COMMON SHARES SILVER STANDARD RESOURCES INC. UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
COMMON
SHARES
February 24, 2009
UBS
SECURITIES CANADA INC.
DEUTSCHE
BANK SECURITIES INC.
CREDIT
SUISSE SECURITIES (USA) LLC
XXXXXXX
XXXX & CO., LLC
XXXXXX
XXXXXXX & CO. INCORPORATED
SCOTIA
CAPITAL INC.
BLACKMONT
CAPITAL INC.
GMP
SECURITIES L.P.
NATIONAL
BANK FINANCIAL INC.
SALMAN
PARTNERS INC.
DEUTSCHE
BANK SECURITIES LIMITED
CREDIT
SUISSE SECURITIES (CANADA), INC.
As
Sub-Underwriters
c/o UBS
Securities Canada Inc.
Xxxxx
0000, 000 Xxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxx, X0X 0X0
Ladies/Gentlemen:
Silver
Standard Resources Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of
British Columbia (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions
stated herein, to issue and sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule I
hereto (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of 5,450,000 common shares (the “Firm
Shares”), without par value, and, for the sole purpose of covering
over-allotments in connection with the sale of the Firm Shares, at the option of
the Underwriters, up to an additional 817,500 common shares (the “Additional
Shares”). The Firm Shares and any Additional Shares purchased by the
Underwriters are referred to herein as the “Shares”. UBS Securities
Canada Inc. is acting as lead manager (“UBS” or the “Lead Manager”) in
connection with the offering and sale of the Shares contemplated herein (the
“Offering”).
The
Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of
the Shares in the United States and each of the provinces of Canada, except
Quebec,
either
directly or through their respective U.S. or Canadian broker-dealer affiliates
upon the terms set forth in the Prospectuses (as defined below) as soon as the
Underwriters deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and
delivered.
The
Company understands that a portion of the Shares may be offered and sold in the
Canadian Jurisdictions (as defined below) by UBS Securities Canada Inc.,
Deutsche Bank Securities Limited and Credit Suisse Securities (Canada), Inc.,
the Canadian broker-dealer affiliates of certain of the Underwriters
(collectively, the “Sub-Underwriters”), pursuant to the Canadian Prospectus (as
defined below). The Sub-Underwriters, subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein, agree to use reasonable efforts to sell such Shares
in the Canadian Jurisdictions. Any Shares sold by a Sub-Underwriter
will be purchased by the Sub-Underwriter from its respective U.S. broker-dealer
affiliate at the Closing Date (as defined below) at a price equal to the price
set forth in Section 2(a) below or such purchase price less an amount to be
mutually agreed upon by the Sub-Underwriter and its respective U.S.
broker-dealer affiliate, which amount shall not be greater than the underwriting
commission set forth in Annex IV hereto.
1. Representations and
Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants
to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters
that:
(a) The
Company is qualified to file a short form prospectus pursuant to the Shelf
Procedures (as defined below) and has prepared and filed a preliminary short
form base shelf prospectus dated February 10, 2009 (the “Canadian Preliminary
Base Shelf Prospectus”) and a final short form base shelf prospectus dated
February 18, 2009 (the “Canadian Final Base Shelf Prospectus”) providing
for the offer and sale, from time to time, of up to US$150,000,000 of the
Company's common shares with the British Columbia Securities Commission, as
principal regulator pursuant to Multilateral Instrument 11-101 – Principal
Regulator System (the “Reviewing Authority”) and the Canadian securities
regulatory authorities in each of the Canadian Jurisdictions (as defined below),
(collectively, the “Canadian Qualifying Authorities”); and the Reviewing
Authority has issued a prospectus receipt under National Policy 11-202: Process
for Prospectus Reviews in Multiple Jurisdictions (a “Decision Document”) on
behalf of the Canadian Qualifying Authorities for each of the Canadian
Preliminary Base Shelf Prospectus and the Canadian Final Base Shelf
Prospectus. The term “Canadian Jurisdictions” means each of the
provinces of Canada, except Quebec. The term “Canadian Base
Prospectus” means the Canadian Final Base Shelf Prospectus, including documents
incorporated therein by reference, at the time the Reviewing Authority issued a
Decision Document with respect thereto in accordance with the rules and
procedures established under all applicable securities laws in each of the
Canadian Jurisdictions and the respective regulations and rules under such laws
together with applicable published policy statements and instruments of the
securities regulatory authorities in the Canadian Jurisdictions (“Canadian
Securities Laws”), including National Instrument 44-101 - Short Form Prospectus
Distributions and National Instrument 44-102 - Shelf Distributions (together,
the “Shelf Procedures”). The term “Canadian Pricing Prospectus” means
the preliminary prospectus supplement (the “Canadian Preliminary Prospectus
Supplement”) relating to the Offering, which excluded certain pricing
information, filed with the Canadian Qualifying Authorities (excluding those in
the Provinces of Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Island and Newfoundland and Labrador) in
accordance with the Shelf Procedures on February 23, 2009,
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together
with the Canadian Base Prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein
by reference. The term “Canadian Prospectus” means the prospectus
supplement (the “Canadian Prospectus Supplement”) relating to the Offering,
which includes the pricing information omitted from the Canadian Pricing
Prospectus, to be dated the date hereof and filed with the Canadian Qualifying
Authorities in accordance with the Shelf Procedures, together with the Canadian
Base Prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by
reference. No order suspending the distribution of the Shares or any
other securities of the Company has been issued by any of the Canadian
Qualifying Authorities and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted
or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the
Canadian Qualifying Authorities, and any request on the part of the Canadian
Qualifying Authorities for additional information has been complied
with.
All
references in this Agreement to the Canadian Preliminary Base Shelf Prospectus,
the Canadian Final Base Shelf Prospectus, the Canadian Preliminary Prospectus
Supplement and the Canadian Prospectus Supplement, or any amendments or
supplements to any of the foregoing, shall be deemed to include any copy thereof
filed with the Canadian Qualifying Authorities pursuant to the System for
Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR).
(b) The
Company meets the general eligibility requirements for the use of Form F-10
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and has
prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) a registration statement under the Securities Act and the rules
and regulations of the Commission (the “Rules and Regulations”) on Form F-10
(No. 333-157223), on February 11, 2009, and Amendment No. 1 thereto on February
19, 2009, providing for the offer and sale, from time to time, of up to
US$150,000,000 of the Company’s common shares. Such registration
statement, as amended, which includes the Canadian Base Prospectus (with
such deletions therefrom and additions thereto as are permitted or required by
Form F-10 and the applicable Rules and Regulations), including exhibits to such
registration statement and all documents incorporated by reference therein,
became effective pursuant to Rule 467(b) under the Securities Act on February
23, 2009. Such registration statement, as amended, including all
exhibits and all documents incorporated by reference therein, as of the time it
became effective, is referred to herein as the “Registration
Statement”. In connection with the filing of the Registration
Statement, the Company has filed with the Commission on February 11, 2009 an
appointment of agent for service of process upon the Company on Form F-X under
the Securities Act. The prospectus included in the Registration
Statement at the time it became effective, including documents incorporated
therein by reference, is referred to herein as the “U.S. Base
Prospectus”. The term “U.S. Pricing Prospectus” means the preliminary
prospectus supplement (the “U.S. Preliminary Prospectus Supplement”) relating to
the Offering, which excluded certain pricing information, filed with the
Commission pursuant to General Instruction II.L. of Form F-10 on February 23,
2009, together with the U.S. Base Prospectus, including all documents
incorporated therein by reference. The term “U.S. Prospectus” means
the prospectus supplement (the “U.S. Prospectus Supplement”) relating to the
Offering, which includes the pricing information omitted from the U.S. Pricing
Prospectus, to be dated the date hereof and filed with the Commission pursuant
to General Instruction II.L. of Form F-10, together with the U.S. Base
Prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by
reference. No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement has been issued under the Securities Act and no
proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are
3
pending
or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission and any
request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been
complied with.
Any
“issuer free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities
Act) relating to the Shares is hereafter referred to as an “Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus”; and the U.S. Pricing Prospectus, as supplemented by the Issuer Free
Writing Prospectuses, if any, and the information listed in Annex IV hereto,
taken together, are hereafter referred to collectively as the “Pricing
Disclosure Package”. Any reference herein to the U.S. Base
Prospectus, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus and the U.S. Prospectus shall be deemed
to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein as of
the date of filing thereof; and any reference herein to any “amendment” or
“supplement” with respect to any of the U.S. Base Prospectus, the U.S. Pricing
Prospectus and the U.S. Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include (i)
the filing of any document with the Canadian Qualifying Authorities or the
Commission incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference after
the date of filing of such U.S. Base Prospectus, U.S. Pricing Prospectus or U.S.
Prospectus and (ii) any such document so filed. As used herein, “Base
Prospectuses” shall mean, collectively, the Canadian Base Prospectus and the
U.S. Base Prospectus; “Pricing Prospectuses” shall mean, collectively, the
Canadian Pricing Prospectus and the U.S. Pricing Prospectus; and “Prospectuses”
shall mean, collectively, the Canadian Prospectus and the U.S.
Prospectus.
The
Company was not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405 under the
Securities Act) as of the eligibility determination date for purposes of Rules
164 and 433 under the Securities Act with respect to the Offering contemplated
hereby.
All
references in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, the U.S. Base
Prospectus, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus or the U.S. Prospectus, or any Issuer
Free Writing Prospectus, or any amendments or supplements to any of the
foregoing, shall be deemed to include any copy thereof filed with the Commission
pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System
(XXXXX).
(c) The
Canadian Base Prospectus and the Canadian Pricing Prospectus did, and the
Canadian Prospectus (and any further amendments or supplements thereto) will,
comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of Canadian
Securities Laws; the Canadian Pricing Prospectus, as of the time of filing
thereof, did not, and the Canadian Prospectus (and any further amendments or
supplements thereto) will not, as of the time of filing thereof and through the
Closing Date and the Additional Closing Date, if any (each as defined below)
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
that is required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not false or
misleading, and the Canadian Pricing Prospectus, as of the time of filing
thereof, constituted, and the Canadian Prospectus (and any further amendments or
supplements thereto) will, as of the time of filing thereof and through the
Closing Date and the Additional Closing Date, if any, constitute, full, true and
plain disclosure of all material facts relating to the Shares and to the
Company; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not
apply to any information contained in or omitted from the Canadian Pricing
Prospectus or the Canadian Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement
thereto in
4
reliance
upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by
or on behalf of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager
specifically for use therein. The parties hereto agree that such
information provided by or on behalf of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter
through the Lead Manager consists solely of the material referred to in Section
16 hereof.
(d) The
Registration Statement complies, and the U.S. Prospectus and any further
amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the U.S. Prospectus
will comply, in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the
Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations, and do not and will not, as of the
applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement and as
of the applicable filing date as to the U.S. Prospectus and any amendment
thereof or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in
order to make the statements therein (in light of the circumstances under which
they were made, in the case of the U.S. Prospectus) not misleading; provided,
however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any
information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the U.S.
Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto in reliance upon and
in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on
behalf of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager
specifically for use therein. The parties hereto agree that such
information provided by or on behalf of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter
through the Lead Manager consists solely of the material referred to in Section
16 hereof.
(e) No order
preventing or suspending the use of the U.S. Base Prospectus, the U.S. Pricing
Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the
Commission, and the U.S. Pricing Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof,
complied in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the
Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations, and did not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however,
that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any information
contained in or omitted from the U.S. Pricing Prospectus in reliance upon and in
conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf
of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager specifically for
use therein. The parties hereto agree that such information provided
by or on behalf of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager
consists solely of the material referred to in Section 16 hereof.
(f) For
purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is 9:00 a.m. (Eastern) on the
date of this Agreement. The Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the
Applicable Time, did not, and from the Applicable Time through the Closing Date
and the Additional Closing Date, if any (each as defined below), will not,
contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complies in all
material respects with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act and the
Rules and Regulations, and does not include information that conflicts with the
information contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses or
the Prospectuses, and any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and
taken together
5
with the
Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not contain an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. No
representation and warranty is made in this Section 1(f) with respect to any
information contained in or omitted from the Pricing Disclosure Package or any
Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with
information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any
Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager specifically for use
therein. The parties hereto agree that such information provided by
or on behalf of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager
consists solely of the material referred to in Section 16 hereof.
(g) Each
document filed or to be filed with the Canadian Qualifying Authorities and
incorporated, or deemed to be incorporated, by reference in the Canadian
Prospectus complied, or will comply, when so filed in all material respects with
the requirements of Canadian Securities Laws, and none of such documents
contained, or will contain, at the time of its filing any untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted or will omit at the time of its filing to state a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were or are made, not
false or misleading.
(h) PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP, who have audited the consolidated financial statements of the Company and
its subsidiaries that are included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, and
whose reports appear or are incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses are
independent with respect to the Company as required by Canadian Securities Laws
and are independent public accountants as required by the Securities Act, the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the Rules
and Regulations.
(i) Subsequent
to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, except as disclosed in
the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, (i) the Company has not declared
or paid any dividends, or made any other distribution of any kind, on or in
respect of its share capital, (ii) there has not been any material change in the
share capital or long-term or short-term debt of the Company or any of its
subsidiaries (each, a “Subsidiary” and, collectively, the “Subsidiaries”), (iii)
neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has sustained any material loss or
interference with its business or properties from fire, explosion, flood,
hurricane, accident or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or
from any labor dispute or any legal or governmental proceeding, and (iv) there
has not been any material adverse change or any development involving a
prospective material adverse change, whether or not arising from transactions in
the ordinary course of business, in or affecting the business, general affairs,
management, condition (financial or otherwise), results of operations,
shareholders’ equity, properties or prospects of the Company and the
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (a “Material Adverse Change”). Since
the date of the latest balance sheet included, or incorporated by reference, in
the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses,
neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has incurred or undertaken any
liabilities or obligations, whether direct or indirect, liquidated or
contingent, matured or unmatured, or entered into any transactions, including
any acquisition or
6
disposition
of any business or asset, which are material to the Company and the
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, except for liabilities, obligations and
transactions which are disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses.
