assets or liabilities, either directly or indirectly; and
-
c) Level 3 - Inputs for assets and liabilities that are not based on observable market data.
The fair value hierarchy requires the use of observable market inputs whenever such inputs exist. A financial instrument is classified to the lowest level of the hierarchy for which a significant input has been considered in measuring fair value.
The Company’s financial instruments include cash, amounts receivable, loan receivable, accounts payable and accrued liabilities and lease liabilities. The carrying values of these financial instruments reported in the statement of financial position approximate their respective fair values due to the relatively short-term nature of these instruments. As at September 30, 2023, the Company’s financial instruments that are carried at fair value, being cash equivalents and loan receivable, are classified as Level 2 and Level 3 respectively within the fair value hierarchy.
The Company’s risk exposures and the impact on the Company’s financial instruments are summarized below:
18
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
15. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (continued)
(a) Credit risk
Counterparty credit risk is the risk that the financial benefits of contracts with a specific counterparty will be lost if a counterparty defaults on its obligations under the contract. This includes any cash amounts owed to the Company by those counterparties, less any amounts owed to the counterparty by the Company where a legal right of set-off exists and also includes the fair values of contracts with individual counterparties which are recorded in the financial statements.
a. Trade credit risk
The Company is not exposed to significant trade credit risk.
b. Cash
In order to manage credit and liquidity risk the Company’s policy is to invest only in highly rated investment grade instruments. Limits are also established based on the type of investment, the counterparty and the credit rating.
c. Loan receivable
The Company expects the loan receivable will be repaid on time but cannot assure this with certainty. The face value of the loan receivable, R$10,000,000 ($2,697,000) represents the maximum credit exposure.
(b) Currency risk
Currency risk is the risk that the fair value of, or future cash flows from, the Company’s financial instruments will fluctuate because of changes in foreign exchange rates. The Company’s foreign currency risk arises primarily with respect to the Brazilian real (BRL) from its property interests in Brazil, and US dollars from operations. Fluctuations in the exchange rates between these currencies and the Canadian dollar could have a material effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations. The Company does not engage in any hedging activity to mitigate this risk.
As at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the Company had the following financial instruments denominated in foreign currency (expressed in Canadian dollars):
September 30, 2023
| September 30, 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazilian reals | US dollars | |||
| Cash | $ | 1,837,440 | $ | 63,918 |
| Loan receivable | 1,840,160 | - | ||
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | (3,573,606) | (2,096,929) | ||
| Lease liabilities | (454,591) | - | ||
| $ | (350,598) | $ | (2,033,011) |
| Cash Loan receivable Accounts payable and accrued liabilities Lease liabilities |
$ $ | 1,837,440 1,840,160 (3,573,606) (454,591) (350,598) |
$ $ | 63,918 - (2,096,929) - (2,033,011) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2022 | ||||
| Brazilian reals | US dollars | |||
| Cash | $ | 307,929 | $ | 62,887 |
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | (484,615) | (54,176) | ||
| Lease liabilities | (247,570) | - | ||
| $ | (424,256) | $ | 8,711 |
19
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
15. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (continued)
A 10% strengthening (weakening) of the Canadian dollar against the Brazilian real would decrease (increase) net loss and comprehensive loss by approximately $35,000 (December 31, 2022 - $40,000).
A 5% strengthening (weakening) of the Canadian dollar against the US dollar would decrease (increase) net loss and comprehensive loss by approximately $203,000 (December 31, 2022 - $18,000).
(c) Liquidity risk
Liquidity risk is the risk that an entity will encounter difficulty in meeting obligations associated with financial liabilities. The Company’s approach to managing liquidity risk is to ensure that it will have sufficient liquidity to meet liabilities when due. At September 30, 2023, the Company had a cash balance of $22,696,431 (December 31, 2022 - $31,492,788) to settle current liabilities of $6,135,142 (December 31, 2022 - $2,119,504). Of the current liabilities, approximately $3,300,000 have contractual maturities of less than 30 days and are subject to normal trade terms.
(d) Commodity / equity price risk
The Company is exposed to price risk with respect to commodity and equity prices. Equity price risk is defined as the potential adverse impact on the Company's earnings due to movements in individual equity prices or general movements in the level of the stock market. Commodity price risk is defined as the potential adverse impact on earnings and economic value due to commodity price movements and volatilities. The Company closely monitors commodity prices, as they relate to lithium, individual equity movements and the stock market to determine the appropriate course of action to be taken by the Company. Commodity price risk is remote at this time as the Company is not a producing entity.
16. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Compensation of key management personnel of the Company
In accordance with IAS 24, key management personnel are those persons having authority and responsibility for planning, directing and controlling the activities of the Company directly or indirectly, including any directors (executive and non-executive) of the Company. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, the remuneration of directors and other key management personnel is as follows:
| Three months | Three months | ended | Nine months ended | Nine months ended | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 30, | September 30, | ||||
| 2023 | 2022 | 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Management and Consulting fees | $ | 545,818 |
$ | 492,428 |
1,578,092 $ |
1,867,959 $ |
| Share-based compensation | - | - | - | 3,690,575 | ||
| Total | $ | 545,818 | $ | 492,428 | 1,578,092 $ |
5,558,534 $ |
As at September 30, 2023, an amount of approximately $127,700 (December 31, 2021 - $1,250,000), included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities, was owed to directors and officers of the Company. Such amounts are unsecured and non-interest bearing.
