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SITKA GOLD CORP. — Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement 2025
Sep 9, 2025
47448_rns_2025-09-09_90771a41-2380-41e9-a859-dbf17370dd7d.pdf
Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement
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SITKA GOLD CORP.
1500-409 GRANVILLE STREET
VANCOUVER, BC V6C 1T2
INFORMATION CIRCULAR AS AT SEPTEMBER 4, 2025
This Information Circular accompanies the Notice of the Annual General Meeting (the “Meeting”) of the holders (“shareholders”) of common shares (“Common Shares”) of Sitka Gold Corp. (the “Corporation”) to be held in the boardroom at Suite 1500 – 409 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) and is furnished in connection with a solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of the Corporation for use at that Meeting and at any adjournment thereof. The solicitation will be by mail. Proxies may also be solicited personally by regular employees of the Corporation. The Corporation does not reimburse shareholders, nominees or agents for the cost incurred in obtaining from their principals authorization to execute forms of proxy. No solicitation will be made by agents. The cost of solicitation will be borne by the Corporation.
GENERAL PROXY INFORMATION
Appointment of Proxyholder
A duly completed form of proxy will constitute the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy as the shareholder’s proxyholder. The persons whose names are printed in the enclosed form of proxy for the Meeting are officers or directors of the Corporation (the “Management Proxyholders”).
A shareholder has the right to appoint a person other than a Management Proxyholder to represent the shareholder at the Meeting by inserting the desired person’s name in the blank space provided or by executing a proxy in a form similar to the enclosed form. A proxyholder need not be a shareholder.
Voting By Proxy
Common Shares represented by properly executed proxies in the accompanying form will be voted or withheld from voting on each respective matter in accordance with the instructions of the shareholder on any ballot that may be called for and, if the shareholder has specified a choice with respect to any matter to be acted upon, the Common Shares will be voted accordingly.
If no choice is specified and one of the Management Proxyholders is appointed by a shareholder as proxyholder, such person will vote in favour of the matters proposed by management at the Meeting and for all other matters proposed by management at the Meeting.
The enclosed form of proxy confers discretionary authority upon the person named therein as proxyholder with respect to amendments or variations to matters identified in the Notice of the Meeting and with respect to other matters which may properly come before the Meeting. At the date of this Information Circular, management of the Corporation knows of no such amendments, variations or other matters to come before the Meeting.
Completion and Return of Proxy
Completed forms of proxy must be deposited at the office of the Corporation’s registrar and transfer agent, Computershare Investor Services Inc. (the “Transfer Agent”), Attention: Proxy Department,
9th Floor, 100 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2Y1, not later than forty-eight (48) hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, prior to the time of the Meeting or any adjournment thereof, unless the chairman of the Meeting elects to exercise his discretion to accept proxies deposited subsequently.
Non-Registered Shareholders
Only registered holders of Common Shares or the persons they appoint as their proxyholders are permitted to vote at the Meeting. In many cases, however, Common Shares beneficially owned by a holder (a “Non-Registered Holder”) are registered either:
(a) in the name of an Intermediary (an “Intermediary”) that the Non-Registered Holder deals with in respect of the shares. Intermediaries include banks, trust companies, securities dealers or brokers, and trustees or administrators of self-administered RRSPs, RRIFs, RESPs and similar plans, or
(b) in the name of a clearing agency (such as The Canadian Depository for Securities Limited (CDS)) of which the Intermediary is a participant.
Non-Registered Holders who have not objected to their Intermediary disclosing certain ownership information about themselves to the Corporation are referred to as “NOBOs”. Those Non-Registered Holders who have objected to their Intermediary disclosing ownership information about themselves to the Corporation are referred to as “OBOs”.
In accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 54-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators (“NI 54-101”), the Corporation has elected to send the Notice of Meeting and this Information Circular (collectively, the “Meeting Materials”) directly to the NOBOs, and indirectly through intermediaries to the OBOs. The Corporation is not relying on the notice and access delivery procedures outlined in NI 54-101 to distribute copies of proxy-related materials in connection with the Meeting.
The intermediaries (or their service companies) are responsible for forwarding the Meeting Materials to each OBO, unless the OBO has waived the right to receive them. Intermediaries will frequently use service companies to forward the Meeting Materials to the OBOs. Generally, an OBO who has not waived the right to receive Meeting Materials will either:
(a) be given a form of proxy which has already been signed by the intermediary (typically by a facsimile, stamped signature), which is restricted as to the number of Common Shares beneficially owned by the OBO and must be completed, but not signed, by the OBO and deposited with Computershare Investor Services Inc.; or
(b) more typically, be given a voting instruction form (“VIF”) which is not signed by the intermediary, and which, when properly completed and signed by the OBO and returned to the intermediary or its service company, will constitute voting instructions which the intermediary must follow.
The Corporation will not be paying for Intermediaries to deliver to OBOs (who have not otherwise waived their right to receive proxy-related materials) copies of the Meeting Materials and related documents. Accordingly, an OBO will not receive copies of the Meeting Materials and related documents unless the OBO’s Intermediary assumes the costs of delivery.
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The Meeting Materials are being sent to both registered shareholders of the Corporation and Non-Registered Holders. If you are a Non-Registered Holder, and the Corporation or its agent has sent these materials to you, your name and address and information about your holdings of securities have been obtained in accordance with applicable securities regulatory requirements from the intermediary holding on your behalf. By choosing to send these materials to you directly, the Corporation (and not the intermediary holding on your behalf) has assumed responsibility for (i) delivering these materials to you, and (ii) executing your proper voting instructions. Please return your voting instructions as specified in the request for voting instructions.
The Meeting Materials sent to NOBOs who have not waived the right to receive meeting materials are accompanied by a VIF, instead of a Proxy form. By returning the VIF in accordance with the instructions noted on it, a NOBO is able to instruct the voting of the Common Shares owned by the NOBO.
VIFs, whether provided by the Corporation or by an intermediary, should be completed and returned in accordance with the specific instructions noted on the VIF. The purpose of this procedure is to permit Non-Registered Holders to direct the voting of the Common Shares which they beneficially own. Should a Non-Registered Holder who receives a VIF wish to attend the Meeting or have someone else attend on the Non-Registered Holder's behalf, the Non-Registered Holder may request a legal proxy as set forth in the VIF, which will grant the Non-Registered Holder, or the Non-Registered Holder's nominee, the right to attend and vote at the Meeting.
Non-Registered Holders should return their voting instructions as specified in the VIF sent to them. Non-Registered Holders should carefully follow the instructions set out in the VIF, including those regarding when and where the VIF is to be delivered.
Although Non-Registered Holders may not be recognized directly at the Meeting for the purpose of voting Common Shares registered in the name of their broker, agent or nominee, a Non-Registered Holder may attend the Meeting as a proxyholder for a registered shareholder and vote Common Shares in that capacity. Non-Registered Holders who wish to attend the Meeting and indirectly vote their Common Shares as proxyholder for the registered shareholder should contact their broker, agent or nominee well in advance of the Meeting to determine the steps necessary to permit them to indirectly vote their Common Shares as a proxyholder.
Revocability of Proxy
A registered shareholder who has given a proxy may revoke it by a duly signed instrument in writing that is (a) received at the registered office of the Corporation at any time up to and including the last business day before the day set for the holding of the Meeting, or (b) provided at the Meeting to the chair of the Meeting before any vote in respect of which the proxy is to be used shall have been taken, or in any other manner provided by law.
NOBOs who wish to revoke their voting instructions should contact Computershare Investor Services Inc. at telephone number 1-800-564-6253. OBOs who wish to revoke a voting instruction form or a waiver of the right to receive proxy-related materials should contact their Intermediaries for instruction.
VOTING SECURITIES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF VOTING SECURITIES
Only Common Shares carry voting rights at the Meeting with each Common Share carrying the right to one vote. The board of directors of the Corporation (the "Board of Directors" or "Board") has fixed September 4, 2025 as the record date for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive notice of
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and to vote at the Meeting and at any adjournment thereof, and only shareholders of record at the close of business on that date are entitled to such notice and to vote at the Meeting. As at September 4, 2025, 387,486,972 Common Shares were issued and outstanding as fully paid and non-assessable.
To the knowledge of the directors and senior officers of the Corporation, there are no persons or companies who beneficially own, directly or indirectly, or exercise control or direction over Common Shares carrying more than 10% of the voting rights attached to all outstanding shares of the Corporation.
VOTES NECESSARY TO PASS RESOLUTIONS AT THE MEETING
Under the Corporation's Articles, the quorum for the transaction of business at the Meeting consists of two persons who are, or who represent by proxy, shareholders who, in the aggregate, hold at least 5% of the outstanding Common Shares. A simple majority of the votes cast at the Meeting (in person or by proxy) is required in order to pass the resolutions referred to in the accompanying Notice of Meeting.
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Corporation currently has seven directors. At the Meeting, shareholders will be asked to fix the number of directors at seven and to elect seven directors. The persons named below are the seven nominees of management for election as directors, all of whom are current directors of the Corporation. Each director elected will hold office until the next annual general meeting or until the director's successor is elected or appointed unless the director's office is earlier vacated under any of the relevant provisions of the Articles of the Corporation or the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia). It is the intention of the persons named as proxyholders in the enclosed Proxy form to vote for the election to the Board of Directors of those persons hereinafter designated as nominees for election as directors. The Board of Directors does not contemplate that any of such nominees will be unable to serve as a director; however, if for any reason any of the proposed nominees do not stand for election or are unable to serve as such, proxies in favour of management designees will be voted for another nominee in their discretion unless the shareholder has specified in such shareholder's Proxy that such shareholder's Common Shares are to be withheld from voting in the election of directors.
The following table sets out the name of each of the persons proposed to be nominated for election as a director; all positions and offices in the Corporation presently held by the nominee; the nominee's principal occupation or employment presently and during the last five years; the period during which the nominee has served as a director; and the number of Common Shares of the Corporation that the nominee has advised are beneficially owned by the nominee, directly or indirectly, or over which control or direction is exercised, as of the record date.
