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Westmount Minerals Corp. — Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement 2026
May 19, 2026
48291_rns_2026-05-19_5b20653b-8b74-4e7d-83d9-e2dc598667f2.pdf
Proxy Solicitation & Information Statement
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WESTMOUNT MINERALS CORP.
NOTICE AND MANAGEMENT PROXY CIRCULAR FOR THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
TO BE HELD AT
9:00 a.m. (Pacific time)
Thursday, June 18, 2026
520 – 470 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 1V5
Canada
WESTMOUNT MINERALS CORP.
Suite 520 – 470 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC, V6C 1V5
Toll-Free: 1-855-683-1991 Tel: 604-484-2161 Fax: 604-683-8544
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the annual general meeting (the "Meeting") of the shareholders of Westmount Minerals Corp. (the "Company") will be held at Suite 520 – 470 Granville St, Vancouver, BC, V6C 1V5, on June 18, 2026 at 09:00 a.m. (Pacific Time), for the following purposes:
- To receive and consider the audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended March 31, 2024, and 2025 together with the auditor's report thereon;
- To fix the number of directors for the ensuing year at 3;
- To elect directors for the ensuing year;
- To appoint Davidson & Company LLP as the Company’s auditors for the ensuing fiscal year at a remuneration to be fixed by the directors, provided that the Board of Directors in their discretion may replace Davidson & Company LLP, as the Company’s auditor at any time during the ensuing year with a qualified accounting firm at a remuneration to be fixed by the Board of Directors;
- To consider and, if thought advisable, approve an ordinary resolution reconfirming the Company’s 2023 Equity Incentive Plan alongside the 2021 Incentive Stock Option Plan, as more particularly described in the Information Circular.
- To transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any adjournment thereof.
The accompanying Information Circular provides additional information relating to the matters to be dealt with at the Meeting and is deemed to form part of this Notice.
The Board of Directors has fixed the close of business on the 4th day of May 2026, as the record date for determination of shareholders entitled to notice of this Meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof and the right to vote thereat.
This notice is accompanied by the Circular, a form of proxy and a supplemental mailing list return card.
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Proxies to be used at the Meeting must be deposited with the Company, c/o the Company's transfer agent, Endeavor Trust Corporation, Proxy Department, Suite 702, 777 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1S4 no later than 09:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) on Tuesday June 16, 2026, or no later than 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays) prior to the date on which the Meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof is held. See also the form of proxy for instructions as to the use of telephone and internet voting.
Non-registered shareholders who receive these materials through their broker or other intermediary are requested to follow the instructions for voting provided by their broker or intermediary, which may include the completion and delivery of a voting instruction form.
DATED at Vancouver, British Columbia this 7th day of May, 2026.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD
"David Tafel"
DAVID TAFEL
Director
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WESTMOUNT MINERALS CORP.
INFORMATION CIRCULAR
May 7, 2026
GENERAL INFORMATION
This Information Circular is furnished to the holders (“shareholders”) of common shares (“Common Shares”) of Westmount Minerals Corp. (the “Company”) by management of the Company in connection with the solicitation of proxies to be voted at the annual general meeting (the “Meeting”) of the shareholders to be held at 520 – 470 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1V5, on Thursday, June 18, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) and at any adjournment thereof, for the purposes set forth in the accompanying notice of meeting (the “Notice of Meeting”).
GENERAL PROXY INFORMATION
Solicitation of Proxies
The enclosed Proxy is solicited by and on behalf of management of the Company. The persons named in the enclosed Proxy form are management-designated proxyholders. A registered shareholder desiring to appoint some other person (who need not be a shareholder) to represent the shareholder at the Meeting may do so either by inserting such other person’s name in the blank space provided in the Proxy form or by completing another form of proxy. To be used at the Meeting, proxies must be received by Endeavor Trust Corporation, Proxy Department, Suite 702 – 777 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1S4 by 9:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) on June 16, 2026 or, if the Meeting is adjourned, by 9:00 a.m. (Vancouver time), on the second last business day prior to the date on which the Meeting is reconvened, or may be accepted by the chairman of the Meeting prior to the commencement of the Meeting. Solicitation will be primarily by mail, but some proxies may be solicited personally or by telephone by regular employees or directors of the Company at a nominal cost. The cost of solicitation by management of the Company will be borne by the Company.
APPOINTMENT AND REVOCATION OF PROXY
Registered Holders
Registered shareholders may vote their common shares in the capital of the Company (the “Common Shares”) by attending the Meeting in person or by completing the enclosed proxy. Registered shareholders should deliver their completed proxies to Endeavor Trust Corporation, 702 - 777 Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1S4 or by facsimile at 1-604-559-8908 or by email at [email protected] (by mail, telephone or internet according to the instructions on the proxy), not less than 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays) before the time for holding the Meeting, otherwise the shareholder will not be entitled to vote at the Meeting by proxy.
The persons named in the proxy are directors and officers of the Company and are proxyholders nominated by management. A shareholder has the right to appoint a person other than the nominees of management named in the enclosed instrument of proxy to represent the shareholder at the Meeting. To exercise this right, a shareholder must insert the name of its nominee in the blank space provided. A person appointed as a proxyholder need not be a shareholder of the Company.
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A registered shareholder may revoke a proxy by:
(a) signing a proxy with a later date and delivering it at the place and within the time noted above;
(b) signing and dating a written notice of revocation (in the same manner as the proxy is required to be executed, as set out in the notes to the proxy) and delivering it to the head office of the Company, 520-470 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 1V5, at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day of the Meeting, or any adjournment thereof at which the proxy is to be used, or to the Chairman of the Meeting on the day of the Meeting or any adjournment thereof;
(c) attending the Meeting or any adjournment thereof and registering with the scrutineer as a shareholder present in person, whereupon such proxy shall be deemed to have been revoked; or
(d) in any other manner provided by law.
Beneficial Shareholders
The information set forth in this section is of significant importance to many shareholders, as many shareholders do not hold their shares in the Company in their own name. Shareholders holding their shares through banks, trust companies, securities dealers or brokers, trustees or administrators of self-administered RRSP's, RRIF's, RESP's and similar plans or other persons (any one of which is herein referred to as an "Intermediary") or otherwise not in their own name (such shareholders herein referred to as "Beneficial Shareholders") should note that only proxies deposited by shareholders appearing on the records maintained by the Company's transfer agent as registered shareholders will be recognized and allowed to vote at the Meeting. If a shareholder's shares are listed in an account statement provided to the shareholder by a broker, in all likelihood, those shares are not registered in the shareholder's name and that shareholder is a Beneficial Shareholder. Such shares are most likely registered in the name of the shareholder's broker or an agent of that broker. In Canada, the vast majority of such shares are registered under the name of CDS & Co., the registration name for The Canadian Depository for Securities, which acts as a nominee for many Canadian brokerage firms. Shares held by brokers (or their agents or nominees) on behalf of a broker's client can only be voted at the Meeting at the direction of the Beneficial Shareholder. Without specific instructions, brokers and their agents and nominees are prohibited from voting shares for the broker's clients. Therefore, each Beneficial Shareholder should ensure that voting instructions are communicated to the appropriate party well in advance of the Meeting.
Regulatory policies require Intermediaries to seek voting instructions from Beneficial Shareholders in advance of shareholder meetings. Beneficial Shareholders have the option of not objecting to their Intermediary disclosing certain ownership information about themselves to the Company (such Beneficial Shareholders are designated as non-objecting beneficial owners, or "NOBOs") or objecting to their Intermediary disclosing ownership information about themselves to the Company (such Beneficial Shareholders are designated as objecting beneficial owners, or "OBOs").
In accordance with the requirements of National Instrument 54-101 Communication with Beneficial Owners of Securities of a Reporting Issuer ("NI 54-101"), the Company has distributed, in accordance with the "notice-and-access" rules, the notice of meeting, this Information Circular and a request for voting instructions (a "VIF"), instead of a proxy (the notice of Meeting, Information Circular and VIF or proxy are collectively referred to as the "Meeting Materials") indirectly through Intermediaries to the NOBOs and OBOs. The Intermediaries (or their service companies) are responsible for forwarding the Meeting Materials to OBOs. The Company does not intend to pay for Intermediaries to forward the Meeting Materials to OBOs. OBOs will not receive the Meeting Materials unless their Intermediary assumes the cost of delivery.
Meeting Materials distributed to Beneficial Shareholders are accompanied by a VIF, instead of a proxy. By returning the VIF in accordance with the instructions noted on it, a Beneficial Shareholder is able to instruct the Intermediary (or other registered shareholder) how to vote the Beneficial Shareholder's shares on the Beneficial Shareholder's behalf. For this to occur, it is important that the VIF be completed and returned in accordance with the specific instructions noted on the VIF.
The majority of Intermediaries now delegate responsibility for obtaining instructions from Beneficial Shareholders to Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions (“Broadridge”) in Canada. Broadridge typically prepares a machine-readable VIF, mails these VIFs to Beneficial Shareholders and asks Beneficial Shareholders to return the VIFs to Broadridge, usually by way of mail, the Internet or telephone. Broadridge then tabulates the results of all instructions received and provides appropriate instructions respecting the voting of shares to be represented at the Meeting by proxies for which Broadridge has solicited voting instructions. A Beneficial Shareholder who receives a Broadridge VIF cannot use that form to vote shares directly at the Meeting. The VIF must be returned to Broadridge (or instructions respecting the voting of shares must otherwise be communicated to Broadridge) well in advance of the Meeting in order to have the shares voted. If you have any questions respecting the voting of shares held through an Intermediary, please contact that Intermediary for assistance.
In either case, the purpose of this procedure is to permit Beneficial Shareholders to direct the voting of the shares which they beneficially own. A Beneficial Shareholder receiving a VIF cannot use that form to vote Common Shares directly at the Meeting – Beneficial Shareholders should carefully follow the instructions set out in the VIF, including those regarding when and where the VIF is to be delivered. Should a Beneficial Shareholder who receives a VIF wish to attend the Meeting or have someone else attend on their behalf, the Beneficial Shareholder may request a legal proxy as set forth in the VIF, which will grant the Beneficial Shareholder or their nominee the right to attend and vote at the Meeting.
Only registered shareholders have the right to revoke a proxy. A Beneficial Shareholder who wishes to change its vote must, at least seven days before the Meeting, arrange for its Intermediary to revoke its VIF on its behalf.
All references to shareholders in this Information Circular and the accompanying instrument of proxy and notice of Meeting are to registered shareholders unless specifically stated otherwise.
The Meeting Materials are being sent to both registered and non-registered owners of the Company’s shares. If you are a Beneficial Shareholder and the Company or its agent has sent the Meeting Materials directly to you, your name and address and information about your holdings of the Company’s securities have been obtained in accordance with applicable securities regulatory requirements from the Intermediary holding on your behalf. By choosing to send the Meeting Materials to you directly, the Company (and not the Intermediary holding on your behalf) has assumed responsibility for (i) delivering the Meeting Materials to you and (ii) executing your proper voting instructions. Please return your voting instructions as specified in the VIF.
NOTICE AND ACCESS
The Company is sending out its meeting materials to shareholders using the notice-and-access provisions under National Instrument 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations (“NI 51-102”) and NI 54-101 (together with NI 51-102, the “Notice-and-Access Provisions”). The Company anticipates that use of the Notice-and-Access Provisions will benefit the Company by reducing the postage and material costs associated with the printing and mailing of the proxy-related materials and will also reduce the environmental impact of such actions. Shareholders will be provided with electronic access to the meeting materials on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”) at www.sedar.com and on its website at www.westmountminerals.com. Shareholders are reminded to review the Information Circular before voting. Shareholders will receive paper copies of a notice package (the “Notice Package”) containing a notice with information prescribed by the Notice-and-Access Provisions and a form of proxy (if you are a registered Shareholder) or a voting instruction form (if you are a Beneficial Shareholder). The Company will not use procedures known as “stratification” in relation to the use of Notice-and-Access Provisions. Stratification occurs when an issuer using Notice-and-Access Provisions sends a paper copy of the Meeting Materials to some securityholders with a Notice Package.
Shareholders with questions about notice-and-access can call the Company's transfer agent, Endeavor Trust Corporation (“Endeavor Trust” or the “Transfer Agent”) toll-free at 1-888-787-0888 (Canada and the U.S. only) or direct at (604) 559-8880 (outside Canada and the U.S.). Shareholders may obtain paper copies of the Meeting Materials free of charge by calling toll-free at 1-888-787-0888 at any time up until and including the date of the Meeting, including any adjournment or postponement thereof. Any Shareholder wishing to obtain a paper copy of the Meeting materials should submit their request no later than 9:00 a.m. (Vancouver time) on June 11, 2026, to receive paper copies of the Meeting materials in time to vote before the Meeting. Under the Notice-and-Access Provisions,
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Meeting materials will be available for viewing on the website at www.westmountminerals.com for one year from the date of posting.
VOTING SHARES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS THEREOF
The Company has an authorized capital of an unlimited number of Common Shares. 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 Company (“Board of Directors” or “Board”) has fixed May 4, 2026 as the record date (“Record Date”) for the determination of shareholders entitled to receive notice of 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 of the Record Date, 50,709,001 Common Shares were issued and outstanding as fully paid and non-assessable.
To the knowledge of the directors and executive officers of the Company, as at the Record Date, no person beneficially owned, controlled, or directed, directly or indirectly, shares carrying 10% or more of the voting rights attached to the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Shares.
VOTES NECESSARY TO PASS RESOLUTIONS AT THE MEETING
Under the Company’s Articles, quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of shareholders is one person who is, or who represents by proxy, shareholders who, in the aggregate, hold at least 5% of the issued shares entitled to be voted at the meeting.
APPOINTMENT OF AUDITOR
The persons named in the enclosed Proxy form intend to vote for the appointment of Davidson & Company LLP (“Davidson”, or “Auditor”) as the auditor of the Company to hold office until the next annual general meeting of shareholders. On the representations of the Auditor, neither the Auditor nor any of its partners has any direct financial interest or any material indirect financial interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries or has had any connection during the past three years with the Company or any of its subsidiaries in the capacity of promoter, underwriter, voting trustee, director, officer or employee. The text of the proposed resolution to approve and confirm the Auditor is as follows:
BE IT RESOLVED AS AN ORDINARY RESOLUTION THAT:
- Davidson & Company LLP is to be appointed as the auditor of the Company, at a remuneration to be fixed by the Board of Directors
- The Board of Directors in their discretion may seek proposals from other qualified accounting firms for the position of auditor of the Company for the ensuing year, and, should one or more favourable proposals be received, the Directors may replace Davidson & Company LLP as the Company’s auditor at any time during the ensuing year with a qualified accounting firm at a remuneration to be fixed by the Board of Directors, subject to compliance by the Company with the requirements of the BC Securities Commission
A simple majority of the votes cast at the Meeting (in person or by proxy) is required in order to pass the Appointment of Auditor Resolution.
The Board of Directors recommends a vote "FOR" the approval of the Appointment of Auditor Resolution. In the absence of a contrary instruction, the persons designated by management of the Company in the enclosed form of proxy intend to vote FOR the approval of the Appointment of Auditor Resolution.
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The number of directors of the Company is currently fixed at three. The persons named below are the three nominees of management for election as directors, one of whom is a current director of the Company. 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 Company 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 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 Company presently held by the nominee; the nominee’s present principal occupation or employment; the period during which the nominee has served as a director; and the number of Common Shares 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:
| Name, place of residence and positions with the Company | Principal Occupation for the Past Five Years | Period served as a director | Common Shares beneficially owned or controlled |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Alcock | |||
| Alberta, Canada | |||
| Director | Mr. Alcock is a Chartered Professional Accountant with over 30 years’ experience as an accounting and financial professional, and as an investor in the junior mining space. Mr. Alcock currently serves on the Board of various publicly listed issuers. | March 28, 2025 | 0 |
| Rob L’Heureux | |||
| Alberta, Canada | |||
| Director | Mr. L’Heureux is a professional geologist with 25 years experience in global mineral exploration. He serves as a director with several publicly listed issuers. | N/A | 0 |
| Name, place of residence and positions with the Company | Principal Occupation for the Past Five Years | Period served as a director | Common Shares beneficially owned or controlled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Atkinson | |||
| Alberta, Canada | |||
| Director | Mr. Atkinson is a professional geologist with over 20 years of global mineral exploration experience spanning grassroots green fields discovery focussed exploration through to resource delineation and expansion and the completion of Preliminary Economic Assessments largely focussed on precious and base metals. Mr. Atkinson has managed annual exploration programs with budgets in excess of $45M. Most recently, Bryan served for 10 years as Senior Vice President, Exploration, for Fury Gold Mines (TSX and NYSE-A: FURY) where he remains an advisor. | N/A | 0 |
Note:
(1) Member of the Audit Committee.
Advance Notice Policy for Nominations of Directors: The Company’s Articles include an advance notice provision (the “Advance Notice Provision”), which provides Shareholders, directors and management of the Company with direction on the procedure for Shareholder nomination of directors. The Advance Notice Provision is the framework by which the Company seeks to fix a deadline by which holders of record of Shares must submit director nominations to the Company prior to any annual or special meeting of Shareholders and sets forth the information that a Shareholder must include in the notice to the Company for the notice to be in proper written form. A copy of the Company’s Articles which include the Advance Notice Provision can be found under the Company’s issuer profile on SEDAR + at www.sedarplus.ca.
No director nominations have been made by the Shareholders in connection with the Meeting under the terms of the Advance Notice Provision as at the date thereof.
Other than as disclosed herein, 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 Company) 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.
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 Company) that, while that person was acting in that capacity, or within a year of that person ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt,
made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets.
No proposed director has, within the ten years preceding the date of this Information Circular, become bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or become subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of that person.
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.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE
The following description of the corporate governance practices of the Company is provided further to National Instrument 58-101 on "Disclosure of Corporate Governance Practices" ("NI 58-101") and the disclosure prescribed for "Venture Issuers" such as the Company.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors currently consists of four directors, two of whom, John Alcock and Stephen Wilkinson are considered independent and facilitate the Board of Directors' independent supervision over management. David Tafel and Jeremy Wright are not considered independent, as each is an executive officer of the Company, with David Tafel being Chief Executive Officer and Jeremy Wright being Chief Financial Officer. With the recommendation of the advice of legal counsel, the Board of Directors will evaluate situations on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the exercise of independent judgment is appropriate or necessary under the circumstances. If deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board, the Board may appoint such special committees comprised of independent directors to consider any particular matter or transaction.