During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company paid $15,000 and $34,936 respectively to Troilus Gold Corp. for office space, administrative services and reimbursable costs. As at September 30, 2023, a balance of $nil is payable to Troilus Gold Corp. Mr. Blake Hylands, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, is a former officer of Troilus Gold Corp. As well, Mr. Tom Olesinski, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, is a director of Troilus Gold Corp, and Mr. Ian Pritchard, a new director of the Company, is an officer of Troilus Gold Corp.
20
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
16. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (continued)
Also during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company paid $17,410 and $52,230 respectively to Falcon Metais Ltda. for various administrative services. Mr. Helio Diniz, the Company’s President, is an officer of Falcon Metais Ltda.
The Company also loaned approximately R$10,000,000 ($2,697,000) to Valitar Participacoes Ltda., a company in which Mr. Helio Diniz indirectly owns a 90% interest and of which he is an officer, in order to acquire additional land titles and/or land leases. This balance has been recorded as a loan receivable.
17. SEGMENT INFORMATION
The Company conducts its business as a single operating segment, being mineral exploration and evaluation in Brazil. The following table summarizes the total assets and liabilities by geographic segment as at September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022:
ptember 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022: |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30, 2023 | Brazil | Canada | Total | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 1,837,440 |
$ | 20,858,991 |
$ | 22,696,431 |
| Amounts receivable | - |
313,953 |
313,953 |
|||
| Prepaid expenses | 353,473 |
207,236 |
560,709 |
|||
| Equipment | 750,864 |
- | 750,864 |
|||
| Loan receivable | 1,840,160 |
- | 1,840,160 |
|||
| Total Assets | $ | 4,781,937 |
$ | 21,380,180 |
$ | 26,162,117 |
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 3,573,606 |
$ | 2,340,660 |
$ | 5,914,266 |
| Lease liabilities | 454,591 |
- |
454,591 |
|||
| Total Liabilities | $ | 4,028,197 |
$ | 2,340,660 |
$ | 6,368,857 |
| December 31, 2022 | Brazil | Canada | Total | |||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 307,929 |
$ | 31,184,859 |
$ | 31,492,788 |
| Amounts receivable | - |
572,150 | 572,150 |
|||
| Prepaid expenses | 296,894 |
129,969 | 426,863 |
|||
| Equipment | 345,742 |
- | 345,742 |
|||
| Total Assets | $ | 950,565 | $ | 31,886,978 |
$ | 32,837,543 |
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | $ | 484,615 |
$ | 1,524,097 |
$ | 2,008,712 |
| Lease liabilities | 247,570 | - | 247,570 | |||
| Total Liabilities | $ | 732,185 | $ | 1,524,097 | $ | 2,256,282 |
21
Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
17. SEGMENT INFORMATION (continued)
The following tables summarizes the loss by geographic segment for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022:
| ptember 30, 2023 and 2022: | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Three months ended | ||||||
| September 30, 2023 | Brazil | Canada | Total | |||
| Other income | $ | (24,594) |
$ | (204,986) |
$ | (229,580) |
| Exploration and evaluation expenses | 11,245,460 | - | 11,245,460 | |||
| General and administrative expenses | 182,664 | 1,135,816 | 1,318,480 | |||
| Share-based payments | - | - | - | |||
| Depreciation | 89,697 | - | 89,697 | |||
| Accretion expense and lease extinguishment | 7,191 | - | 7,191 | |||
| Accretion of loan receivable | (82,943) | - | (82,943) | |||
| Foreign exchange (gain)/loss | 63,277 | 42,676 | 105,953 | |||
| Loss | $ | 11,480,752 |
$ | 973,506 |
$ | 12,454,258 |
| Three months ended | ||||||
| September 30, 2022 | Brazil | Canada | Total | |||
| Other income | $ | (182) |
$ | (79,824) |
$ | (80,006) |
| Exploration and evaluation expenses | 6,289,135 | - | 6,289,135 | |||
| General and administrative expenses | 24,852 | 521,588 | 546,440 | |||
| Share-based payments | - | 105,750 | 105,750 | |||
| Depreciation | 4,016 | - | 4,016 | |||
| Accretion expense | 1,019 | - | 1,019 | |||
| Foreign exchange (gain)/loss | 87,128 | (2,918) | 84,210 | |||
| Loss | $ | 6,405,968 | $ | 544,596 | $ | 6,950,564 |
| Nine | months ended | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 30, 2022 | Brazil | Canada | Total | |||
| Other income | $ | (43,667) |
$ | (623,602) |
$ | (667,269) |
| Exploration and evaluation expenses | 46,374,742 | - | 46,374,742 | |||
| General and administrative expenses | 243,447 | 3,851,925 | 4,095,372 | |||
| Share-based payments | - | 336,600 | 336,600 | |||
| Depreciation | 181,325 | - | 181,325 | |||
| Accretion expense and lease extinguishment | 25,994 | - | 25,994 | |||
| Accretion of loan receivable | (84,740) | - | (84,740) | |||
| Foreign exchange (gain)/loss | 284,080 | (3,655) | 280,425 | |||
| Loss | $ | 46,981,181 | $ | 3,561,268 | $ | 50,542,449 |
| Nine | months ended | |||||
| September 30, 2022 | Brazil | Canada | Total | |||
| Other income | $ | (2,020) |
$ | (125,377) |
$ | (127,397) |
| Exploration and evaluation expenses | 7,335,748 | - | 7,335,748 | |||
| General and administrative expenses | 30,797 | 7,186,311 | 7,217,108 | |||
| Foreign exchange (gain) | - | - | - | |||
| Share-based payments | - | 5,033,246 | 5,033,246 | |||
| Depreciation | 5,615 | - | 5,615 | |||
| Accretion expense | 1,216 | - | 1,216 | |||
| Foreign exchange (gain)/loss | 85,408 | (10,369) | 75,039 | |||
| Loss | $ | 7,456,764 | $ | 12,083,811 | $ | 19,540,575 |
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Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
18. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Environmental
The Company’s exploration activities are subject to various laws and regulations governing the protection of the environment. These laws and regulations are continually changing and generally becoming more restrictive. The Company believes its operations are materially in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The Company expects to make expenditures to comply with such laws and regulations.