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| Name, place of residence and positions with the Corporation | Director since | Common Shares beneficially owned or controlled | Principal occupation, business or employment presently and during last five years |
|---|---|---|---|
| CORWIN COE, | |||
| Director and Chief Executive Officer | |||
| British Columbia, Canada | January 13, 2015 | 8,034,500^{(3)} | Founder, CEO and director of the Issuer since January, 2015; Professional Geologist |
| DONALD PENNER, | |||
| Director and President | |||
| British Columbia, Canada | January 13, 2015 | 1,837,500 | From July 18, 1990 until December 31, 2019, Geological Consultant for Penner Geological Consulting Ltd. |
| STEPHEN PEARCE,^{(2)} | |||
| Director, Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Secretary | |||
| British Columbia, Canada | January 13, 2015 | 790,000 | Lawyer and self-employed |
| Business Consultant. | |||
| PETER MACLEAN,^{(2)} | |||
| Director | |||
| British Columbia, Canada | May 1, 2017 | 3,003,000 | Self-employed |
| business consultant since December, 2014; from December, 2011 to November, 2014, consultant for DBM Consulting. | |||
| J. GREG DAWSON, | |||
| Director | |||
| British Columbia, Canada | June 15, 2019 | 570,000 | Professional Geologist |
| MICHAEL BURKE,^{(2)} | |||
| Director | |||
| Yukon Territory, Canada | March 1, 2022 | 860,000 | Professional Geologist |
| ANGUS CAMPBELL | |||
| Director | |||
| British Columbia, Canada | February 28, 2024 | 100,000 | Professional Geologist |
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(1) Common shares beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, or over which control or direction is exercised, as at September 4, 2025, based upon information furnished to the Company by the individual directors.
(2) Member of Audit Committee.
(3) Mr. Coe holds 4,080,000 common shares indirectly in the name of Coelton Ventures Ltd.
Cease Trade Orders, Bankruptcies, Penalties or Sanctions
Except as described below, none of the proposed directors is, as at the date of this Information Circular, or has been, within the ten years preceding the date of this Information Circular, a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of any company (including the Corporation) that:
(a) was subject to a cease trade or similar order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under securities legislation that was in effect for a period of more than 30 consecutive days (collectively, an "Order"), when such Order was issued while the person was acting in the capacity of a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of the relevant company; or
(b) was subject to an Order that was issued after such person ceased to be a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of the relevant company, and which resulted from an event that occurred while the person was acting in the capacity of a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of the relevant company.
Stephen Pearce is a director of Gold Basin Resources Corporation which is subject to a cease trade order from the British Columbia Securities Commission on May 6, 2025 for failure to file the required financial statements. The order is still in effect.
Vanadium Corp Resource Inc., a company Stephen Pearce formerly served as a director, was issued a cease trade order on June 11, 2018 for failure to file a technical report in accordance with National Instrument 43-101. The cease trade order was revoked on December 6, 2018 once all the required records were filed. Vanadium Corp Resource Inc., a company Stephen Pearce formerly served as a director, had a cease trade order issued on March 8, 2021 by the BCSC for not filing its audited financial statements on time which was revoked on December 23, 2021.
On October 29, 2019, the BCSC granted a management cease trade order to Wildflower Brands Inc. whereby Stephen Pearce, as Chief Financial Officer, could not trade in the securities of Wildflower Brands until such time as that company filed its annual financial statements. A revocation order was issued on December 23, 2019.
On October 29, 2020, the BCSC granted a management cease trade order to Wildflower Brands Inc. whereby Stephen Pearce, as Chief Financial Officer, could not trade in the securities of Wildflower Brands until such time as that company filed its annual financial statements. On February 3, 2021 a cease trade order was issued against the company for not filing its audited financial statements. And on April 7, 2023, Wildflower was forced into receivership where it remains as of the date thereof.
No proposed director is, as at the date of this Information Circular, or has been, within the ten years preceding the date of this Information Circular, a director or executive officer of any company (including the Corporation) that, while that person was acting in that capacity, or within a year of that person ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets.
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No proposed director 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.
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:
(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,
(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,
(c) the most highly compensated executive officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (if any) other than individuals identified in paragraphs (a) and (b) at the end of the most recently completed financial year whose total compensation was more than $150,000 for that financial year, and
(d) each individual who would be an NEO under paragraph (c) but for the fact that the individual was neither an executive officer of the Company or its subsidiaries, nor acting in a similar capacity, at the end of that financial year;
“plan” includes any plan, contract, authorization or arrangement, whether or not set out in any formal document, where cash, compensation securities or any other property may be received, whether for one or more persons; and
“underlying securities” means any securities issuable on conversion, exchange or exercise of compensation securities.
Director and Named Executive Officer Compensation, excluding Compensation Securities
The following table sets forth all direct and indirect compensation paid, payable, awarded, granted, given or otherwise provided, directly or indirectly, by the Company or any subsidiary thereof to each NEO and each director of the Company, in any capacity, including, for greater certainty, all plan and non-plan compensation, direct and indirect pay, remuneration, economic or financial award, reward, benefit, gift or perquisite paid, payable, awarded, granted, given or otherwise provided to the NEO or director for
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services provided and for services to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the Company or any subsidiary thereof:
| Name and Position | Year | Salary, Consulting Fee, Retainer or Commission ($) | Bonus ($) | Committee or Meeting Fees ($) | Value of Perquisites ($) | Value of all other Compensation ($) | Total Compensation ($) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corwin Coe | |||||||
| CEO and Director | 2024 | $310,000(1) | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $310,000 |
| 2023 | $180,000(2) | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $180,000 | |
| Stephen Pearce | |||||||
| CFO and Director | 2024 | $30,000 (1) | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $30,000 |
| 2023 | $30,000(2) | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $30,000 | |
| Donald Penner | |||||||
| President and Director | 2024 | $52,725 (1) | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $52,725 |
| 2023 | $42,971(2) | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $42,971 | |
| Peter MacLean | |||||||
| Director | 2024 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| 2023 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | |
| J. Greg Dawson | |||||||
| Director | 2024 | $10,000 (1) | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $10,000 |
| 2023 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | |
| Michael Burke | |||||||
| Director | 2024 | $114,819 (1) | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $114,819 |
| 2023 | $52,938 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | $52,938 | |
| Angus Campbell | |||||||
| Director | 2024 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| 2023 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
(1) These management fees or consulting fees were either accrued or paid during the year ended December 31, 2024 for the services provided by the directors of the Company.
(2) These management fees or consulting fees were either accrued or paid during the year ended December 31, 2023 for the services provided by the directors of the Company.
Stock Options and Other Compensation Securities
The following table sets out all compensation securities granted or issued to each director and NEO by the Company or any subsidiary thereof in the year ended December 31, 2024 for services provided, or to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the Company or any subsidiary thereof:
| Name and Position | Type of Compensation Security | Number of Compensation Securities, Number of Underlying Securities and Percentage of Class | Date of Issue or Grant | Issue, Conversion or Exercise Price ($) | Closing Price of Security or Underlying Security on Date of Grant | Closing Price of Security or Underlying Security at Year End | Expiry Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corwin Coe^{(4)} | |||||||
| CEO and Director | Stock Options | 600,000 / 600,000 common shares/0.24%^{(1)} | January 4, 2024 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.36 | January 4, 2027 |
| Stock Options | 850,000 / 850,000 common shares/0.25%^{(2)} | November 26, 2024 | $0.37 | $0.365 | $0.36 | November 26, 2027 | |
| Stephen Pearce^{(5)} | |||||||
| CFO and Director | Stock Options | 300,000 / 300,000 common shares/0.12%^{(1)} | January 4, 2024 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.36 | January 4, 2027 |
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| Name and Position | Type of Compensation Security | Number of Compensation Securities, Number of Underlying Securities and Percentage of Class | Date of Issue or Grant | Issue, Conversion or Exercise Price ($) | Closing Price of Security or Underlying Security on Date of Grant | Closing Price of Security or Underlying Security at Year End | Expiry Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Options | 200,000 / 200,000 common shares/0.06%^{(2)} | November 26, 2024 | $0.37 | $0.365 | $0.36 | November 26, 2027 | |
| Donald Penner^{(6)} President and Director | Stock Options | 300,000 / 300,000 common shares/0.12%^{(1)} | January 4, 2024 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.36 | January 4, 2027 |
| Stock Options | 400,000 / 400,000 common shares/0.12%^{(2)} | November 26, 2024 | $0.37 | $0.365 | $0.36 | November 26, 2027 | |
| Peter MacLean^{(7)} Director | Stock Options | 200,000 / 200,000 common shares/0.08%^{(1)} | January 4, 2024 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.36 | January 4, 2027 |
| Stock Options | 100,000 / 100,000 common shares/0.03%^{(2)} | November 26, 2024 | $0.37 | $0.365 | $0.36 | November 26, 2027 | |
| J. Greg Dawson^{(8)} Director | Stock Options | 300,000 / 300,000 common shares/0.12%^{(1)} | January 4, 2024 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.36 | January 4, 2027 |
| Stock Options | 400,000 / 400,000 common shares/0.12%^{(2)} | November 26, 2024 | $0.37 | $0.365 | $0.36 | November 26, 2027 | |
| Michael Burke^{(9)} Director | Stock Options | 300,000 / 300,000 common shares/0.12%^{(1)} | January 4, 2024 | $0.20 | $0.20 | $0.36 | January 4, 2027 |
| Stock Options | 600,000 / 600,000 common shares/0.18%^{(2)} | November 26, 2024 | $0.37 | $0.365 | $0.36 | November 26, 2027 | |
| Angus Campbell^{(10)} Director | Stock Options | 400,000 / 400,000 common shares/0.16%^{(3)} | February 29, 2024 | $0.14 | $0.14 | $0.36 | February 28, 2027 |
| Stock Options | 200,000 / 200,000 common shares/0.06%^{(2)} | November 26, 2024 | $0.37 | $0.365 | $0.36 | November 26, 2027 |
(1) Calculated on a partially diluted basis, based on 248,471,179 common shares of the Company ("Shares") outstanding as of the date of grant.
(2) Calculated on a partially diluted basis, based on 334,775,880 Shares outstanding as of the date of grant.