Directorships
The existing and proposed directors of the Company who are presently directors of other reporting issuers in Canada or elsewhere are as set out below:
| Director / Proposed Director | Other Reporting Issuers |
|---|---|
| John Alcock | Altiplano Metals Inc. |
| New Target Mining Corp. | |
| Rob L’Heureux | Metalero Mining Corp. |
| Omega Pacific Resources Inc. | |
| Storm Exploration Inc. | |
| Bryan Atkinson | Fury Gold Mines Limited |
| Hunter Bay Minerals plc |
Orientation and Continuing Education
New members of the Board are provided with: (i) information respecting the functioning of the Board and its committees and a copy of the Company's corporate governance documents; (ii) access to all documents of the Company, including those that are confidential; and (iii) access to management.
Each new director participates in the Company’s initial orientation program, and each director participates in the Company’s continuing director development programs, both of which are reviewed annually by the Board.
Board members are encouraged to: (i) communicate with management and auditors; (ii) keep themselves current with industry trends and developments and changes in legislation with management’s assistance; (iii) attend related industry seminars; and (iv) visit the Company’s operations.
Ethical Business Conduct
The Board has adopted the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics of the Company on June 15, 2021 (the “Code”), for the directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company. All new employees must read the Code when hired and acknowledge that they will abide by the Code.
The Board is responsible for monitoring compliance with the Code. In accordance with the Code, directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company should raise questions regarding the application of any requirement under the Code and report a possible violation of a law or the Code, promptly to their superior or manager. If reporting a concern or complaint to a superior or manager is not possible or advisable, or if reporting it to such person does not resolve the matter, the matter should be addressed with the Chief Financial Officer of the Company.
The Board monitors compliance with the Code by, among other things, obtaining reports from the Chief Executive Officer regarding breaches of the Code. The Board also reviews investigations and any resolutions of complaints received under the Code. In addition, the Board approves changes to the Code it considers appropriate, at least annually. The Code is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
The Board takes steps to ensure that directors, officers and other employees exercise independent judgment in considering transactions and agreements in respect of which a director, officer or other employee of the Company has a material interest, which include ensuring that directors, officers and other employees are thoroughly familiar with the Code and, in particular, the rules concerning reporting conflicts of interest and obtaining direction from their superior or manager or the Chief Financial Officer regarding any potential conflicts of interest.
The Board encourages and promotes an overall culture of ethical business conduct by promoting compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations; providing guidance to directors, officers and other employees to help them recognize and deal with ethical issues; promoting a culture of open communication, honesty and accountability; and ensuring awareness of disciplinary action for violations of ethical business conduct.
Nomination of Directors
The Board as a whole has responsibility for identifying potential Board candidates. The Board has not formed a nominating committee or similar committee to assist the Board with the nomination of directors for the Company. Each of the directors has contacts he can draw upon to identify new members of the Board as needed from time to time.
The Board will continually assess its size, structure and composition, taking into consideration its current strengths, skills and experience, proposed retirements and the requirements and strategic direction of the Company. As required, directors will recommend suitable candidates for consideration as members of the Board.
Compensation
The Board of Directors periodically reviews the adequacy and form of compensation of the directors and officers of the Company to ensure that the compensation realistically reflects the responsibilities and risks involved in being an effective director or officer. All compensation arrangements between the Company and any director or officer of the Company or between any subsidiary of the Company and any director or officer of the Company must be approved by the independent directors.
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Other Board Committees
The Board of Directors has not established any committees other than the Audit Committee.
Assessments
The Board is responsible for ensuring that an appropriate system is in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the Board as a whole, the individual committees of the Board, and the individual members of the Board and such committees with a view of ensuring that they are fulfilling their respective responsibilities and duties. In connection with such evaluations, each director is required to provide his or her assessment of the effectiveness of the Board and each committee as well as the performance of the individual directors, annually. Such evaluations take into account the competencies and skills each director is expected to bring to his or her particular role on the Board or on a committee, as well as any other relevant facts.
AUDIT COMMITTEE DISCLOSURE
Pursuant to the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) and National Instrument 52-110 on “Audit Committees” (“NI 52-110”), the Company is required to have an audit committee.
Audit Committee Charter
Pursuant to NI 52-110, the Company’s Audit Committee is required to have a charter. A copy of the Company’s Audit Committee Charter is set out in Appendix A.
Composition of the Audit Committee
As at the date of this Information Circular, the following is information on the members of the Company’s Audit Committee:
| Name | Independent^{0} | Financial Literacy^{(2)} |
|---|---|---|
| David Tafel | No | Yes |
| Stephen Wilkinson | Yes | Yes |
| John Alcock | Yes | Yes |
Notes:
(1) A member of the Audit Committee is independent if he or she has no direct or indirect ‘material relationship’ with the Company. A material relationship is a relationship which could, in the view of the Board of Directors, reasonably interfere with the exercise of a member’s independent judgment. An executive officer of the Company, such as the President, is deemed to have a material relationship with the Company.
(2) A member of the Audit Committee is financially literate if he or she has the ability to read and understand a set of financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of the issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the Company’s financial statements.
(3) Chair of the Audit Committee.
Relevant Education and Experience
The educational background or experience of each of the following members of the Audit Committee has enabled each to perform his or her responsibilities as an Audit Committee member and has provided the member with an understanding of the accounting principles used by the Company to prepare its financial statements, including the ability to assess the general application of such accounting principles in connection with the accounting estimates, accruals and reserves. All members have experience analyzing and 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 have experience actively
supervising one or more individuals engaged in such activities, and all have an understanding of internal controls and financial reporting procedures
Audit Committee Oversight
At no time since April 1, 2025, was a recommendation of the Audit Committee to nominate or compensate an external auditor not adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors.
Reliance on Certain Exemptions
At no time since April 1, 2025, has the Company relied on the exemption in section 2.4 of NI 52-110 (De Minimis Non-audit Services), subsection 6.1.1(4) of NI 52-110 (Circumstances Affecting the Business or Operations of the Venture Issuer), subsection 6.1.1(5) of NI 52-110 (Events Outside Control of Member), subsection 6.1.1(6) (Death, Incapacity or Resignation) or an exemption from NI 52-110, in whole or in part, granted under Part 8 (Exemption) of NI 52-110 by a securities regulatory authority or regulator.
Pre-approval Policies and Procedures for Non-Audit Services
The Audit Committee has not adopted any specific policies and procedures for the engagement of non-audit services.
External Auditor Service Fees (By Category)
The aggregate fees billed by the Company’s external auditor in each of the last two financial years of the Company for services in each of the categories indicated are as follows:
| Financial Year Ended | Audit Fees(1) | Audit Related Fees(2) | Tax Fees(3) | All Other Fees(4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2024 | $26,570.25 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| March 31, 2025 | $21,437.94 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Notes:
(1) Estimated fees for audit services.
(2) Fees for assurance and related services not included in audit services above.
(3) Fees for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning.
(4) All other fees not included above.
Venture Issuers Exemption
If and when required, the Company is relying upon the exemption in section 6.1 of NI 52-110 which exempts “venture issuers” from the requirements of Part 3 (Composition of the Audit Committee) and Part 5 (Reporting Obligations) of NI 52-110.
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DIRECTOR AND NAMED EXECUTIVE OFFICER COMPENSATION
The following description of the executive compensation of the Company is provided further to Form 51-102F6V "Statement of Executive Compensation – Venture Issuers".
Director and Named Executive Officer Compensation Excluding Compensation Securities
Named Executive Officers
Set out below are particulars of compensation paid to the following persons (the "Named Executive Officers" or "NEO"s):
(a) each individual who, in respect of the Company, during any part of the most recently completed financial year, served as chief executive officer, including an individual performing functions similar to a chief executive officer ("CEO");
(b) each individual who, in respect of the Company, during any part of the most recently completed financial year, served as chief financial officer, including an individual performing functions similar to a chief financial officer ("CFO");
(c) in respect of the Company and its subsidiaries, the most highly compensated executive officer other than the CEO and CFO at the end of the most recently completed financial year whose total compensation was more than $150,000, as determined in accordance with applicable securities rules, for that financial year; and
(d) each individual who would be a NEO under paragraph (c) but for the fact that the individual was neither an executive officer of the Company, nor acting in a similar capacity, at the end of that financial year.
During the year ended March 31, 2025, the Company had two Named Executive Officers, namely David Tafel (CEO) and Jeremy Wright (CFO).
Table of Compensation Excluding Compensation Securities
The following table sets out compensation paid, payable, awarded, granted, given, or otherwise provided, directly or indirectly, by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, to each applicable NEO and director, in any capacity, for each of the Company's financial years ended March 31, 2024, and 2025.
| Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and position | Year | Salary, consulting fee, retainer or commission ($) | Bonus ($) | Committee or meeting fees ($) | Value of perquisites ($) | Value of all other compensation ($) | Total compensation ($) |
| David Tafel | 2024 | 30,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| CEO and Director | 2025 | 25,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| Jeremy Wright | 2024 | 24,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| CFO Director | 2025 | 20,000 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
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| Table of compensation excluding compensation securities | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and position | Year | Salary, consulting fee, retainer or commission ($) | Bonus ($) | Committee or meeting fees ($) | Value of perquisites ($) | Value of all other compensation ($) | Total compensation ($) |
| Stephen Wilkinson Director | 2024 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
| John Alcock Director | 2024 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
External Management Companies
None of the NEOs or directors of the Company has been retained or employed by an external management company which has entered into an understanding, arrangement or agreement with the Company to provide executive management services to the Company, directly or indirectly.
Mr. David Tafel, Pacific Capital Advisors Inc. ("Pacific Capital") and the Company entered into a consulting services agreement dated effective April 1, 2021 (the "CEO Services Agreement"), whereby the Board agrees to pay consulting fees to Pacific Capital in the amount of $2,500 per month.
Mr. Jeremy Wright, through Seatrend Strategy Inc. ("Seatrend"), has a CFO services agreement with the Company dated April 1, 2021, amended April 1, 2025 (collectively the "CFO Services Agreements"), whereby the Board agrees to pay consulting fees to Seatrend in the amount of $3,000 per month. The CFO Services Agreement was originally entered into between Mr. Wright's sole proprietorship, Seatrend Strategy Group, and the Company; however, the CFO Services Agreement was assumed by Seatrend on August 1, 2022.
Stock Options and Other Compensation Securities
The following table discloses all compensation securities granted or issued to each NEO and director by the Company or one of its subsidiaries in the financial year ended March 31, 2025, for services provided or to be provided, directly or indirectly, to the Company or any of its subsidiaries and the total amount of compensation securities held as at the Company's financial year end of March 31, 2025.
| Compensation Securities granted in the year ended March 31, 2025 | Total amount of compensation securities held as at March 31, 2025 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and position | Type of compensation security | Number of compensation securities, number of underlying securities, and percentage of class (1) | Date of issue or grant (M/D/Y) | Issue, conversion or exercise price ($) | Closing price of security or underlying security on date of grant ($) | Closing price of security or underlying security at year end ($) | Expiry date (M/D/Y) | |
| David Tafel CEO and Director | Options | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Jeremy Wright CFO, Corporate Secretary and Director | Options | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Stephen Wilkinson Director | Options | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
(1) The numbers indicated represent the number of options and the same number of Common Shares underlying the related options. All options are fully vested.
No compensation security has been re-priced, cancelled and replaced, had its term extended, or otherwise been materially modified, in the most recently completed financial year.
There are no restrictions or conditions for converting, exercising or exchanging the compensation securities disclosed in the above table.
No NEO or director of the Company exercised any compensation security during the financial year ended March 31, 2025.
Stock Option Plan
The Company's "rolling 10%" stock option plan (the "Stock Option Plan") was adopted by the Board of Directors on June 15, 2021. The Stock Option Plan provides that, subject to the requirements of the CSE, the aggregate number of Common Shares reserved for issuance pursuant to options granted under the Stock Option Plan will not exceed 10% of the number of Common Shares of the Company that are issued and outstanding from time to time, less the aggregate number of Common Shares then reserved for issuance pursuant to any other equity compensation arrangement.
The Stock Option Plan will be used to provide share purchase options to be granted in consideration of the level of responsibility of the executive as well as his or her impact or contribution to the longer-term operating performance of the Company. In determining the number of options to be granted to the executive officers, the Board will take into account the number of options, if any, previously granted to each executive officer, and the exercise price of any outstanding options to ensure that such grants were in accordance with the policies of CSE, and closely aligned the interests of the executive officers with the interests of shareholders. The directors of the Company will also be eligible to receive stock option grants under the Stock Option Plan, and the Company will apply the same process for determining such awards to directors as with NEOs.
The Stock Option Plan is summarized in the table below.
| Key Terms | Summary |
|---|---|
| Administration | The Stock Option Plan is administered by the Board or by a special committee of directors appointed from time to time by the Board. |
| Stock Exchange Rules | All Options granted pursuant to the Stock Option Plan are subject to applicable rules and policies of any stock exchange or exchanges on which the Common Shares are listed and any other regulatory body having jurisdiction. |
| Common Shares Subject to Plan | The aggregate number of Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of all Options granted under the Stock Option Plan are not to exceed 10% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares from time to time. If any Option granted under the Stock Option Plan expires for any reason without being exercised, the unpurchased Common Shares are available for the purpose of the Stock Option Plan. |
| Eligibility | Directors, officers, consultants and employees of the Company and employees of a person or company which provides management services to the Company are eligible to participate in the Stock Option Plan. Subject to compliance with requirements of the applicable regulators, participants may elect to hold Options granted to them in an incorporated entity wholly owned by them and such entity is bound by the Stock Option Plan in the same manner as if the Options were held by the participant. |
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| Key Terms | Summary |
|---|---|
| Number of Optioned Shares | No single participant may be granted Options to purchase a number of Common Shares equaling more than 5% of the issued Common Shares in any 12 month period unless the Company has obtained disinterested shareholder approval in respect of such grant and meets applicable regulatory requirements. |
Options shall not be granted if the exercise thereof would result in the issuance of more than 2% of the issued Common Shares in any 12 month period to a consultant of the Company.
Options shall not be granted if the exercise thereof would result in the issuance of more than 2% of the issued Common Shares in any 12 month period to persons employed to provide investor relations activities. Options granted to consultants performing investor relations activities will contain vesting provisions such that vesting occurs over a minimum of 12 months with no more than 1/4 of the Options vesting in any three month period. |
| Exercise Price | The exercise price of the Common Shares subject to each Option shall be determined by the Board, subject to approval by the regulators (if applicable), at the time any Option is granted. |
| Vesting and Exercise Period | Each Option and all rights thereunder shall expire on the date set out in an Option agreement, provided that in no circumstances shall the duration of an Option exceed the maximum term permitted by the applicable regulators.
If any Options expire during a period when trading of the Company's securities by certain persons as designated by the Company is prohibited or within ten business days after the end of such a period, the term of those Options will be extended to ten business days after the end of the prohibited trading period, unless such extension is prohibited by any applicable law or the policies of the applicable regulators. |
| Cessation of Employment | If a participant ceases to be a director, officer, consultant or employee of the Company, or ceases to be a management company employee, for any reason (other than death or termination for cause), such participant may exercise their Option to the extent that the participant was entitled to exercise it at the date of such cessation, provided that such exercise must occur within 90 days after the participant ceases to be a director, officer, consultant or employee, or a management company employee, unless such participant was engaged in investor relations activities, in which case such exercise must occur within 30 days after the cessation of the participant's services to the Company. |
| Death of Participant | In the event of the death of a participant, the Option previously granted shall be exercisable only within 12 months after such death and only if and to the extent that such participant was entitled to exercise the Option at the date of death. |
The shareholders of the Company will be asked at the Meeting to consider and, if thought fit, to approve an ordinary resolution ratifying and approving the Stock Option Plan. See "Particulars of Other Matters to Be Acted Upon – Stock Option Plan."
Equity Incentive Plan
The Board of Directors adopted the Equity Incentive Plan effective as of January 3, 2023. The Company proposes to implement the Equity Incentive Plan alongside the Stock Option Plan. The Equity Incentive Plan remains subject to the approval of the CSE and is subject to any modifications as may be required by the rules and policies thereof.
The purpose of the Equity Incentive Plan is to align the interests of those bona fide directors, employees and consultants designated by the Board of Directors as being eligible to participate in the Equity Incentive Plan with those of the Company and its Shareholders and to assist in attracting, retaining and motivating key employees by making a portion of the incentive compensation of participating employees directly dependent upon the achievement of key strategic, financial and operational objectives that are critical to ongoing growth and increasing the long-term value of the Company. In particular, the Equity Incentive Plan is designed to promote the long-term success of the Company and the creation of shareholder value by: (a) encouraging the attraction and retention of directors, key employees and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries; (b) encouraging such directors, officers, employees and consultants to focus on critical long-term objectives; and (c) promoting greater alignment of the interests of such directors, officers, employees and consultants with the interests of the Company.
The Equity Incentive Plan allows the Company to grant equity-based incentive awards in the form of restricted share units ("RSUs"), performance share units ("PSUs") and deferred share units ("DSUs"), as described in further detail below. The following is a summary of the Equity Incentive Plan, which is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Equity Incentive Plan, a copy of which is attached hereto as Appendix C. In the case of conflict between this summary and the Equity Incentive Plan, the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan will govern. Capitalized terms used but not defined in the following section shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Equity Incentive Plan.
Shares Subject to the Equity Incentive Plan
The Equity Incentive Plan is a "fixed" plan in that, subject to the adjustment provisions provided for therein (including a subdivision or consolidation of Common Shares), it provides that the aggregate maximum number of Common Shares that may be reserved for issuance under the Equity Incentive Plan, at any time, shall not exceed ten percent of the issued and outstanding capital of the Company's issued and outstanding Common Shares on the date of its adoption, being 50,709,001 Common Shares (the "Reserved Shares"). Subject to and assuming the approval of the adoption of the Equity Incentive Plan by shareholders of the Company, all awards of RSUs, PSUs and DSUs will be issued pursuant to and governed by the Equity Incentive Plan.
Administration of the Equity Incentive Plan
The Plan Administrator is determined by the Board, and the administration of the Equity Incentive Plan may in the future be delegated to a committee of the Board. The Plan Administrator determines which directors, officers, consultants and employees are eligible to receive awards under the Equity Incentive Plan, the time or times at which awards may be granted, the conditions under which awards may be granted or forfeited to the Company, the number of Common Shares to be covered by any award, the exercise price of any award, whether restrictions or limitations are to be imposed on the Common Shares issuable pursuant to grants of any award, and the nature of any such restrictions or limitations, any acceleration of exercisability or vesting, or waiver of termination regarding any award, based on such factors as the Plan Administrator may determine.
In addition, the Plan Administrator interprets the Equity Incentive Plan and may adopt administrative rules, regulations, procedures and guidelines governing the Equity Incentive Plan or any awards granted under the Equity Incentive Plan as it deems appropriate.
