VOTING AND EXCHANGE TRUST AGREEMENT
Exhibit 9.1
VOTING AND EXCHANGE AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) made as of the • day of •, 2011.
AMONG:
MAGNUM HUNTER RESOURCES CORPORATION, a corporation existing under
the laws of the State of Delaware (hereinafter referred to as
“Acquiror”),
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MHR EXCHANGECO CORPORATION, a corporation existing under the laws of
the Province of Alberta (hereinafter referred to as “ExchangeCo”),
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[•] TRUST COMPANY, a Canadian trust company incorporated under the
laws of [•] (hereinafter referred to as the “Trustee”),
WHEREAS, in connection with the Arrangement Agreement (as defined herein), ExchangeCo may be
required to issue Exchangeable Shares to certain holders of Class A shares in the capital of NuLoch
Resources Inc. (“NuLoch”), a corporation existing under the laws of Alberta, pursuant to the Plan
of Arrangement contemplated in the Arrangement Agreement;
AND WHEREAS, pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, Acquiror and ExchangeCo have agreed to
execute a voting and exchange trust agreement substantially in the form of this Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the respective covenants and agreements provided in this
Agreement and for other good and valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged), the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:
ARTICLE 1
INTERPRETATION
INTERPRETATION
1.1 Definitions
In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall have the
following meanings respectively:
“ABCA” means the Business Corporations Act (Alberta), as the same has been and may hereafter
from time to time be amended;
“Acquiror Shares” means the shares of common stock, par value U.S.$0.01 per share, of
Acquiror;
“Acquiror Control Transaction” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Exchangeable Share
Provisions;
“Acquiror Consent” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.2;
“Acquiror Meeting” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.2;
“Acquiror Special Voting Stock” means one share of preferred stock of Acquiror to which that
number of voting rights attach (each such voting right to be equal to the voting rights
attached to one Acquiror Common Share) equal to the number of outstanding Exchangeable
Shares held by Beneficiaries;
“Acquiror Successor” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Subsection 10.1(a);
“Affiliate” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Securities Act, unless otherwise
expressly stated herein;
“Arrangement” means the arrangement under section 193 of the ABCA on the terms and subject
to the conditions set out in the Plan of Arrangement, subject to any amendments or
variations thereto made in accordance with Article 6 of the Plan of Arrangement and Section
8.4 of the Arrangement Agreement or made at the direction of the Court;
“Arrangement Agreement” means the arrangement agreement made as of January 19, 2011 among
Acquiror, ExchangeCo and NuLoch, as amended, supplemented and/or restated in accordance
therewith prior to the date hereof, providing for, among other things, the Arrangement;
“Automatic Exchange Rights” means the benefit of the obligation of Acquiror to effect the
automatic exchange of Exchangeable Shares for Acquiror Shares pursuant to Section 5.12;
“Beneficiaries” means the registered holders from time to time of Exchangeable Shares, other
than Acquiror and its Affiliates;
“Beneficiary Votes” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.2;
“Business Day” means a day, other than a Saturday, Sunday or statutory holiday, when banks
are generally open in Calgary, Alberta and Dallas, Texas for the transaction of banking
business;
“CallCo” means MHR Callco Corporation, a corporation existing under the laws of the Province
of Alberta;
“Change of Law Call Right” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Court” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Effective Date” means the date the Arrangement is effective under the ABCA;
“Equivalent Vote Amount” means, with respect to any matter, proposition or question on which
holders of Acquiror Shares are entitled to vote, consent or otherwise act, the number of
votes to which a holder of one Acquiror Common Share is entitled with respect to such
matter, proposition or question;
“Exchange Right” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.1;
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“Exchangeable Shares” means the non-voting exchangeable shares in the capital of ExchangeCo,
having substantially the rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions set out in Schedule
“A” to the Plan of Arrangement;
“Exchangeable Share Consideration” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Exchangeable
Share Provisions;
“Exchangeable Share Price” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Exchangeable Share
Provisions;
“Exchangeable Share Provisions” means the rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions
attaching to the Exchangeable Shares;
“Final Order” means the final order of the Court approving the Arrangement as such order may
be amended by the Court at any time prior to the date hereof or, if appealed, then, unless
such appeal is withdrawn or denied, as affirmed;
“Indemnified Parties” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8.1;
“Insolvency Event” means: (i) the institution by ExchangeCo of any proceeding to be
adjudicated a bankrupt or insolvent or to be wound up, or the consent of ExchangeCo to the
institution of bankruptcy, insolvency or winding-up proceedings against it; or (ii) the
filing of a petition, answer or consent seeking dissolution or winding-up under any
bankruptcy, insolvency or analogous laws, including the Companies Creditors’ Arrangement Act
(Canada) and the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada), and the failure by ExchangeCo to
contest in good faith any such proceedings commenced in respect of ExchangeCo within 30 days
of becoming aware thereof, or the consent by ExchangeCo to the filing of any such petition
or to the appointment of a receiver; or (iii) the making by ExchangeCo of a general
assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the admission in writing by ExchangeCo of its
inability to pay its debts generally as they become due; or (iv) ExchangeCo not being
permitted, pursuant to solvency requirements of applicable law, to redeem any Retracted
Shares pursuant to Section 6.6 of the Exchangeable Share Provisions;
“Liquidation Call Right” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Liquidation Event” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Subsection 5.12(b);
“Liquidation Event Effective Time” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Subsection 5.12(c);