(j) No
Subsidiary listed in Exhibit A hereto (each, a “Material Subsidiary” and,
collectively, the “Material Subsidiaries”) is currently prohibited, directly or
indirectly, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other
distribution on such Material Subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the
Company any loans or advances to such Material Subsidiary from the Company or
from transferring any of such Material Subsidiary’s property or assets to the
Company or any other Subsidiary of the Company.
(k) The
Company has an authorized and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, and all of the issued and outstanding
share capital of the Company are fully paid and non-assessable and have been
duly and validly authorized and issued, in compliance with all applicable
Canadian, U.S. and other securities laws and not in violation of or subject to
any preemptive or similar right that entitles any person to acquire from the
Company or any Subsidiary any common shares of the Company or other security of
the Company or any security convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable
for, common shares of the Company or any other such security (any “Relevant
Security”), except for such rights as may have been fully satisfied or waived
prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. All of the
issued share capital of or other ownership interests in each Material Subsidiary
have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and
non-assessable and (except as otherwise set forth in the Pricing Prospectuses
and the Prospectuses) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company free and
clear of any lien, charge, mortgage, pledge, security interest, claim, or other
encumbrance of any kind whatsoever (any “Lien”).
(l) The
Company has full power and authority (corporate or otherwise) to issue the
Shares and to perform its obligations hereunder. The Shares to be
delivered on the Closing Date and the Additional Closing Date, if any (as
defined below), have been duly and validly authorized and, when issued and
delivered in accordance with this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued,
fully paid and non-assessable, will have been issued in
compliance with all applicable Canadian, United States and other securities laws
and will not have been issued in violation of or subject to any preemptive or
similar right that entitles any person to acquire any Relevant Security from the
Company. The common shares of the Company and the Shares conform to
the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses. Except as disclosed in the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, the Company has no outstanding warrants,
options to purchase, or any preemptive rights or other rights to subscribe for
or to purchase, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell, any Relevant
Security. Except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses, no holder of any Relevant Security has any rights to require
registration or qualification under the Securities Act or the Canadian
Securities Laws of any Relevant Security in connection with the offer and sale
of the Shares contemplated hereby, and any such rights so disclosed have either
been fully complied with by the Company or effectively waived by the holders
thereof.
7
(m) The
Material Subsidiaries are the only Subsidiaries that are “significant
subsidiaries” of the Company (within the meaning of Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X
under the Securities Act) or are otherwise material to the
Company. The Company and each Material Subsidiary has been duly
organized and validly exists as a corporation, partnership or limited liability
company in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of
organization. The Company and each Material Subsidiary is duly
qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation,
partnership or limited liability company in each jurisdiction in which the
character or location of its properties (owned, leased or licensed) or the
nature or conduct of its business makes such qualification necessary, except for
those failures to be so qualified or in good standing which (individually and in
the aggregate) could not reasonably be expected to have a material adverse
effect on (i) the business, general affairs, management, condition (financial or
otherwise), results of operations, shareholders’ equity, properties or prospects
of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; or (ii) the ability of
the Company to consummate the Offering or any other transaction contemplated by
this Agreement, the Pricing Prospectuses or the Prospectuses (a “Material
Adverse Effect”).
(n) The
Company and each Material Subsidiary has all requisite power and authority, and
all necessary consents, approvals, authorizations, orders, registrations,
qualifications, licenses, filings and permits of, with and from all judicial,
regulatory and other legal or governmental agencies and bodies and all third
parties, Canadian, U.S. or foreign (collectively, the “Consents”), to own, lease
and operate its properties and conduct its business as it is now being
conducted, in each case as disclosed in the Registration Statement,
the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, and each such Consent is
valid and in full force and effect, except in each case as could not reasonably
be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company
nor any Material Subsidiary has received notice of any investigation or
proceedings which, if decided adversely to the
Company or any such Material Subsidiary, could reasonably be expected to result
in, the
revocation of, or imposition of a materially
burdensome restriction on, any such
Consent.
(o) This
Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company.
(p) There are
no reports or information that in accordance with the requirements of the
Canadian Securities Laws must be made publicly available in connection with the
Offering of the Shares that have not been made publicly available as required;
there are no documents required to be filed as of the date hereof with the
Canadian Qualifying Authorities or with any other Canadian securities regulatory
authority in connection with the Offering of the Shares that have not been filed
as required.
(q) The issue
and sale of the Shares, the compliance by the Company with this Agreement and
the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated do not and will not (i)
conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms and
provisions of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse
of time, or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in the creation
or imposition of any Lien upon any property or assets of the Company or any
Material Subsidiary pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan
agreement or other agreement, instrument, franchise, license or permit to which
the Company or
8
any
Material Subsidiary is a party or by which the Company or any Material
Subsidiary or their respective properties, operations or assets may be bound or
(ii) violate or conflict with any provision of the certificate or articles of
incorporation, by-laws, certificate of formation, limited liability company
agreement, partnership agreement or other organizational documents of the
Company or any Material Subsidiary, or (iii) violate or conflict with any
statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment, decree or order
of any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body,
Canadian, U.S. or other, except (in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above) as
could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(r) No
Consent of, with or from any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental
agency or body or any third party, Canadian, U.S. or foreign, is required for
the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under the
Securities Act of the Shares, the qualification of the Shares for distribution
in the Canadian Jurisdictions as contemplated by this Agreement, necessary
approvals of the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”), the filing of a
Notification Form: Change in the Number of Outstanding Shares with the Nasdaq
Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) and any consents as may be required under state or
foreign securities or blue sky laws, or the by-laws and rules of the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) in connection with the purchase and
distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters or the Sub-Underwriters, each of
which has been obtained and is in full force and effect (on a conditional basis,
in the case of the Consent of the TSX).
(s) Except as
disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses, there is no judicial, regulatory, arbitral or other legal or
governmental proceeding or other litigation or
arbitration, Canadian, United States or foreign,
pending to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or of which any
property, operations or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary is the subject
which, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company
or any Subsidiary, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect; to the Company’s knowledge, no such proceeding, litigation or
arbitration is threatened or contemplated; and the defense of all such
proceedings, litigation and arbitration against or involving the Company or any
Subsidiary could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(t) The
consolidated financial statements, including the notes thereto, included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses present fairly, in all material respects, the
financial position as of the dates indicated and the cash flows and results of
operations for the periods specified of the Company and its consolidated
Subsidiaries; except as otherwise stated in the Registration Statement, the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, said consolidated financial
statements have been prepared in conformity with Canadian generally accepted
accounting principles applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods
involved and have been reconciled to United States generally accepted accounting
principles in accordance with Item 18 of Form 20-F under the Exchange
Act. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are
required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses by Canadian Securities Laws, the Securities
Act, the Exchange Act or the Rules and Regulations. The
other
9
financial
and statistical information included or incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, including
the selected consolidated financial data set forth under the captions “Selected
Consolidated Financial Data” and “Capitalization” in the Pricing Prospectuses
and the Prospectuses, present fairly the information included therein and have
been prepared on a basis consistent with that of the financial statements that
are included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses and the books and records of the
Company.
(u) There has
not been any reportable event (within the meaning of National Instrument 51-102
of the Canadian Securities Administrators) between the Company and its
auditors.
(v) The
statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the
Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses are based
on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith
believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from
which they are derived.
(w) The
common shares of the Company have been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of
the Exchange Act. The common shares of the Company are listed on the
TSX and on the Nasdaq Global Market, and the Company has taken no action
designed to, or likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of
the common shares of the Company under the Exchange Act or de-listing the common
shares of the Company from the TSX or Nasdaq, nor has the Company received any
notification that the Commission, the Canadian Qualifying Authorities, the TSX
or Nasdaq is contemplating terminating such registration or
listing.
(x) The
Company and its Material Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting
and other controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (i)
transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific
authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to
assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific
authorization, and (iv) the recorded accounting for assets is compared with
existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with
respect to any differences. The Company believes that the Company’s
and its Material Subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting is
effective and the Company and its Material Subsidiaries are not aware of any
material weakness in their internal control over financial
reporting.
(y) Since the
date of the latest audited consolidated financial statements included or
incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses there
has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting
that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
(z)
The
Company and its Subsidiaries maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as
such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act and Canadian
Securities Laws) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and
Canadian Securities Laws; such disclosure controls and procedures have been
designed to ensure that
10
material
information relating to the Company and its Subsidiaries is made known to the
Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer by others
within those entities. Such disclosure controls and procedures are
effective.
(aa) There is
and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of its directors or
officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with any provision of the
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in
connection therewith, including, without limitation, Section 402 related to
loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.
(bb) Neither
the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its affiliates (within the
meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act) has taken, directly or indirectly,
any action which constitutes or is designed to cause or result in, or which
could reasonably be expected to constitute, cause or result in, the
stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security to facilitate the
sale or resale of the Shares.
(cc) Neither
the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its affiliates (within the
meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act) has, prior to the date hereof,
made any offer or sale of any securities which could be “integrated” (within the
meaning of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations) with the offer and
sale of the Shares pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(dd) The
statements set forth in the Base Prospectuses under the
captions “Description of Share Capital”, “Enforceability of Civil
Liabilities”, “Risk Factors – Risks Related to our Common Shares – Under
U.S. federal tax rules, we may be classified as a passive foreign investment
company….” and “Risk Factors – Risks Related to our Common Shares – Enforcement
of judgments or bringing actions outside the United States….”, in the Canadian
Prospectus Supplement and the U.S. Prospectus Supplement under the captions
“Certain income tax considerations for U.S. holders,” “Certain income tax
considerations for Canadian holders” and “Enforceability of Civil Liabilities,”
in the Canadian Prospectus Supplement under “Eligibility for Investment” and in
the Registration Statement under “Part II - Indemnification”, insofar as such
statements summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings
discussed therein, are, in all material respects, accurate, complete and fair
summaries of such legal matters, agreements, documents or
proceedings.
(ee) There is
no franchise, contract or other document of a character required to be described
in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses or the Prospectuses, or
to be filed as an exhibit thereto, which is not described or filed as required;
insofar as such descriptions summarize legal matters, agreements, documents or
proceedings discussed therein, such descriptions are accurate and fair summaries
of such legal matters, agreements, documents or proceedings.
(ff) The Company is subject to
the reporting requirements of Section 13 of the Exchange Act and files periodic
reports with the Commission. All conditions for use of Form
F-10 to register the Shares under the Securities Act have been
satisfied. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by
reference in the Pricing Prospectuses and the
11
Prospectuses,
at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission or the Canadian
Qualifying Authorities, complied and will comply in all material respects with
the requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act, the Rules and
Regulations and Canadian Securities Laws and, when read together with the other
information in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, as applicable, do
not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
misleading.
(gg) The
Company is not and, at all times up to and including consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and after giving effect to
application of the net proceeds of the Offering as described in the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, will not be, required to register as an
“investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and
is not and will not be an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within
the meaning of such act.
(hh) Except as
disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, there are no
contracts, agreements or understandings between the Company and any person that
would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any Underwriter or
Sub-Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or other like payment
in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or, to the
Company’s knowledge, any arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments or
issuance with respect to the Company or any of its officers, directors,
shareholders, partners, employees, Subsidiaries or affiliates that may affect
the Underwriters’ compensation as determined by FINRA.
(ii)
Except as
disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, neither the Company
nor any of its Subsidiaries (i) has any material lending or other relationship
with any bank or lending affiliate of any of the Underwriters and (ii) intends
to use any of the proceeds from the sale of the Shares hereunder to repay any
outstanding debt owed to any affiliate of any of the Underwriters.
(jj) Except as
disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, (i) the Company and
each Material Subsidiary owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to
the conduct of its business as presently operated and as proposed to be operated
as described in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses; (ii) to the knowledge of the Company, it and the
Material Subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property and
good and marketable title to all personal property owned by them, in each case
free and clear of any and all Liens except such as are described in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses or such as do
not (individually or in the aggregate) materially affect the value of such
property or materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of
such property by the Company and the Material Subsidiaries; and any real
property and buildings held under lease or sublease by the Company and the
Material Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable
leases with such exceptions as are not material to, and do not materially
interfere with, the use made and proposed to be made of such property and
buildings by the Company and the Material Subsidiaries; and (iii) neither
the Company nor any Material Subsidiary has received any notice of any
claim adverse to its ownership of any real or personal property or of any claim
against the continued possession of any real property, whether owned or held
under lease or sublease by the
12
Company
or any Material Subsidiary, except as could not reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(kk) All
interests in material mining claims, concessions, exploitation or extraction
rights or similar rights (“Mining Claims”) that are held by the Company or any
of its Material Subsidiaries are in good standing, are valid and
enforceable, are free and clear of any material liens or charges, and no
material royalty is payable in respect of any of them, except as disclosed in
the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses. Except as disclosed in
the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, no other material property rights
are necessary for the conduct of the Company’s business as described therein,
and there are no material restrictions on the ability of the Company and its
Material Subsidiaries to use, transfer or otherwise exploit any such property
rights except as required by applicable law or as set forth in the agreements
listed in Exhibit B hereto (collectively, the “Material
Agreements”). Except as disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses, the Mining Claims held by the Company or its Material
Subsidiaries cover the properties required by the Company for the purposes
described therein.
(ll) Except as
disclosed in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, the information
relating to estimates by the Company of the proven and probable reserves and the
measured, indicated and inferred resources associated with its mineral property
projects contained in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses has been
prepared in all material respects in accordance with National Instrument 43-101-
“Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.” The Company believes
that all of the assumptions underlying such reserve and resource estimates are
reasonable and appropriate, and that the projected production and operating
results relating to its projects and summarized in the Pricing Prospectuses and
the Prospectuses are achievable by the Company.