Eligibility
All directors, officers, consultants and employees are eligible to participate in the Equity Incentive Plan. The extent to which any such individual is entitled to receive a grant of an award pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan will be determined in the discretion of the Plan Administrator.
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Types of Awards
Awards of RSUs, PSUs and DSUs may be made under the Equity Incentive Plan. All of the awards described below are subject to the conditions, limitations, restrictions, exercise price, vesting, settlement and forfeiture provisions determined by the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, subject to such limitations provided in the Equity Incentive Plan, and will generally be evidenced by an award agreement. In addition, subject to the limitations provided in the Equity Incentive Plan and in accordance with applicable law, the Plan Administrator may accelerate or defer the vesting or payment of awards, cancel or modify outstanding awards, and waive any condition imposed with respect to awards or Common Shares issued pursuant to awards.
Restricted Share Units
A RSU is a unit equivalent in value to a Common Share credited by means of a bookkeeping entry in the books of the Company which entitles the holder to receive one Common Share (or the value thereof) for each RSU after a specified vesting period. The Plan Administrator may, from time to time, subject to the provisions of the Equity Incentive Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator may prescribe, grant RSUs to any participant in respect of services rendered by the applicable participant in a taxation year (the "RSU Service Year").
The number of RSUs (including fractional RSUs) granted at any particular time under the Equity Incentive Plan will be calculated by dividing (a) the amount of any bonus or similar payment that is to be paid in RSUs (including the elected amount, as applicable), as determined by the Plan Administrator, by (b) the greater of (i) the Market Price of a Common Share on the date of grant; or (ii) such amount as determined by the Plan Administrator in its sole discretion. The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to determine any vesting terms applicable to the grant of RSUs.
Upon settlement, holders will receive (a) one fully paid and non-assessable Common Share in respect of each vested RSU, (b) a cash payment or (c) a combination of Common Shares and cash, in each case as determined by the Plan Administrator. Any such cash payments made by the Company shall be calculated by multiplying the number of RSUs to be redeemed for cash by Market Price per Common Share as at the settlement date. Subject to the provisions of the Equity Incentive Plan and except as otherwise provided in an award agreement, no settlement date for any RSU shall occur, and no Common Share shall be issued or cash payment shall be made in respect of any RSU any later than the final business day of the third calendar year following the applicable RSU Service Year.
Performance Share Units
A PSU is a unit equivalent in value to a Common Share credited by means of a bookkeeping entry in the books of the Company which entitles the holder to receive one Common Share (or the value thereof) for each PSU after specific performance-based vesting criteria determined by the Plan Administrator, in its sole discretion, have been satisfied. The performance goals to be achieved during any performance period, the length of any performance period, the amount of any PSUs granted, the termination of a participant's employment and the amount of any payment or transfer to be made pursuant to any PSU will be determined by the Plan Administrator and by the other terms and conditions of any PSU, all as set forth in the applicable award agreement. The Plan Administrator may, from time to time, subject to the provisions of the Equity Incentive Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator may prescribe, grant PSUs to any participant in respect of a bonus or similar payment in respect of services rendered by the applicable participant in a taxation year (the "PSU Service Year").
The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to determine any vesting terms applicable to the grant of PSUs. Upon settlement, holders will receive (a) one fully paid and non-assessable Common Share in respect of each vested PSU, (b) a cash payment, or (c) a combination of Common Shares and cash, in each case as determined by the Plan Administrator. Any such cash payments made by the Company to a participant shall be calculated by multiplying the number of PSUs to be redeemed for cash by the Market Price per Common Share as at the settlement date. Subject to the provisions of the Equity Incentive Plan and except as otherwise provided in an award agreement, no settlement date for any PSU shall occur, and no Common Share shall be issued or cash payment shall be made in respect of any PSU any later than the final business day of the third calendar year following the applicable PSU Service Year.
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Deferred Share Units
A DSU is a unit equivalent in value to a Common Share credited by means of a bookkeeping entry in the books of the Company which entitles the holder to receive one Common Share (or, at the election of the holder and subject to the approval of the Plan Administrator, the cash value thereof) for each DSU on a future date. The Board may fix from time to time a portion of the total compensation paid by the Company to an eligible person in a calendar year for service that are to be payable in the form of DSUs. In addition, subject to the prior approval of the Plan Administrator, certain persons designated by the Plan Administrator are given, subject to the provisions of the Equity Incentive Plan, the right to elect to receive a portion of his or her compensation owing to them in the form of DSUs.
The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to determine any vesting terms applicable to the grant of DSUs. The number of DSUs (including fractional DSUs) granted at any particular time will be calculated by dividing (a) the amount of any compensation elected to be paid by the issuance of DSUs that are paid in DSUs, by the Market Price of a Common Share on the date of grant. Upon settlement, holders will receive (a) one fully paid and non-assessable Common Share in respect of each vested DSU, (b) a cash payment, or (c) a combination of Common Shares and cash, in each case as determined by the Plan Administrator in its sole discretion. Any cash payments made under the Equity Incentive Plan by the Company to a participant in respect of DSUs to be redeemed for cash shall be calculated by multiplying the number of DSUs to be redeemed for cash by the Market Price per Common Share as at the settlement date.
Dividend Equivalents
Unless otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator, awards of RSUs, PSUs and DSUs shall be credited with dividend equivalents in the form of additional RSUs, PSUs and DSUs, as applicable. Dividend equivalents shall vest in proportion to, and settle in the same manner as, the awards to which they relate. Such dividend equivalents shall be computed by dividing: (a) the amount obtained by multiplying the amount of the dividend declared and paid per Common Share by the number of RSUs, PSUs and DSUs, as applicable, held by the participant on the record date for the payment of such dividend, by (b) the Market Price at the close of the first business day immediately following the dividend record date, with fractions computed to three decimal places.
For avoidance of doubt, all additional RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs credited as dividend equivalents pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan shall be subject to the limits on grant prescribed in the Equity Incentive Plan. In the event the issuance of additional RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs credited as dividend equivalents pursuant to the Equity Incentive Plan shall otherwise result in a breach of the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan, the Plan Administrator shall be entitled to make a binding determination with respect to the settlement of such dividend equivalents whether by payment of cash or in any other manner as the Plan Administrator may determine, in its sole and binding discretion.
Black-out Periods
If an award expires during a routine or special trading Blackout Period, then, notwithstanding any other provision of the Equity Incentive Plan, unless the delayed expiration would result in negative tax consequences to the holder of the award, the award shall expire five business days after the Blackout Period is lifted by the Company; and provided that, (i) the Blackout Period must be deemed to have expired upon the general disclosure of the undisclosed Material Information, and (ii) the automatic extension of an award will not be permitted where the participant or the Company is subject to a cease trade order (or similar order under applicable securities laws) in respect of the Company's securities.
Term
While the Equity Incentive Plan does not stipulate a specific term for awards granted thereunder. All awards must vest and settle in accordance with the provisions of the Equity Incentive Plan and any applicable award agreement, which award agreement may include an expiry date for a specific award.
Termination of Employment or Services
The following table describes the impact of certain events upon the participants under the Equity Incentive Plan, including termination for cause, resignation, termination without cause, disability, death or retirement, subject, in each case, to the terms of a participant's applicable employment agreement, consulting agreement, award agreement or other written agreement and subject to applicable employment standards legislation or regulations applicable to the participant's employment or other engagement with the Company or any of its subsidiaries:
| Event | Provisions |
|---|---|
| Termination for Cause | • Any unvested awards held that have not been exercised, settled or surrendered as of the Termination Date shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled awards. |
| Resignation | • Any vested awards may, subject to the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the participant at any time during the period that terminates on the date that is 90 days after the Termination Date, with any award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled awards. |
| Termination without Cause | |
| Disability | • Any award held by the participant that has not vested as of the date of the Disability of such participant shall vest on such date and may, subject to the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan, be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the participant at any time until the expiration date of such award, provided that with respect to any PSUs held by such participant, the attainment of performance goals shall be assessed on the basis of actual achievement of the performance goals up to the Termination Date, if the applicable performance period has been completed and the Company can determine if the performance goals have been attained, failing which the Company will assume Target Performance. |
| • Any award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled awards. | |
| Death | • Any award held by the participant that has not vested as of the date of the death of such participant shall vest on such date and may, subject to the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan, be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the participant at any time during the period that terminates on the first anniversary of the date of such participant became disabled, provided that with respect to any PSUs held by such participant, the attainment of performance goals shall be assessed on the basis of actual achievement of the performance goals up to the date of death of such participant, if the applicable performance period has been completed and the Company can determine if the performance goals have been attained, failing which the Company will assume Target Performance. |
| • Any award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled awards. | |
| Retirement | • Any award held by the participant that has not vested as of the date of Retirement shall continue to vest for a period of 12 months following the date of such Retirement in accordance with its terms and, if any such awards vest, shall be exercised, settled or surrendered by the Company to the participant provided that (a) with respect to any PSUs held by such participant, the attainment of performance goals shall be assessed on the basis of actual achievement of the performance goals up to the Termination Date, if the applicable performance period has been completed and the Company can determine if the performance goals have been attained, failing which the Company will assume Target Performance, and (b) for so long as the Common Shares are listed and posted for trading on the Exchange, any such award shall expire within a reasonable period, not exceeding 12 months from the Termination Date, following which the Company shall pay. |
| Event | Provisions |
|---|---|
| participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such expired awards. | |
| • Notwithstanding the foregoing, if, following his or her Retirement, the participant breaches the terms of any restrictive covenant in the participant's written or other applicable employment or other agreement with the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, any award held by the participant that has not been exercised, surrendered or settled shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled awards. |
The Plan Administrator may, in its discretion, at any time prior to, or following the events listed above, or in an employment agreement, consulting agreement, award agreement or other written agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and an individual receiving an award under the Equity Incentive Plan, permit the acceleration or vesting of any or all awards or waive termination of any or all awards, all in the manner and on the terms as may be authorized by the Plan Administrator.
Change in Control
Subject to certain rules and restrictions of the Exchange, under the Equity Incentive Plan, except as may be set forth in an employment agreement, consulting agreement, award agreement or other written agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and a participant:
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If within 12 months following the completion of a transaction resulting in a Change in Control, a participant's employment, consultancy or directorship is terminated without Cause or the participant resigns with Good Reason:
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a portion of any unvested awards shall immediately vest, such portion to be equal to the number of unvested awards held by the participant as of the Termination Date multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days between the date of grant and the Termination Date and the denominator of which is the number of days between the date of grant and the date any unvested awards were originally scheduled to vest, which vested awards may be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by such participant at any time during the period that terminates on the date that is 90 days after the Termination Date, provided that with respect to any PSU held by such participant, the attainment of performance goals shall be assessed on the basis of actual achievement of the performance goals up to the Termination Date, if the applicable performance period has been completed and the Company can determine if the performance goals have been attained, failing which the Company will assume Target Performance, with any award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled awards; and
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any vested awards may, subject to the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan, be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the participant at any time during the period that terminates on the date that is 90 days after the Termination Date, with any award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled awards.
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Unless otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator, if, as a result of a Change in Control, the Common Shares will cease trading on the Exchange or any other exchange, the Company may terminate all of the awards granted under the Equity Incentive Plan at the time of, and subject to the completion of, the Change in Control transaction by paying to each holder an amount equal to the fair market value of his or her respective award (as determined by the Plan Administrator, acting reasonably) at or within a reasonable period of time following completion of such Change in Control transaction.
Non-Transferability of Awards
Except as permitted by the Plan Administrator, and to the extent that certain rights may pass to a beneficiary or legal representative upon the death of a participant by will or as required by law, no assignment or transfer of awards granted under the Equity Incentive Plan, whether voluntary, involuntary, by operation of law or otherwise, is permitted.
Amendments to the Equity Incentive Plan
The Plan Administrator may also from time to time, subject to the approval of the Exchange and/or holders of voting shares if so required in accordance with the policies of the Exchange and/or applicable laws, amend, modify, change, suspend or terminate the Equity Incentive Plan or any awards granted pursuant thereto as it, in its discretion, determines appropriate, provided that no such amendment, modification, change, suspension or termination of the Equity Incentive Plan or any award granted pursuant thereto may materially impair any rights of a participant or materially increase any obligations of a participant under the Equity Incentive Plan without the consent of such participant, unless the Plan Administrator determines such adjustment is required or desirable in order to comply with any applicable securities laws or stock exchange requirements.
Notwithstanding the above, and subject to the rules of the Exchange, the approval of shareholders is required to effect any of the following amendments to the Equity Incentive Plan:
(a) increasing the number of the Company's issued and outstanding Common Shares reserved for issuance under the Equity Incentive Plan, except pursuant to the provisions in the Equity Incentive Plan which permit the Plan Administrator to make equitable adjustments in the event of transactions affecting the Company or its capital;
(b) changing the eligible participants;
(c) pertaining to a matter expressly subject to approval of the shareholders pursuant to the applicable rules of the Exchange; and
(d) deleting or otherwise limiting the amendments which require approval of the shareholders.
Except for the items listed above, amendments to the Equity Incentive Plan will not require shareholder approval. Such amendments include (but are not limited to): (a) amending the general vesting provisions of an award, (b) adding covenants of the Company for the protection of the participants, (c) amendments that are desirable as a result of changes in law in any jurisdiction where a participant resides, and (d) curing or correcting any ambiguity or defect or inconsistent provision or clerical omission or mistake or manifest error.
At the Meeting, shareholders of the Company will be asked to consider and, if thought fit, to approve an ordinary resolution ratifying and approving the Equity Incentive Plan. See "Particulars of Other Matters To Be Acted Upon – Equity Incentive Plan."
Employment, Consulting and Management Agreements
Other than the CEO and the CFO Services Agreement, the Company has no agreement or arrangements with any NEO or director of the Company with respect to change of control, severance, termination or constructive dismissal provisions.
In the event the Company terminates the CEO Services Agreement without cause, or if Pacific Capital terminates the CEO Services Agreement within a reasonable period of time after a change of control of the Company has been effected, the Company is required to pay Pacific Capital a lump sum payment equal to 24 months of consulting fees, up to a maximum of $100,000.00.
In the event the Company terminates the CFO Services Agreement the Company is required to pay Seatrend a lump sum payment equal to 4 months of consulting fees for each year. Seatrend has been engaged by Company. If there is a change of control of the Company, the Company is required to pay Seatrend a lump sum payment equal to 18 months of consulting fees.
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Oversight and Description of Director and NEO Compensation
In determining director and NEO compensation, the Company has relied solely on Board of Directors discussion without any formal objectives, criteria and analysis. The Board of Directors has not established any compensation committee nor any policies and practices to determine the compensation for the Company’s directors and executive officers.
See “Employment, Consulting and Management Agreements” for compensation arrangements for the Company’s NEOs.
The Company has not used any peer group to determine compensation for its directors and NEOs.
There have been no significant changes to the Company’s compensation policies made after the financial year ended March 31, 2025 that could or will have an effect on director or NEO compensation.
Pension Disclosure
The Company does not provide a pension to any director or NEO.
SECURITIES AUTHORIZED FOR ISSUANCE UNDER EQUITY COMPENSATION PLANS
The following table sets out information on the Company’s equity compensation plans under which Common Shares are authorized for issuance as at March 31, 2025.
| Equity Compensation Plan Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan Category | Number of Securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (a) | Weighted average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (b) | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c) |
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 1,150,000 | $0.04 | 3,853,400 (1) |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total | 1,150,000 | $0.04 | 3,853,400 |
(1) Based on the total number of Common Shares to be reserved and authorized for issuance pursuant to options granted under the Equity Incentive Plan being 10% of the issued and outstanding Common Shares from time to time.
INDEBTEDNESS OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
As at the date hereof, no director or executive officer of the Company, no proposed nominee for election as a director of the Company, no associate of any such director, executive officer or proposed nominee (including companies controlled by them), no employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and no former executive officer, director or employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is indebted to the Company 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 Company or any of its subsidiaries.
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INTEREST OF INFORMED PERSONS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
Except as otherwise disclosed in this Information Circular, no informed person (i.e. insider) of the Company, no proposed director of the Company, and no associate or affiliate of any informed person or proposed director has had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since April 1, 2025 or in any proposed transaction which has materially affected or would materially affect the Company.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS
No management functions of the Company are to any substantial degree performed by a person other than the directors or executive officers of the Company.
PARTICULARS OF OTHER MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
Stock Option Plan
The Stock Option Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company effective as of June 15, 2021. At the Meeting, shareholder approval will be required to pass the resolution to affirm, ratify and approve the Stock Option Plan, whereby 10% of the number of issued and outstanding shares of the Company at any given time may be reserved for issuance pursuant to the exercise of options.
See "Director and Named Executive Officer Compensation Excluding Compensation Securities – Stock Option Plan" for a summary of the current provisions of the Stock Option Plan. A current copy of the Stock Option Plan is attached hereto as Appendix B. The Stock Option Plan remains subject to the approval of the CSE and is subject to any modifications as may be required by the rules and policies thereof. A copy of the Stock Option Plan is also available for review at the office of the Company at 520 - 470 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1V5, during normal business hours up to and including the date of the Meeting.
The text of the proposed resolution to approve and confirm the Stock Option Plan (the "Stock Option Plan Resolution") is as follows:
BE IT RESOLVED AS AN ORDINARY RESOLUTION, OTHER THAN VOTES ATTACHING TO SECURITIES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY RELATED PERSONS (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 45-106 - PROSPECTUS EXEMPTIONS) TO WHOM SECURITIES MAY BE ISSUED AS COMPENSATION OR UNDER THE COMPANY'S STOCK OPTION PLAN, THAT:
- The Company's Stock Option Plan, in the form attached as Appendix B to the management information circular of the Company dated May 7, 2026, be and is hereby affirmed, ratified and approved; and
- The Board of Directors of the Company be authorized on behalf of the Company to make any changes thereto as may be required by the Canadian Securities Exchange.
An ordinary resolution needs to be passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by the shareholders, present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting, other than votes attaching to securities beneficially owned by related persons to whom securities may be issued as compensation or under the Stock Option Plan.
The term "related person" is defined in National Instrument 45-106 - Prospectus Exemptions and generally refers to a director or executive officer of the issuer or of a related entity of the issuer, an associate of a director or executive officer of the issuer or of a related entity of the issuer, or a permitted assign of a director or executive officer of the issuer or of a related entity of the issuer. The term "permitted assign" includes a spouse of the person.
As of the date of this Information Circular, to the Company's knowledge, a total of Common Shares are held by officers and directors of the Company and will not be included for the purpose of determining whether shareholder approval of the Stock Option Plan has been obtained.