“List” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.6;
“NuLoch” means NuLoch Resources Inc., a corporation existing under the laws of the Province
of Alberta;
“Officer’s Certificate” means, with respect to Acquiror or ExchangeCo, as the case may be, a
certificate signed by any one of the authorized signatories of Acquiror or ExchangeCo, as
the case may be;
“person” includes any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, venture capital fund,
limited liability company, unlimited liability company, association, trust, trustee,
executor, administrator, legal personal representative, estate, group, body corporate,
corporation, unincorporated
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association or organization, government body, syndicate or other entity, whether or not
having legal status;
“Plan of Arrangement” means the plan of arrangement substantially in the form and content of
Exhibit B annexed to the Arrangement Agreement and any amendments or variations thereto made
in accordance with Section 8.4 of the Arrangement Agreement or Article 6 of the Plan of
Arrangement or made at the direction of the Court in the Final Order;
“Redemption Call Right” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“Redemption Date” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Exchangeable Share Provisions;
“Retracted Shares” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.7;
“Retraction Call Right” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Exchangeable Share
Provisions;
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act (Alberta) and the rules, regulations and policies
made thereunder, as now in effect and as they may be amended from time to time prior to the
Effective Date;
“Support Agreement” means that certain support agreement made as of even date herewith among
ExchangeCo, CallCo and Acquiror substantially in the form and content of Exhibit C to the
Arrangement Agreement, with such changes thereto as the parties to the Arrangement
Agreement, acting reasonably, may agree;
“Trust” means the trust created by this Agreement;
“Trust Estate” means the Acquiror Special Voting Stock, any other securities, the Exchange
Right, the Automatic Exchange Rights and any money or other property which may be held by
the Trustee from time to time pursuant to this Agreement; and
“Voting Rights” means the voting rights of the Acquiror Special Voting Stock held by the
Trustee in respect of which the Beneficiaries are, in accordance with this Agreement,
entitled to instruct the Trustee to vote.
1.2 Interpretation Not Affected by Headings, etc.
The division of this Agreement into articles, sections, subsections and other portions and the
insertion of headings are for convenience of reference only and should not affect the construction
or interpretation hereof. Unless otherwise indicated, all references to an “Article”, “Section” or
“Subsection” followed by a number refer to the specified Article, Section or Subsection of this
Agreement. The terms “this Agreement,” “hereof,” “herein” and “hereunder” and similar expressions
refer to this Agreement and not to any particular Article, Section, Subsection or other portion
hereof.
1.3 Rules of Construction
Unless otherwise specifically indicated or the context otherwise requires: (a) all references
to “dollars” or “$” mean United States dollars, and all cash payments required to be made hereunder
shall be in United States dollars; (b) words importing the singular shall include the plural and
vice versa and words importing any gender shall include all genders; and (c) “include,” “includes”
and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation.”
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1.4 Date for any Action
In the event that any date on which any action is required to be taken hereunder by any of the
parties hereto is not a Business Day, such action shall be required to be taken on the next
succeeding day that is a Business Day.
1.5 Payments
All payments to be made hereunder will be made without interest and less any tax required by
Canadian or United States law to be deducted or withheld.
ARTICLE 2
PURPOSE OF AGREEMENT
PURPOSE OF AGREEMENT
2.1 Establishment of Trust
The purpose of this Agreement is to create the Trust for the benefit of the Beneficiaries and
Acquiror, as herein provided. The Trustee will hold the Acquiror Special Voting Stock in order to
enable the Trustee to exercise the Voting Rights and will hold the Exchange Right and the Automatic
Exchange Rights in order to enable the Trustee to exercise such rights, in each case as trustee for
and on behalf of the Beneficiaries as provided in this Agreement. The Trustee will hold the
Acquiror Special Voting Stock for and on behalf of Acquiror for all other rights associated with
such Acquiror Special Voting Stock other than the Voting Rights.
ARTICLE 3
ACQUIROR SPECIAL VOTING STOCK
ACQUIROR SPECIAL VOTING STOCK
3.1 Issue and Ownership of the Acquiror Special Voting Stock
Acquiror hereby agrees to issue to, and deposit with, the Trustee the Acquiror Special Voting
Stock to be hereafter held of record by the Trustee as trustee for and on behalf of, and for the
use and benefit of, the Beneficiaries and in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
Acquiror hereby acknowledges receipt from the Trustee as trustee for and on behalf of the
Beneficiaries of good and valuable consideration (and the adequacy thereof) for the issuance of the
Acquiror Special Voting Stock by Acquiror to the Trustee. During the term of the Trust and subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Trustee shall possess and be vested with full
legal ownership of such Acquiror Special Voting Stock and shall be entitled to exercise all of the
rights and powers of an owner with respect to such Acquiror Special Voting Stock provided that the
Trustee shall:
(a) | hold such Acquiror Special Voting Stock and the legal title thereto as trustee solely for the use and benefit of the Beneficiaries in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; and |
(b) | except as specifically authorized by this Agreement, have no power or authority to sell, transfer, vote or otherwise deal in or with such Acquiror Special Voting Stock and such Acquiror Special Voting Stock shall not be used or disposed of by the Trustee for any purpose other than the purposes for which this Trust is created pursuant to this Agreement. |
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3.2 Legended Share Certificates
ExchangeCo will cause each certificate representing Exchangeable Shares to bear an appropriate
legend notifying the Beneficiaries of their right to instruct the Trustee with respect to the
exercise of the portion of the Voting Rights in respect of the Exchangeable Shares held by the
Beneficiaries.