(mm) The Company and the Material Subsidiaries maintain insurance in such amounts and
covering such risks as the Company reasonably considers adequate for the conduct
of its business and the value of its properties and as is customary for
companies engaged in similar businesses in similar industries, all of
which insurance is in full force and effect, except where the failure to
maintain such insurance could not reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect. There are no material claims by the Company or
any Material Subsidiary under any such policy or instrument as to which any
insurance company is denying liability or defending under a reservation of
rights clause. The Company reasonably believes that it will be able
to renew its existing insurance as and when such coverage expires or will be
able to obtain replacement insurance adequate for the conduct of the business
and the value of its properties at a cost that would not have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(nn) The
Company and each Subsidiary has accurately prepared and timely filed all U.S.,
Canadian and foreign tax returns that are required to be filed by it and has
paid or made provision for the payment of all taxes, assessments, governmental
or other similar charges, including without limitation, all sales and use taxes
and all taxes which the Company or any Subsidiary is obligated to withhold from
amounts owing to employees, creditors and third parties, with respect to the
periods covered by such tax returns (whether or not such amounts are shown as
due on any tax return), except in any such case as could not reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No deficiency assessment
with respect to a proposed adjustment
13
of the
Company’s or any Subsidiary’s Canadian federal and provincial, U.S. federal and
state, local or foreign taxes is pending or, to the best of the Company’s
knowledge, threatened. The accruals and reserves on the books and
records of the Company and the Subsidiaries in respect of tax liabilities for
any taxable period not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments
and related liabilities for any such period and, since the date of the most
recent audited consolidated financial statements, the Company and the
Subsidiaries have not incurred any liability for taxes other than in the
ordinary course of its business. There is no tax lien, whether imposed by any
U.S., Canadian or other taxing authority, outstanding against the assets,
properties or business of the Company or any Subsidiary.
(oo) There are
no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Canadian or U.S.
federal law or the laws of any state, province or any political subdivision
thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of
this Agreement or the issuance by the Company or sale by the Company of the
Shares.
(pp) No stamp
duty, registration or documentary taxes, duties or similar charges are payable
under the federal laws of Canada or the laws of any province in connection with
the creation, issuance, sale and delivery to the Underwriters of the Shares or
the authorization, execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement or the
resale of Shares by an Underwriter to U.S. residents.
(qq) No
dispute between the Company and any local, native or indigenous group exists or
is threatened or imminent with respect to any of the Company’s properties or
exploration activities that could reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(rr) No labor
disturbance by the employees of the Company or any Material Subsidiary
exists or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, is imminent and the Company
is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbances by the employees of
any of its or any Material Subsidiary’s principal suppliers, manufacturers,
customers or contractors, which, in either case (individually or in the
aggregate), could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
(ss) There has
been no storage, generation, transportation, handling, use, treatment, disposal,
discharge, emission, contamination, release or other activity involving any kind
of hazardous, toxic or other wastes, pollutants, contaminants, petroleum
products or other hazardous or toxic substances, chemicals or materials
(“Hazardous Substances”) by, due to, on behalf of, or caused by the Company or
any Subsidiary (or, to the Company’s knowledge, any other entity for whose acts
or omissions the Company is or may be liable) upon any property now or
previously owned, operated, used or leased by the Company or any Subsidiary, or
upon any other property, which would be a violation of or give rise to any
liability under any applicable law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, decree or
permit, common law provision or other legally binding standard relating to
pollution or protection of human health and the environment (“Environmental
Law”), except for violations and liabilities which, individually or in the
aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect. There has been no disposal, discharge, emission contamination
or other release of any kind at, onto or from any such property or into the
environment surrounding any such property of any Hazardous
14
Substances
with respect to which the Company or any Subsidiary has knowledge, except as
could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect. There is no pending or, to the best of the
Company’s knowledge, threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial action,
claim or notice of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings
relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any
Subsidiary. No property of the Company or any Subsidiary is subject
to any Lien under any Environmental Law. Except as disclosed in the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary is subject to any order, decree, agreement or other individualized
legal requirement related to any Environmental Law, which, in any case
(individually or in the aggregate), could reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(tt) In the
ordinary course of its business, the Company periodically reviews the effect of
Environmental Laws on the business, operations and properties of the Company and
its Subsidiaries, in the course of which it identifies and evaluates associated
costs and liabilities (including, without limitation, any capital or operating
expenditures required for clean-up, closure or remediation of properties or
compliance with Environmental Laws, or any permit, license or approval, any
related constraints on operating activities and any potential liabilities to
third parties). On the basis of such review, the Company has
reasonably concluded that such associated costs and liabilities would not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(uu) None of
the Company, any Subsidiary or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of its employees
or agents, has at any time during the last five years (i) made any unlawful
contribution to any candidate for non-United States office, or failed to
disclose fully any such contribution in violation of law, or (ii) made any
payment to any federal or state governmental officer or official, or other
person charged with similar public or quasi-public duties, other than payments
required or permitted by the laws of the United States of any jurisdiction
thereof. The operations of the Company and each Subsidiary are and
have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial
record-keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign
Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of
all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any
related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or
enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”)
and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency,
authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any Subsidiary with
respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the
Company, threatened. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary nor, to
the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or
affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary is currently subject to any U.S.
sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S.
Treasury Department (“OFAC”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly
use the proceeds of the Offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make
available such proceeds to any Subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person
or entity, for the purpose of financing the activities of any person currently
subject to any U.S. sanctions administered by OFAC.
(vv)
Neither
the Company nor any Material Subsidiary (i) is in violation of its certificate
or articles of incorporation, by-laws, certificate of formation, limited
liability company
15
agreement,
partnership agreement or other organizational documents, (ii) is in default
under, and no event has occurred which, with notice or lapse of time or both,
would constitute a default under or result in the creation or imposition of any
Lien upon any property or assets of the Company or any Material Subsidiary
pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other
agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is bound or to
which any of its property or assets is subject, or (iii) is in violation of any
statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment, decree or order
of any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body,
Canadian, U.S. or foreign, except in any such case for violations or defaults
that could not (individually or in the aggregate) reasonably be expected to have
a Material Adverse Effect.
(ww) The Company has
complied with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Securities Act with respect
to each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus including, without limitation, all
prospectus delivery, filing, record retention and legending requirements
applicable to any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. The Company
has not (i) distributed any offering material in connection with the Offering
other than the Pricing Prospectuses, the Prospectuses and any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus set forth on Annex IV hereto, or (ii) filed, referred to,
approved, used or authorized the use of any “free writing prospectus” as defined
in Rule 405 under the Securities Act with respect to the Offering or the Shares,
except for any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus set forth in Annex IV hereto and any electronic road
show previously approved by the Lead Manager.
(xx) The
Company is a reporting issuer under the securities laws of each Canadian
Jurisdiction that recognizes the concept of reporting issuer and is not on the
list of defaulting reporting issuers maintained by the Canadian Authority in
each such Canadian Jurisdiction that maintains such a list.
(yy) Computershare
Investor Services Inc. at its principal offices in the cities of Vancouver,
British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario is the duly appointed registrar and
transfer agent of the Company with respect to its common shares, and
Computershare Trust Company, Inc. at its principal office in Denver, Colorado is
the duly appointed U.S. co-transfer agent of the Company with respect to its
common shares.
(zz) The
minute books and corporate records of the Company and its Material
Subsidiaries are true and correct in all material respects and contain all
minutes of all meetings and all resolutions of the directors (and any committees
of such directors) and shareholders of the Company and its Material
Subsidiaries as at the date hereof and at the Closing Date will contain the
minutes of all meetings and all resolutions of the directors (and any committees
of such directors) and shareholders of the Company and its Material
Subsidiaries.
(aaa) The
Company is, and upon completion of the transactions described herein, will be, a
“foreign private issuer” within the meaning of Rule 3b-4 under the Exchange
Act.
(bbb) Each
stock option granted under any stock option plan of the Company or any
Subsidiary (each, a “Stock Plan”) was granted with a per share exercise price no
less than the fair market value per Common Share on the grant date of such
option, and no such grant involved
16
any
“back-dating,” “forward-dating” or similar practice with respect to the
effective date of such grant; each such option (i) was granted in compliance
with applicable law and with the applicable Stock Plan(s), (ii) was duly
approved by the board of directors (or a duly authorized committee thereof) of
the Company or such Subsidiary, as applicable, and (iii) has been properly
accounted for in the Company’s financial statements and disclosed, to the extent
required, in the Company’s filings or submissions with the Commission and the
Canadian Qualifying Authorities.
Any
certificate signed by or on behalf of the Company and delivered to the Lead
Manager or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed to be a
representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter and
Sub-Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.
2. Purchase, Sale and Delivery
of the Shares.
(a) On the
basis of the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements herein
contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company
agrees to sell to each Underwriter and each Underwriter, severally and not
jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, at the U.S. purchase price set
forth in Annex IV hereto, the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite their
respective names on Schedule I hereto together with any additional number of
Shares which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the
provisions of Section 9 hereof. As compensation for the services
rendered to the Company by the Underwriters in respect of the Offering, the
Company will pay to the Underwriters a commission for Shares sold to the
Underwriters under this Agreement, in U.S. currency, as set forth in Annex IV
hereto, payable on the Closing Date (as defined below), which may be netted
against payment from the Underwriters to the Company for the Firm
Shares.
(b) Payment
of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates representing, the Firm
Shares shall be made at the offices of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP or at such other place
as shall be agreed upon by the Lead Manager and the Company, at 5:45 A.M.,
Vancouver time, on February 27, 2009, or such other time and date as the Lead
Manager and the Company may agree upon in writing (such time and date of payment
and delivery being herein called the “Closing Date”). Delivery of
certificates for the Firm Shares shall be made to the Lead Manager through the
facilities of The Depository Trust Company for the respective
accounts of the several Underwriters against payment of the purchase price for
the Firm Shares by wire transfer in same day funds to or as directed in writing
by the Company. Certificates for the Firm Shares shall be registered
in such name or names and shall be in such denominations as the Lead Manager may
request. The Company will permit the Lead Manager to examine and
package such certificates for delivery at least one full business day prior to
the Closing Date.
(c) In
addition, on the basis of the representations, warranties, covenants and
agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth, the Company hereby grants to the Underwriters, acting severally and not
jointly, the option to purchase up to 817,500 Additional Shares at the same
purchase price per share to be paid by the Underwriters for the Firm Shares and
at the same commission per share to be received by the Underwriters as set forth
in Section 2(a) above, for the sole purpose of covering over-allotments in the
sale of Firm Shares by the Underwriters. This option may be exercised
at any time and
17
from time
to time, in whole or in part on one or more occasions, on or before the
thirtieth day following the Closing Date, by written notice from the Lead
Manager to the Company. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate
number of Additional Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the
date and time, as reasonably determined by the Lead Manager, when the Additional
Shares are to be delivered (any such date and time being herein sometimes
referred to as the “Additional Closing Date”); provided, however, that no Additional
Closing Date shall occur earlier than the Closing Date or earlier than the
second full business day after the date on which the option shall have been
exercised nor later than the eighth full business day after the date on which
the option shall have been exercised. Upon any exercise of the option
as to all or any portion of the Additional Shares, each Underwriter, acting
severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company the number of
Additional Shares that bears the same proportion of the total number of
Additional Shares then being purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth
opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto (or such number
increased as set forth in Section 9 hereof) bears to the total number of Firm
Shares that the Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, subject,
however, to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Lead Manager
in its sole discretion shall make.
(d) Payment
of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates representing, the
Additional Shares shall be made at the office of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP, or at such
other place as shall be agreed upon by the Lead Manager and the Company, at 5:45
A.M., Vancouver time, on the Additional Closing Date, or such other time as
shall be agreed upon by the Lead Manager and the Company. Delivery of
certificates for the Additional Shares shall be made to the Lead Manager through
the facilities of The Depository Trust Company for the respective
accounts of the several Underwriters against payment of the purchase price for
the Additional Shares by wire transfer in same day funds to or as directed in
writing by the Company. Certificates for the Additional Shares shall
be registered in such name or names and shall be in such denominations as the
Lead Manager may request. The Company will permit the Lead Manager to
examine and package such certificates for delivery at least one full business
day prior to the Additional Closing Date.
(e) The
Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the terms of this Agreement and the
Offering (including the price of the Shares and commission with respect to the
Shares) were negotiated at arm’s length between sophisticated parties
represented by counsel; (ii) the Underwriters’ obligations to the Company in
respect of the Offering are set forth in this Agreement in their entirety and
(iii) it has obtained such legal, tax, accounting and other advice as it deems
appropriate with respect to this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby and any other activities undertaken in connection therewith, and it is
not relying on the Underwriters or the Sub-Underwriters with respect to any such
matters.
3. Offering. Upon
authorization of the release of the Firm Shares by the Lead Manager, the
Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters propose to offer the Shares for sale to
the public upon the terms and conditions set forth in the
Prospectuses.