(3) Calculated on a partially diluted basis, based on 249,944,939 Shares outstanding as of the date of grant.
(4) As at December 31, 2024, Mr. Coe held 700,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.19 per share until expiry on April 6, 2026, 200,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.11 per share until expiry on February 22, 2026, 600,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.20 per share until expiry on January 4, 2027, and 850,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.37 per share until expiry on November 26, 2027.
(5) As at December 31, 2024, Mr. Pearce held 400,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.19 per share until expiry on April 6, 2026, 100,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.11 per share until expiry on February 22, 2026, 300,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.20 per share until expiry on January 4, 2027, and 200,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.37 per share until expiry on November 26, 2027.
(6) As at December 31, 2024, Mr. Penner held 550,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.19 per share until expiry on April 6, 2026, 100,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.11 per share until expiry on February 22, 2026, 300,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.20 per share until expiry on January 4, 2027, and 400,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.37 per share until expiry on November 26, 2027.
(7) As at December 31, 2024, Mr. MacLean held 400,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.19 per share until expiry on April 6, 2026, 50,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.11 per share until expiry on
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February 22, 2026, 200,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.20 per share until expiry on January 4, 2027, and 100,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.37 per share until expiry on November 26, 2027.
(8) As at December 31, 2024, Mr. Dawson held 400,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.19 per share until expiry on April 6, 2026, 100,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.11 per share until expiry on February 22, 2026, 300,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.20 per share until expiry on January 4, 2027, and 400,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.37 per share until expiry on November 26, 2027.
(9) As at December 31, 2024, Mr. Burke held 100,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.11 per share until expiry on February 22, 2026, 300,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.20 per share until expiry on January 4, 2027, and 400,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.37 per share until expiry on November 26, 2027.
(10) As at December 31, 2024, Mr. Campbell held 400,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.14 per share until expiry on February 28, 2027, and 200,000 stock options which stock options are exercisable at $0.37 per share until expiry on November 26, 2027.
External Management Companies
As of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, the Company has not entered into any agreement with any external management company that employs or retains one or more of the NEOs or directors and, the Company has not entered into any understanding, arrangement or agreement with any external management company to provide executive management services to the Company, directly or indirectly, in respect of which any compensation was paid by the Company.
Exercise of Compensation Securities by Directors and NEOs
No director or NEO exercised any compensation securities, being solely comprised of stock options, during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Stock Option Plans and Other Incentive Plans
The Company's current stock option plan (the "Plan") is a "rolling" stock option plan, whereby the aggregate number of Shares reserved for issuance, together with any other Shares reserved for issuance under any other plan or agreement of the Company, shall not exceed ten (10%) percent of the total number of issued Shares (calculated on a non-diluted basis) at the time an option is granted. The Plan provides that the Board may, from time to time, in its discretion, grant to directors, officers, employees, consultants and other personnel of the Company and its subsidiaries or affiliates, options to purchase shares of the Company. As at the date hereof, there are 21,650,000 options outstanding under the Plan.
A copy of the Plan is available at the office of the Company at 1500-409 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC V6C 1T2 during normal business hours up to and including the date of the Meeting.
Employment, Consulting and Management Agreements
For the year ended December 31, 2024, other than described above, the Company does not have any employment, consulting or management agreements or arrangements with any of the Company's current NEOs or directors.
Oversight and Description of Director and NEO Compensation
The Company's compensation program is intended to attract, motivate, reward and retain the management talent needed to achieve the Company's business objectives of improving overall corporate performance and creating long-term value for the Company's shareholders. The compensation program is intended to reward executive officers on the basis of individual performance and achievement of corporate objectives, including the advancement of the exploration and development goals of the
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Company. The Company's current compensation program is comprised of base salary or fees, short term incentives such as discretionary bonuses and long term incentives such as stock options.
The Board has not created or appointed a compensation committee given the Company's current size and stage of development. All tasks related to developing and monitoring the Company's approach to the compensation of the Company's NEOs and directors are performed by the members of the Board. The compensation of the NEOs, directors and the Company's employees or consultants, if any, is reviewed, recommended and approved by the Board without reference to any specific formula or criteria. NEOs that are also directors of the Company are involved in discussion relating to compensation, and disclose their interest in and abstain from voting on compensation decisions relating to them, as applicable, in accordance with the applicable corporate legislation.
Pension Plan Benefits
The Corporation does not have a pension plan.
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
The following table sets forth information with respect to all compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance as of December 31, 2024:
| Plan Category | Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (1) | Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 21,650,000 | $0.22 | 14,098,697(2) |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Total | 21,650,000 | $0.22 | 14,098,697(2) |
(1) The Plan is the only equity compensation plan in this category.
(2) The Corporation has a rolling stock option plan. The aggregate number of common shares reserved for issuance is a maximum of 10% of the issued and outstanding share capital of the Corporation at the date of grant.
INDEBTEDNESS OF DIRECTORS AND SENIOR OFFICERS
As at the date hereof, no director or executive officer of the Corporation, no proposed nominee for election as a director of the Corporation, no associate of any such director, executive officer or proposed nominee (including companies controlled by them), no employee of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries, and no former executive officer, director or employee of the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries, is indebted to the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries (other than for "routine indebtedness" as defined under applicable securities legislation) or is indebted to another entity where such indebtedness is the subject of a guarantee, support agreement, letter of credit or other similar arrangement or understanding provided by the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries.
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1390-4919-5534, v. 2
INTEREST OF INFORMED PERSONS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
Except as otherwise disclosed herein or as previously disclosed in an information circular of the Corporation, no informed person (i.e. insider) of the Corporation, no proposed director of the Corporation, and no associate or affiliate of any informed person or proposed director has had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since January 1, 2017 or in any proposed transaction which has materially affected or would materially affect the Corporation or any of its subsidiaries.
APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR
The persons named in the enclosed Proxy form intend to vote for the appointment of Dale Matheson Carr-Hilton Labonte LLP, Chartered Professional Accountants, of Vancouver, British Columbia, as the auditor of the Corporation to hold office until the next annual general meeting of shareholders and to authorize the Board of Directors to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditor.
AUDIT COMMITTEE DISCLOSURE
The Charter of the Corporation's Audit Committee and the other information required to be disclosed by Form 52-110F2 is attached to this Information Circular as Schedule "A".
MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS
Other than as disclosed herein, no management functions of the Corporation are to any substantial degree performed by a person other than the directors or executive officers of the Corporation.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Pursuant to National Instrument 58-101 Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices, the Company is required to disclose its corporate governance practices with respect to the corporate governance guidelines (the "Guidelines") adopted in National Policy 58-201. These Guidelines are not prescriptive, but have been used by the Company in adopting its corporate governance practices. The Company's approach to corporate governance is set out below.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of the Corporation facilitates its exercise of independent supervision over the Corporation's management through frequent meetings of the Board. The Board of Directors currently consists of seven directors, three of whom are considered "independent".
Each of Peter Maclean, J. Greg Dawson, Michael Burke and Angus Campbell are directors of the Corporation, are "independent" in that they are independent and free from any interest and any business or other relationship which could, or could reasonably be perceived to, materially interfere with the director's ability to act with the best interests of the Corporation, other than the interests and relationships arising from shareholdings and consulting fees.
Corwin Coe is not considered "independent" due to the fact that he is the CEO of the Corporation, Stephen Pearce is not considered "independent" due to the fact that he is the CFO of the Corporation and Donald Penner is not considered "independent" due to the fact that he is the President of the Corporation.
Directorships
Certain of the directors are also directors of other reporting issuers, as follows:
| Name of Director | Reporting Issuer |
|---|---|
| Stephen Pearce | Golden Goliath Resources Ltd. |
| Gold Basin Resources | |
| Corporation |
Position Descriptions
The Chief Executive Officer and the Board have not, to date, developed a formal, documented position description for the Chief Executive Officer and to define the limit of management's responsibilities. The Board is currently of the view that the respective corporate governance roles of the Board and management are clear and that the limits to management's responsibility and authority are reasonably well-defined.
Orientation and Continuing Education
The Board of Directors of the Corporation briefs all new directors with the policies of the Board of Directors and other relevant corporate and business information. The Board has not currently established criteria for the continuing education of directors.
Ethical Business Conduct
The Board of Directors has not adopted a formal written code of ethics. The Board expects that fiduciary duties placed on individual directors by the Corporation's governing corporate legislation and the common law, as well as provisions under corporate legislation for required disclosures by directors and officers to the Corporation of transactions with the Corporation in which they may have an interest and of any other conflicts of duties and interests, are sufficient to ensure that these persons conduct themselves in the best interests of the Corporation.
Under the corporate legislation, a director is required to act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of the Corporation and exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances, and disclose to the Board the nature and extent of any interest of the director in any material contract or material transaction, whether made or proposed, if the director is a party to the contract or transaction, is a director or officer (or an individual acting in a similar capacity) of a party to the contract or transaction or has a material interest in a party to the contract or transaction. The director must then abstain from voting on the contract or transaction unless the contract or transaction (i) relates primarily to their remuneration as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Corporation or an affiliate of the Corporation, (ii) is for indemnity or insurance for the benefit of the director in connection with the Corporation, or (iii) is with an affiliate of the Corporation. If the director abstains from voting after disclosure of their interest, the directors approve the contract or transaction and the contract or transaction was reasonable and fair to the Corporation at the time it was entered into, the contract or transaction is not invalid and the director is not accountable to the Corporation for any profit realized from the contract or transaction. Otherwise, the director must have acted honestly and in good faith, the contract or transaction must have been reasonable and fair to the Corporation and the contract or transaction be approved by the shareholders by a special resolution after receiving full disclosure of its terms in order for the director to avoid such liability or the contract or transaction being invalid.
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Nomination of Directors
The Board of Directors is responsible for identifying individuals qualified to become new Board members and recommending to the Board new director nominees for the next annual meeting of the shareholders.
New nominees must have a track record in general business management, special expertise in an area of strategic interest to the Corporation, the ability to devote the time required, shown support for the Corporation's mission and strategic objectives, and a willingness to serve.