3.3 Safe Keeping of Certificate
The physical certificates representing the Acquiror Special Voting Stock are held by the
Trust, and such certificates shall at all times be held in safe keeping by the Trustee or its duly
authorized agent.
ARTICLE 4
EXERCISE OF VOTING RIGHTS
EXERCISE OF VOTING RIGHTS
4.1 Voting Rights
The Trustee, as the holder of record of the Acquiror Special Voting Stock forming part of the
Trust Estate, shall be entitled to all of the Voting Rights, including the right to vote in person
or by proxy the Acquiror Special Voting Stock held by the Trustee on any matter, question, proposal
or proposition whatsoever that may properly come before the shareholders of Acquiror at an Acquiror
Meeting or in connection with a Acquiror Consent. The Voting Rights shall be and remain vested in
and exercised by the Trustee. Subject to Section 6.15:
(a) | the Trustee shall exercise the Voting Rights only on the basis of instructions received pursuant to this Article 4 from Beneficiaries entitled to instruct the Trustee as to the voting thereof at the time at which the Acquiror Meeting is held or a Acquiror Consent is sought; and |
(b) | to the extent that no instructions are received from a Beneficiary with respect to the Voting Rights to which such Beneficiary is entitled, the Trustee shall not exercise or permit the exercise of such Voting Rights. |
4.2 Number of Votes
With respect to all meetings of shareholders of Acquiror at which holders of Acquiror Shares
are entitled to vote (each, a “Acquiror Meeting”) and with respect to all written consents sought
from Acquiror’s shareholders, including the holders of Acquiror Shares (each, a “Acquiror
Consent”), each Beneficiary shall be entitled to instruct the Trustee to cast and exercise, in the
manner instructed, a number of votes equal to the Equivalent Vote Amount for each Exchangeable
Share owned of record by such Beneficiary on the record date established by Acquiror or by
applicable law for such Acquiror Meeting or Acquiror Consent, as the case may be (collectively, the
“Beneficiary Votes”), in respect of each matter, question, proposal or proposition to be voted on
at such Acquiror Meeting or consented to in connection with such Acquiror Consent.
4.3 Mailings to Shareholders
With respect to each Acquiror Meeting and Acquiror Consent, the Trustee will use its
reasonable commercial efforts promptly to mail or cause to be mailed (or otherwise communicate in
the same manner as Acquiror utilizes in communications to holders of Acquiror Shares subject to
applicable regulatory requirements and provided such manner of communications is reasonably
available to the Trustee) to each of the Beneficiaries named in the List, such mailing or
communication to commence on the same day as
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the mailing or notice (or other communication) with respect thereto is commenced by Acquiror
to its shareholders:
(a) | a copy of such notice, together with any related materials, including any proxy or information statement, to be provided to shareholders of Acquiror; |
(b) | a statement that such Beneficiary is entitled to instruct the Trustee as to the exercise of the Beneficiary Votes with respect to such Acquiror Meeting or Acquiror Consent or, pursuant to Section 4.7, to attend such Acquiror Meeting and to exercise personally thereat the Beneficiary Votes of such Beneficiary; |
(c) | a statement as to the manner in which such instructions may be given to the Trustee, including an express indication that instructions may be given to the Trustee to give: |
(i) | a proxy to such Beneficiary or its designee to exercise personally the Beneficiary Votes; or |
(ii) | a proxy to a designated agent or other representative of the management of Acquiror to exercise such Beneficiary Votes; |
(d) | a statement that if no such instructions are received from the Beneficiary, the Beneficiary Votes to which such Beneficiary is entitled will not be exercised; |
(e) | a form of direction whereby the Beneficiary may so direct and instruct the Trustee as contemplated herein; and |
(f) | a statement of the time and date by which such instructions must be received by the Trustee in order to be binding upon it, which in the case of a Acquiror Meeting shall not be earlier than the close of business on the Business Day immediately prior to the date by which the Corporation has required proxies be deposited for such meeting, and of the method for revoking or amending such instructions. |
For the purpose of determining Beneficiary Votes to which a Beneficiary is entitled in respect
of any Acquiror Meeting or Acquiror Consent, the number of Exchangeable Shares owned of record by
the Beneficiary shall be determined at the close of business on the record date established by
Acquiror or by applicable law for purposes of determining shareholders entitled to vote at such
Acquiror Meeting or to give written consent in connection with such Acquiror Consent. Acquiror
will notify the Trustee of any decision of the Board of Directors of Acquiror with respect to the
calling of any Acquiror Meeting or the seeking of any Acquiror Consent and shall provide all
necessary information and materials to the Trustee in each case promptly and in any event in
sufficient time to enable the Trustee to perform its obligations contemplated by this Section 4.3.