18
4. Covenants of the
Company. In addition to the other covenants and agreements of
the Company contained herein, the Company further covenants and agrees with each
of the Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters that:
(a) The
Company will comply with the Shelf Procedures and General Instruction II.L of
Form F-10 under the Securities Act. Prior to the later of the last
date on which an Additional Closing Date, if any, may occur, and the termination
of the Offering of the Shares, the Company will not file any amendment to the
Registration Statement or supplement or amendment to the Prospectuses unless the
Company has furnished a copy to the Lead Manager and its legal counsel for their
review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or
supplement to which the Lead Manager reasonably objects. The Company
will cause the Prospectuses, properly completed, and any supplement thereto to
be filed, each in a form approved by the Lead Manager with the Canadian
Qualifying Authorities in accordance with the Shelf Procedures (in the case of
the Canadian Prospectus) and with the Commission pursuant to General Instruction
II.L of Form F-10 (in the case of the U.S. Prospectus) within the time period
prescribed and will provide evidence satisfactory to the Lead Manager of such
timely filings. The Company will promptly advise the Lead Manager (1) when the
U.S. Prospectus and any supplement thereto shall have been filed with the
Commission pursuant to General Instruction II.L of Form F-10, (2) when the
Canadian Prospectus shall have been filed with the Canadian Qualifying
Authorities pursuant to the Shelf Procedures, (3) when, prior to termination of
the Offering of the Shares, any amendment to the Registration Statement or the
Canadian Prospectus shall have been filed or become effective or a Decision
Document in respect of any such amendment has been issued, as the case may be,
(4) of any request by the Canadian Qualifying Authorities or the Commission for
any amendment of or supplement to the Canadian Prospectus, the Registration
Statement or the U.S. Prospectus, as applicable, or for any additional
information, (5) of the Company’s intention to file, or prepare any supplement
or amendment to, the Registration Statement, the Prospectuses or any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus, (6) of the time when any amendment to the Canadian
Prospectus has been filed with or receipted by the Reviewing Authority, or of
the filing with or mailing or the delivery to the Commission for filing of any
amendment of or supplement to the Registration Statement or the U.S. Prospectus,
(7) of the issuance by the Canadian Qualifying Authorities or the Commission of
any cease trade order or any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Canadian Prospectus or the Registration Statement, as applicable, or any
post-effective amendment thereto, or suspending the use of any Prospectuses or
any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or, in each case, of the initiation or
threatening of any proceedings therefor, (8) of the receipt of any comments or
communications from the Canadian Qualifying Authorities, the Commission or any
other regulatory authority relating to the Prospectuses, the Registration
Statement, or the listing of the Shares on the TSX or Nasdaq, and (9) of the
receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the
qualification of the Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or
threatening of any proceeding for that purpose. If the Canadian
Qualifying Authorities or the Commission shall propose or enter a cease trade
order or a stop order at any time, the Company will use its reasonable best
efforts to prevent the issuance of any such cease trade order or stop order and,
if issued, to obtain the lifting of such order as soon as possible.
(b) The
Company will prepare and file with the Canadian Qualifying Authorities, promptly
after the date of this Agreement, and in any event no later than 5:30 p.m. (New
York
19
City
time) on the date of this Agreement, and in conformity in all material respects
with applicable Canadian Securities Laws, the Canadian Prospectus.
(c) The
Company will prepare and file with the Commission, promptly after the date of
this Agreement, and in any event no later than 5:30 p.m. (New York City time) on
the date of this Agreement, the U.S. Prospectus.
(d) If at any
time when a prospectus relating to the Shares (or, in lieu thereof, the notice
referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) is required to be delivered
under the Securities Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of which the
Pricing Disclosure Package (prior to the availability of the U.S. Prospectus) or
the U.S. Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would, in the judgment of
the Underwriters or the Company, include an untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances existing at the time
of delivery of such Pricing Disclosure Package or U.S. Prospectus (or, in lieu
thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Securities Act) to the
purchaser, not misleading, or if to comply with the Securities Act, the Exchange
Act or the Rules and Regulations it shall be necessary at any time to amend or
supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package, the U.S. Prospectus or the
Registration Statement, or to file any document incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement or the U.S. Prospectus or in any amendment thereof or
supplement thereto, the Company will notify the Lead Manager promptly and
prepare and file with the Canadian Qualifying Authorities and/or the Commission
an appropriate amendment, supplement or document (in form and substance
satisfactory to the Lead Manager) that will correct such statement or omission
or effect such compliance, and will use its best efforts to have any amendment
to the Registration Statement declared effective as soon as
possible.
(e) The
Company will not, without the prior consent of the Lead Manager, (i) make any
offer relating to the Shares that would constitute a “free writing prospectus”
as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, except for any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus set forth in Annex IV hereto and any electronic road
show previously approved by the Lead Manager, or (ii) file, refer to, approve,
use or authorize the use of any “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405
under the Securities Act with respect to the Offering or the
Shares. If at any time any event shall have occurred as a result of
which any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would,
in the judgment of the Underwriters or the Company, conflict with the
information in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses or the
Prospectuses as then amended or supplemented or would, in the judgment of the
Underwriters or the Company, include an untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances existing at the time
of delivery to the purchaser, not misleading, or if to comply with the
Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations it shall be necessary at any time to
amend or supplement any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the Company will notify
the Lead Manager promptly and, if requested by the Lead Manager, prepare and
furnish without charge to each Underwriter and Sub-Underwriter an appropriate
amendment or supplement (in form and substance satisfactory to the Lead Manager)
that will correct such statement, omission or conflict or effect such
compliance.
20
(f)
The Company has complied and will comply in all material respects with the
requirements of Rule 433 with respect to each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
including, without limitation, all prospectus delivery, filing, record retention
and legending requirements applicable to each such Issuer Free Writing
Prospectus.
(g) The
Company will promptly deliver to each of the Underwriters and the
Sub-Underwriters conformed copies of the Canadian Base Prospectus, the Canadian
Pricing Prospectus and the Canadian Prospectus, signed and certified as required
by Canadian Securities Laws in the Canadian Jurisdictions, a copy of any other
document required to be filed by the Company in compliance with Canadian
Securities Laws in connection with the Offering, a conformed copy of the
Registration Statement, as initially filed and all amendments thereto, including
all consents and exhibits filed therewith and a conformed copy of the Form F-X
with respect to the Registration Statement. The Company will promptly
deliver to each of the Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters such number of
copies of the Pricing Prospectuses, Prospectuses and the Registration Statement,
all amendments of and supplements to such documents, if any, as the Underwriters
or Sub-Underwriters may reasonably request. Prior to 9:00 A.M., New
York time, on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and
from time to time thereafter, the Company will furnish the Underwriters and the
Sub-Underwriters with copies of the Final Prospectuses in Toronto, and on the
second business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to
time thereafter, in New York City, in such quantities as the Underwriters
or Sub-Underwriters may reasonably request.
(h) Promptly
from time to time, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts, in
cooperation with the Lead Manager, to qualify the Shares for offering and sale
under the securities laws relating to the offering or sale of the Shares of such
jurisdictions, Canadian (other than Quebec), U.S. or foreign, as the Lead
Manager may designate and to maintain such qualification in effect for so long
as required for the distribution thereof; except that in no event shall the
Company be obligated in connection therewith to qualify to do business in any
jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would
subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the
offering or sale of the Shares, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so
subject or require registration of the Shares or require the Company to file a
prospectus in such jurisdiction or subject the Company to ongoing reporting
requirements in such jurisdiction.
(i) The
Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as
practicable an earnings statement of the Company (which need not be audited)
complying with Section 11(a) of the Securities Act.
(j) During
the period of 90 days from the date of the Prospectuses (the “Lock-Up Period”),
without the prior written consent of the Lead Manager, the Company (i) will not,
directly or indirectly, issue, offer, sell, agree to issue, offer or sell,
solicit offers to purchase, grant any call option, warrant or other right to
purchase, purchase any put option or other right to sell, pledge, borrow or
otherwise dispose of any Relevant Security, or make any public announcement of
any of the foregoing, (ii) will not establish or increase any “put equivalent
position” or liquidate or decrease any “call equivalent position” (in each case
within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the Rules and
Regulations) with respect to any Relevant
21
Security,
and (iii) will not otherwise enter into any swap, derivative or other
transaction or arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any
economic consequence of ownership of a Relevant Security, whether or not such
transaction is to be settled by delivery of Relevant Securities, other
securities, cash or other consideration; and the Company will obtain an
undertaking in
substantially the form of Annex III hereto of each of its officers and
directors listed on Schedule II attached hereto, not to engage in any of the
aforementioned transactions on their own behalf, other than the sale of Shares
as contemplated by this Agreement and (i) the Company’s issuance of its common
shares upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities
outstanding on the date hereof; (ii) the Company’s issuance of its common shares
upon the exercise of currently outstanding options; (iii) the Company’s issuance
of its common shares upon the exercise of currently outstanding warrants; (iv)
the grant and exercise of options under, or the issuance and sale of shares
pursuant to, employee stock option plans in effect on the date hereof, each as
described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses; and (v) the issuance of less than five per cent of the outstanding
common shares of the Company in connection with the acquisition of property
interests by the Company and its Subsidiaries. The Company will not
qualify a prospectus under Canadian Securities Laws or file a registration
statement under the Securities Act in connection with any transaction by the
Company or any person that is prohibited pursuant to the foregoing, except for
registration statements on Form S-8 relating to employee benefit
plans.
(k) During
the period of three years from the effective date of the Registration Statement,
the Company will furnish to you copies of all reports or other communications
(financial or other) furnished to security holders or from time to time
published or publicly disseminated by the Company, and will deliver to you (i)
as soon as they are available, copies of any reports, financial statements and
proxy or information statements furnished to or filed with the Canadian
Qualifying Authorities, the Commission, the TSX, Nasdaq, or any other securities
exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (ii)
such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of
the Company as the Underwriters or Sub-Writers may from time to time reasonably
request (such financial information to be on a consolidated basis to the extent
the accounts of the Company and the Subsidiaries are consolidated in reports
furnished to its security holders generally or to the Reviewing Authority or the
Commission); provided, however that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company
shall have no obligation to provide under this Section 4(k): (x) any document or
information required to be delivered pursuant to this paragraph that is made
available on XXXXX or SEDAR; (y) any document or information that the Company
believes, acting reasonably, not to be material; or (z) any document or
information that the Company believes, acting reasonably, it is prohibited by
applicable law from disclosing under the circumstances.
(l) The
Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect and maintain the
listing of the Shares on the TSX and Nasdaq for a period of at least three years
from the date of this Agreement.
(m) The
Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Shares as set forth
under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses.
22
(n)
The Company will not take, and will cause its affiliates (within the meaning of
Rule 144 under the Securities Act) not to take, directly or indirectly, any
action which constitutes or is designed to cause or result in, or which could
reasonably be expected to constitute, cause or result in, the stabilization or
manipulation of the price of any security to facilitate the sale or resale of
the Shares.
(o) The
Company shall provide the Lead Manager with a draft of any press release to be
issued in connection with the Offering of the Shares, and will provide the Lead
Manager and its counsel sufficient time to comment thereon and will accept all
reasonable comments of the Lead Manager and its counsel on such press
releases.
(p)
Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, covenants and agrees with the
Company that such Underwriter will not use or refer to any “free writing
prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) without the prior
written consent of the Company, except for any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus
set forth in Annex IV hereto and any electronic road show previously approved by
the Lead Manager. The Company and each Underwriter, severally and not
jointly, agrees that any such free writing prospectus, the use of which has been
consented to by the Company and the Underwriters, is listed in Annex IV
hereto.
5. Payment of
Expenses. Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, the Registration Statement and the Prospectuses are consummated or
this Agreement is terminated, the Company hereby agrees to pay all costs and
expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including the
following: (i) all expenses in connection with the preparation, printing and
filing of the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectuses, the Pricing
Prospectuses, the Prospectuses, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any and
all amendments and supplements thereto and the mailing and delivering of copies
thereof to the Underwriters, Sub-Underwriters and dealers; (ii) the fees,
disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel and accountants in
connection with the qualification of the Shares under Canadian Securities Laws,
the registration of the Shares under the Securities Act and the Offering; (iii)
the cost of producing this Agreement and any agreement among Underwriters, blue
sky survey, closing documents and other instruments, agreements or documents
(including any compilations thereof) in connection with the Offering; (iv) all
expenses in connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and
sale under United States state securities, or “blue sky”, laws as provided in
Section 4(f) hereof, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel
for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection
with any blue sky survey; (v) the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel
for the Underwriters in connection with compliance with the rules and
regulations of FINRA in connection with the Offering; (vi) all fees and
expenses in connection with listing the Shares on the TSX and Nasdaq;
(vii) all travel expenses of the Company’s officers and employees and any
other expense of the Company incurred in connection with attending or hosting
meetings with prospective purchasers of the Shares; and (viii) any transfer
taxes incurred in connection with this Agreement or the Offering. The
Company also will pay or cause to be paid: (x) the cost of preparing
certificates representing the Shares; (y) the cost and charges of any transfer
agent or registrar for the Shares; and (z) all other costs and expenses incident
to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise
specifically provided for in this Section 5. It is understood,
however, that except as provided in Sections 7, 8 and 11 hereof, the
Underwriters will pay all of their own
23
costs and
expenses, including the fees of their counsel, and any experts or consultants
retained by them, and transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
6. Conditions of
Underwriters’
Obligations. The several obligations of the Underwriters to
purchase and pay for the Firm Shares and the Additional Shares, as provided
herein, shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties
of the Company herein contained, as of the date hereof and as of the Closing
Date (for purposes of this Section 6, “Closing Date” shall refer to the Closing
Date for the Firm Shares and any Additional Closing Date, if different, for the
Additional Shares), to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations
hereunder, and to each of the following additional conditions:
(a) The
Canadian Prospectus shall have been filed with the Canadian Qualifying
Authorities and the U.S. Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission in
a timely fashion in accordance with Section 4 hereof; no order of any securities
commission, securities regulatory authority or stock exchange in Canada to cease
distribution of the Shares under the Canadian Prospectus, as amended or
supplemented, shall have been issued, and no proceedings for such purpose shall
have been instituted or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened; no stop
order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any
post-effective amendment thereto, and no stop order suspending or preventing the
use of the U.S. Pricing Prospectus, the U.S. Prospectus or any Issuer Free
Writing Prospectus, shall have been issued by the Commission and no proceedings
therefor shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; all requests
for additional information on the part of the Canadian Qualifying Authorities or
the Commission shall have been complied with to the Underwriters’ reasonable
satisfaction; and all necessary regulatory or stock exchange approvals shall
have been received.
(b) At the
Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx LLP,
Canadian counsel for the Company, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the
Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the
Underwriters, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto.
(c) At the
Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of Xxxx, Weiss,
Rifkind, Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP, United States counsel for the Company,
dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters and the
Sub-Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to you, to the effect set
forth in Annex II hereto.