The Board of Directors recommends a vote "FOR" the approval of the Stock Option Plan Resolution by disinterested shareholders at the Meeting. In the absence of a contrary instruction, the persons designated by management of the Company in the enclosed form of proxy intend to vote FOR the approval of the Stock Option Plan Resolution.
Equity Incentive Plan
The Equity Incentive Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company effective as of January 3, 2023. At the Meeting, shareholder approval will be required to pass the resolution to affirm, ratify and approve the Equity Incentive Plan.
See "Director and Named Executive Officer Compensation Excluding Compensation Securities – Equity Incentive Plan" for a summary of the current provisions of the Equity Incentive Plan. A current copy of the Equity Incentive Plan is attached hereto as Appendix C. The Equity Incentive Plan remains subject to the approval of the CSE and is subject to any modifications as may be required by the rules and policies thereof. A copy of the Equity Incentive Plan is also available for review at the office of the Company at 520 - 470 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1V5, during normal business hours up to and including the date of the Meeting.
The text of the proposed resolution to approve and confirm the Equity Incentive Plan (the "Equity Incentive Plan Resolution") is as follows:
BE IT RESOLVED AS AN ORDINARY RESOLUTION, OTHER THAN VOTES ATTACHING TO SECURITIES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY RELATED PERSONS (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN NATIONAL INSTRUMENT 45-106 - PROSPECTUS EXEMPTIONS) TO WHOM SECURITIES MAY BE ISSUED AS COMPENSATION OR UNDER THE COMPANY'S EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN, THAT:
- The Company's Equity Incentive Plan, in the form attached as Appendix C to the management information circular of the Company dated May 7, 2026, be and is hereby affirmed, ratified and approved;
- The maximum number of outstanding Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of any other security-based compensation must not exceed ten percent of the Company's Common Shares;
- The Board of Directors of the Company be authorized on behalf of the Company to make any changes thereto as may be required by the Canadian Securities Exchange.
An ordinary resolution needs to be passed by a simple majority of the votes cast by the shareholders, present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the Meeting, other than votes attaching to securities beneficially owned by related persons to whom securities may be issued as compensation or under the Equity Incentive Plan.
As of the date of this Information Circular, to the Company's knowledge, a total of 2,620,001 Common Shares are held by officers and directors of the Company and will not be included for the purpose of determining whether shareholder approval of the Equity Incentive Plan has been obtained.
The Board of Directors recommends a vote "FOR" the approval of the Equity Incentive Plan Resolution by disinterested shareholders at the Meeting. In the absence of a contrary instruction, the persons designated by management of the Company in the enclosed form of proxy intend to vote FOR the approval of the Equity Incentive Plan Resolution.
OTHER MATTERS
Management of the Company is not aware of any other matters to come before the Meeting other than as set forth in the Notice of the Meeting. If any other matter properly comes before the Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed Proxy form to vote the shares represented thereby in accordance with their best judgment on such matter.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information relating to the Company is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
Financial information relating to the Company is provided in the Company’s comparative financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for its financial year ended March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025, which are available on SEDAR www.sedar.com and may also be obtained by sending a written request to the CEO of the Company at the Company’s head office located at 520 – 470 Granville Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 1V5.
DATED as of the 7th day of May, 2026.
BY ORDER OF THE BOARD
“David Tafel”
David Tafel
CEO and Director
APPENDIX A
AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
I. PURPOSE
The primary objective of the Audit Committee (the "Committee") of Westmount Minerals Corp. (the "Company") is to act as a liaison between the Company's Board of Directors (the "Board") and the Company's independent auditors (the "Auditors") and to oversee (a): the accounting and financial reporting processes of the Company, including the financial statements and other financial information provided by the Company to its shareholders, the public and others, (b) the Company's compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (c) the audit of the Company's financial statements, (d) the qualification, independence and performance of the Auditors, and (e) the Company's risk management policies and procedures and internal financial and accounting controls, and management information systems. For greater certainty, references to the financial statements of the Company will include, where applicable, the financial statements of the Company's subsidiary entities.
Although the Committee has the powers and responsibilities set forth in this Charter, the role of the Committee is oversight. The members of the Committee are not full-time employees of the Company and may or may not be accountants or auditors by profession or experts in the fields of accounting or auditing and, in any event, do not serve in such capacity. Consequently, it is not the duty of the Committee to conduct audits or to determine that the Company's financial statements and disclosures are complete and accurate and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and applicable rules and regulations. These are the responsibilities of management and the Auditors.
The responsibilities of a member of the Committee are in addition to such member's duties as a member of the Board.
II. ORGANIZATION
A majority of the members of the Committee will be non-executive directors of the Company who satisfy, at a minimum, the laws governing the Company and the independence, financial literacy and financial experience requirements under applicable securities laws, rules and regulations, stock exchange and any other regulatory requirements applicable to the Company.
Members of the Committee must be financially literate as the Board interprets such qualification in its business judgment. A majority of the members of the Committee will not have participated in the preparation of the financial statements of the Company or any current subsidiary at any time during the past three years. All members will be able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company's balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.
The Committee will consist of three or more directors of the Company, a majority of whom are not executive officers of the Company. The members of the Committee and the Chair of the Committee will be appointed by the Board. A majority of the members of the Committee will constitute a quorum, provided that if there are only three members, the quorum shall be three. A majority of the members of the Committee will be empowered to act on behalf of the Committee. Matters decided by the Committee will be decided by majority votes. The chair of the Committee will have an ordinary vote and will not be entitled to exercise a casting vote.
Any member of the Committee may be removed or replaced at any time by the Board and will cease to be a member of the Committee as soon as such member ceases to be a director.
The Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees when appropriate.
III. MEETINGS
The Committee will meet as frequently as circumstances require, but not less frequently than four times per year. The Committee will meet at least quarterly with management, the Company’s financial and accounting officer(s) and the Auditors in separate executive sessions to discuss any matters that the Committee or each of these groups believe should be discussed privately. Meetings may be held telephonically to the extent permitted by the Company’s organizational documents and applicable law. A resolution in writing signed by all members who are entitled to vote on the resolution at the meeting of the Committee is as valid as if it had been passed at a meeting.
In the absence of the appointed Chair of the Committee at any meeting, the members will elect a chair from those in attendance at the meeting. The Chair, in consultation with the other members of the Committee, will set the frequency and length of each meeting and the agenda of items to be addressed at each upcoming meeting. Notice of the time and place of every meeting shall be given in writing, either by email, fax or personal delivery to each member of the Committee at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
The Committee will appoint a recording secretary who will keep minutes of all meetings. The recording secretary may be any person and does not need to be a member of the Committee. The recording secretary for the Committee can be changed by simple notice from the Chair.
The Chair will ensure that the agenda for each upcoming meeting of the Committee is circulated to each member of the Committee as well as the other directors in advance of the meeting.
The Committee may invite, from time to time, such persons as it may see fit to attend its meetings and to take part in discussion and consideration of the affairs of the Committee. The Company’s accounting and financial officer(s) and the Auditors will attend any meeting when requested to do so by the Chair of the Committee.
IV. AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Board, after consideration of the recommendation of the Committee, will nominate the Auditors for appointment by the shareholders of the Company in accordance with applicable law. The Auditors report directly to the Audit Committee. The Auditors are ultimately accountable to the Committee and the Board as representatives of the shareholders.
In fulfilling its duties and responsibilities under this Charter, the Committee will be entitled to reasonably rely on (a) the integrity of those persons within the Company and of the professionals and experts (such as the Auditors) from whom it receives information, (b) the accuracy of the financial and other information provided to the Committee by such persons, professionals or experts and (c) the representations made by the Auditors as to any services provided by them to the Company.
The Committee will have the following responsibilities:
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(A) AUDITORS
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Be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention (including termination) and oversight of the work of any independent registered public accounting firm engaged by the Company (including for the purposes of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attestation services or other work for the Company and including the resolution of disagreements between management and the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm regarding financial reporting) and ensure that such firm will report directly to it; recommend to the Board the independent auditors to be nominated for appointment as Auditors of the Company at the Company’s annual meeting, the remuneration to be paid to the Auditors for services performed during the preceding year; and recommend to the Board and the shareholders the termination of the appointment of the Auditors, if and when advisable.
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When there is to be a change of the Auditor, review all issues related to the change, including any notices required under applicable securities law, stock exchange or other regulatory requirements, and the planned steps for an orderly transition.
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Review the Auditor’s audit plan and discuss the Auditor’s scope, staffing, materiality, and general audit approach.
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Review on an annual basis the performance of the Auditors, including the lead audit partner.
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Take reasonable steps to confirm the independence of the Auditors, which include:
(a) ensuring receipt from the Auditors of a formal written statement in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements delineating all relationships between the Auditors and the Company;
(b) considering and discussing with the Auditors any disclosed relationships or services, including non-audit services, that may impact the objectivity and independence of the Auditors;
(c) approving in advance all auditing services and any non-audit related services provided by the Auditors to the Company, and the fees for such services, with a view to ensuring the independence of the Auditors and, in accordance with applicable regulatory standards, including applicable stock exchange requirements, with respect to approval of non-audit related services performed by the Auditors; and
(d) as necessary, taking or recommending that the Board take appropriate action to oversee the independence of the Auditors.
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Review and approve any disclosures required to be included in periodic reports under applicable securities laws, rules and regulations and stock exchange and other regulatory requirements with respect to non-audit services.
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Confirm with the Auditors and receive written confirmation at least once per year as to (i) the Auditor’s internal processes and quality control procedures; and (ii) disclosure of any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality control review, or per review within the preceding five years respecting independent audit carried out by the Auditors or investigations
or government or professional enquiries, reviews or investigations of the Auditors within the last five years.
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Consider the tenure of the lead audit partner on the engagement in light of applicable securities law, stock exchange or applicable regulatory requirements.
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Review all reports required to be submitted by the Auditors to the Committee under applicable securities laws, rules and regulations and stock exchange or other regulatory requirements.
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Receive all recommendations and explanations which the Auditors place before the Committee.
(B) FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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Review and discuss with management, the financial and accounting officer(s) and the Auditors, the Company's annual audited financial statements, including disclosures made in management's discussion and analysis, prior to filing or distribution of such statements and recommend to the Board, if appropriate, that the Company's audited financial statements be included in the Company's annual reports distributed and filed under applicable laws and regulatory requirements.
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Review and discuss with management, the financial and accounting officer(s) and the Auditors, the Company's interim financial statements, including management's discussion and analysis, and the Auditor's review of interim financial statements, prior to filing or distribution of such statements.
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Review any earnings press releases of the Company before the Company publicly discloses this information.
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Be satisfied that adequate procedures are in place for the review of the Company's disclosure of financial information and extracted or derived from the Company's financial statements and periodically assess the adequacy of these procedures.
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Discuss with the Auditor the matters required to be discussed by applicable auditing standards requirements relating to the conduct of the audit including:
(a) the adoption of, or changes to, the Company's significant auditing and accounting principles and practices;
(b) the management letter provided by the Auditor and the Company's response to that letter; and
(c) any difficulties encountered in the course of the audit work, including any restrictions on the scope of activities or access to requested information, or personnel and any significant disagreements with management.
- Discuss with management and the Auditors major issues regarding accounting principles used in the preparation of the Company's financial statements, including any significant changes in the Company's selection or application of accounting principles. Review and discuss analyses
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prepared by management and/or the Auditors setting forth significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, including analyses of the effects of alternative approaches under generally accepted accounting principles.
- Prepare, or ensure the preparation of, and review any report under applicable securities law, stock exchange or other regulatory requirements, including any reports required to be included in statutory filings.
(C) ONGOING REVIEWS AND DISCUSSIONS WITH MANAGEMENT AND OTHERS
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Obtain and review an annual report from management relating to the accounting principles used in the preparation of the Company’s financial statements, including those policies for which management is required to exercise discretion or judgments regarding the implementation thereof.
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Periodically review separately with each of management, the financial and accounting officer(s) and the Auditors; (a) any significant disagreement between management and the Auditors in connection with the preparation of the financial statements, (b) any difficulties encountered during the course of the audit, including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to required information and (c) management’s response to each.
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Periodically discuss with the Auditors, without management being present, (a) their judgments about the quality, integrity and appropriateness of the Company's accounting principles and financial disclosure practices as applied in its financial reporting and (b) the completeness and accuracy of the Company's financial statements.
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Consider and approve, if appropriate, significant changes to the Company's accounting principles and financial disclosure practices as suggested by the Auditors or management and the resulting financial statement impact. Review with the Auditors or management the extent to which any changes or improvements in accounting or financial practices, as approved by the Committee, have been implemented.
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Review and discuss with management, the Auditors and the Company's independent counsel, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters that could have a significant impact on the Company's financial statements, including applicable changes in accounting standards or rules, or compliance with applicable laws and regulations, inquiries received from regulators or government agencies and any pending material litigation.
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Enquire of the Company’s financial and accounting officer(s) and the Auditors on any matters which should be brought to the attention of the Committee concerning accounting, financial and operating practices and controls and accounting practices of the Company.
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Review the principal control risks to the business of the Company, its subsidiaries and joint ventures; and verify that effective control systems are in place to manage and mitigate these risks.
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Review and discuss with management any earnings press releases, including the use of "pro forma" or "adjusted" non-GAAP information, as well as any financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies. Such discussions may be done generally (i.e. discussion of the types of information to be disclosed and the types of presentations made).
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Review and discuss with management any material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations) and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons, that may have a material current or future effect on financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital resources, capital reserves or significant components of revenues or expenses. Obtain explanations from management of all significant variances between comparative reporting periods.
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Review and discuss with management the Company's major risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor, control and manage such exposures, including the Company's risk assessment and risk management guidelines and policies.
(D) RISK MANAGEMENT
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Review, based upon the recommendation of the Auditors and management, the scope and plan of the work to be done by the Company's financial and accounting group and the responsibilities, budget and staffing needs of such group.
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Ensure that management has designed and implemented effective systems of risk management and internal controls and, at least annually, review the effectiveness of the implementation of such systems.
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Approve and recommend to the Board for adoption policies and procedures on risk oversight and management to establish an effective and efficient system for identifying, assessing, monitoring and managing risk relating to financial management and internal control.
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Review the appointment of the chief financial officer and any key financial executives involved in the financial reporting process and recommend to the Board any changes in such appointments.
(E) OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES
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Create an agenda for the ensuing year.
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Review and approve related-party transactions if required under applicable securities law, stock exchange or other regulatory requirements.
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Review and approve (a) any change or waiver in the Company's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to senior financial officers and (b) any disclosures made under applicable securities law, stock exchange or other regulatory requirements regarding such change or waiver.
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Establish, review and approve policies for the hiring of employees, partners, former employees or former partners of the Company's Auditors or former independent auditors.
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Review and reassess the duties and responsibilities set out in this Charter annually and recommend to the Board any changes deemed appropriate by the Committee.
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Review its own performance annually, seeking input from management and the Board.
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Confirm annually that all responsibilities outlined in this Charter have been carried out.
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Perform any other activities consistent with this Charter, the Company's constating documents and governing law, as the Committee or the Board deems necessary or appropriate.
V. REPORTING
The Committee will report regularly to the Board and will submit the minutes of all meetings of the Audit Committee to the Board. The Committee will also report to the Board on the proceedings and deliberations of the Committee at such times and in such manner as the Board may require. The Committee will review with the full Board any issues that have arisen with respect to quality or integrity of the Company's financial statements, the Company's compliance with legal or regulatory requirements, the performance or independence of the Auditors or the performance of the Company's financial and accounting group.
VI. RESOURCES AND ACCESS TO INFORMATION
The Committee will have the authority to retain independent legal, accounting and other advisors or consultants to advise the Committee, as it determines necessary to carry out its duties.
The Committee has the authority to conduct any investigation appropriate to fulfilling its responsibilities. The Committee has direct access to anyone in the organization and may request any officer or employee of the Company or the Company's outside counsel or the Auditors to attend a meeting of the Committee or to meet with any members of, or consultants to, the Committee with or without the presence of management. In the performance of any of its duties and responsibilities, the Committee will have access to any and all books and records of the Company necessary for the execution of the Committee's obligations.
The Committee will determine the extent of funding necessary for payment of (a) compensation to the Company's independent public accounting firm engaged for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or performing other audit, review or attestation services for the Company, (b) compensation to any independent legal, accounting and other advisors or consultants retained to advise the Committee and (c) ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.
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APPENDIX B
STOCK OPTION PLAN
1. Purpose
The purpose of the Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan") of WESTMOUNT MINERALS CORP., a company incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the "Company") is to advance the interests of the Company by encouraging the directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company, and of its affiliates, to increase their proprietary interest in the Company, encouraging them to remain associated with the Company and furnishing them with additional incentive in their efforts on behalf of the Company in the conduct of its affairs. The Plan seeks to achieve these purposes by providing for Awards in the form of Options.
2. Definitions
As used in the Plan, the following terms will have the meanings set out below:
"Award" means any Option granted under the Plan.
"Award Agreement" means any written agreement, contract or other instrument or document evidencing any Award granted under the Plan.
"Beneficiary" means any person designated by a Participant by written instrument filed with the Company to receive any amount, securities or property payable under the Plan in the event of a Participant's death or, failing any such effective designation, the Participant's estate and its legal representative.
"Board" means the board of directors of the Company.
"Broker" means a broker who is independent (pursuant to the rules and policies of the Exchange) from the Company.
"Change of Control" means, unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement or a written employment agreement between the Company and a Participant (which definition shall govern), the occurrence of any of the following events: (1) a person or group of persons becomes the beneficial owner of securities of the Company constituting 50% or more of the voting power of all outstanding voting securities of the Company, (2) individuals who were proposed as nominees (but not including nominees under a shareholder proposal) to become members of the Board immediately prior to a meeting of the shareholders of the Company involving a contest for, or an item of business relating to the election of members of the Board of the Company, not constituting a majority of the members of the Board following such election; (3) a merger, consolidation, amalgamation or arrangement of the Company (or a similar transaction) occurs, unless after the event, 50% or more of the voting power of the combined Company is beneficially owned by the same person or group of persons as immediately before the event; or (4) the Company’s shareholders approve a plan of complete liquidation or winding-up of the Company, or the sale or disposition of all or substantially all the Company’s assets (other than a transfer to an affiliate of the Company); provided that the following shall not constitute a Change of Control: (i) any person or group of persons becoming the beneficial owner of the
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threshold of securities specified in (1) as a result of the acquisition of securities by the Company which, by reducing the number of securities outstanding, increases the proportional number of securities beneficially held by that person or group of persons, (ii) any acquisition of securities directly from the Company in connection with a bona fide financing or series of financings by the Company, (iii) any acquisition by an employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or (iv) beneficial ownership by affiliates and/or insiders of the Company or affiliates or any increased ownership by any of them.