The materials referred to in this Section 4.3 are to be provided to the Trustee by Acquiror
and the materials referred to in Subsections 4.3(c), 4.3(e) and 4.3(f) shall be subject to
reasonable comment by the Trustee in a timely manner. Acquiror shall ensure that the materials to
be provided to the Trustee are provided in sufficient time to permit the Trustee to comment as
aforesaid and to send all materials to each Beneficiary at the same time as such materials are
first sent to holders of Acquiror Shares. Acquiror agrees not to communicate with holders of
Acquiror Shares with respect to the materials referred to in this Section 4.3 otherwise than by
mail unless such method of communication is also reasonably available to the Trustee for
communication with the Beneficiaries. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Acquiror may at its option
exercise the duties of the Trustee to deliver copies of all materials to each Beneficiary as
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required by this Section 4.3 so long as in each case Acquiror delivers a certificate to the
Trustee stating that Acquiror has undertaken to perform the obligations of the Trustee set forth in
this Section 4.3.
4.4 Copies of Shareholder Information
Acquiror will deliver to the Trustee copies of all proxy materials (including notices of
Acquiror Meetings but excluding proxies to vote Acquiror Shares, and in lieu of such proxies,
Acquiror shall deliver to the Trustee a voting information form in form satisfactory to the
Trustee, acting reasonably), information statements, reports (including all interim and annual
financial statements) and other written communications that, in each case, are to be distributed
from time to time to holders of Acquiror Shares in sufficient quantities and in sufficient time so
as to enable the Trustee to send those materials to each Beneficiary, to the extent possible, at
the same time as such materials are first sent to holders of Acquiror Shares. The Trustee will
mail or otherwise send to each Beneficiary, at the expense of Acquiror, copies of all such
materials (and all materials specifically directed to the Beneficiaries or to the Trustee for the
benefit of the Beneficiaries by Acquiror) received by the Trustee from Acquiror, to the extent
possible, at the same time as such materials are sent to holders of Acquiror Shares. The Trustee
will make copies of all such materials available for inspection by any Beneficiary at the Trustee’s
principal office in Calgary, Alberta. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Acquiror at its option may
exercise the duties of the Trustee to deliver copies of all materials to each Beneficiary as
required by this Section 4.4 so long as in each case Acquiror delivers a certificate to the Trustee
stating that Acquiror has undertaken to perform the obligations set forth in this Section 4.4.
4.5 Other Materials
As soon as reasonably practicable after receipt by Acquiror or holders of Acquiror Shares (if
such receipt is known by Acquiror) of any material sent or given by or on behalf of a third party
to holders of Acquiror Shares generally, including dissident proxy and information circulars (and
related information and material) and tender and exchange offer circulars (and related information
and material), Acquiror shall use its reasonable best efforts to obtain and deliver to the Trustee
copies thereof in sufficient quantities so as to enable the Trustee to forward such material
(unless the same has been provided directly to Beneficiaries by such third party) to each
Beneficiary as soon as possible thereafter. As soon as reasonably practicable after receipt
thereof, the Trustee will mail or otherwise send to each Beneficiary, at the expense of Acquiror,
copies of all such materials received by the Trustee from Acquiror. The Trustee will also make
available for inspection by any Beneficiary at the Trustee’s principal office in Calgary, Alberta
copies of all such materials. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Acquiror at its option may exercise
the duties of the Trustee to deliver copies of all such materials to each Beneficiary as required
by this Section 4.5 so long as in each case Acquiror delivers a certificate to the Trustee stating
that Acquiror has undertaken to perform the obligations set forth in this Section 4.5.
4.6 List of Persons Entitled to Vote
ExchangeCo shall: (a) prior to each annual and special Acquiror Meeting or the seeking of any
Acquiror Consent; and (b) forthwith upon each request made at any time by the Trustee in writing,
prepare or cause to be prepared a list (a “List”) of the names and addresses of the Beneficiaries
arranged in alphabetical order and showing the number of Exchangeable Shares held of record by each
such Beneficiary, in each case at the close of business on the date specified by the Trustee in
such request or, in the case of a List prepared in connection with a Acquiror Meeting or a Acquiror
Consent, at the close of business on the record date established by Acquiror or pursuant to
applicable law for determining the holders of Acquiror Shares entitled to receive notice of and/or
to vote at such Acquiror Meeting or to give consent in connection with such Acquiror Consent. Each
such List shall be delivered to the Trustee promptly after receipt by ExchangeCo of such request or
the record date for such meeting or seeking of
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consent, as the case may be, and in any event within sufficient time as to permit the Trustee
to perform its obligations under this Agreement. Acquiror agrees to give ExchangeCo notice (with a
copy to the Trustee) of the calling of any Acquiror Meeting or the seeking of any Acquiror Consent
by Acquiror or its management, together with the record dates therefor, sufficiently prior to the
date of the calling of such meeting or seeking of such consent so as to enable ExchangeCo to
perform its obligations under this Section 4.6.
4.7 Entitlement to Direct Votes
Any Beneficiary named in a List prepared in connection with any Acquiror Meeting or Acquiror
Consent will be entitled: (a) to instruct the Trustee in the manner described in Section 4.3 with
respect to the exercise of the Beneficiary Votes to which such Beneficiary is entitled; or (b) to
attend such meeting and personally exercise thereat (or to personally exercise with respect to any
Acquiror Consent), as the proxy of the Trustee, the Beneficiary Votes to which such Beneficiary is
entitled.