(d) At the
Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of Argentinian counsel
to Company, Canadian counsel to the Company, Mexican counsel to the
Company and Peruvian counsel to the Company, each dated the Closing Date
and addressed to the Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters, in form and
substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, as to ownership by the Company and
its Material Subsidiaries of the Pirquitas Project, the Diablillos Project, the
San Xxxx Project, the Snowfield Project and the Pitarrilla Project, and with
respect to such matters related to the transactions contemplated hereby
reasonably requested by the Underwriters.
24
(e)
At the Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of local
counsel in the jurisdictions of incorporation of the Company’s Material
Subsidiaries, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters and the
Sub-Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, as to
ownership of the Material Subsidiaries, due incorporation or organization, valid
existence and good standing (if such concept is recognized in such jurisdiction)
and such other matters as may reasonably be requested by the
Underwriters.
(f) At the
Closing Date, you shall have received the written opinion of Skadden, Arps,
Slate, Xxxxxxx & Xxxx LLP, the Underwriters’ United States counsel, and
Blake, Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP, the Underwriters’ Canadian counsel, (together,
“Underwriters’ Counsel”), dated the Closing Date and addressed to the
Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters, in form and substance satisfactory to the
Underwriters, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Shares, the Canadian
Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the U.S.
Prospectus and such other matters as you may require, and the Company shall have
furnished to Underwriters’ Counsel such documents as they may reasonably request
for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
(g) At the
Closing Date, the Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters shall have received a
certificate of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the
Company, dated the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the
Underwriters, as to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the
Company set forth in Section 1 hereof as of the date hereof and as of the
Closing Date, as to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations
hereunder to be performed at or prior to the Closing Date, and as to the matters
set forth in subsections (a) and (i) of this Section 6.
(h) At the
time this Agreement is executed and at the Closing Date, you shall have received
comfort letters, from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent chartered
accountants for the Company, dated as of the date of this Agreement and as of
the Closing Date, respectively, and addressed to the Underwriters and the
Sub-Underwriters and their respective U.S. or Canadian affiliates, and in form
and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters and Underwriters’
Counsel.
(i) Neither
the Company nor any Material Subsidiary shall have sustained, since the date of
the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in
the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, any material loss or interference
with its business or properties from fire, explosion, flood, hurricane, accident
or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor
dispute or any legal or governmental proceeding, other than as set forth in the
Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses (exclusive of any amendment or
supplement thereto); and subsequent to the dates as of which information is
given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectuses and the
Prospectuses (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto), there shall not
have been any change in the share capital or long-term or short-term debt of the
Company or any Subsidiary or any change or any development involving a change,
whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, in
the business, general affairs, management, condition (financial or otherwise),
results of operations, shareholders’ equity, properties or prospects of the
Company and the Subsidiaries, individually or taken as a whole, the effect of
which, in any such case described
25
above,
is, in the judgment of the Lead Manager, so material and adverse as to make it
impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the Offering on the terms and in
the manner contemplated in the Pricing Prospectuses and the Prospectuses
(exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).
(j) The
Underwriters shall have received a duly executed lock-up agreement from each
person who is a director or officer of the Company listed on Schedule II hereto,
in each case substantially in the form attached hereto as Annex
III.
(k) At the
Closing Date, the Shares shall have been conditionally approved for listing on
the TSX and shall be listed on Nasdaq.
(l) At the
Closing Date, FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the
fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements for the
Offering.
(m) Prior to
the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Lead Manager
satisfactory evidence of its due and valid authorization of CT Corporation
System as its agent to receive service of process in the United States pursuant
to Section 14 hereof, and satisfactory evidence from CT Corporation accepting
its appointment as such agent.
(n) The
Company shall have furnished the Underwriters and Underwriters’ Counsel with
such other certificates, opinions or other documents as they may have reasonably
requested.
If any of
the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when
and as required by this Agreement, or if any of the certificates, opinions,
written statements or letters furnished to the Underwriters, Sub-Underwriters or
to Underwriters’ Counsel pursuant to this Section 6 shall not be satisfactory in
form and substance to the Lead Manager and to Underwriters’ Counsel, all
obligations of the Underwriters and the Sub-Underwriters hereunder may be
cancelled by the Lead Manager at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date and
the obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Additional Shares may be
cancelled by the Lead Manager at, or at any time prior to, the Additional
Closing Date. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the
Company in writing or by telephone. Any such telephone notice shall
be confirmed promptly thereafter in writing.
7. Indemnification.
(a) The
Company shall indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and Sub-Underwriter
and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter within
the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange
Act, against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses
whatsoever as incurred (including but not limited to attorneys’ fees and any and
all expenses whatsoever incurred in investigating, preparing or defending
against any litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, and
any and all amounts paid in settlement of any claim or litigation), joint or
several, to which they or any of them may become subject under Canadian
Securities Laws, the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as
such losses, liabilities, claims, damages
26
or
expenses (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) any
untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained (A) in
any Pricing Prospectus or Prospectus, as originally filed or in any supplement
thereto or amendment thereof, in the Registration Statement, as originally filed
or any amendment thereof, or in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or in any
“issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act)
filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act,
or (B) in any other materials or information provided to investors by, or with
the approval of, the Company in connection with the Offering, including in any
“road show” (as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act) for the Offering
(“Marketing Materials”), or (ii) the omission or alleged omission to state in
any Pricing Prospectus or Prospectus, as originally filed or in any supplement
thereto or amendment thereof, in the Registration Statement, as originally filed
or any amendment thereof, or in any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or in any
“issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act)
filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act,
or in any Marketing Materials, a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances
under which they were made (in the case of any prospectus), not misleading;
provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the
extent but only to the extent that any such loss, liability, claim, damage or
expense arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon
and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on
behalf of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager expressly
for use therein. The parties agree that such information provided by
or on behalf of any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager
consists solely of the material referred to in Section 16
hereof. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability
which the Company may otherwise have, including but not limited to other
liability under this Agreement.
(b) Each
Underwriter and Sub-Underwriter, severally and not jointly, shall indemnify and
hold harmless the Company, each of the officers and directors of the Company,
and each other person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of
Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, against any
losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses whatsoever as incurred
(including but not limited to attorneys’ fees and any and all expenses
whatsoever incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any
litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, and any and all
amounts paid in settlement of any claim or litigation), joint or several, to
which they or any of them may become subject under Canadian Securities Laws, the
Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses,
liabilities, claims, damages or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) arise
out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in any Pricing Prospectus or Prospectus, as originally
filed or any amendment thereof or amendment thereto, or in the Registration
Statement, as originally filed or any amendment thereof, or arise out of or are
based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that any such
loss, liability, claim, damage or expense arises out of or is based upon any
such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter or
Sub
27
Underwriter
through the Lead Manager specifically for use therein; provided, however, that
in no case shall any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter be liable or responsible for
any amount in excess of the underwriting commission applicable to the Shares to
be purchased by such Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter hereunder. The
parties agree that such information provided by or on behalf of any Underwriter
or Sub-Underwriter through the Lead Manager consists solely of the material
referred to in Section 16 hereof.
(c) Promptly
after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of
notice of any claims or the commencement of any action, such indemnified party
shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying
party under such subsection, notify each party against whom indemnification is
to be sought in writing of the claim or the commencement thereof (but the
failure so to notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve the indemnifying
party from any liability which it may have under this Section 7, unless and to
the extent such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of
substantial right and defenses). In case any such claim or action is brought
against any indemnified party, and it notifies an indemnifying party of the
commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate, at
its own expense in the defense of such action, and to the extent it may elect by
written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the
aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with
counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party acting reasonably; provided
however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the
written consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified
party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the indemnified party or
parties shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case
(including one local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction), but the fees and
expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party or
parties unless (i) the employment of such counsel shall have been authorized in
writing by one of the indemnifying parties in connection with the defense of
such action, (ii) the indemnifying parties shall not have employed counsel to
have charge of the defense of such action within a reasonable time after notice
of commencement of the action, (iii) the indemnifying party does not diligently
defend the action after assumption of the defense, or (iv) such indemnified
party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses
available to it or them which are different from or additional to those
available to one or all of the indemnifying parties (in which case the
indemnifying parties shall not have the right to direct the defense of such
action on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of which events
such fees and expenses shall be borne by the indemnifying parties. No
indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified
parties, effect any settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of
judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened claim, investigation, action
or proceeding in respect of which indemnity or contribution may be or could have
been sought by an indemnified party under this Section 7 or Section 8 hereof
(whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party thereto),
unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional
release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim,
investigation, action or proceeding and (ii) does not include a statement as to
or an admission of fault, culpability or any failure to act, by or on behalf of
the indemnified party. If at any time an indemnified party shall have
requested in writing an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party
for any fees and expenses as contemplated by this Section 7(c), then the
indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for
28
any
settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such
settlement is entered into more than 60 business days after receipt by such
indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall
not have fully reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request
prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such indemnified party shall have
given the indemnifying party at least 30 days' prior written notice of its
intention to settle.
8. Contribution. In
order to provide for contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification
provided for in Section 7 hereof is for any reason held to be unavailable from
any indemnifying party or is insufficient to hold harmless a party indemnified
thereunder, the Company and the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters shall
contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses of
the nature contemplated by such indemnification provision (including any
investigation, legal and other expenses incurred in connection with, and any
amount paid in settlement of, any action, suit or proceeding or any claims
asserted, but after deducting in the case of losses, claims, damages,
liabilities and expenses suffered by the Company, any contribution received by
the Company from persons, other than the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters, who
may also be liable for contribution, including persons who control the Company
within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the
Exchange Act, officers of the Company who signed the Canadian Prospectuses and
the Registration Statement and each director of the Company) as incurred to
which the Company and one or more of the Underwriters or Sub-Underwriters may be
subject, in such proportions as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits
received by the Company and the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters from the
Offering or, if such allocation is not permitted by applicable law, in such
proportions as are appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits
referred to above but also the relative fault of the Company and the
Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters in connection with the statements or omissions
which resulted in such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses, as well
as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits
received by the Company and the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters shall be
deemed to be in the same proportion as (x) the total proceeds from the Offering
(net of underwriting discounts and commissions but before deducting expenses)
received by the Company bears to (y) the underwriting discount or commissions
received by the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters, in each case as set forth in
the table on the cover page of the U.S. Prospectus. The relative
fault of each of the Company and of the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters shall
be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state
a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the
Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge,
access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or
omission. The Company and the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters agree
that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section
8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters and
Sub-Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other
method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations
referred to above in this Section 8. The aggregate amount of losses,
liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and
referred to above in this Section 8 shall be deemed to include any legal or
other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating,
preparing or defending against any litigation, or any
29
investigation
or proceeding by any judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency
or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such
untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, (i) no
Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in
excess of the amount by which the discounts and commissions applicable to the
Shares underwritten by it and distributed to the public exceeds the amount of
any damages which such Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter has otherwise been
required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission
or alleged omission and (ii) no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation
(within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to
contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person, if
any, who controls an Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter within the meaning of
Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act shall have
the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter, and each
person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the
Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and each officer and director
of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company subject
in each case to clauses (i) and (ii) of the immediately preceding
sentence. Any party entitled to contribution will, promptly after
receipt of notice of commencement of any action, suit or proceeding against such
party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made against another
party or parties, notify each party or parties from whom contribution may be
sought, but the omission to so notify such party or parties shall not relieve
the party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any obligation it
or they may have under this Section 8 or otherwise. The obligations
of the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters to contribute pursuant to this Section
8 are several in proportion to the respective number of Shares to be purchased
by each of the Underwriters and Sub-Underwriters hereunder and not
joint.
9. Underwriter
Default.
(a) If any
Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligation to purchase
Firm Shares or Additional Shares hereunder, and if the Firm Shares or Additional
Shares with respect to which such default relates (the “Default Shares”) do not
(after giving effect to arrangements, if any, made by the Lead Manager pursuant
to subsection (b) below) exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm
Shares or Additional Shares, each non-defaulting Underwriter, acting severally
and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company that number of Default
Shares that bears the same proportion of the total number of Default Shares then
being purchased as the number of Firm Shares set forth opposite the name of such
Underwriter in Schedule I hereto bears to the aggregate number of Firm Shares
set forth opposite the names of the non-defaulting Underwriters, subject,
however, to such adjustments to eliminate fractional shares as the Lead Manager
in its sole discretion shall make.
(b) In the
event that the aggregate number of Default Shares exceeds 10% of the number of
Firm Shares or Additional Shares, as the case may be, the Lead Manager may in
its discretion arrange for itself or for another party or parties (including any
non-defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters who so agree) to purchase the Default
Shares on the terms contained herein. In the event that within five
calendar days after such a default the Lead Manager do not arrange for the
purchase of the Default Shares as provided in this Section 9, this
30
Agreement
or, in the case of a default with respect to the Additional Shares, the
obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Company to sell the
Additional Shares shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of
the Company with respect thereto (except in each case as provided in Sections 5,
7, 8, 10 and 11(d)) or the non-defaulting Underwriters, but nothing
in this Agreement shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters of its
or their liability, if any, to the other Underwriters and the Company for
damages occasioned by its or their default hereunder.
(c) In the
event that any Default Shares are to be purchased by the non-defaulting
Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid,
the Lead Manager or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing
Date or Additional Closing Date, as the case may be for a period, not exceeding
five business days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made
necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectuses or in any other
documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any
amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectuses which,
in the opinion of Underwriters’ Counsel, may thereby be made necessary or
advisable. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall
include any party substituted under this Section 9 with like effect as if it had
originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Firm Shares and
Additional Shares.