Compensation
The Board of Directors as a whole conducts reviews with regard to directors' compensation and executive compensation (including for the CEO) once a year. To make its recommendation on directors' and executive compensation, the Board of Directors takes into account the types of compensation and the amounts paid to directors and executives of comparable publicly traded Canadian companies.
Other Board Committees
The only current standing committee of the Board of Directors is the Audit Committee.
Assessments
The Board of Directors monitors the adequacy of information given to directors, communication between the board and management, and the strategic direction and processes of the Board and its committees to help ensure that the Board, its committees and individual directors are performing effectively.
INTEREST OF CERTAIN PERSONS IN MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
None of the directors or executive officers of the Corporation, no management nominee for election as a director of the Corporation, none of the persons who have been directors or executive officers of the Corporation since the commencement of the Corporation's last completed financial year, and no associate or affiliate of any of the foregoing, has any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter to be acted upon at the Meeting other than as disclosed herein.
PARTICULARS OF MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
Re-Approval of Stock Option Plan
The Board is ratifying and re-approving the 10% "rolling" stock option plan (the "Stock Option Plan" or the "Plan"), which was adopted by the board on February 29, 2024, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") and shareholder approval of the Stock Option Plan. The Stock Option Plan incorporates certain requirements of Exchange Policy 4.4 – Security Based Compensation ("Policy 4.4"), which was amended on November 24, 2021. The information below should be read in conjunction with the Stock Option Plan. Any definitions or capitalized terms used or referenced below have the same meaning attributed to them in the Stock Option Plan which is attached to this Information Circular as Schedule "B" and will be accessible on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca.
The purpose of the Plan is to give to Eligible Persons (as defined herein) additional compensation, the opportunity to participate in the success of the Company by granting to such individuals Stock Options, exercisable over periods of up to ten (10) years as determined by the Board, to buy Shares of the Company at a price not less than the Market Price (as defined herein) prevailing on the date the Stock Option is granted less applicable discount, if any, permitted by the policies of the Exchange and approved by the Board. The general terms and conditions of the Stock Option Plan are reflected in the disclosure below.
| Key Terms | Summary |
|---|---|
| Administration | The Board shall, without limitation, have full and final authority in their discretion, but subject to the express provisions of the Plan, to interpret the Plan, to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan and to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable in respect of the Plan. Except as set forth in section 5.4 and subject to any required prior Exchange approval, the interpretation and construction of any provision of the Plan by the Board shall be final and conclusive. Administration of the Plan shall be the responsibility of the appropriate officers of the Company and all costs in respect thereof shall be paid by the Company. |
| Number of Shares | The maximum aggregate number of Shares that are issuable pursuant to Options granted or issued under the Plan shall be equal to 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis at any point in time or such additional amount as may be approved from time to time by the shareholders of the Company and the Exchanges, as applicable. For greater certainty, the exercise of any Options under the Plan will result in the number of exercised Options again becoming available for re-grant in the future, in addition to the events set out in section 4.10 of the Plan. The maximum aggregate number of Shares that are issuable pursuant to Security Based Compensation granted or issued under the Plan and all of the Company's other previously established or proposed Security Based Compensation plans (to which the following limits apply under Exchange policies): |
a) to Insiders (as a group) shall not exceed 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis at any point in time, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies;
b) to Insiders (as a group) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies; |
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| Key Terms | Summary |
|---|---|
| Securities | c) to any one Optionee (including, where permitted under applicable policies of the Exchanges, any companies that are wholly owned by such Optionee) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 5% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies. |
| d) to any one Consultant in any 12-month period shall not exceed 2% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date; | |
| e) to Investor Relations Service Providers (as a group) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 2% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, and Investor Relations Service Providers shall not be eligible to receive any Security Based Compensation other than Options if the Shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange at the time of any issuance or grant; and | |
| f) to Eligible Charitable Organizations (as a group) shall not exceed 1% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date. | |
| Each Stock Option entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Share at an exercise price determined by the Board. | |
| Participation | Any Directors, Officers, Employees, Management Company Employees, Consultants and Eligible Charitable Organizations (as such terms are defined below) of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively "Eligible Persons"). |
| Option Price | The Option Price under each Option shall be not less than the Market Price on the Grant Date less the applicable discount permitted under the policies of the Exchange. |
| Exercise Period | The exercise period of an Option will be the period from and including the grant date up to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the Expiry Date and shall not be exercisable thereafter. In the event that the Expiry Date of an Option falls during a trading blackout period imposed by the Company (the "Blackout Period"), the Expiry Date of such Option shall automatically be extended to a date which is ten (10) trading days following the end of such Blackout Period (the "Extension Period") |
| Manner of Exercise | The Company, in its sole discretion, may accept the Net Exercise of an Option whereby the Option, excluding Options held by any person |
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Key Terms
Summary
providing Investor Relations Activities, are exercised without the Optionee making any cash payment so the Company does not receive any cash from the exercise of the subject Option, and instead the Optionee receives only the number of Option Shares that is equal to the quotient obtained by dividing:
A. the product of the number of Options being exercised multiplied by the difference between the VWAP of the underlying Shares and the exercise price of the subject Options; by
B. the VWAP of the underlying Shares.
Cessation of Employment
If an Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person, his or her Option shall be exercisable as follows:
(a) Death or Disability
If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person, due to his or her death or Disability or, in the case of an Optionee that is a company, the death or Disability of the person who provides management or consulting services to the Company or to any entity controlled by the Company, the Option then held by the Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of:
(i) 365 days after the date of death or disability; and
(ii) the Expiry Date;
(b) Termination For Cause
If the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee's employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person as a result of termination for cause as that term is interpreted by the courts of the jurisdiction in which the Optionee, or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, of the Optionee's employer, is employed or engaged; any outstanding Option held by such Optionee on the date of such termination, whether in respect of Option Shares that are Vested or not, shall be cancelled as of that date.
(c) Early Retirement, Voluntary Resignation or Termination Other than For Cause
If the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee's employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person due to his or her retirement at the request of his or her
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Key Terms
Summary
employer earlier than the normal retirement date under the Company's retirement policy then in force, or due to his or her termination by the Company other than for cause, or due to his or her voluntary resignation, the Option then held by the Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of the Expiry Date and the date which is 90 days (30 days if the Optionee was engaged in Investor Relations Activities) after the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee's employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person.
(e) Spin-Out Transactions
If pursuant to the operation of sub-section 5.3(c) an Optionee receives options (the "New Options") to purchase securities of another company (the "New Company") in respect of the Optionee's Options (the "Subject Options"), subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges, the New Options shall expire on the earlier of: (i) the Expiry Date of the Subject Options; (ii) if the Optionee does not become an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company, the date that the Subject Options expire pursuant to sub-section 4.4(a), (b) or (c), as applicable; (iii) if the Optionee becomes an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company, the date that the New Options expire pursuant to the terms of the New Company's stock option plan that correspond to sub-section 4.4(a), (b) or (c) hereof; and (iv) the date that is one (1) year after the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company or such shorter period as determined by the Board.
(f) Eligible Charitable Organizations
If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person due to no longer being an Eligible Charitable Organization, the Options then held by that Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of the Expiry Date and the date which is 90 days after the date the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person.
Acceleration Events
If at any time when an Option granted under the Plan remains unexercised with respect to any Unissued Option Shares, an Offer is made by an offeror, the Board may, upon notifying each Optionee of full particulars of the Offer and subject to the approval of the Exchanges with respect to Investor Relations Service Providers, declare all Option Shares issuable upon the exercise of Options granted under the Plan, Vested, and declare that the Expiry Date for the exercise of all unexercised Options granted under the Plan is accelerated so that all Options will either be exercised or will expire prior to the date upon which Shares must be tendered pursuant to the Offer. The Board shall give each Optionee as much notice as possible of the acceleration of
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| Key Terms | Summary |
|---|---|
| Amendments | the Options under this section, except that not less than 5 business days of notice is required and more than 30 days of notice is not required. |
The Board may from time to time, subject to applicable law and to the prior approval, if required, of the shareholders (or disinterested shareholders, if required), Exchanges or any other regulatory body having authority over the Company or the Plan, suspend, terminate or discontinue the Plan at any time, or amend or revise the terms of the Plan or of any Option granted under the Plan and the Option Agreement relating thereto, provided that no such amendment, revision, suspension, termination or discontinuance shall in any manner adversely affect any Option previously granted to an Optionee under the Plan without the consent of that Optionee. |
Shareholders will be asked at the Meeting to approve, with or without variation, the following ordinary resolution (the “Stock Option Resolution”):
BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
(a) subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company’s Stock Option Plan be confirmed and approved, and that in connection therewith a maximum of 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company at the time of each grant be approved for granting as options; and
(b) any director or officer of the Company be authorized and directed to do all acts and things and to execute and deliver all documents required, as in the opinion of such director or officer may be necessary or appropriate in order to give effect to this resolution.”
The full text of the Stock Option Plan will be available for review at the Meeting.
Unless such authority is withheld, the persons named in the enclosed Proxy intend to vote for the approval and ratification of the Stock Option Plan.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information relating to the Corporation is available on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca.
Financial information relating to the Corporation is provided in the Corporation’s comparative financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for its financial year ended December 31, 2024, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedarplus.ca and may also be obtained by sending an email request to the Corporation at [email protected].
DATED at Vancouver, B.C., this 4th day of September, 2025.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,
"Corwin Coe"
Corwin Coe,
Chief Executive Officer
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SCHEDULE "A"
AUDIT COMMITTEE DISCLOSURE (FORM 52-110F2)
ITEM 1: AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
The Corporation’s Audit Committee Charter is attached hereto as Appendix 1.
ITEM 2: COMPOSITION OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
The current members of the Committee are Peter Maclean, Stephen Pearce and Michael Burke, each of whom is considered “independent” (as that term is defined in National Instrument 52-110 (the “Instrument”) of the Canadian Securities Administrators), except for Stephen Pearce, CFO of the Corporation. All of the members of the Committee are considered “financially literate” as that term is defined in the Instrument, in that they have the ability to read and understand a balance sheet, an income statement, a cash flow statement and the notes attached thereto.