"Fair Market Value"
means (1) with respect to any property other than the Shares, the fair market value of that property determined by those methods or procedures as may be established from time to time by the Board, and (2) with respect to the Shares, the closing trading price reported for such Shares on the date of reference on the Exchange. If there is no closing trading price reported on any such date, then Fair Market Value with respect to the Shares shall be the volume weighted average trading price for such Shares on the Principal Market for the five (5) days preceding the date of reference on which the Shares traded. If the Shares did not trade, then the Fair Market Value with respect to the Shares will be determined by the Board, acting reasonably, using any other appropriate method selected by the Board.
"insider"
has the same meaning as found in the Securities Act (British Columbia), as amended, and also includes associates and affiliates of the insider; and "issuances to insiders" includes direct and indirect issuances to insiders.
"Option"
means an option to acquire Shares in the capital of the Company granted under the Plan.
"Management Company Employees"
means employees of a person or company which provides management services to the Company.
"Participant"
Means directors, officers, consultants, and employees of the Company, and Management Company Employees that may be granted an Award under the Plan.
"Person"
means any individual, company, partnership, association, joint-share company, trust, unincorporated organization, or government or political subdivision of a government.
"Shares"
means any or all, as applicable, of the common shares of the Company and any other shares of the Company as may become the subject of Awards, or become subject to Awards, pursuant to an adjustment made under Sections 13 or 14 of the Plan, and any other shares of the Company or any successor that may be so designated by the Board.
"Tax Act"
means the Income Tax Act (Canada) and the regulations thereto, as amended from time to time.
"Termination Date"
Means the date upon which a Participant ceases to be a Participant eligible to participate under the Plan
"Vested Awards"
means an Award which has become vested in accordance with the provisions of the Plan and applicable Award Agreement or in respect of which the vesting date has been accelerated pursuant to the Plan.
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3. Administration
The Plan shall be administered by the Board or by a special committee of the directors appointed from time to time by the Board pursuant to rules of procedure fixed by the Board.
Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Board shall have authority to construe and interpret the Plan and all Award Agreements entered into thereunder, to define the terms used in the Plan and in all Award Agreements entered into thereunder, to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan and to make all other determinations necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan. All determinations and interpretations made by the Board shall be binding and conclusive on all Participants in the Plan and on any Beneficiaries.
Each Award granted hereunder may be evidenced by an Award Agreement in writing, signed on behalf of the Company and by the Participant, in such form as the Board shall approve. Each such agreement shall recite that it is subject to the provisions of this Plan.
4. Stock Exchange Rules
All Awards granted pursuant to this Plan shall be subject to rules and policies of any stock exchange or exchanges on which the common shares of the Company are then listed and any other regulatory body having jurisdiction hereinafter (hereinafter collectively referred to as, the "Exchange").
5. Shares Subject to Plan
Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 13 and Section 14 hereof, the Shares to be offered under the Plan shall consist of common shares of the Company's authorized but unissued common shares. Awards may be granted on authorized but unissued Shares of the Company not exceeding 10% of the total number of issued and outstanding Shares of the Company as may be outstanding from time-to-time. If any Award granted hereunder shall expire or terminate for any reason in accordance with the terms of the Plan without being exercised, the unpurchased Shares subject thereto shall again be available for the purpose of this Plan.
6. Maintenance of Sufficient Capital
The Company shall at all times during the term of the Plan reserve and keep available such numbers of Shares as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Plan.
7. Eligibility and Participation
Participants shall be eligible for selection to participate in the Plan. Subject to compliance with applicable requirements of the Exchange, Participants may elect to hold Awards granted to them in an incorporated entity wholly owned by them and such entity shall be bound by the Plan in the same manner as if the Awards were held by the Participant.
Subject to the terms hereof, the Board shall determine to whom Awards shall be granted, the terms and provisions of the respective Award Agreements, the time or times at which such Awards shall be granted and vested, and the number of Shares to be subject to each Award. In the case of employees or consultants of the Company or Management Company Employees, the Award Agreements to which they are party must contain a representation of the Company that such employee, consultant or Management Company Employee, as the case may be, is a bona fide employee, consultant or Management Company Employee of the Company or its affiliates.
A Participant who has been granted an Award may, if such Participant is otherwise eligible, and if permitted under the policies of the Exchange, be granted an additional Award or Awards if the Board shall so determine.
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8. Number of Shares Available for Award
(a) The number of Shares subject to an option granted to any one Participant shall be determined by the Board, but no one Participant shall be granted an option which exceeds the maximum number permitted by the Exchange.
(b) No single Participant may be granted Awards to acquire underlying Shares in a number equalling more than 5% of the issued common shares of the Company in any twelve-month period unless the Company has obtained disinterested shareholder approval in respect of such grant and meets applicable Exchange requirements.
(c) Awards shall not be granted if the exercise or conversion thereof would result in the issuance of more than 2% of the issued common shares of the Company in any twelve-month period to any one consultant of the Company.
(d) Options shall not be granted if the exercise thereof would result in the issuance of more than 2% of the issued common shares of the Company in any twelve-month period to persons employed to provide investor relation activities. Options granted to Consultants performing investor relations activities will contain vesting provisions such that vesting occurs over at least 12 months with no more than 1/4 of the options vesting in any 3-month period.
9. Options
(a) The exercise price of the Shares subject to each Option shall be determined by the Board, subject to applicable Exchange requirements, at the time any option is granted. In no event shall such exercise price be lower than the exercise price permitted by the Exchange.
(b) Once the exercise price has been determined by the Board and the option has been granted, the exercise price of an option may be reduced upon receipt of Board approval, provided that in the case of options held by insiders of the Company (as defined in the policies of the Exchange), the exercise price of an Option may be reduced only if disinterested shareholder approval is obtained.
(c) Each Option and all rights thereunder shall be expressed to expire on the date set out in the Award Agreement and shall be subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 10, provided that in no circumstances shall the duration of an Option exceed the maximum term permitted by the Exchange.
(d) The Option period shall be a period of time fixed by the Board not to exceed the maximum term permitted by the Exchange, provided that the option period shall be reduced with respect to any option as provided in Section 10.
(e) Subject to any vesting restrictions imposed by the Exchange, the Board may, in its sole discretion, determine the time during which Options shall vest and the method of vesting, or that no vesting restriction shall exist.
(f) Subject to any vesting restrictions imposed by the Board, Options may be exercised in whole or in part at any time and from time to time during the Option period. To the extent required by the Exchange, no Options may be exercised under this Plan until this Plan has been approved by a resolution duly passed by the shareholders of the Company.
(g) Except as set forth in Section 10, no Option may be exercised unless the Participant is at the time of such exercise a director, officer, consultant, or employee of the Company, or a Management Company Employee of the Company.
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(h) The exercise of any Option will be contingent upon receipt by the Company at its head office of a written notice of exercise, specifying the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is being exercised, accompanied by cash payment, certified cheque or bank draft for the full purchase price of such Shares with respect to which the option is exercised. No Participant or his legal representatives, legatees or distributees will be, or will be deemed to be, a holder of any common shares of the Company unless and until the certificates for Shares issuable pursuant to options under the Plan are issued to him or them under the terms of the Plan.
(i) Where the Shares are listed and posted for trading on an Exchange, Participants may elect to surrender, unexercised, Options granted pursuant to the Plan that are vested and exercisable, to the Company in consideration of the receipt by the Participant of an amount (the "Settlement Amount") equal to the excess, if any, of the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares able to be purchased pursuant to the vested and exercisable portion of such Options on the date of surrender, over the aggregate exercise price for the Shares pursuant to such Options. In no circumstances will the Participant at any time be obligated to surrender Options as provided by this cash surrender option. The Company may, in its sole discretion, refuse to accept the surrender of unexercised Options and if any such surrender is not accepted by the Company or completed for any reason, the notice of surrender (as described below) shall be deemed to be withdrawn and the Options in respect of which such notice was provided shall again become subject to their original terms as if such notice of surrender had not been provided. Unexercised Options may be surrendered in whole or in part from time to time by delivery to the Company at its head office of a written notice of surrender specifying the number of Shares with respect to which the unexercised Options are being surrendered. Upon the surrender of unexercised Options as aforesaid, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to forthwith deliver to the relevant Participant (or his personal representative, if applicable) or to the order thereof, payment of the Settlement Amount (net of any amounts required to be withheld under applicable withholding legislation) by way of cheque or otherwise in a manner acceptable to the Company.
- Ceasing To Be a Participant
(a) Subject to Section 10(c), in the event of a Participant ceasing to be a Participant for any reason other than death or termination for cause,
(i) all unvested Awards held by such Participant shall immediately cease and terminate on the on the earlier of: (i) the Termination Date, (ii) the date on which notice of termination is given by the Company, or (iii) the date on which notice of termination of the consulting arrangement is given by the Company or the Participant, as the case may be; and
(ii) all vested Awards held by such Participant shall cease and terminate on the earlier of: (i) the 90th day following the Termination Date, (ii) the 90th day following the date on which notice of termination is given by the Company, (iii) the 90th day following the date on which notice of termination of the consulting arrangement is given by the Company or the Participant, or (iv) the expiry date of the Awards,
and thereafter shall be of no further force or effect whatsoever as to the Shares in respect of which such Awards have not previously been exercised. In no circumstances shall the operation of this section extend the expiry date of such Awards beyond the limits under the policies of the Exchange.
(b) In the event of a Participant ceasing to be a Participant as a result of termination for cause, all Awards held by such Participant shall cease and terminate immediately upon the date notice of termination for cause is given by the Company and shall be of no further force or
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effect whatsoever as to the Shares in respect of which Awards have not previously been exercised.
(c) Options granted to Participants engaged in investor relations activities shall cease and terminate on the earlier of: (i) the 30th day following the Termination Date, (ii) the 30th day following the date on which notice of termination is given by the Company, (iii) the 30th day following the date on which notice of termination of the consulting arrangement is given by the Company or the Participant, or (iv) the expiry date of the Options, and thereafter shall be of no further force or effect whatsoever as to the Common Shares in respect of which such Options have not previously been exercised. In no circumstances shall the operation of this section extend the expiry date of such Options beyond the term prescribed by Section 9(c) hereof.
(d) In the event of the death of a Participant on or prior to the expiry time of Options, the Beneficiary of the Participant may exercise the vested Awards held by the Participant at the time of death within a period after the date of the Participant's death as determined by the Board, provided that, such period shall not extend beyond 12 months following the death of the Participant with respect to any Award held by the Participant. For greater certainty, such determination may be made at any time subsequent to the date of grant of the Award, provided that no Award shall remain outstanding beyond 12 months following the date of death, provided that, in any event, no Award shall remain outstanding for any period that exceeds the expiry date of such Award.
11. Rights of Participant
No person entitled to exercise any Award granted under the Plan shall have any of the rights or privileges of a shareholder of the Company in respect of any Shares issuable upon exercise of such Award until certificates representing such Shares shall have been issued and delivered.
12. Proceeds from Sale of Shares
The proceeds from the sale of Shares issued upon the exercise of Awards shall be added to the general funds of the Company and shall thereafter be used from time to time for such corporate purposes as the Board may determine.
13. Adjustments
(a) In the event that the Board determines that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, other securities or other property), recapitalization, share split, share dividend, reverse share split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company, issuance of warrants or other rights to purchase Shares or other securities of the Company, or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the Shares such that an adjustment is determined by the Board to be appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan and any Awards granted under the Plan, then the Board will, in any manner as it may deem equitable subject to, if applicable, approval of any Exchange, adjust any or all of (1) the number and kind of Shares which thereafter may be made the subject of Awards, (2) the number and kind of Shares subject to outstanding Awards, and (3) the Fair Market Value or the grant or exercise price with respect to any Award or, if deemed appropriate, make provision for a cash payment to the holder of an outstanding Award; provided, however, that the number of Shares subject to any Award denominated in Shares will always be a whole number. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any adjustments made pursuant to this Section 13(a) shall be such that the "in-the-money" value of any Option granted hereunder shall not be increased, that all Options are continuously governed by section 7 of the Tax Act.
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(b) In the event the Company or any affiliate assumes outstanding employee awards or the right or obligation to make future awards in connection with the acquisition of another business or another Company or business entity, the Board may, subject to, if applicable, approval of any Exchange, make any adjustments, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, in the terms of Awards as it deems appropriate in order to achieve reasonable comparability or other equitable relationship between the assumed awards and the Awards granted under the Plan as so adjusted.
(c) Subject to, if applicable, approval of any Exchange, the Board is hereby authorized to make adjustments in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Awards in recognition of unusual or non-recurring events (including, without limitation, the events described in Section 13(a) or Section 14 affecting the Company, any affiliate, or the financial statements of the Company or any affiliate, or of changes in applicable laws, regulations, or accounting principles, whenever the Board determines that those adjustments are appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions contained herein for the expiry of Awards, in the event that the expiry date of an Award falls during a black out period that is formally imposed by the Company pursuant to its policies as a result of the bona fide existence of undisclosed Material Information (as such term is defined in the policies of the Exchange), the expiry date of such Award shall be automatically extended for a period of ten Business Days following the general disclosure of the undisclosed Material Information. The automatic extension described in this Section 13(d) hereof will not apply where the Participant or the Company is subject to a cease trade order (or similar order) in respect of the Company's securities.
(e) Adjustments under this Section shall be made by the Board whose determination as to what adjustments shall be made, and the extent thereof, shall be final, binding and conclusive. No fractional Share shall be required to be issued under the Plan on any such adjustment.
14. Change of Control
If a Change of Control occurs, and unless otherwise provided in an Award Agreement or a written employment contract between the Company and a Participant and except as otherwise set out in this paragraph, the Board, in its sole discretion, may provide that (1) the successor Company will assume each Award or replace it with a substitute Award on terms substantially similar to the existing Award, (2) the Board may permit the acceleration of vesting of any or all Awards, (3) the Awards will be surrendered for a cash payment equal to the Fair Market Value thereof, or (4) any combination of the foregoing will occur, provided that the replacement of any Option with a substitute Option shall, at all times, comply with the provisions of subsection 7(1.4) of the Tax Act shall be such that the substitute Award shall continuously be governed by Section 7 of the Tax Act (in the case of a substitute Option).
15. Transferability
All benefits, rights and options accruing to any Participant in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plan shall not be transferable or assignable unless specifically provided herein or the extent, if any, permitted by the Exchange. During the lifetime of a Participant any benefits, rights and options may only be exercised by the Participant.
16. Tax Withholding
Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, in connection with the exercise of an Award by a Participant from time to time, as a condition to such exercise (i) the Company shall require such Participant to pay to the Company an amount as necessary so as to ensure that the Company is in compliance with
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the applicable provisions of any federal, provincial or local law relating to the withholding of tax or other required deductions (the "Applicable Withholdings and Deductions") relating to the exercise of such Awards; or (ii) in the event a Participant does not pay the amount specified in (i), the Company shall be permitted to engage a broker or other agent, at the risk and expense of the Participant, to sell an amount of underlying Shares issuable on the exercise of such Awards and to apply the cash received on the sale of such underlying Shares as necessary so as to ensure that the Company is in compliance with the Applicable Withholdings and Deductions relating to the exercise of such options. In addition, the Company shall be entitled to withhold from any amount payable to a Participant, either under this Plan or otherwise, such amount as may be necessary so as to ensure that the Company is in compliance with Applicable Withholdings and Deductions relating to the exercise of such Awards.
17. Amendment and Termination of Plan
Subject to applicable approval of the Exchange, the Board may, at any time, suspend or terminate the Plan. Subject to applicable approval of the Exchange, the Board may also at any time amend or revise the terms of the Plan; provided that no such amendment or revision shall result in a material adverse change to the terms of any options theretofore granted under the Plan, unless shareholder approval, or disinterested shareholder approval, as the case may be, is obtained for such amendment or revision.
18. Necessary Approvals
The ability of a Participant to exercise Awards and the obligation of the Company to issue and deliver Shares in accordance with the Plan is subject to any approvals which may be required from shareholders of the Company and any regulatory authority or stock exchange having jurisdiction over the securities of the Company. If any Shares cannot be issued to any Participant for whatever reason, the obligation of the Company to issue such Shares shall terminate and any Award exercise price paid to the Company will be returned to the Participant.
19. Effective Date of Plan
The Plan has been adopted by the Board of the Company subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Company and, if so approved, subject to the discretion of the Board, the Plan shall become effective upon such approval being obtained.
20. Interpretation
The Plan will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia.
[Signature Page to Immediately Follow]
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MADE by the Board of Directors of the Company as evidenced by the signature of the following director duly authorized in that behalf effective the 15 day of June, 2021.
“David Tafel”
Name: David Tafel
Title: Director
APPENDIX C
Fixed Equity Incentive Plan
Dated for Reference January 3, 2023
ARTICLE 1
PURPOSE
1.1 Purpose
The Company proposes to establish this Plan. The purpose of this Plan is to promote the term success of the Company and the creation of shareholder value by: (i) encouraging the attraction and retention of Director, Officer, Employee and Consultant; (ii) encouraging such Director, Officer, Employee and Consultant to focus on critical long-term objectives; and (iii) promoting greater alignment of the interests of such Director, Officer, Employee and Consultant with the interests of the Company.
To this end, this Plan provides for the grant of RSUs, PSUs and DSUs to Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant as further described in this Plan. It is the intention of the Company that this Plan will at all times be in compliance with the policies of the Exchange and any inconsistencies between this Plan and policies of the Exchange will be resolved in favour of the latter.