4.8 Voting by Trustee and Attendance of Trustee Representative at Meeting
(a) | In connection with each Acquiror Meeting and Acquiror Consent, the Trustee shall exercise, either in person or by proxy, in accordance with the instructions received from a Beneficiary pursuant to Section 4.3, the Beneficiary Votes as to which such Beneficiary is entitled to direct the vote (or any lesser number thereof as may be set forth in the instructions); provided, however, that such written instructions are received by the Trustee from the Beneficiary prior to the time and date fixed by the Trustee for receipt of such instruction in the notice given by the Trustee to the Beneficiary pursuant to Section 4.3. |
(b) | The Trustee shall cause a representative who is empowered by it to sign and deliver, on behalf of the Trustee, proxies for Voting Rights to attend each Acquiror Meeting. Upon submission by a Beneficiary (or its designee) of identification satisfactory to the Trustee’s representative, and at the Beneficiary’s request, such representative shall sign and deliver to such Beneficiary (or its designee) a proxy to exercise personally the Beneficiary Votes as to which such Beneficiary is otherwise entitled hereunder to direct the vote, if such Beneficiary either: (i) has not previously given the Trustee instructions pursuant to Section 4.3 in respect of such meeting; or (ii) submits to such representative written revocation of any such previous instructions. At such meeting, upon receipt of a proxy from the Trustee’s representative, the Beneficiary exercising such Beneficiary Votes shall have the same rights as the Trustee to speak at the meeting in respect of any matter, question, proposal or proposition, to vote by way of ballot at the meeting in respect of any matter, question, proposal or proposition, and to vote at such meeting by way of a show of hands in respect of any matter, question or proposition. |
4.9 Distribution of Written Materials
Any written materials distributed by or on behalf of the Trustee pursuant to this Agreement
shall be sent by mail (or otherwise communicated in the same manner as Acquiror utilizes in
communications to holders of Acquiror Shares, subject to applicable regulatory requirements and
provided such manner of communications is reasonably available to the Trustee) to each Beneficiary
at its address as shown on the books of ExchangeCo. Acquiror agrees not to communicate with
holders of Acquiror Shares with respect to such written material otherwise than by mail unless such
method of communication is also reasonably available to the Trustee for communication with the
Beneficiaries. ExchangeCo shall provide or cause to
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be provided to the Trustee for purposes of communication, on a timely basis and without charge
or other expense:
(a) | a current List; and |
(b) | upon the request of the Trustee, mailing labels to enable the Trustee to carry out its duties under this Agreement. |
ExchangeCo’s obligations under this Section 4.9 shall be deemed satisfied to the extent
Acquiror exercises its option to perform the duties of the Trustee to deliver copies of materials
to each Beneficiary and ExchangeCo provides the required information and materials to Acquiror.
4.10 Termination of Voting Rights
Except as otherwise provided herein or in the Exchangeable Share Provisions, all of the rights
of a Beneficiary with respect to the Beneficiary Votes exercisable in respect of the Exchangeable
Shares held by such Beneficiary, including the right to instruct the Trustee as to the voting of or
to vote personally such Beneficiary Votes, shall be deemed to be surrendered by the Beneficiary to
Acquiror or CallCo, as the case may be, and such Beneficiary Votes and the Voting Rights
represented thereby shall cease and be terminated immediately, upon the delivery by such
Beneficiary to the Trustee of the certificates representing such Exchangeable Shares in connection
with the exercise by the Beneficiary of the Exchange Right or upon the occurrence of the automatic
exchange of Exchangeable Shares for Acquiror Shares, as specified in Article 5 (unless, in either
case, Acquiror shall not have delivered the Exchangeable Share Consideration deliverable in
exchange therefor to the Trustee for delivery to the Beneficiaries), or upon the redemption of
Exchangeable Shares pursuant to Article 6 or Article 7 of the Exchangeable Share Provisions, or
upon the effective date of the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of ExchangeCo pursuant to
Article 5 of the Exchangeable Share Provisions, or the purchase of Exchangeable Shares from the
holder thereof by CallCo pursuant to the exercise by CallCo of the Retraction Call Right, the
Redemption Call Right or the Liquidation Call Right, or upon the purchase of Exchangeable Shares
from the holders thereof by Acquiror or CallCo pursuant to the exercise by Acquiror or CallCo of
the Change of Law Call Right.
ARTICLE 5
EXCHANGE RIGHT AND AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE
EXCHANGE RIGHT AND AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE
5.1 Grant and Ownership of the Exchange Right
Acquiror hereby grants to the Trustee as trustee for and on behalf of, and for the use and
benefit of, the Beneficiaries the right (the “Exchange Right”), upon the occurrence and during the
continuance of an Insolvency Event, to require Acquiror to purchase from each or any Beneficiary
all or any part of the Exchangeable Shares held by such Beneficiary and the Automatic Exchange
Rights, all in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Acquiror hereby acknowledges
receipt from the Trustee as trustee for and on behalf of the Beneficiaries of good and valuable
consideration (and the adequacy thereof) for the grant of the Exchange Right and the Automatic
Exchange Rights by Acquiror to the Trustee. During the term of the Trust and subject to the terms
and conditions of this Agreement, the Trustee shall possess and be vested with full legal ownership
of the Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange Rights and shall be entitled to exercise all of
the rights and powers of an owner with respect to the Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange
Rights, provided that the Trustee shall:
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(a) | hold the Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange Rights and the legal title thereto as trustee solely for the use and benefit of the Beneficiaries in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; and | ||
(b) | except as specifically authorized by this Agreement, have no power or authority to exercise or otherwise deal in or with the Exchange Right or the Automatic Exchange Rights, and the Trustee shall not exercise any such rights for any purpose other than the purposes for which the Trust is created pursuant to this Agreement. |
5.2 Legended Share Certificates
ExchangeCo will cause each certificate representing Exchangeable Shares to bear an appropriate
legend notifying the Beneficiaries of:
(a) | their right to instruct the Trustee with respect to the exercise of the Exchange Right in respect of the Exchangeable Shares held by a Beneficiary; and | ||
(b) | the Automatic Exchange Rights. |
5.3 General Exercise of Exchange Right
The Exchange Right shall be and remain vested in and exercisable by the Trustee. Subject to
Section 6.15, the Trustee shall exercise the Exchange Right only on the basis of instructions
received pursuant to this Article 5 from Beneficiaries entitled to instruct the Trustee as to the
exercise thereof. To the extent that no instructions are received from a Beneficiary with respect
to the Exchange Right, the Trustee shall not exercise or permit the exercise of the Exchange Right.