ITEM 3: RELEVANT EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
The following sets out the education and experience of each Audit Committee member that is relevant to the performance of his 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:
Peter Maclean – Peter Maclean is an economist by training. After a brief period for the New Brunswick Provincial government, Mr. Maclean has spent most of the last 30 years working for junior Canadian resource companies and been a director of several public companies. Working primarily in Europe, Mr. Maclean has extensive contacts and played a significant role in the raising of equity capital over the last 10 years. Mr. Maclean has a BA (economics) from Acadia University and a MA (economics) from the University of New Brunswick. Mr. Maclean served on the audit committee for another public company, Wellness Lifestyles Inc.
Stephen Pearce – Stephen Pearce has a law degree from the University of British Columbia and an Honours Bachelors Degree in economics from York University with an emphasis on corporate finance. Mr. Pearce serves as a director and officer, including CFO, of several resource-related public companies. He has served on the audit committee of over a dozen public and private companies and chaired numerous committees.
Michael Burke – Michael Burke, P. Geo, is a professional geoscientist with over 36 years experience working as a geologist for the Yukon government and on exploration and mining projects in western Canada. Mr. Burke has served on the Boards of various organizations including the Yukon Chamber of Mines, Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia, Yukon College Board of Governors, Yukon Mineral Advisory Board and is currently a member of the Finance Committee for the Yukon Chamber of
A-1
Mines. He obtained his Bachelor of Sciences in Geology from the University of British Columbia (1987) and has been a member of Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia since 2015.
ITEM 4: AUDIT COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT
At no time since the commencement of the Corporation’s most recently completed financial year was a recommendation of the Audit Committee to nominate or compensate an external auditor not adopted by the Corporation’s Board of Directors.
ITEM 5: RELIANCE ON CERTAIN EXEMPTIONS
Since the commencement of the Company’s most recently completed financial year, the Corporation has not relied on the exemptions contained in sections 2.4 or 8 of the Instrument. 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 fiscal year in which the non-audit services were provided. Section 8 (Exemptions) permits a company to apply to a securities regulatory authority for an exemption from the requirements of the Instrument in whole or in part.
ITEM 6: PRE-APPROVAL OF POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Formal policies and procedures for the engagement of non-audit services have not been formulated or adopted by the Committee. Subject to the requirements of the Instrument, the engagement of non-audit services is considered by the Corporation’s Board of Directors, and where applicable by the Committee, on a case by case basis.
ITEM 7: EXTERNAL AUDITOR SERVICE FEES (BY CATEGORY)
The aggregate fees charged to the Corporation by the external auditor in each of the last two fiscal years are as follows:
| 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Audit Fees | $45,549 | $58,455 |
| Audit-Related Fees(1) | Nil | Nil |
| Tax Fees(2) | Nil | Nil |
| All Other Fees(3) | Nil | Nil |
| TOTAL FEES | $45,549 | $58,455 |
(1) Pertains to assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the auditor review of the Corporation’s financial statements and that are not reported under “Audit Fees”.
(2) Pertains to professional services for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning.
(3) Pertains to products and services other than services reported under the other categories.
ITEM 8: EXEMPTION
The Corporation is relying on the exemption set out in section 6.1 of the Instrument which provides that the Corporation, as a venture issue, is not required to comply with the requirements of Part 3 (Composition of the Audit Committee) and Part 5 (Reporting Obligations) of the Instrument.
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APPENDIX 1
SITKA GOLD CORP.
(the "Company")
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
- Mandate
The audit committee will assist the board of directors (the "Board") in fulfilling its financial oversight responsibilities. The audit committee will review and consider in consultation with the auditors the financial reporting process, the system of internal control and the audit process. In performing its duties, the 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 and the company's business, operations and risks.
- Composition
The audit committee will assist the board of directors (the "Board") in fulfilling its financial oversight responsibilities. The audit committee will review and consider in consultation with the auditors the financial reporting process, the system of internal control and the audit process. In performing its duties, the 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 and the company's business, operations and risks.
- 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 Company's Chief Financial Officer and external auditors in separate executive sessions.
- Roles and Responsibilities
The audit committee shall fulfill the following roles and discharge the following responsibilities:
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, including the resolution of disagreements between management and the external auditors regarding financial reporting and audit scope or procedures. In carrying out this duty, the audit committee shall:
(a) recommend to the Board the external auditor to be nominated by the shareholders for the purpose of preparing or issuing an auditor's report or performing other audit, review or attest services for the Company;
(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; and
(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.
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 Company. 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 Company; 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 prior to its 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; and
(b) review and ensure that the accounting principles selected by management in preparing financial statements are appropriate.
Annual Financial Statements
(a) review the draft annual financial statements and provide a recommendation to the Board with respect to the approval of the financial statements;
(b) meet with management and the external auditors to review the financial statements and the results of the audit, including any difficulties encountered; and
(c) review management's discussion & analysis respecting the annual reporting period prior to its release to the public.
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Interim Financial Statements
(a) review and approve the interim financial statements prior to their release to the public; and
(b) review management’s discussion & analysis respecting the interim reporting period prior to its release to the public.
Release of Financial Information
(a) where reasonably possible, review and approve all public disclosure, including news releases, containing financial information, prior to its release to the public
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 Company or any subsidiary of the Company 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
(a) 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 Company 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.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
(a) 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 Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls, or auditing matters;
(b) establish procedures for the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Company of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters;
(c) ensure that significant findings and recommendations made by management and external auditor are received and discussed on a timely basis;
(d) review the policies and procedures in effect for considering officers' expenses and perquisites; perform other oversight functions as requested by the Board; and
(e) 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.
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SCHEDULE "B"
STOCK OPTION PLAN
SITKA GOLD CORP.
February 29, 2024
10% ROLLING STOCK OPTION PLAN
- PURPOSE OF THE PLAN
The Company hereby establishes a stock option plan for Directors, Officers, Employees, Management Company Employees, Consultants and Eligible Charitable Organizations (as such terms are defined below) of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively "Eligible Persons"), to be known as the "Sitka Gold Corp. Stock Option Plan" (the "Plan"). The purpose of the Plan is to give to Eligible Persons as additional compensation, the opportunity to participate in the success of the Company by granting to such individuals Options, exercisable over periods of up to ten (10) years as determined by the board of directors of the Company, to buy shares of the Company at a price not less than the Market Price prevailing on the date the Option is granted less applicable discount, if any, permitted by the policies of the Exchanges and approved by the Board.
- DEFINITIONS
In this Plan, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
2.1 "Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company.
2.2 "Change of Control" means the occurrence of any one or more of the following events:
(i) a consolidation, reorganization, amalgamation, merger, acquisition or other business combination (or a plan of arrangement in connection with any of the foregoing), other than solely involving the Company and any one or more of its affiliates, with respect to which all or substantially all of the persons who were the beneficial owners of the Shares and other securities of the Company immediately prior to such consolidation, reorganization, amalgamation, merger, acquisition, business combination or plan of arrangement do not, following the completion of such consolidation, reorganization, amalgamation, merger, acquisition, business combination or plan of arrangement, beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the resulting voting rights (on a fully-diluted basis) of the Company or its successor;
(ii) the sale, exchange or other disposition to a person other than an affiliate of the Company of all, or substantially all of the Company's assets;
(iii) a resolution is adopted to wind-up, dissolve or liquidate the Company;
(iv) a change in the composition of the Board, which occurs at a single meeting of the shareholders of the Company or upon the execution of a shareholders' resolution, such that individuals who are members of the Board immediately prior to such meeting or resolution cease to constitute a majority of the Board, without the Board, as constituted immediately prior to such meeting or resolution, having approved of such change; or
(v) any person, entity or group of persons or entities acting jointly or in concert (an "Acquirer") acquires or acquires control (including, without limitation, the right to
{D0227965:6}
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vote or direct the voting) of Voting Securities of the Company which, when added to the Voting Securities owned of record or beneficially by the Acquiror or which the Acquiror has the right to vote or in respect of which the Acquiror has the right to direct the voting, would entitle the Acquiror and/or associates and/or affiliates of the Acquiror to cast or to direct the casting of 20% or more of the votes attached to all of the Company's outstanding Voting Securities which may be cast to elect directors of the Company or the successor Company (regardless of whether a meeting has been called to elect directors);
For the purposes of the foregoing, "Voting Securities" means Shares and any other shares entitled to vote for the election of directors and shall include any security, whether or not issued by the Company, which are not shares entitled to vote for the election of directors but are convertible into or exchangeable for shares which are entitled to vote for the election of directors including any options or rights to purchase such shares or securities;
2.3 "Company" means Sitka Gold Corp. and its successors.
2.4 "Consultant" means a "Consultant" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.5 "Consultant Company" means a "Consultant Company" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.6 "Director" means a "Director" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.7 "Disability" means any disability with respect to an Optionee which the Board, in its sole and unfettered discretion, considers likely to prevent permanently the Optionee from:
a. being employed or engaged by the Company, its subsidiaries or another employer, in a position the same as or similar to that in which he was last employed or engaged by the Company or its subsidiaries; or
b. acting as a director or officer of the Company or its subsidiaries.
2.8 "Eligible Charitable Organization" means an "Eligible Charitable Organization" as defined in TSXV Policies.
2.9 "Eligible Persons" has the meaning given to that term in section 1 hereof.
2.10 "Employee" means an "Employee" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.11 "Exchanges" means the TSX Venture Exchange and, if applicable, any other stock exchange on which the Shares are listed.
2.12 "Exchange Hold Period" means "Exchange Hold Period" as defined in TSXV Policies.
2.13 "Expiry Date" means the date set by the Board under section 3.1 of the Plan, as the last date on which an Option may be exercised.
2.14 "Grant Date" means the date specified in an Option Agreement as the date on which an Option is granted.
2.15 "Insider" means an "Insider" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.16 "Investor Relations Activities" means "Investor Relations Activities" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
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2.17 "Investor Relations Service Provider" means "Investor Relations Service Provider" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.18 "Joint Actor" means a person acting "jointly or in concert with" another person as that phrase is interpreted in National Instrument 62-104 – Take-Over Bids and Issuer Bids.