10. Survival of Representations
and Agreements. All representations and warranties, covenants
and agreements of the Underwriters, the Sub-Underwriters and the Company
contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any
Subsidiary submitted pursuant hereto, including the agreements contained in
Section 5, the indemnity agreements contained in Section 7 and the contribution
agreements contained in Section 8, shall remain operative and in full force and
effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter,
Sub-Underwriter or any controlling person thereof or by or on behalf of the
Company, any of its officers and directors or any controlling person thereof,
and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares to and by the
Underwriters. The representations contained in Section 1 and the
agreements contained in Sections 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11 hereof shall survive any
termination of this Agreement, including termination pursuant to Section 9 or 11
hereof.
11. Effective Date of Agreement;
Termination.
(a) This
Agreement shall become effective when the parties hereto have executed and
delivered this Agreement.
(b) The
Underwriters shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior
to the Closing Date or to terminate the obligations of the Underwriters to
purchase the Additional Shares at any time prior to the Additional Closing Date,
as the case may be, if, at or after the Applicable Time, (i) any domestic or
international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted, or in the
opinion of the Underwriters will in the immediate future materially disrupt, the
market for the Company’s securities or securities in general; or (ii) trading in
the Company’s common shares shall have been suspended by the Commission, the
Canadian Qualifying Authorities, the TSX or Nasdaq, or trading in securities
generally on the New York
31
Stock
Exchange (“NYSE”), Nasdaq or on the TSX shall have been suspended or been made
subject to material limitations, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall
have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been
required, on the NYSE, Nasdaq or TSX or by order of the Commission or any other
governmental authority having jurisdiction; or (iii) a banking moratorium has
been declared by any U.S. state or U.S. or Canadian federal authority or any
material disruption in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance
services shall have occurred; or (iv) any downgrading shall have occurred in the
Company’s corporate credit rating or the rating accorded the Company’s debt
securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as
defined for purposes of Rule 436(g) under the Securities Act) or any such
organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or
review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any of the Company’s
debt securities or any notice or announcement shall have been given or made of
any watch, review or possible change that does not indicate an affirmation or
improvement in the rating accorded; or (v) (A) there shall have occurred any
outbreak or escalation of hostilities or acts of terrorism involving the United
States or there is a declaration of a national emergency or war by the United
States or (B) there shall have been any other calamity or crisis or any change
in political, financial or economic conditions if the effect of any such event
in (A) or (B), in the judgment of the Underwriters, makes it impracticable or
inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale and delivery of the Firm Shares
or the Additional Shares, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner
contemplated by the Prospectuses.
(c) Any
notice of termination pursuant to this Section 11 shall be in
writing.
(d) If this
Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to any of the provisions hereof (other
than pursuant to Section 9(b) hereof), or if the sale of the Shares provided for
herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the
Underwriters or the Sub-Underwriters set forth herein is not satisfied or
because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to
perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof, the Company
will, subject to demand by the Underwriters, reimburse the Underwriters for all
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of
their counsel), incurred by the Underwriters in connection
herewith.
12. Notices. All
communications hereunder, except as may be otherwise specifically provided
herein, shall be in writing, and:
(a) if sent
to any Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter, shall be delivered, or faxed and
confirmed in writing, to such Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter c/o UBS Securities
Canada Inc., Suite 4100, 000 Xxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, X0X 0X0,
Attention: Syndicate Department, with a copy to Skadden, Arps, Slate,
Xxxxxxx & Xxxx LLP at 000 Xxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxx, X0X 0X0,
Attention: Xxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, and to Blake, Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxx LLP, 2600,
Three Bentall Centre, 000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, X.X. Xxx 00000, Xxxxxxxxx, XX X0X 0X0,
Attention: Xxx Xxxxxx;
(b) if sent
to the Company, shall be delivered, or faxed and confirmed in writing to the
Company and its counsel at the addresses set forth in the Registration
Statement;
32
provided, however, that any
notice to an Underwriter or Sub-Underwriter pursuant to Section 7 shall be
delivered or sent by facsimile transmission to such Underwriter or
Sub-Underwriter at its address set forth in its acceptance facsimile to the Lead
Manager, which address will be supplied to any other party hereto by the Lead
Manager upon request. Any such notices and other communications shall
take effect at the time of receipt thereof.
13. Parties. This
Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of, and shall be binding upon, the
Underwriters, the Sub-Underwriters and the Company and the controlling persons,
directors, officers, employees and agents referred to in Sections 7 and 8
hereof, and their respective successors and assigns, and no other person shall
have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under
or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provision herein
contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof
are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and
said controlling persons and their respective successors, officers, directors,
heirs and legal representatives, and it is not for the benefit of any other
person, firm or corporation. The term “successors and assigns” shall
not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of Shares from any of the
Underwriters or the Sub-Underwriters.
14. Governing Law and
Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial. This Agreement shall be governed by
and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New
York. The Company irrevocably (a) submits to the jurisdiction
of any court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for
the Southern District of the State of New York (each a “New York Court”) for the
purpose of any suit, action, or other proceeding arising out of this Agreement,
or any of the agreements or transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the
Registration Statement and the Prospectuses (each, a “Proceeding”), (b) agrees
that all claims in respect of any Proceeding may be heard and determined in any
New York Court, (c) waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any immunity
from jurisdiction of any New York Court or from any legal process therein, (d)
agrees not to commence any Proceeding other than in a New York Court, and (e)
waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claim that such Proceeding
is brought in an inconvenient forum. The Company hereby irrevocably
designates CT Corporation System, 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx,
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, as agent upon whom
process against the Company may be served. THE COMPANY (ON BEHALF OF
ITSELF AND, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ON BEHALF OF ITS RESPECTIVE
EQUITY HOLDERS AND CREDITORS) HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY
JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY CLAIM BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH
THIS AGREEMENT AND THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT, THE
REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUS.
15.
Judgment Currency.
If for the
purposes of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert a sum due
hereunder into any currency other than U.S. dollars, the parties hereto agree,
to the fullest extent that they may effectively do so, that the rate of exchange
used shall be the rate at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the
Underwriters could purchase U.S. dollars with such other currency in The City of
New York on the business day preceding that on which final judgment is
given. The obligations of the Company in respect of any sum due from
it to any Underwriter shall, notwithstanding any judgment in any
currency
33
other
than U.S. dollars, not be discharged until the first business day, following
receipt by such Underwriter of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other
currency, on which (and only to the extent that) such Underwriter may in
accordance with normal banking procedures purchase U.S. dollars with such other
currency; if the U.S. dollars so purchased are less than the sum originally due
to such Underwriter hereunder, the Company agrees, as a separate obligation and
notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Underwriter against such
loss. If the U.S. dollars so purchased are greater than the sum
originally due to such Underwriter hereunder, such Underwriter agrees to pay to
the Company an amount equal to the excess of the U.S. dollars so purchased over
the sum originally due to such Underwriter hereunder.
16. The
parties acknowledge and agree that, for purposes of Sections 1(c), 1(d), 1(e),
1(f) and 7 hereof, the information provided by or on behalf of any Underwriter
or Sub-Underwriter consists solely of the material included in paragraphs 6, 12,
13, and 14 in each case under the caption “Underwriting” in the Prospectuses,
only insofar as such statements relate to selling concession and stabilization
activities that may undertaken by any Underwriter or
Sub-Underwriter.
17. No Fiduciary
Relationship. The Company hereby acknowledges that the
Underwriters are acting solely as underwriters in connection with the purchase
and sale of the Company’s securities contemplated hereby. The Company
further acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting pursuant to a contractual
relationship created solely by this Agreement entered into on an arm’s length
basis, and in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be
responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, shareholders or
creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the
Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of such purchase
and sale of the Company’s securities, either before or after the date
hereof. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or
similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions,
and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that
effect. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each
responsible for making their own independent judgments with respect to any such
transactions and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters to the
Company regarding such transactions, including, but not limited to, any opinions
or views with respect to the price or market for the Company’s securities, do
not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company
and the Underwriters agree that the Underwriters are acting as principal and not
the agent or fiduciary of the Company and no Underwriter has assumed, and no
Underwriter will assume, any advisory responsibility in favor of the Company
with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby or the process leading
thereto (irrespective of whether any Underwriter has advised or is currently
advising the Company on other matters). The Company hereby waives and
releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company
may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach
of any fiduciary, advisory or similar duty to the Company in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such
transactions.
18. Miscellaneous. UBS,
an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of UBS AG, is not a bank and is separate
from any affiliated bank, including any U.S. branch or agency of
UBS
34
AG. Because
UBS is a separately incorporated entity, it is solely responsible for its own
contractual obligations and commitments, including obligations with respect to
sales and purchases of securities. Securities sold, offered or
recommended by UBS are not deposits, are not insured by the Federal Deposit
Insurance Corporation, are not guaranteed by a branch or agency, and are not
otherwise an obligation or responsibility of a branch or agency.
19. Counterparts. This
Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute
one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement
by facsimile transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery
thereof.
20. Headings. The
headings herein are inserted for convenience of reference only and are not
intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this
Agreement.
21. Time is of the
Essence. Time shall be of the essence of this
Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day
when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for
business.
[signature
page follows]
35
If the
foregoing correctly sets forth your understanding, please so indicate in the
space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a
binding agreement among us.
Very truly
yours,
SILVER STANDARD RESOURCES INC. | |||
|
By:
|
/s/ Xxx Xxxxxxx | |
Name: Xxx Xxxxxxx | |||
Title: Senior Vice President, Corporate | |||
Accepted
as of the date first above written
UBS
SECURITIES CANADA INC.
By: /s/ Xxxxx
Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxxx
Xxxxxx
Title: Executive
Director
On behalf
of itself and the other
Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto.
XXXXXX
XXXXXXX & CO. INCORPORATED
|
SCOTIA
CAPITAL INC.
|
By: /s/
Xxxx X. Xxxxx
Name:
Xxxx X. Xxxxx
Title:
Managing Director
|
By: /s/
Xxxxxx
Xxxxx
Name:
Xxxxxx Xxxxx
Title Managing
Director
|
BLACKMONT
CAPITAL INC.
|
GMP
SECURITIES L.P.
|
By:
/s/ Xxxx
Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxx Xxxxxx
Title: Managing
Director
|
By:
/s/ Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx
Name:
Xxxx Xxxxxxxx
Title: Managing
Director
|
NATIONAL
BANK FINANCIAL INC.
|
SALMAN
PARTNERS INC.
|
By:
/s/
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxx
Title: Managing
Director
|
By:
/s/Xxxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxx
Name: Xxxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxx
Title: President
& CEO
|
As
Underwriters
DEUTSCHE BANK SECURITIES LIMITED | CREDIT SUISSE SECURITIES (CANADA), INC. |
By: /s/
Rod Ohara___
Name: Xxx Xxxxx Title: Director
|
By: /s/
Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
Name:Xxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx
Title: Director
|
As
Sub-Underwriters
SCHEDULE
I
Underwriter
|
Total
Number of Firm
Shares to be Purchased
|
Number
of Additional
Shares
to
be Purchased if
Option is Fully
Exercised
|
|
UBS
Securities Canada Inc.
|
2,203,490
|
330,480
|
|
Deutsche
Bank Securities Inc.
|
579,870
|
86,990
|
|
Credit
Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
|
463,790
|
69,570
|
|
Xxxxxxx
Xxxx & Co. LLC
|
463,790
|
69,570
|
|
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
|
463,790
|
69,570
|
|
Scotia
Capital Inc.
|
347,710
|
52,160
|
|
Blackmont
Capital Inc.
|
231,890
|
34,790
|
|
GMP
Securities L.P.
|
231,890
|
34,790
|
|
National
Bank Financial Inc.
|
231,890
|
34,790
|
|
Salman
Partners Inc.
|
231,890
|
34,790
|
|
Total
|
5,450,000
|
817,500
|
SCHEDULE
II
1.
|
Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxxxxx
|
2.
|
Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxx
|
3.
|
Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
|
4.
|
Xxxxxxx
X. XxXxxxxxxx
|
5.
|
Xxx
S.Q. Xxx
|
6.
|
Xxxxx
X. Xxxxxxx
|
7.
|
A.E.
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
|
8.
|
Xxxx
X. Xxxxxx FCA
|
9.
|
Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx, MBE
|
10.
|
R.E.
Xxxxxx Xxxxx
|
11.
|
Xxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
|
12.
|
Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxx
|
EXHIBIT
A
Material
Subsidiaries
Name of Subsidiary
|
Jurisdiction
|
Mina
Pirquitas, Inc.
|
Argentina
|
777666
B.C. Ltd.
|
British
Columbia
|
Pacific
Rim Mining Corporation Argentina S.A.
|
Argentina
|
Silver
Standard Durango S.A. de C.V.
|
Mexico
|
Reliant
Ventures S.A.C.
|
Peru
|
Silver
Standard Ventures Inc.
|
British
Columbia
|
EXHIBIT
B
Material
Agreements
1. Joint
venture agreement, dated September 6, 2005, between Xxxxxxxxx Silver Corporation
and the Company.