5.4 Purchase Price
The purchase price payable by Acquiror for each Exchangeable Share to be purchased by Acquiror
under the Exchange Right shall be an amount per share equal to the Exchangeable Share Price on the
last Business Day prior to the day of closing of the purchase and sale of such Exchangeable Share
under the Exchange Right. In connection with each exercise of the Exchange Right, Acquiror shall
provide to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the calculation of the Exchangeable
Share Price for each Exchangeable Share. The Exchangeable Share Price for each such Exchangeable
Share so purchased may be satisfied only by Acquiror delivering or causing to be delivered to the
Trustee, on behalf of the relevant Beneficiary, the Exchangeable Share Consideration representing
the total Exchangeable Share Price. Upon payment by Acquiror of such purchase price to the Trustee
for the benefit of the Beneficiary, the relevant Beneficiary shall cease to have any right to be
paid any amount in respect of declared and unpaid dividends on each such Exchangeable Share by
ExchangeCo.
5.5 Exercise Instructions
Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, a Beneficiary shall be entitled, upon
the occurrence and during the continuance of an Insolvency Event, to instruct the Trustee to
exercise the Exchange Right with respect to all or any part of the Exchangeable Shares registered
in the name of such Beneficiary on the books of ExchangeCo. To cause the exercise of the Exchange
Right by the Trustee, the Beneficiary shall deliver to the Trustee, in person or by certified or
registered mail, at its principal office in Calgary, Alberta or at such other places as the Trustee
may from time to time designate by written notice to the Beneficiaries, the certificates
representing the Exchangeable Shares which such Beneficiary desires Acquiror to purchase, duly
endorsed in blank for transfer, and accompanied by such
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other documents and instruments as may be required to effect a transfer of Exchangeable Shares
under the ABCA and the by-laws of ExchangeCo and such additional documents and instruments as the
Trustee, ExchangeCo and Acquiror may reasonably require together with: (a) a duly completed form of
notice of exercise of the Exchange Right, contained on the reverse of or attached to the
Exchangeable Share certificates, stating: (i) that the Beneficiary thereby instructs the Trustee to
exercise the Exchange Right so as to require Acquiror to purchase from the Beneficiary the number
of Exchangeable Shares specified therein; (ii) that such Beneficiary has good title to and owns all
such Exchangeable Shares to be acquired by Acquiror free and clear of all liens, claims, security
interests and encumbrances; (iii) the names in which the certificates representing Acquiror Shares
issuable in connection with the exercise of the Exchange Right are to be issued; and (iv) the names
and addresses of the persons to whom such new certificates should be delivered; and (b) payment (or
evidence satisfactory to the Trustee, ExchangeCo and Acquiror of payment) of the taxes (if any)
payable as contemplated by Section 5.8 of this Agreement. If only a part of the Exchangeable
Shares represented by any certificate or certificates delivered to the Trustee are to be purchased
by Acquiror under the Exchange Right, a new certificate for the balance of such Exchangeable Shares
shall be issued to the holder at the expense of ExchangeCo.