2.19 "Management Company Employee" means a "Management Company Employee" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.20 "Market Price" of Shares at any Grant Date means the market price per Share as determined by the Board, provided that if the Company is listed on an Exchange, such price shall not be less than the market price determined in accordance with the rules of such Exchange.
2.21 "Officer" means an "Officer" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.22 "Option" means an option to purchase Shares granted pursuant to, or governed by, this Plan and any pre-existing stock option plan of the Company.
2.23 "Option Agreement" means an agreement, in the form attached hereto as Schedule "A", whereby the Company grants to an Optionee an Option.
2.24 "Optionee" means each of the Eligible Persons granted an Option pursuant to this Plan and their heirs, executors and administrators.
2.25 "Option Price" means the price per Share specified in an Option Agreement, adjusted from time to time in accordance with the provisions of section 5.
2.26 "Option Shares" means the aggregate number of Shares which an Optionee may purchase under an Option.
2.27 "Plan" means this Sitka Gold Corp. Stock Option Plan.
2.28 "Securities Act" means the Securities Act (British Columbia), R.S.B.C. 1996, c.418, as amended, as at the date hereof.
2.29 "Security Based Compensation" means "Security Based Compensation" as defined in the TSXV Policies.
2.30 "Shares" means the common shares in the capital of the Company as constituted on the Grant Date provided that, in the event of any adjustment pursuant to section 5, "Shares" shall thereafter mean the shares or other property resulting from the events giving rise to the adjustment.
2.31 "TSXV Policies" means the policies included in the TSX Venture Exchange Corporate Finance Manual and "TSXV Policy" means any one of them.
2.32 "Unissued Option Shares" means the number of Shares, at a particular time, which have been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of an Option but which have not been issued, as adjusted from time to time in accordance with the provisions of section 5, such adjustments to be cumulative.
2.33 "Vested" means that an Option has become exercisable in respect of a number of Option Shares by the Optionee pursuant to the terms of the Option Agreement.
- GRANT OF OPTIONS
3.1 Option Terms
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The Board may from time to time authorize the issue of Options to Eligible Persons. Where permitted under applicable policies of the Exchanges, companies that are wholly owned by Eligible Persons may also be issued Options. The Option Price under each Option shall be not less than the Market Price on the Grant Date less the applicable discount permitted under the policies of the Exchanges or, if the Shares are not listed on any Exchange, less 25%. The Expiry Date for each Option shall be set by the Board at the time of issue of the Option and shall not be more than ten years after the Grant Date, subject to the operation of section 4.1. Options shall not be assignable or transferable by the Optionee.
3.2 Limits on Shares Issuable on Exercise of Options
The maximum aggregate number of Shares that are issuable pursuant to Options granted or issued under the Plan shall be equal to 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis at any point in time or such additional amount as may be approved from time to time by the shareholders of the Company and the Exchanges, as applicable. For greater certainty, the exercise of any Options under the Plan will result in the number of exercised Options again becoming available for re-grant in the future, in addition to the events set out in section 4.10 of the Plan. The maximum aggregate number of Shares that are issuable pursuant to Security Based Compensation granted or issued under the Plan and all of the Company's other previously established or proposed Security Based Compensation plans (to which the following limits apply under Exchange policies):
(a) to Insiders (as a group) shall not exceed 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis at any point in time, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies;
(b) to Insiders (as a group) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies;
(c) to any one Optionee (including, where permitted under applicable policies of the Exchanges, any companies that are wholly owned by such Optionee) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 5% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, unless the Company has obtained the requisite disinterested shareholder approval pursuant to applicable Exchange policies.
(d) to any one Consultant in any 12-month period shall not exceed 2% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date;
(e) to Investor Relations Service Providers (as a group) in any 12-month period shall not exceed 2% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date, and Investor Relations Service Providers shall not be eligible to receive any Security
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Based Compensation other than Options if the Shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange at the time of any issuance or grant; and
(f) to Eligible Charitable Organizations (as a group) shall not exceed 1% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares on a non-diluted basis on the Grant Date.
3.3 Option Agreements
Each Option shall be confirmed by the execution of an Option Agreement. Each Optionee shall have the option to purchase from the Company the Option Shares at the time and in the manner set out in the Plan and in the Option Agreement applicable to that Optionee. In respect of Options granted to Employees, Consultants, Consultant Companies or Management Company Employees, the Company and the Optionee is representing herein and in the applicable Option Agreement that the Optionee is a bona fide Employee, Consultant, Consultant Company or Management Company Employee, as the case may be, of the Company or its subsidiary. The execution of an Option Agreement shall constitute conclusive evidence that it has been completed in compliance with this Plan. All Options shall be subject to any applicable resale restrictions pursuant to applicable securities laws. In addition, Options and Option Shares that are subject to the Exchange Hold Period pursuant to TSXV Policy 1.1 must be legended with the Exchange Hold Period commencing on the Grant Date, and the Option Agreement shall contain any applicable resale restriction or Exchange Hold Period.
4. EXERCISE OF OPTION
4.1 When Options May be Exercised
Subject to the operation of this section 4 of the Plan with respect to the conditions and acceleration of the vesting of an Option and the acceleration and extension of the Expiry Date of an Option, an Option may be exercised to purchase any number of Shares up to the number of Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time after the Grant Date up to 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time on the Expiry Date and shall not be exercisable thereafter. In the event that the Expiry Date of an Option falls during a trading blackout period imposed by the Company (the "Blackout Period"), the Expiry Date of such Option shall automatically be extended to a date which is ten (10) trading days following the end of such Blackout Period (the "Extension Period"), subject to no cease trade order being in place under applicable securities laws; provided that if an additional Blackout Period is subsequently imposed by the Company during the Extension Period, then such Extension Period shall be deemed to commence following the end of such additional Blackout Period to enable the exercise of such Option within ten (10) trading days following the end of the last imposed Blackout Period.
4.2 Manner of Exercise
Subject to the Net Exercise of Options as described below, the Option Shall be exercisable by delivering to the Company a notice specifying the number of Option Shares in respect of which the Option is exercised together with payment in full of the Option Price for each such Option Share. Upon notice and payment there will be a binding contract for the issue of the Option Shares in respect of which the Option is exercised, upon and subject to the provisions of the Plan. Delivery of the Optionee's cheque payable to the Company or such other method of cash payment as is acceptable to the Company in the amount of the Option Price shall constitute payment of the Option Price unless the cheque or other method of cash payment, as the case may be, is not honoured upon presentation in which case the Option shall not have been validly exercised.
The Company, in its sole discretion, may accept the Net Exercise of an Option whereby the Option, excluding Options held by any person providing Investor Relations Activities, are exercised without the Optionee making any cash payment so the Company does not receive any cash from the exercise of the subject Option, and instead the Optionee receives only the number of Option Shares that is equal to the
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quotient obtained by dividing:
A. the product of the number of Options being exercised multiplied by the difference between the VWAP of the underlying Shares and the exercise price of the subject Options; by
B. the VWAP of the underlying Shares.
In the event of a Net Exercise, the number of Options exercised, surrendered or converted, and not the number of Option Shares actually issued by the Company, must be included in calculating the limits set forth in paragraphs 3.2.
"VWAP" being defined as the volume weighted average trading price of the Company's Shares on the Exchange calculated by dividing the total value of the total volume of such securities traded for the five trading days immediately preceding the exercise of the subject Option. Where appropriate, the Exchange may exclude internal crosses and certain other special terms trades from the calculation.
4.3 Vesting of Option Shares
The Board, subject to the policies of the Exchanges, may determine and impose terms upon which each Option shall become Vested in respect of Option Shares. Unless otherwise specified by the Board at the time of granting an Option, and subject to the other limits on Option grants set out in Section 3.2 hereof, all Options granted under the Plan shall vest and become exercisable in full upon grant, except Options granted to Investor Relations Service Providers, which Options must vest in stages over twelve months with no more than one-quarter of the Options vesting in any three month period.
4.4 Termination of Employment
If an Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person, his or her Option shall be exercisable as follows:
(a) Death or Disability
If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person, due to his or her death or Disability or, in the case of an Optionee that is a company, the death or Disability of the person who provides management or consulting services to the Company or to any entity controlled by the Company, the Option then held by the Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of:
(i) 365 days after the date of death or Disability; and
(ii) the Expiry Date;
(b) Termination For Cause
If the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee's employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person as a result of termination for cause as that term is interpreted by the courts of the jurisdiction in which the Optionee, or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, of the Optionee's employer, is employed or engaged; any outstanding Option held by such Optionee on the date of such termination, whether in respect of Option Shares that are Vested or not, shall be cancelled as of that date.
(c) Early Retirement, Voluntary Resignation or Termination Other than For Cause
If the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee's employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person due to his or her retirement at the request of his or her employer earlier than the normal retirement date
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under the Company's retirement policy then in force, or due to his or her termination by the Company other than for cause, or due to his or her voluntary resignation, the Option then held by the Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of the Expiry Date and the date which is 90 days (30 days if the Optionee was engaged in Investor Relations Activities) after the Optionee or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee's employer, ceases to be an Eligible Person.
(d) Spin-Out Transactions
If pursuant to the operation of sub-section 5.3(c) an Optionee receives options (the "New Options") to purchase securities of another company (the "New Company") in respect of the Optionee's Options (the "Subject Options"), subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges, the New Options shall expire on the earlier of: (i) the Expiry Date of the Subject Options; (ii) if the Optionee does not become an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company, the date that the Subject Options expire pursuant to sub-section 4.4(a), (b) or (c), as applicable; (iii) if the Optionee becomes an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company, the date that the New Options expire pursuant to the terms of the New Company's stock option plan that correspond to sub-section 4.4(a), (b) or (c) hereof; and (iv) the date that is one (1) year after the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person in respect of the New Company or such shorter period as determined by the Board.