ARTICLE 2
INTERPRETATION
2.1 Definitions
When used herein, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms have the indicated meanings, respectively:
"Affiliate" means any entity that is an "affiliate" for the purposes of National Instrument 45-106 – Prospectus Exemptions, as amended from time to time;
"Associate" has the meaning set forth in the Securities Act;
"Award" means any RSU, PSU, or DSU granted under this Plan which may be denominated or settled in Shares or cash;
"Award Agreement" means a signed, written agreement between a Participant and the Company, in the form or any one of the forms approved by the Plan Administrator, evidencing the terms and conditions on which an Award has been granted under this Plan (including written or other applicable employment agreements) and which need not be identical to any other such agreements;
"Blackout Period" means an interval of time formally imposed by the Company during which one or more Participants is prohibited from trading any securities of the Company as a result of the bona fide existence of undisclosed Material Information from time to time, including pursuant to the Company's insider trading policy and/or applicable laws;
"Board" means the board of directors of the Company or any committee thereof duly empowered or authorized to grant Awards under this Plan as it may be constituted from time to time;
"Business Day" means a day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, on which the principal commercial banks in the City of Vancouver, British Columbia are open for commercial business during normal banking hours; "Canadian Taxpayer" means a Participant that is resident of Canada for purposes of the Tax Act;
"Cash Fees" has the meaning set forth in Subsection 6.1(a);
"Cause" means, with respect to a particular Participant:
(a) "cause" (or any similar term) as such term is defined in the employment or other written agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and the Employee;
(b) in the event there is no written or other applicable employment or other agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company or "cause" (or any similar term) is not defined in such agreement, "cause" as such term is defined in the Award Agreement; or
(c) in the event neither (a) nor (b) apply, then "cause" as such term is defined by applicable law or, if not so defined, such term shall refer to circumstances where (i) an employer may terminate an individual's employment without notice or pay in lieu thereof or other damages, or (ii) the Company or any subsidiary thereof may terminate the Participant's contract without notice or without pay in lieu thereof or other termination fee or damages, except, in each case, to the extent required under ESL, and provided that the failure by a Participant to meet performance targets or similar measures shall not, in and of itself, constitute cause for purposes of such termination of employment or contract;
"Change in Control" means the occurrence of any one or more of the following events:
(a) any transaction at any time and by whatever means pursuant to which any Person or any group of two or more Persons acting jointly or in concert (other than the Company or a subsidiary of the Company) hereafter acquires the direct or indirect "beneficial ownership" (as determined pursuant to the Securities Act) of, or acquires the right to exercise Control or direction over, securities of the Company representing more than 50% of the total voting power represented by the then issued and outstanding voting securities of the Company, including, without limitation, as a result of a take-over bid, an exchange of securities, an amalgamation of the Company with any other entity, an arrangement, a capital reorganization or any other business combination or reorganization;
(b) the sale, assignment or other transfer of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company to a Person other than an Affiliate of the Company;
(c) the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, other than in connection with the distribution of assets of the Company to one or more Persons which were Affiliates of the Company prior to such event; or
(d) the occurrence of a transaction requiring approval of the Company's shareholders whereby the Company is acquired through consolidation, merger, exchange of securities, purchase of assets, amalgamation, statutory arrangement or otherwise by
any other Person (other than a short form amalgamation or exchange of securities with a subsidiary of the Company),
provided that, notwithstanding clauses (a), (b), and (c) above, a Change in Control shall be deemed not to have occurred if immediately following the transaction set forth in clauses (a), (b), or (c) above, the holders of securities of the Company that immediately prior to the consummation of such transaction represented more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities eligible to vote for the election of directors of the Company hold (x) securities of the entity resulting from such transaction (including, for greater certainty, the Person succeeding to assets of the Company in a transaction contemplated in clause (b) above) (the "Surviving Entity") that represent more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities eligible to vote for the election of directors or trustees ("voting power") of the Surviving Entity, or (y) if applicable, securities of the entity that directly or indirectly has beneficial ownership of 100% of the
securities eligible to elect directors or trustees of the Surviving Entity (the "Parent Entity") that represent more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities eligible to vote for the election of directors or trustees of the Parent Entity, (any such transaction which satisfies all of the criteria specified above being referred to as a "Non-Qualifying Transaction" and, following the Non-Qualifying Transaction, references in this definition of "Change in Control" to the "Company" shall mean and refer to the Parent Entity (or, if there is no Parent Entity, the Surviving Entity) and, if such entity is a company or a trust, references to the "Board" shall mean and refer to the board of directors or trustees, as applicable, of such entity).
"Committee" has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2(b);
"Company" means Westmount Minerals Corp., a corporation duly incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, and its Affiliates, if any, and as the context requires, and includes any successor or assignee entity or entities into which the Company may be merged, changed, or consolidated; any entity for whose securities the securities of the Company shall be exchanged; and any assignee of or successor to substantially all of the assets of the Company;
"Consultant" means, in relation to a company, an individual (other than a Director, Officer, or Employee of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries) or company that:
(a) is engaged to provide on an ongoing bona fide basis, consulting, technical, management or other services to the Company or to any of its subsidiaries, other than services provided in relation to a distribution;
(b) provides the services under a written contract between the Company or any of its subsidiaries and the individual or the Company, as the case may be; and
(c) in the reasonable opinion of the Company, spends or will spend a significant amount of time and attention on the affairs and business of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries;
"Control" means the relationship whereby a Person is considered to be "controlled" by a Person if:
(d) when applied to the relationship between a Person and a corporation, the beneficial ownership by that Person, directly or indirectly, of voting securities or other interests in such corporation entitling the holder to exercise control and direction in fact over the activities of such corporation;
(e) when applied to the relationship between a Person and a partnership, limited partnership, trust or joint venture, means the contractual right to direct the affairs of the partnership, limited partnership, trust or joint venture; and
(f) when applied in relation to a trust, the beneficial ownership at the relevant time of more than 50% of the property settled under the trust, and
(g) the words "Controlled by", "Controlling" and similar words have corresponding meanings; provided that a Person who controls a corporation, partnership, limited partnership or joint venture will be deemed to Control a corporation, partnership, limited partnership, trust or joint venture which is Controlled by such Person and so on;
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"CSE" means the Canadian Securities Exchange;
"Date of Grant" means, for any Award, the date specified by the Plan Administrator at the time it grants the Award or if no such date is specified, the date upon which the Award was granted;
"Deferred Share Unit" or "DSU" means a unit equivalent in value to a Share, credited by means of a bookkeeping entry in the books of the Company in accordance with Article 6;
"Director" means a director of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company who is not an Employee;
"Disabled" or "Disability" means, with respect to a particular Participant:
(a) "disabled" or "disability" (or any similar terms) as such terms are defined in the employment or other written agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and the Participant;
(b) in the event there is no written or other applicable employment or other agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, or "disabled" or "disability" (or any similar terms) are not defined in such agreement, "disabled" or "disability" as such term are defined in the Award Agreement; or
(c) in the event neither (a) or (b) apply, then the incapacity or inability of the Participant, by reason of mental or physical incapacity, disability, illness or disease (as determined by a legally qualified medical practitioner or by a court) that prevents the Participant from carrying out his or her normal and essential duties as an Employee, Director or Consultant for a continuous period of six months or for any cumulative period of 180 days in any consecutive twelve month period and is expected to continue, the foregoing subject to and as determined in accordance with procedures established by the Plan Administrator for purposes of this Plan;
"Effective Date" means the effective date of this Plan, being January 3, 2023;
"Elected Amount" has the meaning set forth in Subsection 6.1(a);
"Electing Person" means a Participant who is, on the applicable Election Date, designated by the Plan Administrator as an Electing Person pursuant to this Plan;
"Election Date" means the date on which the Electing Person files an Election Notice in accordance with Subsection 6.1(b);
"Election Notice" has the meaning set forth in Subsection 6.1(b);
"Employee" means an individual who:
(a) is considered an employee of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company for purposes of source deductions under applicable tax or social welfare legislation; or
(b) works full-time or part-time on a regular weekly basis for the Company or a subsidiary of the Company providing services normally provided by an employee and who is subject to the same control and direction by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company over the details and methods of work as an employee of the Company or such subsidiary;
"ESL" means the employment standards legislation, as amended or replaced, applicable to a Participant who is an Employee or Officer;
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"Exchange" means the CSE and any other exchange on which the Shares are or may be listed from time to time;
"Good Reason" means, with respect to a particular Participant:
(a) "good reason" (or any similar term) as such term is defined in the employment or other written agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and the Participant;
(b) in the event there is no written or other applicable employment or other agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, or "good reason" is not defined in such agreement, "good reason" as such term is defined in the Award Agreement; or
(c) in the event neither (a) or (b) apply, the occurrence of any one or more of the following events without the Participant's prior written consent, which, if capable of being cured, remains uncured by the Company within 30 days following receipt of written notice from the Participant specifying in reasonable detail the nature of such occurrence, which notice shall be provided by the Participant no later than 90 days after the occurrence of such event giving rise to the right to resign for Good Reason:
(i) there is a material diminution in the Participant's position (including status, offices, titles and reporting requirements), authority, duties or responsibilities, excluding for this purpose any isolated, insubstantial or inadvertent actions not taken in bad faith and which are remedied by the Participant's Employer promptly after receipt of notice thereof given by the Participant;
(ii) the Participant's Employer's reduction of the Participant's base salary, as the same may be increased from time to time, or the percentage on which any short-term incentive payment is based, as such terms are defined in the Participant's employment agreement, other than any across the board reduction of 10% or less which may be implemented by such employer in respect of its senior employees from time to time;
(iii) the Participant's Employer's reduction or elimination of benefits granted to the Participant in his or her employment agreement or granted to the Participant during his or her employment, save and except any change or elimination of any benefits due to a change in the benefit plan or provider, provided that the new benefits are substantially similar in the aggregate to the current benefits;
(iv) a material change in the geographic location of the principal location of employment of the Participant, which shall, in any event, include only a relocation of such principal location by more than 100 kilometers from its existing location; or
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(v) the Participant's Employer's material breach of the employment agreement between the Participant's Employer and the Participant.
(d) In order for a resignation to qualify as a resignation for "Good Reason" hereunder, the Participant must resign for such event no later than 90 days after the Company's cure period has expired. For greater certainty, "Good Reason" shall not include year-over-year variations in the amount of, or percentage entitlement to, if any, Awards awarded to the Participant based on the Company's and the Board's determination of achievement. In addition, "Good Reason" shall not include any change in title or reporting other than a change which would generally be considered to constitute a demotion by the Participant's peers in the industry and "Good Reason" shall not include any change in the Participant's duties and responsibilities provided that such changes do not result in a diminution of the scope or dignity of the Participant's overall duties and responsibilities;
"Insider" means an "insider" as defined in the rules of the Exchange from time to time;
"Market Price" at any date in respect of the Shares shall be the greater of the closing market price of the Shares on (i) the trading day prior to the date of grant and (ii) the date of grant, and as otherwise required pursuant to the policies of the Exchange, if applicable. In the event that such Shares are not listed and posted for trading on any Exchange, the Market Price shall be the issuance price per Share of the most recent financing completed by the Company within the last three (3) months;
"Material Information" means a material fact, a material change and any other information that might influence or change an investment decision of either a reasonable conservative or speculative investor;
"Officer" means an Employee who is considered by the Company as an officer of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company;
"Options" means incentive share purchase options entitling the holder thereof to purchase Shares;
"Option Plan" means the incentive stock option plan of the Company as may be in force from time to time, and as may be amended or amended and restated from time to time;
"Participant" means a Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant to whom an Award has been granted under this Plan;
"Participant's Employer" means with respect to a Participant that is or was an Employee, the Company or such subsidiary of the Company as is or, if the Participant has ceased to be employed by the Company or such subsidiary of the Company, was the Participant's Employer;
"Performance Goals" means performance goals expressed in terms of attaining a specified level of the particular criteria or the attainment of a percentage increase or decrease in the particular criteria, and may be applied to one or more of the Company, a subsidiary of the Company, a division of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, or an individual, or may be applied to the performance of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company relative to a market index, a group of other companies or a combination thereof, or on any other basis, all as determined by the Plan Administrator in its discretion;
"Performance Share Unit" or "PSU" means a unit equivalent in value to a Share, credited by means of a bookkeeping entry in the books of the Company in accordance with Article 5;
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"Person" means an individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, unincorporated association, unincorporated syndicate, unincorporated organization, trust, body corporate, and a natural person in his or her capacity as trustee, executor, administrator or other legal representative;
"Plan" means this Equity Incentive Plan, as may be amended from time to time;
"Plan Administrator" means the Person or Persons determined by the Board, which will initially be the Board, or if the administration of this Plan has been delegated by the Board to the Committee pursuant to Section 3.2, the Committee;
"PSU Service Year" has the meaning set forth in Section 5.1;
"Restricted Share Unit" or "RSU" means a unit equivalent in value to a Share, credited by means of a bookkeeping entry in the books of the Company in accordance with Article 4;
"Retirement" means, with respect to a particular Participant:
(a) "retirement" (or any similar term) as such term is defined in the employment or other written agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and the Participant;
(b) in the event there is no written or other applicable employment or other agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, or "retirement" is not defined in such agreement, "retirement" as such term is defined in the Award Agreement; or
(c) in the event neither (a) or (b) apply, the voluntary cessation of a Participant's employment with the Company, provided that, as at the Termination Date (i) the Participant's age is at least 65 and the Participant has at least ten years of service with the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, (ii) the Participant is not receiving or otherwise entitled to compensation in lieu of notice of termination, severance or similar payments, and (iii) the Participant has agreed in writing not to work for a competitor of the Company for a period of at least two (2) years following the Termination Date;
"RSU Service Year" has the meaning set forth in Section 4.1;
"Securities Act" means the Securities Act (British Columbia);
"Securities Laws" means securities legislation, securities regulation and securities rules, as amended, and the policies, notices, instruments and blanket orders in force from time to time that govern or are applicable to the Company or to which it is subject;
"Security-Based Compensation Arrangement" means a stock option plan, including the Option Plan, employee stock purchase plan, term incentive plan, including this Plan, or any other compensation or incentive mechanism involving the issuance or potential issuance of Shares to one or more Participants;
"Share" means one common share in the capital of the Company as constituted on the Effective Date, or any share or shares issued in replacement of such common share in compliance with Canadian law or other applicable law, or after an adjustment contemplated by Article 9, such other shares or securities to which the holder of an Award may be entitled as a result of such adjustment;
"subsidiary" means an issuer that is Controlled directly or indirectly by another issuer and includes a subsidiary of that subsidiary, or any other entity in which the Company has an equity interest and is designated by the Plan Administrator, from time to time, for purposes of this Plan to be a subsidiary;
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"Target Performance" has the meaning given to it in Section 5.3;
"Tax Act" means the Income Tax Act (Canada);
"Termination Date" means, subject to applicable law which cannot be waived:
(a) in the case of an Employee or Officer whose employment with the Company or a subsidiary of the Company terminates (regardless of whether the termination is lawful or unlawful, with or without Cause, and whether it is the Participant or the Company or a subsidiary of the Company that initiates the termination), the later of: (i) if and only to the extent required to comply with the minimum standards of ESL, the date that is the last day of any applicable minimum statutory notice period applicable to the Employee or Officer pursuant to ESL, if any; and (ii) the date designated by the Employee or Officer and such Participant's Employer as at the last day of such Employee's or Officer's employment, provided that, in the case of termination of employment by voluntary resignation by the Participant, such date shall not be earlier than the date notice of resignation was given; and, for the avoidance of any doubt, the parties intend to displace the presumption that the Participant has any entitlements in respect of the Plan or any RSUs, PSUs or DSUs during any period of reasonable notice of termination under common law or civil law in the case of either (i) or (ii), without regard to any applicable period of reasonable notice or contractual notice to which the Participant may claim to be entitled under common law, civil law or pursuant to contract in respect of a period that follows the last day that the Participant actually and actively provides services to the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, as specified in the notice of termination provided by the Employee or Officer or the Participant's Employer, as the case may be;
(b) in the case of a Consultant whose agreement or arrangement with the Company or a subsidiary of the Company terminates, (i) the date designated by the Company or the subsidiary of the Company, as the "Termination Date" (or similar term), or (ii) if no such written agreement exists, the date designated by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, as the case may be, on which the Consultant ceases to be a Consultant or a service provider to the Company or the subsidiary of the Company, as the case may be,
or on which the Participant's agreement or arrangement is terminated, provided that in the case of voluntary termination by the Participant of the Participant's consulting agreement or other written arrangement, such date shall not be earlier than the date notice of voluntary termination was given; in any event, the "Termination Date" shall be determined without including any period of notice that the Company or the subsidiary of the Company (as the case may be) may be required by law to provide to the Participant or any pay in lieu of notice of termination, termination fees or other damages paid or payable to the Participant; and
(c) in the case of a Director, the date such individual ceases to be a Director, unless the individual continues to be a Participant in another capacity.
"U.S." or "United States" means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any State of the United States, and the District of Columbia;
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"U.S. Securities Act" means the United States Securities Act of 1933, as may be amended and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and
2.2 Interpretation
(a) Whenever the Plan Administrator exercises discretion in the administration of this Plan, the term "discretion" means the sole and absolute discretion of the Plan Administrator.
(b) As used herein, the terms "Article", "Section", "Subsection" and "clause" mean and refer to the specified Article, Section, Subsection and clause of this Plan, respectively.
(c) Words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa and words importing any gender include any other gender.
(d) Unless otherwise specified, time periods within or following which any payment is to be made or act is to be done shall be calculated by excluding the day on which the period begins, including the day on which the period ends, and abridging the period to the immediately preceding Business Day in the event that the last day of the period is not a Business Day. In the event an action is required to be taken or a payment is required to be made on a day which is not a Business Day such action shall be taken or such payment shall be made by the immediately preceding Business Day.
(e) Unless otherwise specified, all references to money amounts are to Canadian currency.
(f) The headings used herein are for convenience only and are not to affect the interpretation of this Plan.
ARTICLE 3 ADMINISTRATION
3.1 Administration
Subject to the terms herein, this Plan will be administered by the Plan Administrator and the Plan Administrator has sole and complete authority, in its discretion, to:
(a) determine the individuals to whom grants of Awards under the Plan may be made;
(b) make grants of Awards under the Plan relating to the issuance of Shares (including any combination of RSUs, PSUs or DSUs) in such amounts, to such Persons and, subject to
the provisions of this Plan, on such terms and conditions as it determines including without limitation:
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(i) the time or times at which Awards may be granted; (ii) the conditions under which:
(A) Awards may be granted to Participants; or
(B) Awards may be forfeited to the Company, including any conditions relating to the attainment of specified Performance Goals;
(iii) the number of Shares to be covered by any Award;
(iv) the price, if any, to be paid by a Participant in connection with the purchase of Shares covered by any Awards;
(v) whether restrictions or limitations are to be imposed on the Shares issuable pursuant to grants of any Award, and the nature of such restrictions or limitations, if any; and
(vi) any acceleration of exercisability or vesting, or waiver of termination regarding any Award, based on such factors as the Plan Administrator may determine;
(c) establish the form or forms of Award Agreements;
(d) cancel, amend, adjust or otherwise change any Award under such circumstances as the Plan Administrator may consider appropriate in accordance with the provisions of this Plan;
(e) construe and interpret this Plan and all Award Agreements;
(f) adopt, amend, prescribe and rescind administrative guidelines and other rules and regulations relating to this Plan, including rules and regulations relating to subplans established for the purpose of satisfying applicable foreign laws or for qualifying for favorable tax treatment under applicable foreign laws; and
(g) make all other determinations and take all other actions necessary or advisable for the implementation and administration of this Plan.