5.6 Delivery of Acquiror Shares; Effect of Exercise
Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of the certificates representing the Exchangeable
Shares which the Beneficiary desires Acquiror to purchase under the Exchange Right, together with
such documents and instruments of transfer and a duly completed form of notice of exercise of the
Exchange Right (and payment of taxes, if any payable as contemplated by Section 5.8 or evidence
thereof), duly endorsed for transfer to Acquiror, the Trustee shall notify Acquiror and ExchangeCo
of its receipt of the same, which notice to Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall constitute exercise of
the Exchange Right by the Trustee on behalf of the Beneficiary in respect of such Exchangeable
Shares, and Acquiror shall promptly thereafter deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee, for
delivery to the Beneficiary in respect of such Exchangeable Shares (or to such other persons, if
any, properly designated by such Beneficiary) the Exchangeable Share Consideration deliverable in
connection with the exercise of the Exchange Right; provided, however, that no such delivery shall
be made unless and until the Beneficiary requesting the same shall have paid (or provided evidence
satisfactory to the Trustee, ExchangeCo and Acquiror of the payment of) the taxes (if any) payable
as contemplated by Section 5.8 of this Agreement. Immediately upon the giving of notice by the
Trustee to Acquiror and ExchangeCo of the exercise of the Exchange Right, as provided in this
Section 5.6, the closing of the transaction of purchase and sale contemplated by the Exchange Right
shall be deemed to have occurred, and the Beneficiary of such Exchangeable Shares shall be deemed
to have transferred to Acquiror all of such Beneficiary’s right, title and interest in and to such
Exchangeable Shares and in the related interest in the Trust Estate and shall cease to be a holder
of such Exchangeable Shares and shall not be entitled to exercise any of the rights of a holder in
respect thereof, other than the right to receive his proportionate part of the total purchase price
therefor, unless such Exchangeable Share Consideration is not delivered by Acquiror to the Trustee
for delivery to such Beneficiary (or to such other person, if any, properly designated by such
Beneficiary) within five Business Days of the date of the giving of such notice by the Trustee, in
which case the rights of the Beneficiary shall remain unaffected until such Exchangeable Share
Consideration is delivered by Acquiror and any cheque included therein is paid. Upon delivery of
such Exchangeable Share Consideration by Acquiror to the Trustee, the Trustee shall deliver such
Exchangeable Share Consideration to such Beneficiary (or to such other person, if any, properly
designated by such Beneficiary). Concurrently with such Beneficiary ceasing to be a holder of
Exchangeable Shares, the Beneficiary shall be considered and deemed for all purposes to be the
holder of the Acquiror Shares delivered to it pursuant to the Exchange Right.
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5.7 Exercise of Exchange Right Subsequent to Retraction
In the event that a Beneficiary has exercised its right under Article 6 of the Exchangeable
Share Provisions to require ExchangeCo to redeem any or all of the Exchangeable Shares held by the
Beneficiary (the “Retracted Shares”) and is notified by ExchangeCo pursuant to Section 6.6 of the
Exchangeable Share Provisions that ExchangeCo will not be permitted as a result of solvency
requirements of applicable law to redeem all such Retracted Shares, and provided that CallCo shall
not have exercised the Retraction Call Right with respect to the Retracted Shares and that the
Beneficiary has not revoked the retraction request delivered by the Beneficiary to ExchangeCo
pursuant to Section 6.7 of the Exchangeable Share Provisions, and provided further that the Trustee
has received written notice of same from ExchangeCo or Acquiror, the retraction request will
constitute and will be deemed to constitute notice from the Beneficiary to the Trustee instructing
the Trustee to exercise the Exchange Right with respect to those Retracted Shares that ExchangeCo
is unable to redeem. In any such event, ExchangeCo hereby agrees with the Trustee and in favour of
the Beneficiary promptly to forward or cause to be forwarded to the Trustee all relevant materials
delivered by the Beneficiary to ExchangeCo or to the transfer agent of the Exchangeable Shares
(including a copy of the retraction request delivered pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Exchangeable
Share Provisions) in connection with such proposed redemption of the Retracted Shares and the
Trustee will thereupon exercise the Exchange Right with respect to the Retracted Shares that
ExchangeCo is not permitted to redeem and will require Acquiror to purchase such shares in
accordance with the provisions of this Article 5.
5.8 Stamp or Other Transfer Taxes
Upon any sale of Exchangeable Shares to Acquiror pursuant to the Exchange Right or the
Automatic Exchange Rights, the share certificate or certificates representing Acquiror Shares to be
delivered in connection with the payment of the purchase price therefor shall be issued in the name
of the Beneficiary in respect of the Exchangeable Shares so sold or in such names as such
Beneficiary may otherwise direct in writing without charge to the holder of the Exchangeable Shares
so sold; provided, however, that such Beneficiary shall pay (and none of Acquiror, ExchangeCo or
the Trustee shall be required to pay) any documentary, stamp, transfer or other taxes that may be
payable in respect of any transfer involved in the issuance or delivery of such shares to a person
other than such Beneficiary.
5.9 Notice of Insolvency Event
As soon as practicable following the occurrence of an Insolvency Event or any event that with
the giving of notice or the passage of time or both would be an Insolvency Event, ExchangeCo and
Acquiror shall give written notice thereof to the Trustee. As soon as practicable following the
receipt of notice from ExchangeCo and Acquiror of the occurrence of an Insolvency Event, or upon
the Trustee becoming aware of an Insolvency Event, the Trustee will mail to each Beneficiary, at
the expense of Acquiror (such funds to be received in advance), a notice of such Insolvency Event
in the form provided by Acquiror, which notice shall contain a brief statement of the rights of the
Beneficiaries with respect to the Exchange Right.