(e) Eligible Charitable Organizations
If the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person due to no longer being an Eligible Charitable Organization, the Options then held by that Optionee shall be exercisable to acquire Vested Unissued Option Shares at any time up to but not after the earlier of the Expiry Date and the date which is 90 days after the date the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may, in its sole discretion if it determines such is in the best interests of the Company and subject to the policies of the Exchanges, extend the early Expiry Date (as set out above in this section 4.4) of any Option held by an Optionee who ceases to be an Eligible Person to a later date within a reasonable period, subject to such period not exceeding 12 months from the date the Optionee ceases to be an Eligible Person.
For purposes of this section 4.4, the dates of death, Disability, termination, retirement, voluntary resignation, ceasing to be an Eligible Person and incapacity shall be interpreted to be without regard to any period of notice (statutory or otherwise) or whether the Optionee or his or her estate continues thereafter to receive any compensatory payments from the Company or is paid salary by the Company in lieu of notice of termination.
For greater certainty, an Option that had not become Vested in respect of certain Unissued Option Shares at the time that the relevant event referred to in this section 4.4 occurred, shall not be or become vested or exercisable in respect of such Unissued Option Shares and shall be cancelled.
4.5 Effect of a Take-Over Bid
If a bona fide offer (an "Offer") for Shares is made to the Optionee or to shareholders of the Company generally or to a class of shareholders which includes the Optionee, which Offer, if accepted in whole or in part, would result in the offeror becoming a control person of the Company, within the meaning of subsection 1(1) of the Securities Act, the Company shall, immediately upon receipt of notice of the Offer, notify each Optionee of full particulars of the Offer, whereupon (subject to the approval of the Exchanges with respect
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to Investor Relations Service Providers) all Option Shares subject to such Offer will become Vested and the Option may be exercised in whole or in part by the Optionee so as to permit the Optionee to tender the Option Shares received upon such exercise, pursuant to the Offer. However, if:
(a) the Offer is not completed within the time specified therein; or
(b) all of the Option Shares tendered by the Optionee pursuant to the Offer are not taken up or paid for by the offeror in respect thereof,
then the Option Shares received upon such exercise, or in the case of clause (b) above, the Option Shares that are not taken up and paid for, may be returned by the Optionee to the Company and reinstated as authorized but unissued Shares and with respect to such returned Option Shares, the Option shall be reinstated as if it had not been exercised and the terms upon which such Option Shares were to become Vested pursuant to section 4.3 shall be reinstated. If any Option Shares are returned to the Company under this section 4.5, the Company shall immediately refund the exercise price to the Optionee for such Option Shares.
4.6 Acceleration of Expiry Date
If at any time when an Option granted under the Plan remains unexercised with respect to any Unissued Option Shares, an Offer is made by an offeror, the Board may, upon notifying each Optionee of full particulars of the Offer and subject to the approval of the Exchanges with respect to Investor Relations Service Providers, declare all Option Shares issuable upon the exercise of Options granted under the Plan, Vested, and declare that the Expiry Date for the exercise of all unexercised Options granted under the Plan is accelerated so that all Options will either be exercised or will expire prior to the date upon which Shares must be tendered pursuant to the Offer. The Board shall give each Optionee as much notice as possible of the acceleration of the Options under this section, except that not less than 5 business days of notice is required and more than 30 days of notice is not required.
4.7 Compulsory Acquisition or Going Private Transaction
If and whenever, following a take-over bid or issuer bid, there shall be a compulsory acquisition of the Shares pursuant to Division 6 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) or any successor or similar legislation, or any amalgamation, merger or arrangement in which securities acquired in a formal take-over bid may be voted under the conditions described in Section 8.2 of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions, then following the date upon which such compulsory acquisition, amalgamation, merger or arrangement is effective, an Optionee shall be entitled to receive, and shall accept, for the same exercise price, in lieu of the number of Option Shares to which such Optionee was theretofore entitled to purchase upon the exercise of his or her Options, the aggregate amount of cash, shares, other securities or other property which such Optionee would have been entitled to receive as a result of such bid if he or she had tendered such number of Option Shares to the take-over bid.
4.8 Effect of a Change of Control
If a Change of Control occurs, all Option Shares subject to each outstanding Option will become Vested, whereupon such Option may be exercised in whole or in part by the Optionee, subject to the approval of the Exchanges with respect to Investor Relations Service Providers or if otherwise necessary.
4.9 Exclusion from Severance Allowance, Retirement Allowance or Termination Settlement
If the Optionee, or, in the case of a Management Company Employee or a Consultant Company, the Optionee's employer, retires, resigns or is terminated from employment or engagement with the Company or any subsidiary of the Company, the loss or limitation, if any, pursuant to the Option Agreement with
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respect to the right to purchase Option Shares which were not Vested at that time or which, if Vested, were cancelled, shall not give rise to any right to damages and shall not be included in the calculation of nor form any part of any severance allowance, retiring allowance or termination settlement of any kind whatsoever in respect of such Optionee.
4.10 Shares Not Acquired
Any Unissued Option Shares not acquired by an Optionee under an Option which has been settled in cash, cancelled, terminated, surrendered, forfeited or expired without being exercised may be made the subject of a further Option pursuant to the provisions of the Plan.
5. ADJUSTMENT OF OPTION PRICE AND NUMBER OF OPTION SHARES
5.1 Share Reorganization
Subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges (other than in the case of a Share subdivision or consolidation), whenever the Company issues Shares to all or substantially all holders of Shares by way of a stock dividend or other distribution, or subdivides all outstanding Shares into a greater number of Shares, or combines or consolidates all outstanding Shares into a lesser number of Shares (each of such events being herein called a "Share Reorganization") then effective immediately after the record date for such dividend or other distribution or the effective date of such subdivision, combination or consolidation, for each Option:
(a) the Option Price will be adjusted to a price per Share which is the product of:
(i) the Option Price in effect immediately before that effective date or record date; and
(ii) a fraction, the numerator of which is the total number of Shares outstanding on that effective date or record date before giving effect to the Share Reorganization, and the denominator of which is the total number of Shares that are or would be outstanding immediately after such effective date or record date after giving effect to the Share Reorganization; and
(b) the number of Unissued Option Shares will be adjusted by multiplying (i) the number of Unissued Option Shares immediately before such effective date or record date by (ii) a fraction which is the reciprocal of the fraction described in subsection 5.1 (a)(ii).
Any increase in the number of Unissued Option Shares as a result of the adjustment provisions provided in this section 5.1 is subject to compliance with the limits set out in section 3.2 and, if any increase in the number of Unissued Option Shares as a result of the adjustment provisions provided in this section 5.1 would result in any limit set out in section 3.2 being exceeded, then the Company may, if determined by the Board in its sole and unfettered discretion (subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges), make payment in cash to the Optionee in lieu of increasing the number of Unissued Option Shares in order to properly reflect any diminution in value of the Option Shares as a result of such Share Reorganization.
5.2 Special Distribution
Unless the Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, whenever the Company issues by way of a
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dividend or otherwise distributes to all or substantially all holders of Shares;
(a) shares of the Company, other than the Shares;
(b) evidences of indebtedness;
(c) any cash or other assets, excluding cash dividends (other than cash dividends which the Board has determined to be outside the normal course); or
(d) rights, options or warrants;
then to the extent that such dividend or distribution does not constitute a Share Reorganization (any of such non-excluded events being herein called a "Special Distribution"), and effective immediately after the record date at which holders of Shares are determined for purposes of the Special Distribution, for each Option the Option Price will be reduced, and the number of Unissued Option Shares will be correspondingly increased, by such amount, if any, as is determined by the Board in its sole and unfettered discretion to be appropriate in order to properly reflect any diminution in value of the Option Shares as a result of such Special Distribution.
Any increase in the number of Unissued Option Shares as a result of the adjustment provisions provided in this section 5.2 is subject to compliance with the limits set out in section 3.2 and, if any increase in the number of Unissued Option Shares as a result of the adjustment provisions provided in this section 5.2 would result in any limit set out in section 3.2 being exceeded, then the Company may, if determined by the Board in its sole and unfettered discretion (subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges, provided that no adjustment pursuant to the operation of section 5.2 may occur while the Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange), make payment in cash to the Optionee in lieu of increasing the number of Unissued Option Shares in order to properly reflect any diminution in value of the Option Shares as a result of such Special Distribution.
5.3 Corporate Organization
Subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges, whenever there is:
(a) a reclassification of outstanding Shares, a change of Shares into other shares or securities, or any other capital reorganization of the Company, other than as described in sections 5.1 or 5.2;
(b) a consolidation, merger or amalgamation of the Company with or into another corporation resulting in a reclassification of outstanding Shares into other shares or securities or a change of Shares into other shares or securities;
(c) an arrangement or other transaction under which, among other things, the business or assets of the Company become, collectively, the business and assets of two or more companies with the same shareholder group upon the distribution to the Company's shareholders, or the exchange with the Company's shareholders, of securities of the Company, or securities of another company, or both; or
(d) a transaction whereby all or substantially all of the Company's undertaking and assets become the property of another corporation,
(any such event being herein called a "Corporate Reorganization") the Optionee will have an option to purchase (at the times, for the consideration, and subject to the terms and conditions set out in the Plan) and will accept on the exercise of such option, in lieu of the Unissued Option Shares which he/she would otherwise have been entitled to purchase, the kind and amount of shares or other securities or property that he/she would have been entitled to receive as a result of the Corporate Reorganization if, on the
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effective date thereof, he/she had been the holder of all Unissued Option Shares or if appropriate, as otherwise determined by the Board.
5.4 Determination of Option Price and Number of Unissued Option Shares
If any questions arise at any time with respect to the Option Price or number of Unissued Option Shares deliverable upon exercise of an Option following a Share Reorganization, Special Distribution or Corporate Reorganization, such questions shall be conclusively determined by the Company's auditor, or, if they decline to so act, any other firm of Chartered Accountants in Vancouver, British Columbia, that the Board may designate and who will have access to all appropriate records and such determination will be binding upon the Company and all Optionees.
5.5 Regulatory Approval
Any adjustment to the Option Price or the number of Unissued Option Shares purchasable under the Plan pursuant to the operation of any one of sections 5.1, 5.2 or 5.3 is subject to the prior approval of the Exchanges and any other governmental authority having jurisdiction, provided that no adjustment pursuant to the operation of section 5.2 may occur while the Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Notwithstanding the foregoing, adjustments pursuant to section 5.1 due to a Share subdivision or consolidation do not require prior approval of the Exchanges.