ANNEX
I
Form of Opinion of Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx LLP
1.
|
Each
of the Company and Silver Standard Ventures Inc. and 777666 B.C. Ltd. (the
“Canadian Subsidiaries”) has been duly incorporated and validly exists as
a corporation in good standing with respect to the filing of returns under
the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, with all necessary
corporate power and capacity to own, lease or license, as the case may be,
its properties and conduct its business as described in the
Prospectuses. The Company and the Canadian Subsidiaries are
extra-provincially registered in [Provinces to be
specified].
|
2.
|
The
Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the
Prospectuses. The share capital of the Company conforms in all
material respects to the description thereof contained under the heading
“Description of Share Capital” in the Prospectuses. The Shares
to be delivered on the Closing Date and the Additional Closing Date, if
any, have been duly and validly authorized and, when delivered in
accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, will be duly and validly
issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The holders of the
outstanding common shares of the Company are not entitled to subscribe for
the Shares pursuant to preemptive or similar rights under the Company’s
constating documents or the Material Agreements. All of the
issued shares in the share capital of the Canadian Subsidiaries as
reflected in the securities registers of the Canadian Subsidiaries are
registered in the name of the Company. The form of certificates
for the common shares of the Company complies with British Columbia
statutory requirements, with any applicable requirements of the constating
documents of the Company and with the requirements of the
TSX.
|
3.
|
To
the knowledge of such counsel, no holders of securities of the Company
have rights to the qualification of such securities under the Canadian
Prospectus.
|
4.
|
The
outstanding common shares of the Company are listed on the TSX and the
Shares have been conditionally approved for listing on the
TSX.
|
5.
|
The
Underwriting Agreement has been duly and validly authorized, executed and
delivered by the Company (to the extent that execution and delivery are
governed by the laws of British
Columbia).
|
6.
|
To
such counsel’s knowledge and other than as set forth in the Pricing
Prospectuses and the Prospectuses, there are no judicial, regulatory or
other legal or governmental proceedings pending by or before any court or
governmental agency, authority or body to which the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined adversely to the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate
have a Material Adverse Effect; and, to such counsel’s knowledge, no such
proceedings are threatened.
|
7.
|
The
execution, delivery, and performance of the Underwriting Agreement and
consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting
Agreement and the Prospectuses do not and will not (A) conflict with or
result in a breach of any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a
default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time, or both, would
constitute a default) under, or result in the creation or imposition of
any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to the Material Agreements, or (B)
violate or conflict with any provision of the constating documents of the
Company or the Canadian Subsidiary, or, to the knowledge of such counsel,
any judgment, decree, order, statute, rule or regulation of any Canadian
court or judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or
body.
|
8.
|
The
Company is a “reporting issuer” under the securities legislation of each
of the Canadian Jurisdictions which provide for such status and is not on
the list of defaulting issuers maintained
thereunder.
|
9.
|
The
statements under the captions “Eligibility for Investment”, “Certain
Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders – Certain Canadian Federal
Income Tax Considerations”, “Certain Income Tax Considerations for
Canadian Holders” and “Statutory Rights of Withdrawal and Rescission” in
the Canadian Prospectus and Part II - Indemnification of the Registration
Statement, insofar as such statements constitute a summary of the legal
matters, documents or proceedings referred to therein, are, in all
material respects, accurate summaries of such legal matters, documents and
proceedings.
|
10.
|
A
Decision Document has been obtained in respect of the Canadian Preliminary
Base Shelf Prospectus and the Canadian Final Base Shelf Prospectus from
the Reviewing Authority and, subject to the filing of standard
post-closing notices of distribution, all necessary documents have been
filed, all necessary proceedings have been taken and all necessary
consents, approvals, and authorizations have been obtained, in each case
by the Company, under Canadian Securities Laws to permit the Shares to be
offered, sold and delivered, as contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement
in the Canadian Jurisdictions by or through investment dealers or brokers
duly and properly registered under Canadian Securities Laws who have
complied with the relevant provisions of such laws and the terms of such
registration; to the knowledge of such counsel, no order suspending the
distribution of the Shares has been issued, no proceedings for that
purpose have been instituted or threatened by any of the Canadian
Qualifying Authorities.
|
11.
|
If
the Underwriting Agreement is sought to be enforced in the Province of
British Columbia in the first instance, in a court of competent
jurisdiction (a “B.C. Court”):
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(a)
|
a
B.C. Court will only take jurisdiction over such an action if it concludes
it has territorial competence to do so pursuant to section 3 of the Court
Jurisdiction and Proceedings Transfer Act, S.B.C. 2003, c. 28, or if it
has a basis for exercising its residual discretion to take jurisdiction
pursuant to section 6 of that Act;
|
(b)
|
a
B.C. Court, despite concluding that it has territorial
competence, retains the discretion to decline to take jurisdiction on the
following grounds:
|
2
(i)
|
to
do so would be contrary to public policy, as that term is understood under
the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the laws of Canada
applicable therein (“Public
Policy”);
|
(ii)
|
the
B.C. Court concludes that it should decline to exercise its territorial
competence to hear such an action pursuant to section 11 of the Court
Jurisdiction and Proceedings Transfer Act on the ground that a court of
another state is a more appropriate forum in which to hear the
action;
|
(iii)
|
the
B.C. Court concludes that by way of a clause in the Underwriting Agreement
(the “Forum Selection Clause”), the parties have selected the courts of
the State of New York as the exclusive jurisdiction for the resolution of
any disputes arising out of or relating to the Underwriting Agreement, the
action in question falls within the Forum Selection Clause and that there
is no strong cause not to give effect to the Forum Selection
Clause. A B.C. Court may conclude there is strong cause not to
enforce the Forum Selection Clause where: A) it offends Public Policy; B)
it was the product of grossly uneven bargaining positions; C) it is
otherwise unconscionable; or D) the agreement in which the clause is found
is void.
|
(c)
|
a
B.C. Court would give effect to the choice of the law of the State of New
York (“New York law”) as the governing law of contract claims under the
Underwriting Agreement, provided that such choice of law is bona fide (in
the sense that it was not made with a view to avoiding the consequences of
the laws of any other jurisdiction), provided that such choice of law is
not contrary to Public Policy, and provided that such choice of law is not
in conflict with a mandatory system of laws that would otherwise be the
proper law of the Underwriting Agreement. We have no reason to
believe that the choice of New York law to govern the Underwriting
Agreement (except as to provisions in the Underwriting Agreement relating
to indemnity or contribution, as to which we need express no opinion) is
not bona fide, would be contrary to Public Policy, or would conflict with
a mandatory system of laws that would otherwise be the proper law of the
Underwriting Agreement;
|
(d)
|
a
B.C. Court would, if it took jurisdiction over the action, subject to
paragraph (c) above, recognize the choice of New York law and, upon
appropriate evidence as to such law being adduced, apply such law with
respect to those matters which under the laws of the Province of British
Columbia are to be determined by the proper law of the Underwriting
Agreement (and in particular, but without limitation, not with respect to
matters of procedure), provided that none of the provisions of
Underwriting Agreement, or of applicable New York law, is contrary to
Public Policy and that those laws are not foreign revenue, expropriatory
or penal laws or other laws of a public nature; provided, however, that,
in matters of procedure, the laws of the Province of British Columbia will
be applied, and a B.C. Court may not enforce an obligation enforceable
under New
|
3
|
York
law where performance of the obligation would be illegal by the law of the
place of performance.
|
12.
|
The
laws of the Province of British Columbia and the laws of Canada applicable
therein permit an action to be brought in a B.C. Court on a final and
conclusive judgment in personam of a New York Court that is subsisting and
unsatisfied respecting the enforcement of the Underwriting Agreement that
is not impeachable as void or voidable under New York law for a sum
certain if: (A) the New York Court rendering such judgment had
jurisdiction, as determined under British Columbia Law, over the judgment
debtor and the subject matter of the action. In this context,
the B.C. Court would give effect to the appointment by the Company of CT
Corporation as its agent to receive service of process in the United
States of America and to the provisions of Underwriting Agreement whereby
the Company submits to the jurisdiction of a New York Court; (B) such
judgment was not obtained by fraud or in a manner contrary to natural
justice and the enforcement thereof would not be inconsistent with Public
Policy or contrary to any order made by the Attorney-General of Canada
under the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act (Canada) or any order made
by the Competition Tribunal under the Competition Act (Canada); (C) the
enforcement of such judgment does not constitute, directly or indirectly,
the enforcement of foreign revenue, expropriatory or penal laws or other
laws of a public nature; (D) the action to enforce such judgment is
commenced within the applicable limitation period; (E) in the case of a
judgment obtained by default, there has been no manifest error in the
granting of such judgment; and (F) no new admissible evidence, right or
defence relevant to the action is discovered prior to the rendering of
judgment by a B.C. Court. Under the Currency Act (Canada), a
B.C. Court may only give judgment in Canadian dollars. However,
pursuant to the Foreign Money Claims Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 155, a B.C.
court must order that the money payable under an order will be that amount
of Canadian currency that is necessary to purchase the equivalent amount
of a foreign currency at a chartered bank located in British Columbia at
the close of business on the conversion date, if the court considers that
the person in whose favour the order will be made will be most truly and
exactly compensated if all or part of the money payable under the order is
measured in a currency other than the currency of Canada. The
conversion date under the Foreign Money Claims Act is the last day, before
the day on which a payment under the order is made by the judgment debtor
to the judgment creditor that said chartered bank quotes a Canadian dollar
equivalent to the other currency.
|
13.
|
No
stamp or other issuance or transfer taxes or duties or withholding taxes
are payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters to the Government of
Canada or the Government of British Columbia or any political subdivision
thereof or any authority or agency thereof or therein having power to tax
in connection with (A) the issue, sale and delivery of the Shares by the
Company to or for the respective accounts of the Underwriters or (B) the
sale and delivery outside Canada by the Underwriters of the Shares in the
manner contemplated in the Underwriting
Agreement.
|
In
addition, such counsel shall also state in a separate letter:
4
“The
primary purpose of our professional engagement was not to establish factual
matters or financial, accounting or statistical information. In
addition, many determinations involved in the preparation of the Canadian
Prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference therein are of a wholly
or partially non-legal character or relate to legal matters outside the scope of
the Opinion. Furthermore, the limitations inherent in the independent
verification of factual matters and in the role of outside counsel are such that
we have not undertaken to independently verify, and cannot and do not assume
responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of, the statements
contained in the Canadian Prospectus (other than as explicitly stated in
paragraph 9 of the Opinion).
In the
course of acting as Canadian counsel to the Company in connection with the
offering of the Shares, we have participated in conferences and telephone
conversations with officers and other representatives of the Company, its U.S.
counsel, your representatives and your legal counsel and the independent
registered public accountants for the Company during which conferences and
conversations the contents of the Canadian Pricing Prospectus and the Canadian
Prospectus and related matters were discussed. Based upon such
participation (and relying as to materiality with respect to factual matters to
the extent we deemed reasonable on officers, employees and other representatives
of the Company), we hereby advise you that our work in connection with this
matter did not disclose any information that gave us reason to believe that (i)
as of the Applicable Time, the Pricing Disclosure Package (except for the
financial statements, financial statement schedules and other financial data
included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom or from those
documents incorporated by reference and the information derived from the reports
of, or prepared under the supervision of or reviewed by (as stated therein),
Mine Development Associates, Inc., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx, CPG, Xxxxxxx Mining
Industry Consultants Inc., Xxxx X. Xxxxx, X.Xx., P. Geo., Sundance Ventures, X.
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, P. Xxx., Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Associates Inc., Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxxx, P. Geo., Xxxxxx Puritch, P.Eng., Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, P.Geo., P&E
Mining Consultants Inc., Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, P.G., Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, X.Xx, P.G.,
Xxxxx Xxxxx, P. Xxx., Ph.D., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, X.Xx, P. Geo., Xxxx Xxxxx, CPG,
Pr.Sc.Nat.; J. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxx, Minorex Consulting Ltd., Resource Modeling
Inc., Resource Evaluations Inc. and the Company's employees, Xxxxx X. XxXxxx,
X.Xx., P. Geo., Xxx Xxxxxx, X.Xx., P.Geo., Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxxxxx, X.Xx., P. Eng.
and Xxxx X. XxxXxx, P. Eng., independent qualified persons, in reliance on the
authority of such persons as “experts”, as
to which we express no such belief) included an untrue statement of a material
fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading or (ii) at the time the Canadian Prospectus was
issued, at the time any amended or supplemented prospectus was issued or at the
Closing Date, the Canadian Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto
(except for the financial statements, financial statement schedules and other
financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted
therefrom or from those documents incorporated by reference and the information
derived from the reports of, or prepared under the supervision of or reviewed by
(as stated therein), Mine Development Associates, Inc., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx,
CPG, Xxxxxxx Mining Industry Consultants Inc., Xxxx X. Xxxxx, X.Xx., P. Geo.,
Sundance Ventures, X. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, P. Xxx., Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Associates Inc., Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx, P. Geo., Xxxxxx Puritch, P.Eng., Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx, P.Geo., P&E Mining Consultants Inc., Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, P.G., Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, X.Xx, P.G., Xxxxx Xxxxx, P. Xxx.,
5
Ph.D.,
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, X.Xx, P. Geo., Xxxx Xxxxx, CPG, Pr.Sc.Nat.; J. Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxx, Minorex Consulting Ltd., Resource Modeling Inc., Resource
Evaluations Inc. and the Company's employees, Xxxxx X. XxXxxx, X.Xx., P. Geo.,
Xxx Xxxxxx, X.Xx., P.Geo., Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxxxxx, X.Xx., P. Eng. and Xxxx X.
XxxXxx, P. Eng., independent qualified persons, in reliance on the authority of
such persons as “experts”, as to which we express no such belief) included an
untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. For
purposes of this letter, the term “Pricing Disclosure Package” means the
Canadian Pricing Prospectus taken together with the information set forth in
Annex IV to the Underwriting Agreement, to the extent determined at the
Applicable Time.”