General
The Company may be subject to various claims, lawsuits and other complaints arising in the ordinary course of business. The Company records provisions for losses when claims become probable, and the amounts are estimable.
Management Contracts
The Company is party to certain management contracts. As of September 30, 2023, these contracts require payments of approximately $4,110,000 (December 31, 2022 - $3,390,000) to be made upon the occurrence of a change of control to the officers and consultants of the Company. The Company is also committed to payments upon termination of approximately $2,130,000 (December 31, 2022 - $1,764,000) pursuant to the terms of these contracts as of September 30, 2023. As a triggering event has not taken place on September 30, 2023, these amounts have not been recorded in these consolidated financial statements.
Other
Subject to the asset purchase agreement between Galvani Nordeste Mineracao Ltd. (“Galvani”) and MGLIT, entered into in September 2022, if, by March 12, 2024, the Company, through an independent qualified person, defines an inferred mineral resource estimate of a minimum of 5Mt with a Li2O content above 1.3%, the Company shall, at Galvani’s discretion, (i) issue such number of Lithium Ionic shares equal to USD$2 million calculated using the 7 day VWAP of the Lithium Ionic shares on the TSX Venture Exchange ending on the effective date of the technical report evidencing such mineral resource estimate subject to a minimum price per share of $0.904, or (ii) pay USD$2 million in cash to Galvani on the effective date of the technical report evidencing such mineral resource estimate. As at September 30, 2023, no determination has been made in this regard and no amount has been accrued related to this contingent arrangement.
Subject to the agreement to acquire mineral claims from Mineracao Borges Ltda. in December 2022, upon producing an independent NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the claims of 2 million tons of Li2O content over 1.3% within June 21, 2024, the Company shall pay an additional R$15,000,000. As at September 30, 2023, no determination has been made in this regard and no amount has been accrued related to this contingent arrangement.
In connection with the Company’s agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Vale Litio claims, the Company is to scheduled to pay R$500,000 on or before February 20, 2024 to acquire an additional 1.54% interest; and R$30,000,000 on or before July 20, 2024 to acquire the remaining 92.6% interest. As well, if the Company establishes a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the Vale claims of at least six million tonnes with an average content greater than 1.3% Li2O, the Company shall pay Exotic a cash bonus of R$10,000,000. The Company may terminate the agreement at any time without incurring any additional financial penalties.
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Lithium Ionic Corp. Notes to the Condensed Interim Consolidated Financial Statements For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 Expressed in Canadian Dollars - Unaudited
18. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (continued)
Subject to the agreement with Clesio, if the Company establishes a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the Clesio claim of at least two million tonnes with an average content greater than 1.3% Li2O by August 13, 2025, the Company shall pay Clesio a cash bonus of USD$1,000,000. If the Company establishes a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the Clesio claim of at least five million tonnes with an average content greater than 1.3% Li2O by February 13, 2027, the Company shall pay Clesio an additional cash bonus of USD$1,000,000.
Subject to the acquisition of Neolit, 1,500,000 warrants issued as part of the consideration are exercisable at a price of $2.25 until March 10, 2026 and only vest if the Company establishes an independent NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate on the Salinas Project of at least 20 million tonnes with an average grade greater than 1.3% Li2O.
See Notes 1, 4, 9 and 10.
19.
SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
In October, the Company announced that it entered into an agreement with Cemig Distribuicao S.A. (“Cemig”) to facilitate the construction and electrification of essential power infrastructure between Cemig’s existing power grid and the future Bandeira lithium operation which is located approximately 3 kilometres away. The total project is expected to be approximately R$17 million ($4.65 million). Following completion of the project, the Company is eligible for reimbursement of up to R$2.98 million ($816,000) subject to certain requirements.
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