3.2 Delegation to Committee
(a) The initial Plan Administrator shall be the Board.
(b) To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Board may, from time to time, assume or delegate to any committee of the Board (the "Committee") all or any of the powers conferred on the Plan Administrator pursuant to this Plan, including the power to subdelegate to any member(s) of the Committee or any specified
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officer(s) of the Company or its subsidiaries all or any of the powers delegated by the Board. In such event, the Committee or any sub-delegate will exercise the powers delegated to it in the manner and on the terms authorized by the delegating party.
3.3 Determinations Binding
Any decision made or action taken by the Board, the Committee or any sub-delegate to whom authority has been delegated pursuant to Section 3.2 arising out of or in connection with the administration or interpretation of this Plan is final, conclusive and binding on the Company and its subsidiaries, the affected Participant(s), their legal and personal representatives and all other Persons.
3.4 Eligibility
All bona fide Directors, Officers, Employees and Consultants are eligible to participate in the Plan, subject to Section 8.1(f). Participation in the Plan is voluntary and eligibility to participate does not confer upon any Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant any right to receive any grant of an Award pursuant to the Plan. The extent to which any Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant is entitled to receive a grant of an Award pursuant to the Plan will be determined in the discretion of the Plan Administrator. By his, her or its participation in the Plan, for so long as the Shares are listed and posted for trading on the CSE, each of the Company and the Participant represents and warrants that the Participant is a bona fide Director, Officer, Employee and/or Consultant eligible to participate in the Plan.
3.5 Plan Administrator Requirements
Any Award granted under this Plan shall be subject to the requirement that, if at any time the Company shall determine that the listing, registration or qualification of the Shares issuable pursuant to such Award upon any securities exchange or under any Securities Laws of any jurisdiction, or the consent or approval of the Exchange and any securities commissions or similar securities regulatory bodies having jurisdiction over the Company is necessary as a condition of, or in connection with, the grant or exercise of such Award or the issuance or purchase of Shares thereunder, such Award may not be accepted or exercised, as applicable, in whole or in part unless such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval shall have been effected or obtained on conditions acceptable to the Plan Administrator. Nothing herein shall be deemed to require the Company to apply for or to obtain such listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval. Participants shall, to the extent applicable, cooperate with the Company in complying with such legislation, rules, regulations and policies.
3.6 Total Shares Subject to Awards
(a) The aggregate number of Shares that may be reserved for issuance under this Plan, at any time, shall not exceed 1,933,400.
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(b) For avoidance of doubt, any Shares issued by the Company through the assumption or substitution of outstanding stock options or other equity-based awards from an acquired company shall be subject to the limits on grant prescribed herein.
3.7 Hold Period
All Awards and any Shares issued on the exercise of Awards may be subject to and legended with a four month hold period commencing on the date the Awards were granted pursuant to applicable securities laws. Any Shares issued on the exercise of Awards may be subject to resale restrictions contained in National Instrument 45-102 – Resale of Securities which would apply to the first trade of the Shares.
3.8 Awards Granted to Corporations
Except in relation to a Consultant that is a corporation, Awards may only be granted to an individual or a corporation that is wholly-owned by a Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant. The Company must agree not to effect or permit any transfer of ownership or option of shares of the Company nor to issue further shares of any class in the Company to any other individual or entity as long as the Award remains outstanding.
3.9 Award Agreements
Each Award under this Plan will be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each Award Agreement will be subject to the applicable provisions of this Plan and will contain such provisions as are required by this Plan and any other provisions that the Plan Administrator may direct. Any one officer of the Company is authorized and empowered to execute and deliver, for and on behalf of the Company, an Award Agreement to each Participant granted an Award pursuant to this Plan.
3.10 Non-Transferability of Awards
Except as permitted by the Plan Administrator and to the extent that certain rights may pass to a beneficiary or legal representative upon death of a Participant, by will or as required by law, no assignment or transfer of Awards, whether voluntary, involuntary, by operation of law or otherwise, vests any interest or right in such Awards whatsoever in any assignee or transferee and immediately upon any assignment or transfer, or any attempt to make the same, such Awards will terminate and be of no further force or effect. To the extent that certain rights to exercise any portion of an outstanding Award pass to a beneficiary or legal representative upon death of a Participant, the period in which such Award can be exercised by such beneficiary or legal representative shall not exceed one year from the Participant's death.
ARTICLE 4 RESTRICTED SHARE UNITS
4.1 Granting of RSUs
(a) The Plan Administrator may, from time to time, subject to the provisions of this Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator may prescribe, grant RSUs to any Participant in respect of services rendered by the applicable
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Participant in a taxation year (the "RSU Service Year"). The terms and conditions of each RSU grant may be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each RSU will consist of a right to receive a Share, cash payment, or a combination thereof (as provided in Section 4.4(a)), upon the settlement of such RSU.
(b) The number of RSUs (including fractional RSUs) granted at any particular time pursuant to this Article 4 will be calculated by dividing (i) the amount of any payment that is to be paid in RSUs (including the elected amount as applicable), as determined by the Plan Administrator, by (ii) the greater of (A) the Market Price of a Share on the Date of Grant; and (B) such amount as determined by the Plan Administrator in its discretion.
4.2 RSU Account
All RSUs received by a Participant shall be credited to an account maintained for the Participant on the books of the Company, as of the Date of Grant.
4.3 Vesting of RSUs
The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to determine any vesting terms applicable to the grant of RSUs.
4.4 Settlement of RSUs
(a) The Plan Administrator shall have the sole authority to determine the settlement terms applicable to the grant of RSUs. Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, on the settlement date for any RSU, the Participant shall redeem each vested RSU for:
(i) one fully paid and non-assessable Share issued from treasury to the Participant or as the Participant may direct,
(ii) a cash payment, or
(iii) a combination of Shares and cash as contemplated by paragraphs (i) and (ii) above,
in each case as determined by the Plan Administrator in its discretion.
(b) Any cash payments made under this Section 4.4 by the Company to a Participant in respect of RSUs to be redeemed for cash shall be calculated by multiplying the number of RSUs to be redeemed for cash by the Market Price per Share as at the settlement date.
(c) Payment of cash to Participants on the redemption of vested RSUs may be made through the Company's payroll in the pay period that the settlement date falls within.
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(d) Notwithstanding any other terms of this Plan and except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, no settlement date for any RSU shall occur, and no Share shall be issued or cash payment shall be made in respect of any RSU, under this Section 4.4 any later than the final Business Day of the third calendar year following the applicable RSU Service Year.
(e) No RSU holder who is resident in the United States may settle RSUs for Shares unless the Shares issuable upon settlement of the RSUs are registered under the U.S. Securities Act or are issued in compliance with an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.
ARTICLE 5
PERFORMANCE SHARE UNITS
5.1 Granting of PSUs
The Plan Administrator may, from time to time, subject to the provisions of this Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator may prescribe, grant PSUs to any Participant in respect of services rendered by the applicable Participant in a taxation year (the "PSU Service Year"). The terms and conditions of each PSU grant shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement. Each PSU will consist of a right to receive a Share, cash payment, or a combination thereof (as provided in Section 5.6(a)), upon the achievement of such Performance Goals during such performance periods as the Plan Administrator shall establish.
5.2 Terms of PSUs
The Performance Goals to be achieved during any performance period, the length of any performance period, the amount of any PSUs granted, the termination of a Participant's employment and the amount of any payment or transfer to be made pursuant to any PSU will be determined by the Plan Administrator and by the other terms and conditions of any PSU, all as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
5.3 Performance Goals
The Plan Administrator will issue Performance Goals prior to the Date of Grant to which such Performance Goals pertain. The Performance Goals may be based upon the achievement of corporate, divisional or individual goals, and may be applied to performance relative to an index or comparator group, or on any other basis determined by the Plan Administrator. The Plan Administrator may modify the Performance Goals as necessary to align them with the Company's corporate objectives, subject to any limitations set forth in an Award Agreement or an employment or other agreement with a Participant. The Performance Goals may include a threshold level of performance below which no payment will be made (or no vesting will occur), levels of performance at which specified payments will be made (or specified vesting will occur) ("Target Performance"), and a maximum level of performance above which no additional payment will be made (or at which full vesting will occur), all as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement.
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5.4 PSU Account
All PSUs received by a Participant shall be credited to an account maintained for the Participant on the books of the Company, as of the Date of Grant.
5.5 Vesting of PSUs
The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to determine any vesting terms applicable to the grant of PSUs.
5.6 Settlement of PSUs
(a) The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to determine the settlement terms applicable to the grant of PSUs. Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, on the settlement date for any PSU, the Participant shall redeem each vested PSU for:
(i) one fully paid and non-assessable Share issued from treasury to the Participant or as the Participant may direct;
(ii) a cash payment; or
(iii) a combination of Shares and cash as contemplated by paragraphs (i) and (ii) above, in each case as determined by the Plan Administrator in its discretion.
(b) Any cash payments made under this Section 5.6 by the Company to a Participant in respect of PSUs to be redeemed for cash shall be calculated by multiplying the number of PSUs to be redeemed for cash by the Market Price per Share as at the settlement date.
(c) Payment of cash to Participants on the redemption of vested PSUs may be made through the Company's payroll in the pay period that the settlement date falls within.
(d) Notwithstanding any other terms of this Plan and except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, no settlement date for any PSU shall occur, and no Share shall be issued or cash payment shall be made in respect of any PSU, under this Section 5.6 any later than the final Business Day of the third calendar year following the applicable PSU Service Year.
(e) No PSU holder who is resident in the United States may settle PSUs for Shares unless the Shares issuable upon settlement of the PSUs are registered under the U.S. Securities Act or are issued in compliance with an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.
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ARTICLE 6
DEFERRED SHARE UNITS
6.1 Granting of DSUs
(a) The Plan Administrator may, from time to time, subject to the provisions of this Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator may prescribe, determine that a portion of the compensation payable to a Participant be payable in the form of DSUs. Additionally, subject to the prior approval of the Plan Administrator, each Electing Person is given, subject to the conditions stated herein, the right to elect in accordance with Section 6.1(b) to participate in the grant of additional DSUs pursuant to this Article 6. An Electing Person who elects to participate in the grant of additional DSUs pursuant to this Article 6 shall receive their Elected Amount (as that term is defined below) in the form of DSUs. The "Elected Amount" shall be an amount, as elected by the Electing Person, in accordance with applicable tax law, between 0% and 100% of any compensation that would otherwise be paid in cash (the "Cash Fees").
(b) Each Electing Person who elects to receive their Elected Amount in the form of DSUs will be required to file a notice of election in the form of Schedule A hereto (the "Election Notice") with the Chief Financial Officer of the Company: (i) in the case of an existing Electing Person, by December 31st in the year prior to the year to which such election is to apply (other than for compensation payable for the 2022 financial year, in which case any Electing Person shall file the Election Notice by the date that is 30 days from the effective date with respect to compensation paid for services to be performed after such date); and (ii) in the case of a newly designated Electing Person, within 30 days of such designation with respect to compensation paid for services to be performed after such date. If no election is made within the foregoing time frames, the Electing Person shall be deemed to have elected to be paid the entire amount of his or her Cash Fees in cash.
(c) Subject to Subsection 6.1(d), the designation of an Electing Person under Subsection 6.1(b) shall be deemed to apply to all Cash Fees paid subsequent to the filing of the Election Notice, and such Electing Person is not required to file another Election Notice for subsequent calendar years.
(d) Each Electing Person is entitled once per calendar year to terminate his or her election to receive DSUs by filing with the Chief Financial Officer of the Company a termination notice in the form of Schedule B. Such termination shall be effective immediately upon receipt of such notice, provided that the Company has not imposed a Blackout Period. Thereafter, any portion of such Electing Person's Cash Fees payable or paid in the same calendar year and, subject to complying with Subsection 6.1(b), all subsequent calendar years shall be paid in cash. For greater certainty, to the extent an Electing Person terminates his or her participation in the grant of DSUs pursuant to this Article 6, he or she shall not be entitled to elect to receive the Elected Amount, or any other amount of his or her Cash Fees in DSUs
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again until the calendar year following the year in which the termination notice is delivered.
(e) Any DSUs granted pursuant to this Article 6 prior to the delivery of a termination notice pursuant to Section 6.1(d) shall remain in the Plan following such termination and will be redeemable only in accordance with the terms of the Plan.
(f) The number of DSUs (including fractional DSUs) granted at any particular time pursuant to this Article 6 will be calculated by dividing (i) the amount of any compensation that is to be paid in DSUs (including any Elected Amount), by (ii) the Market Price of a Share on the Date of Grant.
(g) In addition to the foregoing, the Plan Administrator may, from time to time, subject to the provisions of this Plan and such other terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator may prescribe, grant DSUs to any Participant.
(h) For avoidance of doubt, all DSUs granted pursuant to the Plan shall be subject to the limits on grant prescribed herein.
6.2 DSU Account
All DSUs received by a Participant (which, for greater certainty includes Electing Persons) shall be credited to an account maintained for the Participant on the books of the Company, as of the Date of Grant. The terms and conditions of each DSU grant may be evidenced by an Award Agreement.
6.3 Vesting of DSUs
The Plan Administrator shall have the authority to determine any vesting terms applicable to the grant of DSUs.
6.4 Settlement of DSUs
(a) DSUs shall be settled on the date established in the Award Agreement; provided, however that if there is no Award Agreement or the Award Agreement does not establish a date for the settlement of the DSUs, then the settlement date shall be the date determined by the Participant; provided that, in the case of a Participant who is a Canadian Taxpayer, the settlement date shall be no earlier than the date on which the Participant ceases to be a Director and no later than the last Business Day of the immediately following calendar year. On the settlement date for any DSU, the Participant shall redeem each vested DSU for:
(i) one fully paid and non-assessable Share issued from treasury to the Participant or as the Participant may direct;
(ii) a cash payment; or
(iii) a combination of Shares and cash as contemplated by paragraphs (i) and
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(ii) above, in each case as determined by the Plan
Administrator in its discretion.
(b) Any cash payments made under this Section 6.4 by the Company to a Participant in respect of DSUs to be redeemed for cash shall be calculated by multiplying the number of DSUs to be redeemed for cash by the Market Price per Share as at the settlement date.
(c) Payment of cash to Participants on the redemption of vested DSUs may be made through the Company's payroll or in such other manner as determined by the Company.
(d) No DSU holder who is resident in the United States may settle DSUs for Shares unless the Shares issuable upon settlement of the DSUs are registered under the U.S. Securities Act or are issued in compliance with an available exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.
6.5 No Additional Amount or Benefit
For greater certainty, neither a Director to whom DSUs are granted nor any person with whom such Director does not deal at arm's length (for purposes of the Tax Act) shall be entitled, either immediately or in the future, either absolutely or contingently, to receive or obtain any amount or benefit granted or to be granted for the purpose of reducing the impact, in whole or in part, of any reduction in the fair market value of the Shares to which the DSUs relate.
ARTICLE 7 ADDITIONAL AWARD TERMS
7.1 Dividend Equivalents
(a) Unless otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator and set forth in the particular Award Agreement, an Award of RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs shall include the right for such RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs to be credited with dividend equivalents in the form of additional RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs, respectively, as of each dividend payment date in respect of which normal cash dividends are paid on Shares. Such dividend equivalents shall be computed by dividing: (a) the amount obtained by multiplying the amount of the dividend declared and paid per Share by the number of RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs, as applicable, held by the Participant on the record date for the payment of such dividend, by (b) the Market Price at the close of the first Business Day immediately following the dividend record date, with fractions computed to three decimal places. Dividend equivalents credited to a Participant's account shall vest in proportion to the RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs to which they relate, and shall be settled in accordance with Subsections 4.4, 5.6, and 6.4 respectively.
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(b) The foregoing does not obligate the Company to declare or pay dividends on Shares and nothing in this Plan shall be interpreted as creating such an obligation.
(c) For avoidance of doubt, all additional RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs credited as dividend equivalents pursuant to the Plan shall be subject to the limits on grant prescribed herein. In the event the issuance of additional RSUs, PSUs, and DSUs credited as dividend equivalents pursuant to the Plan shall otherwise result in a breach of the terms of the Plan, the Plan Administrator shall be entitled to make a binding determination with respect to the settlement of such dividend equivalents whether by payment of cash or in any other manner as the Plan Administrator may determine, in its sole and binding discretion.
7.2 Blackout Period
If an Award expires during a routine or special trading Blackout Period, then, notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan, unless the delayed expiration would result in negative tax consequences, the Award shall expire five Business Days after the Blackout Period is lifted by the Company; and provided that, (i) the Blackout Period must be deemed to have expired upon the general disclosure of the undisclosed Material Information, and (ii) the automatic extension of an Award will not be permitted where the Participant or the Company is subject to a cease trade order (or similar order under applicable securities laws) in respect of the Company's securities.
7.3 Withholding Taxes
Notwithstanding any other terms of this Plan, the granting, vesting or settlement of each Award under this Plan is subject to the condition that if at any time the Plan Administrator determines, in its discretion, that the satisfaction of withholding tax or other withholding liabilities is necessary or desirable in respect of such grant, vesting or settlement, such action is not effective unless such withholding has been effected to the satisfaction of the Plan Administrator. In such circumstances, the Plan Administrator may require that a Participant pay to the Company the minimum amount as the Company or a subsidiary of the Company is obliged to withhold or remit to the relevant taxing authority in respect of the granting, vesting or settlement of the Award. Any such additional payment is due no later than the date on which such amount with respect to the Award is required to be remitted to the relevant tax authority by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, as the case may be. Alternatively, and subject to any requirements or limitations under applicable law, the Company or any Affiliate may (a) withhold such amount from any remuneration or other amount payable by the Company or any Affiliate to the Participant, (b) require the sale, on behalf of the applicable Participant, of a number of Shares issued upon exercise, vesting, or settlement of such Award and the remittance to the Company of the net proceeds from such sale sufficient to satisfy such amount, or (c) enter into any other suitable arrangements for the receipt of such amount.
7.4 Recoupment
Notwithstanding any other terms of this Plan, Awards may be subject to potential cancellation, recoupment, rescission, payback or other action in accordance with the terms of any clawback, recoupment or similar policy adopted by the Company or the relevant subsidiary of the Company,
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or as set out in the Participant's employment agreement, consulting agreement, Award Agreement or other written agreement, or as otherwise required by law or the rules of the Exchange. The Plan Administrator may at any time waive the application of this Section 7.4 to any Participant or category of Participants.