6. MISCELLANEOUS
6.1 Right to Employment
Neither this Plan nor any of the provisions hereof shall confer upon any Optionee any right with respect to employment or continued employment with the Company or any subsidiary of the Company or interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to terminate such employment.
6.2 Necessary Approvals
The Plan shall be effective upon the approval of the Plan by the Board and the Exchange or any regulatory authority having jurisdiction over the securities of the Company and shall be ratified thereafter by the shareholders of the Company by way of an ordinary resolution at the next duly convened meeting of the shareholders of the Company. Disinterested shareholder approval (as required by the Exchanges) will be obtained for any reduction in the exercise price, or any extension of the term, of any Option granted under this Plan if the Optionee is an Insider of the Company at the time of the proposed amendment. In addition, any amendment to an Option (including any cancellation of an Option and subsequent grant of a new Option to the same Person within one year) that results in a benefit to an Insider of the Company at the time of amendment will be subject to disinterested shareholder approval (as required by the Exchanges). The obligation of the Company to sell and deliver Shares in accordance with the Plan is subject to the approval of the Exchanges and any governmental authority having jurisdiction. If any Shares cannot be issued to any Optionee for any reason, including, without limitation, the failure to obtain such approval, then the obligation of the Company to issue such Shares shall terminate and any Option Price paid by an Optionee to the Company shall be immediately refunded to the Optionee by the Company.
6.3 Administration of the Plan
The Board shall, without limitation, have full and final authority in their discretion, but subject to the express provisions of the Plan, to interpret the Plan, to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan and to make all other determinations deemed necessary or advisable in respect of the Plan. Except as set forth in section 5.4 and subject to any required prior Exchange approval, the interpretation and construction of any provision of the Plan by the Board shall be final and conclusive. Administration of
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the Plan shall be the responsibility of the appropriate officers of the Company and all costs in respect thereof shall be paid by the Company.
6.4 Withholding Taxes
The exercise of each Option granted under the Plan is subject to the condition that if at any time the Company determines, in its discretion, that the satisfaction of withholding tax or other withholding liabilities is necessary or desirable in respect of such exercise, such exercise is not effective unless such withholding has been effected to the satisfaction of the Company. In such circumstances, the Company may require that the Optionee pay to the Company, in addition to and in the same manner as the exercise price for the Shares, such amount as the Company is obliged to remit to the relevant tax authority in respect of the exercise of the Option. Alternatively, the Company shall have the right in its discretion to satisfy any such liability for withholding or other required deduction amounts by retaining or acquiring any Shares acquired upon exercise of any Option, or retaining any amount payable, which would otherwise be issued or delivered, provided or paid to an Optionee by the Company, whether or not such amounts are payable under the Plan. For greater certainty, the application of this section 6.4 to any exercise of an Option shall not conflict with the policies of the Exchanges that are in effect at the relevant time and the Company will obtain prior Exchange acceptance and/or shareholder approval of any application of this section 6.4 if required pursuant to such policies.
6.5 Amendments to the Plan
The Board may from time to time, subject to applicable law and to the prior approval, if required, of the shareholders (or disinterested shareholders, if required), Exchanges or any other regulatory body having authority over the Company or the Plan, suspend, terminate or discontinue the Plan at any time, or amend or revise the terms of the Plan or of any Option granted under the Plan and the Option Agreement relating thereto, provided that no such amendment, revision, suspension, termination or discontinuance shall in any manner adversely affect any Option previously granted to an Optionee under the Plan without the consent of that Optionee.
6.6 Form of Notice
A notice given to the Company shall be in writing, signed by the Optionee and delivered to the head business office of the Company.
6.7 No Representation or Warranty
The Company makes no representation or warranty as to the future market value of any Shares issued in accordance with the provisions of the Plan.
6.8 Compliance with Applicable Law
If any provision of the Plan or any Option Agreement contravenes any law or any order, policy, by-law or regulation of any regulatory body or Exchange having authority over the Company or the Plan, then such provision shall be deemed to be amended to the extent required to bring such provision into compliance therewith.
6.9 No Assignment or Transfer
No Optionee may assign or transfer any of his or her rights under the Plan or any option granted thereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, where permitted under applicable policies of the Exchanges, companies that are wholly owned by Eligible Persons may be issued Options.
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6.10 Rights of Optionees
An Optionee shall have no rights whatsoever as a shareholder of the Company in respect of any of the Unissued Option Shares (including, without limitation, voting rights or any right to receive dividends, warrants or rights under any rights offering).
6.11 Previously Granted Options
Stock options which are outstanding under pre-existing stock option plan(s) of the Company as of the effective date of this Plan shall continue to be exercisable and shall be deemed to be governed by and be subject to the terms and conditions of this Plan except to the extent that the terms of this Plan are more restrictive than the terms of such pre-existing plan(s) under which such stock options were originally granted, in which case the applicable pre-existing plan(s) shall govern, provided that any stock options granted, issued or amended after November 23, 2021 must comply with TSXV Policy 4.4 - Incentive Stock Options (as at November 24, 2021).
6.12 Conflict
In the event of any conflict between the provisions of this Plan and an Option Agreement, the provisions of this Plan shall govern.
6.13 Governing Law
The Plan and each Option Agreement issued pursuant to the Plan shall be governed by the laws of the province of British Columbia.
6.14 Time of Essence
Time is of the essence of this Plan and of each Option Agreement. No extension of time will be deemed to be or to operate as a waiver of the essentiality of time.
6.15 Entire Agreement
This Plan and the Option Agreement sets out the entire agreement between the Company and the Optionees relative to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements, undertakings and understandings, whether oral or written.
Approved by the Board of Directors of the Company effective February 29, 2024.
Approved by the shareholders of the Company on ___, 20_____.
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SCHEDULE "A"
SITKA GOLD CORP.
STOCK OPTION PLAN - OPTION AGREEMENT
[If the Company is listed on the TSXV at the time of the option grant, the following legend is required in respect of: (i) Options with an Option Price at a discount to the Market Price; or (ii) Options granted to directors, officers, promoters or consultants of the Company or persons holding securities carrying more than 10% of the voting rights and who have elected or appointed or have the right to elect or appoint one or more directors or senior officers of the Company: Without prior written approval of the TSX Venture Exchange and compliance with all applicable securities legislation, the securities represented by this agreement and any securities issued upon exercise thereof may not be sold, transferred, hypothecated or otherwise traded on or through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange or otherwise in Canada or to or for the benefit of a Canadian resident until ●, 20● (being four months and one day after the date of grant).]
This Option Agreement is entered into between SITKA GOLD CORP. (the "Company") and the OPTIONEE named below pursuant to the Company Stock Option Plan (the "Plan"), a copy of which is attached hereto, and confirms that:
- on ●, 20● (the "Grant Date");
- ● (the "Optionee");
- was granted the option (the "Option") to purchase ● common shares (the "Option Shares") of the Company;
- for the price (the "Option Price") of $● per share;
- which rights to purchase the Option Shares under the Option may be exercised and will vest on the Grant Date [OR set forth applicable vesting schedule – NOT LESS THAN QUARTERLY VESTING OVER A MINIMUM OF 1 YEAR FOR INVESTOR RELATIONS SERVICE PROVIDERS]; and
- the Option will terminate on ● (the "Expiry Date");
all on the terms and subject to the conditions set out in the Plan. For greater certainty, Option Shares continue to be exercisable until the termination or cancellation thereof as provided in this Option Agreement and the Plan.
Where the Optionee is resident in or otherwise subject to the securities laws of the United States, the Optionee acknowledges that any Option Shares received by him/her upon exercise of the Option have not been registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Blue Sky laws of any state (collectively, the "Securities Acts"). The Optionee acknowledges and understands that the Company is under no obligation to register, under the Securities Acts, the Option Shares received by him/her or to assist him/her in complying with any exemption from such registration if he/she should at a later date wish to dispose of the Option Shares. The Optionee acknowledges that the Option Shares shall bear a legend restricting the transferability thereof, such legend to be substantially in the following form:
"The shares represented by this certificate have not been registered or qualified under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended or state securities laws. The shares may not be offered for sale, sold, pledged or otherwise disposed of unless so registered or qualified, unless an exemption exists or unless such disposition is not subject to U.S. federal or state securities laws, and the Company may require that the
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availability of any exemption or the inapplicability of such securities laws be established by an opinion of counsel, which opinion of counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the Company."
By signing this Option Agreement, the Optionee acknowledges that the Optionee has read and understands the Plan and agrees to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Option Agreement (including without limitation all representations set out therein with respect to the Optionee).
Acknowledgement – Personal Information
The undersigned hereby acknowledges and consents to:
(a) the disclosure to the TSX Venture Exchange and all other regulatory authorities of all personal information of the undersigned obtained by the Company; and
(b) the collection, use and disclosure of such personal information by the TSX Venture Exchange and all other regulatory authorities in accordance with their requirements, including the provision to third party service providers, from time to time.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have executed this Option Agreement as of the ● day of ●, 20 ●.
Signature
Print Name
Address
SITKA GOLD CORP.
Per: _______
Authorized Signatory
1390-4919-5534, v. 2
SITKA GOLD CORP.
STOCK OPTION PLAN
NOTICE OF EXERCISE OF OPTION
TO: Sitka Gold Corp. (the "Company")
The undersigned hereby irrevocably gives notice, pursuant to the stock option plan of the Company (the of the exercise of stock options ("Options") to acquire and hereby subscribes for (cross out inapplicable item):
(a) all of the Option Shares; or
(b) _ of the Option Shares,
which are the subject of the Option Agreement attached hereto.
The undersigned tenders herewith payment to "Sitka Gold Corp.", or such other payee as directed by the Company, in an amount equal to the aggregate exercise price of the aforesaid Option Shares and directs the Company to issue the certificate evidencing said Option Shares in the name of the undersigned and mail a copy of that certificate to the undersigned at the following address:
DATED the ___ day of ____, 20___.
Signature of Option Holder
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