6
ANNEX
II
Form of Opinion of Xxxx,
Weiss, Rifkind, Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP
1.
|
Mina
Pirquitas, Inc. has been duly incorporated and is validly existing and in
good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has all
necessary corporate power and authority to own and hold its properties and
conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement and the
U.S. Prospectus.
|
2.
|
All
of the issued shares of capital stock of Mina Pirquitas, Inc. are owned of
record directly or indirectly by the
Company.
|
3.
|
To
such counsel’s knowledge, there are no persons with registration or other
similar rights to have any equity or debt securities registered for sale
under the Registration Statement or included in the offering contemplated
by the Underwriting Agreement.
|
4.
|
Assuming
the due authorization, execution and delivery of the Underwriting
Agreement under the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the
federal laws of Canada applicable therein, the Underwriting Agreement (to
the extent that execution and delivery are governed by the laws of the
State of New York) has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the
Company.
|
5.
|
To
such counsel’s knowledge, there are no legal proceedings pending or
overtly threatened against the Company or any of its subsidiaries which
could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the
Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a
whole.
|
6.
|
The
issuance and sale of the Shares by the Company, the compliance by the
Company with all of the provisions of the Underwriting Agreement and the
performance by the Company of its obligations thereunder will not violate
Applicable Law or any judgment, order or decree of any court or arbitrator
known to such counsel. For purposes of this letter, the term
“Applicable Law” means the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware and those laws, rules and regulations of the United States of
America and the State of New York, in each case which in such counsel’s
experience are normally applicable to the transactions of the type
contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, except that, “Applicable Law”
does not include the anti-fraud provisions of the securities laws of any
applicable jurisdiction or any state securities or Blue Sky laws of the
various states.
|
7.
|
No
consent, approval, authorization or order of, or filing, registration or
qualification with, any Governmental Authority, which has not been
obtained, taken or made is required by the Company under any Applicable
Law for the issuance or sale of the Shares or the performance by the
Company of its obligations under the Underwriting
Agreement. For purposes of this letter, the term “Governmental
Authority” means any
|
|
executive,
legislative, judicial, administrative or regulatory body of the State of
New York, the State of Delaware or the United States of
America.
|
8.
|
The
Registration Statement and the U.S. Prospectus, as of their respective
effective or issue times, appear on their face to be appropriately
responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the
rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act (the “Rules and
Regulations”), except for the financial statements, financial statement
schedules and other financial data included or incorporated by reference
in or omitted from either of them, as to which such counsel expresses no
opinion.
|
9.
|
The
Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2007, as amended, which is incorporated by reference in the
Registration Statement and U.S. Prospectus (except for financial
statements, financial statement schedules and other financial data
included or incorporated by reference, in or omitted from either of them,
as to which such counsel expresses no opinion) appeared on its face to be
appropriately responsive in all material respects when so filed to the
requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”) and the rules and regulations
thereunder.
|
10.
|
The
Form F-X appears on its face to be appropriately responsive in all
material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Rules and
Regulations.
|
11.
|
The
statements in the U.S. Prospectus under the headings “Certain income tax
considerations for U.S. holders—Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations” and “Underwriting” to the extent that they constitute
summaries of United States federal law or regulation or legal conclusions
or documents, have been reviewed by such counsel and fairly summarize the
matters described under that heading in all material
respects.
|
12.
|
The
Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the
Shares, and the application of their proceeds as described in the U.S.
Prospectus under the heading “Use of proceeds,” will not be required to be
registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
promulgated thereunder.
|
13.
|
Under
the laws of the State of New York relating to submission to jurisdiction,
the Corporation has, pursuant to Section 14 of the Underwriting Agreement,
validly and irrevocably submitted to the personal jurisdiction of any
state or federal court located in the State of New York, in any action
arising out of or relating to the Underwriting Agreement or the
transactions contemplated thereby, has validly and irrevocably waived any
objection to the venue of a proceeding in any state court located in the
State of New York, and has validly and irrevocably appointed CT
Corporation System as its authorized agent for the purpose described in
the Underwriting Agreement. This opinion 13 is subject to the
qualification that such counsel expresses no opinion as to the
enforceability of forum selection clauses in the federal
courts.
|
In
addition, such counsel shall also state in a separate letter:
2
“The
Company has filed with the Commission a Registration Statement on Form F-10
(File No. 333-157223) under the Securities Act. The Registration
Statement was filed on February 11, 2009 and was amended on February 19,
2009. The Registration Statement became effective pursuant to Rule
467(b) under the Securities Act on February 23, 2009. All filings
required by Item II.L. of Form F-10 under the Securities Act have been made in
the manner and in the time period required therein. The Form F-X of
the Company dated February 10, 2009 (the “Form F-X”) was filed with the
Commission prior to the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement.
We have
been advised orally by the staff of the Commission that no stop order suspending
the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and to our
knowledge no proceedings for that purpose have been initiated or are pending or
are threatened by the Commission.
The
primary purpose of our professional engagement was not to establish factual
matters or financial, accounting or statistical information. In
addition, many determinations involved in the preparation of the Registration
Statement, U.S. Pricing Prospectus and the U.S. Prospectus and the documents
incorporated by reference therein are of a wholly or partially non-legal
character or relate to legal matters outside the scope of the
Opinion. Furthermore, the limitations inherent in the independent
verification of factual matters and in the role of outside counsel are such that
we have not undertaken to independently verify, and cannot and do not assume
responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of, the statements
contained in the Registration Statement, the U.S. Pricing Prospectus or the U.S.
Prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference therein (other than as
explicitly stated in paragraph 11 of the Opinion).
In the
course of acting as special U.S. counsel to the Company in connection with the
offering of the Shares, we have participated in conferences and telephone
conversations with officers and other representatives of the Company, its
Canadian counsel, your representatives and your legal counsel and the
independent registered public accountants for the Company during which
conferences and conversations the contents of the Registration Statement, the
U.S. Pricing Prospectus, the U.S. Prospectus and related matters were
discussed. Based upon such participation (and relying as to
materiality with respect to factual matters to the extent we deemed reasonable
on officers, employees and other representatives of the Company), we hereby
advise you that our work in connection with this matter did not disclose any
information that gave us reason to believe that (i) at the time it became
effective, the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto prior to the
Closing Date (except for the financial statements, financial statement schedules
and other financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or
omitted therefrom or from those documents incorporated by reference, and the
information derived from the reports of, or prepared under the supervision of or
reviewed by (as stated therein) Mine Development Associates, Inc., Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxx, CPG, Xxxxxxx Mining Industry Consultants Inc., Xxxx X. Xxxxx,
X.Xx., P. Geo., Sundance Ventures, X. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, P. Xxx., Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Associates Inc., Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx, P. Geo., Xxxxxx Puritch,
P.Eng., Xxxxxxx Xxxxx, P.Geo., P&E Mining Consultants Inc., Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx,
P.G., Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx, X.Xx, P.G., Xxxxx Xxxxx, P. Xxx., Ph.D., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx,
X.Xx, P. Geo., Xxxx Xxxxx, CPG, Pr.Sc.Nat.; J. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxx, Minorex
Consulting Ltd., Resource Modeling Inc., Resource Evaluations Inc. and the
Company's employees, Xxxxx X. XxXxxx, X.Xx., P. Geo., Max
3
Holtby,
X.Xx., P.Geo., Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxxxxx, X.Xx., P. Eng. and Xxxx X. XxxXxx, P.
Eng., independent qualified persons, in reliance on the authority of such
persons as “experts” within the meaning of the Act, as to which we express no
such belief), included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to
state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not
misleading; (ii) as of the Applicable Time, the Pricing Disclosure Package
(except for the financial statements, financial statement schedules and other
financial data included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted
therefrom or from those documents incorporated by reference and the information
derived from the reports of, or prepared under the supervision of or reviewed by
(as stated therein), Mine Development Associates, Inc., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx, CPG,
Xxxxxxx Mining Industry Consultants Inc., Xxxx X. Xxxxx, X.Xx., P. Geo.,
Sundance Ventures, X. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, P. Xxx., Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Associates Inc., Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx, P. Geo., Xxxxxx Puritch, P.Eng., Xxxxxxx
Xxxxx, P.Geo., P&E Mining Consultants Inc., Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, P.G., Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx, X.Xx, P.G., Xxxxx Xxxxx, P. Xxx., Ph.D., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, X.Xx, P.
Geo., Xxxx Xxxxx, CPG, Pr.Sc.Nat.; J. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxx, Minorex Consulting
Ltd., Resource Modeling Inc., Resource Evaluations Inc. and the Company's
employees, Xxxxx X. XxXxxx, X.Xx., P. Geo., Xxx Xxxxxx, X.Xx., P.Geo., Xxxxxxx
X. XxXxxxxxxx, X.Xx., P. Eng. and Xxxx X. XxxXxx, P. Eng., independent qualified
persons, in reliance on the authority of such persons as “experts” within the
meaning of the Act, as
to which we express no such belief) included an untrue statement of a material
fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading or (iii) at the time the U.S. Prospectus was issued,
at the time any amended or supplemented prospectus was issued or at the Closing
Date, the U.S. Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (except for the
financial statements, financial statement schedules and other financial data
included or incorporated by reference therein or omitted therefrom or from those
documents incorporated by reference, and the information derived from the
reports of, or prepared under the supervision of or reviewed by (as stated
therein), Mine Development Associates, Inc., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxx, CPG, Xxxxxxx
Mining Industry Consultants Inc., Xxxx X. Xxxxx, X.Xx., P. Geo., Sundance
Ventures, X. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, P. Xxx., Xxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx Associates
Inc., Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx, P. Geo., Xxxxxx Puritch, P.Eng., Xxxxxxx Xxxxx,
P.Geo., P&E Mining Consultants Inc., Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, P.G., Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx,
X.Xx, P.G., Xxxxx Xxxxx, P. Xxx., Ph.D., Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, X.Xx, P. Geo., Xxxx
Xxxxx, CPG, Pr.Sc.Nat.; J. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxxxxx, Minorex Consulting Ltd.,
Resource Modeling Inc., Resource Evaluations Inc. and the Company's employees,
Xxxxx X. XxXxxx, X.Xx., P. Geo., Xxx Xxxxxx, X.Xx., P.Geo., Xxxxxxx X.
XxXxxxxxxx, X.Xx., P. Eng. and Xxxx X. XxxXxx, P. Eng., independent qualified
persons, in reliance on the authority of such persons as “experts” within the
meaning of the Act, as to which we express no such belief) included an untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under
which they were made, not misleading. For
purposes of this letter, the term “Pricing Disclosure Package” means the U.S.
Pricing Prospectus taken together with the information set forth in Annex IV to
the Underwriting Agreement, to the extent determined at the Applicable
Time.”
4
ANNEX
III
Form of Lock-Up
Agreement
February ,
2009
UBS
Securities Canada Inc.
As
Representative of the several
Underwriters
referred to below
c/o UBS
Securities Canada Inc.
Silver Standard Resources
Inc. Lock-Up Agreement
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
This
letter agreement (this “Agreement”) relates to the proposed public offering (the
“Offering”) by Silver Standard Resources Inc., a British Columbia corporation
(the “Company”), of its common shares, without par value (the
“Shares”).
In order
to induce you and the other underwriters for which you act as representatives
(the “Underwriters”) to underwrite the Offering, the undersigned hereby agrees
that, without the prior written consent of UBS Securities Canada Inc. (the “Lead
Manager”), during the period from the date hereof until ninety (90) days from
the date of the final prospectus for the Offering (the “Lock-Up Period”), the
undersigned (a) will not, directly or indirectly, offer, sell, agree to offer or
sell, solicit offers to purchase, grant any call option or purchase any put
option with respect to, pledge, borrow or otherwise dispose of any Relevant
Security (as defined below), and (b) will not establish or increase any “put
equivalent position” or liquidate or decrease any “call equivalent position”
with respect to any Relevant Security (in each case within the meaning of
Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder), or otherwise enter into any swap,
derivative or other transaction or arrangement that transfers to another, in
whole or in part, any economic consequence of ownership of a Relevant Security,
whether or not such transaction is to be settled by delivery of Relevant
Securities, other securities, cash or other consideration. As used herein
“Relevant Security” means the Shares, any other equity security of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries and any security convertible into, or exercisable or
exchangeable for, any Shares or other such equity
security. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) the undersigned may
transfer Relevant Securities by bona fide gift, will or intestate succession,
and (ii) the undersigned may transfer Relevant Securities to any corporate
entity or partnership controlled by the undersigned, provided as to (i) and (ii)
above, each resulting transferee of Relevant Securities executes and delivers to
you an agreement satisfactory to you certifying that such transferee is bound by
the terms of this Agreement and has been in compliance with the terms hereof
since the date first above written as if it had been an original party
hereto.
This
Agreement shall not apply to the exercise of an option to purchase any
shares of the Company’s capital stock pursuant to existing stock option plans
of the Company. In addition, this
Agreement shall not restrict the sale or other disposition of Relevant
Securities
that are
acquired by the undersigned in the open market after the Offering is priced,
provided that any such sale or other disposition fully complies with, and is not
required to be disclosed or reported under, applicable law (including but not
limited to Section 16 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the rules
and regulations promulgated thereunder).
The
undersigned hereby authorizes the Company during the Lock-Up Period to cause any
transfer agent for the Relevant Securities to decline to transfer, and to note
stop transfer restrictions on the share register and other records relating to,
Relevant Securities for which the undersigned is the record holder and, in the
case of Relevant Securities for which the undersigned is the beneficial but not
the record holder, agrees during the Lock-Up Period to cause the record holder
to cause the relevant transfer agent to decline to transfer, and to note stop
transfer restrictions on the share register and other records relating to, such
Relevant Securities. The undersigned hereby further agrees that,
without the prior written consent of the Lead Manager, during the Lock-up Period
the undersigned (x) will not file or participate in the filing with the
Securities and Exchange Commission of any registration statement, or circulate
or participate in the circulation of any preliminary or final prospectus or
other disclosure document with respect to any proposed offering or sale of a
Relevant Security and (y) will not exercise any rights the undersigned may have
to require registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of any
proposed offering or sale of a Relevant Security.
The
undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power
and authority to enter into this Agreement and that this Agreement constitutes
the legal, valid and binding obligation of the undersigned, enforceable in
accordance with its terms. Upon request, the undersigned will execute
any additional documents necessary in connection with enforcement
hereof. Any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the
successors and assigns of the undersigned from the date first above
written.
This
Agreement shall terminate and be of no further force and effect in the event the
Company has not consummated the Offering by March 31, 2009.
This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of New York. Delivery of a signed copy of this letter by
facsimile transmission shall be effective as delivery of the original
hereof.
[signature
page follows]
Very
truly yours,
By:
Print
Name:
ANNEX IV
Pricing
Terms included in the Disclosure Package
Number of
Firm Shares Offered: 5,450,000
Number of
Additional Shares Offered: 817,500
Public
Offering Price per Share: US$17.00
Underwriting
Commission per Share: US$0.85
Date of
Delivery of Firm Shares: February 27, 2009
Issuer
Free Writing Prospectuses
None