ARTICLE 8 TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT OR SERVICES
8.1 Termination of Officer, Employee, Consultant or Director
Subject to Section 8.2, unless otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator or as set forth in an employment agreement, consulting agreement, Award Agreement or other written agreement:
(a) where a Participant's employment, consulting or other agreement or arrangement is terminated or the Participant ceases to hold office or his or her position, as applicable, by reason of voluntary resignation by the Participant (whether such resignation is with or without Good Reason, but excluding a Retirement), termination by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company (whether such termination occurs for, or without Cause, with or without any or adequate reasonable notice, or with or without any or adequate compensation in lieu of such reasonable notice) then, subject to applicable law that cannot be waived by the Participant:
(i) each Award held by the Participant that has not vested as of the Termination Date is immediately forfeited and cancelled as of the Termination Date for no consideration and the Participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled Awards; and
(ii) each Award held by a Participant that has vested may, subject to Sections 4.4(d) and 5.6(d) (where applicable), be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the Participant at any time during the period that terminates on the date that is 90 days after the Termination Date. Any Award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the Participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled Awards;
(b) where a Participant's employment, consulting or other agreement or arrangement is terminated by reason of the death of the Participant, then each Award held by the Participant that has not vested as of the date of the death of such Participant shall vest on such date and may, subject to Sections 4.4(d), and 5.6(d), be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the Participant at any time during the period that terminates on the first anniversary of the date of the death of such Participant provided that with respect to any PSUs held by such Participant, the attainment of Performance Goals shall be assessed on the basis of actual achievement of the Performance Goals up to the date of death of such Participant,
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if the applicable performance period has been completed and the Company can determine if the Performance Goals have been attained, failing which the Company will assume Target Performance. Any Award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the Participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled Awards;
(c) where a Participant becomes Disabled, then each Award held by the Participant that has not vested as of the date of the Disability of such Participant shall vest on such date and may, subject to Sections 4.4(d), 5.6(d), and 6.4(a), be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the Participant at any time during the period that terminates on the first anniversary of the date such Participant became Disabled provided that with respect to any PSUs held by such Participant, the attainment of Performance Goals shall be assessed on the basis of actual achievement of the Performance Goals up to the Termination Date, if the applicable performance period has been completed and the Company can determine if the Performance Goals have been attained, failing which the Company will assume Target Performance. Any Award that remains unexercised or has not been surrendered to the Company by the Participant shall be immediately forfeited upon the termination of such period;
(d) where a Participant's employment, consulting or other agreement or arrangement is terminated due to Retirement, then each Award held by the Participant that has not vested as of the date of such Retirement shall continue to vest for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of such Retirement in accordance with its terms and, if any such Awards vest, shall be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the Participant in accordance with this Plan; provided that with respect to any PSUs held by such Participant, the attainment of Performance Goals shall be assessed on the basis of actual achievement
of the Performance Goals up to the Termination Date, if the applicable performance period has been completed and the Company can determine if the Performance Goals have been attained, failing which the Company will assume Target Performance. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if, following his or her Retirement, the Participant breaches the terms of any restrictive covenant in the Participant's written or other applicable employment or other agreement with the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, any Award held by the Participant that has not been exercised, surrendered or settled shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the Participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled Awards. For avoidance of doubt, if any Awards have not: (i) vested; or (ii) been exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by the Participant in accordance with this Plan, in each case, prior to the twelve (12) month anniversary of the date of Retirement, all such unvested and/or unexercised, unsettled or unsurrendered Awards shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the Participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled Awards;
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(e) a Participant's eligibility to receive further grants of Awards under this Plan ceases as of the earliest of the following:
(i) the Termination Date; or
(ii) the date of the death, Disability, Retirement or the date notice is given of the resignation of the Participant; and
(f) notwithstanding Subsection 8.1(a), unless the Plan Administrator, in its discretion, otherwise determines, at any time and from time to time, Awards are not affected by a change of employment or consulting agreement or arrangement, or directorship within or among the Company or a subsidiary of the Company for so long as the Participant continues to be a Director, Officer, Employee or Consultant, as applicable, of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company.
8.2 Discretion to Permit Acceleration
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 8.1, the Plan Administrator may, in its sole discretion, at any time prior to, or following the events contemplated in such Section, or in an employment agreement, consulting agreement, Award Agreement or other written agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and the Participant, permit the acceleration of vesting of any or all Awards or waive termination of any or all Awards, all in the manner and on the terms as may be authorized by the Plan Administrator.
ARTICLE 9 EVENTS AFFECTING THE COMPANY
9.1 General
The existence of any Awards does not affect in any way the right or power of the Company or its shareholders to make, authorize or determine any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization or any other change in the Company's capital structure or its business, or any amalgamation, combination, arrangement, merger or consolidation involving the Company, to create or issue any bonds, debentures, Shares or other securities of the Company or to determine the rights and conditions attaching thereto, to effect the dissolution or liquidation of the Company or any sale or transfer of all or any part of its assets or business, or to effect any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise, whether or not any such action referred to in this Article 9 would have an adverse effect on this Plan or on any Award granted hereunder.
9.2 Change in Control
Except as may be set forth in an employment agreement, consulting agreement, Award Agreement or other written agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and the Participant:
(a) Notwithstanding anything else in this Plan or any Award Agreement, the Plan Administrator may, without the consent of any Participant, take such steps as it deems necessary or desirable, including to cause (i) the conversion or exchange of
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any outstanding Awards into or for, rights or other securities of substantially equivalent value, as determined by the Plan Administrator in its discretion, in any entity participating in or resulting from a Change in Control; (ii) outstanding Awards to vest and become exercisable, realizable, or payable, or restrictions applicable to an Award to lapse, in whole or in part prior to or upon consummation of such merger or Change in Control, and, to the extent the Plan Administrator determines, terminate upon or immediately prior to the effectiveness of such merger or Change in Control; (iii) the termination of an Award in exchange for an amount of cash and/or property, if any, equal to the amount that would have been attained upon the exercise or settlement of such Award or realization of the Participant's rights as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction (and, for the avoidance of doubt, if as of the date of the occurrence of the transaction the Plan Administrator determines in good faith that no amount would have been attained upon the exercise or settlement of such Award or realization of the Participant's rights, then such Award may be terminated by the Company without payment); (iv) the replacement of such Award with other rights or property selected by the Board in its sole discretion; or (v) any combination of the foregoing. In taking any of the actions permitted under this Section 9.2(a), the Plan Administrator will not be required to treat all Awards similarly in the transaction
(b) Notwithstanding Section 8.1, and except as otherwise provided in a written employment or other agreement between the Company or a subsidiary of the Company and a Participant, if within 12 months following the completion of a transaction resulting in a Change in Control, a Participant's employment, consultancy or directorship is terminated by the Company or a subsidiary of the Company without Cause or the Participant resigns with Good Reason:
(i) a portion of any unvested Awards shall immediately vest, such portion to be equal to the number of unvested Awards held by the Participant as of the Termination Date multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days between the Date of Grant and the Termination Date and the denominator of which is the number of days between the Date of Grant and the date any unvested Awards were originally scheduled to vest, which vested Awards may be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by such Participant at any time during the period that terminates on the date that is 90 days after the Termination Date, provided that with respect to any PSUs held by such Participant, the attainment of Performance Goals shall be assessed on the basis of actual achievement of the Performance Goals up to the Termination Date, if the applicable performance period has been completed and the Company can determine if the Performance Goals have been attained, failing which the Company will assume Target Performance. Any Award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the Participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled Awards; and
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(ii) any vested Awards of Participants may, subject to Sections 4.4(d) and 5.6(d), be exercised, settled or surrendered to the Company by such Participant at any time during the period that terminates on the date that is 90 days after the Termination Date, with any Award that has not been exercised, settled or surrendered at the end of such period shall be immediately forfeited and cancelled for no consideration and the Participant shall not be entitled to any damages or other amounts in respect of such cancelled Awards.
(c) Notwithstanding Subsection 9.2(a) and unless otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator, if, as a result of a Change in Control, the Shares will cease trading on an Exchange, then the Company may terminate all of the Awards, other than an Option held by a Canadian Taxpayer for the purposes of the Tax Act, granted under this Plan at the time of and subject to the completion of the Change in Control transaction by paying to each holder at or within a reasonable period of time following completion of such Change in Control transaction an amount for each Award equal to the fair market value of the Award held by such Participant as determined by the Plan Administrator, acting reasonably, at or within a reasonable period of time following completion of such Change in Control transaction.
9.3 Reorganization of Company's Capital
Should the Company effect a subdivision or consolidation of Shares or any similar capital reorganization or a payment of a stock dividend (other than a stock dividend that is in lieu of a cash dividend), or should any other change be made in the capitalization of the Company that does not constitute a Change in Control and that would warrant the amendment or replacement of any existing Awards in order to adjust the number of Shares that may be acquired on the vesting of outstanding Awards and/or the terms of any Award in order to preserve proportionately the rights and obligations of the Participants holding such Awards, the Plan Administrator will, subject to the prior approval of the Exchange, authorize such steps to be taken as it may consider to be equitable and appropriate to that end.
9.4 Other Events Affecting the Company
In the event of an amalgamation, combination, arrangement, merger or other transaction or reorganization involving the Company and occurring by exchange of Shares, by sale or lease of assets or otherwise, that does not constitute a Change in Control and that warrants the amendment or replacement of any existing Awards in order to adjust the number and/or type of Shares that may be acquired on the vesting of outstanding Awards or by reference to which such Awards may be settled (as applicable), and/or the terms of any Award in order to preserve proportionately the rights and obligations of the Participants holding such Awards, the Plan Administrator will, subject to the prior approval of the Exchange, authorize such steps to be taken as it may consider to be equitable and appropriate to that end.
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9.5 Immediate Acceleration of Awards
In taking any of the steps provided in Sections 9.3 and 9.4, the Plan Administrator will not be required to treat all Awards similarly and where the Plan Administrator determines that the steps provided in Sections 9.3 and 9.4 would not preserve proportionately the rights, value and obligations of the Participants holding such Awards in the circumstances or otherwise determines that it is appropriate, the Plan Administrator may, but is not required to, permit the immediate vesting of any unvested Awards.
9.6 Issue by Company of Additional Shares
Except as expressly provided in this Article 9, neither the issue by the Company of shares of any class or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of any class, nor the conversion or exchange of such shares or securities, affects, and no adjustment by reason thereof is to be made with respect to the number of Shares that may be acquired as a result of a grant of Awards.
9.7 Fractions
No fractional Shares will be issued pursuant to an Award and all fractions will be rounded down to the nearest whole number of Shares. Accordingly, if, as a result of any adjustment under this Article 9, a dividend equivalent or otherwise, a Participant would become entitled to a fractional Share, the Participant has the right to acquire only the adjusted number of full Shares and no payment or other adjustment will be made with respect to the fractional Shares, which shall be disregarded.
ARTICLE 10
AMENDMENT, SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
10.1 Amendment, Suspension, or Termination of the Plan
The Plan Administrator may from time to time, subject to the approval of the Exchange and/or holders of voting shares of the Company if so required in accordance with the policies of the Exchange and/or applicable laws, amend, modify, change, suspend or terminate the Plan or any Awards granted pursuant to the Plan as it, in its discretion determines appropriate, provided, however, that no such amendment, modification, change, suspension or termination of the Plan or any Awards granted hereunder may materially impair any rights of a Participant or materially increase any obligations of a Participant under the Plan without the consent of the Participant, unless the Plan Administrator determines such adjustment is required or desirable in order to comply with any applicable Securities Laws or Exchange requirements.
10.2 Shareholder Approval
Notwithstanding Section 10.1 and subject to any rules of the Exchange, approval of the holders of Shares shall be required for, inter alia, any amendment, modification or change that:
(a) increases the number of the Company's issued and outstanding Shares from time to time that can be reserved for issuance under the Plan, except pursuant to the
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provisions in the Plan which permit the Plan Administrator to make equitable adjustments in the event of transactions affecting the Company or its capital;
(b) changes the eligible participants of the Plan;
(c) is a matter expressly subject to approval of the holders of Shares pursuant to the applicable rules of the Exchange; or
(d) deletes or reduces the range of amendments which require approval of shareholders under this Section 10.2.
10.3 Permitted Amendments
Without limiting the generality of Section 10.1, but subject to Section 10.2, the Plan Administrator may, without shareholder approval, at any time or from time to time, amend the Plan for the purposes of:
(a) making any amendments to the general vesting provisions of each Award;
(b) making any amendments to the provisions set out in Article 8, provided that, for so long as the Shares are listed and posted for trading on the Exchange, shareholder approval shall be required for such amendments;
(c) making any amendments to add covenants of the Company for the protection of Participants, as the case may be, provided that the Plan Administrator shall be of the good faith opinion that such additions will not be prejudicial to the rights or interests of the Participants, as the case may be;
(d) making any amendments not inconsistent with the Plan as may be necessary or desirable with respect to matters or questions which, in the good faith opinion of the Plan Administrator, having in mind the best interests of the Participants, it may be expedient to make, including amendments that are desirable as a result of changes in law in any jurisdiction where a Participant resides, provided that the Plan Administrator shall be of the
opinion that such amendments and modifications will not be prejudicial to the interests of the Participants and Directors; or
(e) making such changes or corrections which, on the advice of counsel to the Company, are required for the purpose of curing or correcting any ambiguity or defect or inconsistent provision or clerical omission or mistake or manifest error, provided that the Plan Administrator shall be of the opinion that such changes or corrections will not be prejudicial to the rights and interests of the Participants.
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ARTICLE 11
MISCELLANEOUS
11.1 Legal Requirement
The Company is not obligated to grant any Awards, issue any Shares or other securities, make any payments or take any other action if, in the opinion of the Plan Administrator, in its discretion, such action would constitute a violation by a Participant or the Company of any provision of any applicable statutory or regulatory enactment of any government or government agency or the requirements of any Exchange upon which the Shares may then be listed.
11.2 No Other Benefit
No amount will be paid to, or in respect of, a Participant under the Plan to compensate for a downward fluctuation in the price of a Share, nor will any other form of benefit be conferred upon, or in respect of, a Participant for such purpose.
11.3 Rights of Participant
No Participant has any claim or right to be granted an Award and the granting of any Award is not to be construed as giving a Participant a right to remain as an Employee, Officer, Consultant or Director. No Participant has any rights as a shareholder of the Company in respect of Shares issuable pursuant to any Award until the allotment and issuance to such Participant, or as such Participant may direct, of certificates representing such Shares.
11.4 Corporate Action
Nothing contained in this Plan or in an Award shall be construed so as to prevent the Company from taking corporate action which is deemed by the Company to be appropriate or in its best interest, whether or not such action would have an adverse effect on this Plan or any Award.
11.5 Conflict
In the event of any conflict between the provisions of this Plan and an Award Agreement, the provisions of the Award Agreement shall govern. In the event of any conflict between or among the provisions of this Plan or any Award Agreement, on the one hand, and a Participant's employment agreement with the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, as the case may be, on the other hand, the provisions of the employment agreement or other written agreement shall prevail.
11.6 Anti-Hedging Policy
By accepting an Award each Participant acknowledges that he or she is restricted from purchasing financial instruments such as prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars, or units of exchange funds that are designed to hedge or offset a decrease in market value of Awards.
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11.7 Participant Information
Each Participant shall provide the Company with all information (including personal information) required by the Company in order to administer the Plan. Each Participant acknowledges that information required by the Company in order to administer the Plan may be disclosed to any custodian appointed in respect of the Plan and other third parties, and may be disclosed to such persons (including persons located in jurisdictions other than the Participant's jurisdiction of residence), in connection with the administration of the Plan. Each Participant consents to such disclosure and authorizes the Company to make such disclosure on the Participant's behalf.
11.8 Participation in the Plan
The participation of any Participant in the Plan is entirely voluntary and not obligatory and shall not be interpreted as conferring upon such Participant any rights or privileges other than those rights and privileges expressly provided in the Plan. In particular, participation in the Plan does not constitute a condition of employment or engagement nor a commitment on the part of the Company to ensure the continued employment or engagement of such Participant. The Plan does not provide any guarantee against any loss which may result from fluctuations in the market value of the Shares. The Company does not assume responsibility for the income or other tax consequences for the Participants and Directors and they are advised to consult with their own tax advisors.
11.9 International Participants
With respect to Participants who reside or work outside Canada, the Plan Administrator may, in its discretion, amend, or otherwise modify, without shareholder approval, the terms of the Plan or Awards with respect to such Participants in order to conform such terms with the provisions of local law, and the Plan Administrator may, where appropriate, establish one or more sub-plans to reflect such amended or otherwise modified provisions.
11.10 Successors and Assigns
The Plan shall be binding on all successors and assigns of the Company and its subsidiaries.
11.11 General Restrictions or Assignment
Except as required by law, the rights of a Participant under the Plan are not capable of being assigned, transferred, alienated, sold, encumbered, pledged, mortgaged or charged and are not capable of being subject to attachment or legal process for the payment of any debts or obligations of the Participant unless otherwise approved by the Plan Administrator.
11.12 Severability
The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of the Plan shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision and any invalid or unenforceable provision shall be severed from the Plan.
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11.13 Rights to Compensation or Damages
The Plan displaces any and all common law and civil law rights the Participant may have or claim to have in respect of any Awards, including any right to damages. The foregoing shall apply, regardless of: (i) the reason for the termination of the Participant's employment, term of office or service arrangement; (ii) whether such termination is lawful or unlawful, with or without Cause or Good Reason; (iii) whether it is the Participant or the Company or a subsidiary of the Company that initiates the termination; and (iv) any fundamental changes, over time, to the terms and conditions applicable to the Participant's employment, term of office or service arrangement.
11.14 Notices
All written notices to be given by a Participant to the Company shall be delivered personally, e-mail or mail, postage prepaid, addressed as follows:
Westmount Minerals Corp.
520 - 470 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1V6
Attention: David Tafel, CEO
Email: [email protected]
All notices to a Participant will be addressed to the principal address of the Participant on file with the Company. Either the Company or the Participant may designate a different address by written notice to the other. Such notices are deemed to be received, if delivered personally or by e-mail, on the date of delivery, and if sent by mail, on the fifth Business Day following the date of mailing. Any notice given by either the Participant or the Company is not binding on the recipient thereof until received.
11.15 Effective Date
This Plan becomes effective on a date to be determined by the Plan Administrator, subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Company.
11.16 Governing Law
This Plan and all matters to which reference is made herein shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without any reference to conflicts of law rules.
11.17 Submission to Jurisdiction
The Company and each Participant irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of competent jurisdiction in the Province of British Columbia in respect of any action or proceeding relating in any way to the Plan, including, without limitation, with respect to the grant of Awards and any issuance of Shares made in accordance with the Plan.
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