5.10 Qualification of Acquiror Shares and Restriction on Issuance of Acquiror Shares
Acquiror covenants that if any Acquiror Shares issuable pursuant to the Exchange Right or the
Automatic Exchange Rights require registration or qualification with or approval of or the filing
of any document, including any prospectus or similar document, or the taking of any proceeding with
or the obtaining of any order, ruling or consent from any governmental or regulatory authority
under any Canadian or United States federal, provincial, territorial or state law or regulation or
pursuant to the rules and regulations of any regulatory authority or the fulfillment of any other
Canadian or United States
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federal, provincial, territorial or state legal requirement before such shares may be issued
and delivered by Acquiror to the initial holder thereof or in order that such shares may be freely
traded thereafter (other than any restrictions of general application on transfer by reason of a
holder being a “control person” of Acquiror for purposes of Canadian provincial securities law or
an “affiliate” of Acquiror for purposes of United States federal or state securities law), Acquiror
will use its reasonable best efforts and in good faith take all such actions and do all such things
as are necessary or desirable to cause such Acquiror Shares to be and remain duly registered,
qualified or approved under United States and/or Canadian law, as the case may be, to the extent
expressly provided in the Arrangement Agreement. Acquiror will use its reasonable best efforts and
in good faith expeditiously take all such actions and do all such things as are reasonably
necessary or desirable to cause all Acquiror Shares to be delivered pursuant to the Exchange Right
or the Automatic Exchange Rights to be listed, quoted or posted for trading on all stock exchanges
and quotation systems on which outstanding Acquiror Shares are listed, quoted or posted for trading
at such time.
Notwithstanding any other provision of the Exchangeable Share Provisions, or any term or
provision of this Agreement, the Support Agreement or the Plan of Arrangement, no Acquiror Shares
shall be issued (and Acquiror shall not be required to issue any Acquiror Shares) in connection
with any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Corporation, or any retraction, redemption
or any other exchange, direct or indirect, of Exchangeable Shares, if such issuance of Acquiror
Shares would not be permitted by applicable laws.
5.11 Acquiror Shares
Acquiror hereby represents, warrants and covenants that the Acquiror Shares issuable to
Beneficiaries as described herein will be duly authorized and validly issued, fully paid and
non-assessable and shall be free and clear of any lien, claim or encumbrance.
5.12 Automatic Exchange on Liquidation of Acquiror
(a) | Acquiror will give the Trustee written notice of each of the following events at the time set forth below: |
(i) | in the event of any determination by the Board of Directors of Acquiror to institute voluntary liquidation, dissolution or winding-up proceedings with respect to Acquiror or to effect any other distribution of assets of Acquiror among its shareholders for the purpose of winding-up its affairs, at least 60 days prior to the proposed effective date of such liquidation, dissolution, winding-up or other distribution; and | ||
(ii) | promptly following the earlier of: (A) receipt by Acquiror of notice of; and (B) Acquiror otherwise becoming aware of, any threatened or instituted claim, suit, petition or other proceedings with respect to the involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of Acquiror or to effect any other distribution of assets of Acquiror among its shareholders for the purpose of winding-up its affairs, in each case where Acquiror has failed to contest in good faith any such proceeding commenced in respect of Acquiror within 30 days of becoming aware thereof. |
(b) | Promptly following receipt by the Trustee from Acquiror of notice of any event (a “Liquidation Event”) contemplated by Subsection 5.12(a), the Trustee will give notice or cause such notice to be given thereof to the Beneficiaries. Such notice shall be provided to the Trustee by Acquiror and shall include a brief description of rights of the |
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Beneficiaries with respect to the Automatic Exchange Rights provided for in Subsection 5.12(c). | |||
(c) | In order that the Beneficiaries will be able to participate on a pro rata basis with the holders of Acquiror Shares in the distribution of assets of Acquiror in connection with a Liquidation Event, immediately prior to the effective time (the “Liquidation Event Effective Time”) of a Liquidation Event all of the then outstanding Exchangeable Shares shall be automatically exchanged for Acquiror Shares. To effect such automatic exchange, Acquiror shall purchase each Exchangeable Share outstanding immediately prior to the Liquidation Event Effective Time and held by Beneficiaries, and each Beneficiary shall sell the Exchangeable Shares held by such Beneficiary at such time, for a purchase price per share equal to the Exchangeable Share Price applicable at that time. Acquiror shall provide the Trustee with an Officer’s Certificate in connection with any automatic exchange setting forth the calculation of the Exchangeable Share Price for each Exchangeable Share. | ||
(d) | The closing of the transaction of purchase and sale contemplated by the automatic exchange of Exchangeable Shares for Acquiror Shares shall be deemed to have occurred immediately prior to the Liquidation Event Effective Time, and each Beneficiary shall be deemed to have transferred to Acquiror all of the Beneficiary’s right, title and interest in and to such Beneficiary’s Exchangeable Shares and the related interest in the Trust Estate. Any right of each such Beneficiary to receive declared and unpaid dividends from ExchangeCo shall be deemed to be satisfied and discharged and each such Beneficiary shall cease to be a holder of such Exchangeable Shares and Acquiror shall deliver to the Beneficiary the Exchangeable Share Consideration deliverable upon the automatic exchange of Exchangeable Shares. Concurrently with such Beneficiary ceasing to be a holder of Exchangeable Shares, the Beneficiary shall be considered and deemed for all purposes to be the holder of the Acquiror Shares issued pursuant to the automatic exchange of Exchangeable Shares for Acquiror Shares and the certificates held by the Beneficiary previously representing the Exchangeable Shares exchanged by the Beneficiary with Acquiror pursuant to such automatic exchange shall thereafter be deemed to represent Acquiror Shares issued to the Beneficiary by Acquiror pursuant to such automatic exchange. Upon the request of a Beneficiary and the surrender by the Beneficiary of Exchangeable Share certificates deemed to represent Acquiror Shares, duly endorsed in blank and accompanied by such instruments of transfer as Acquiror may reasonably require, Acquiror shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Beneficiary certificates representing Acquiror Shares of which the Beneficiary is the holder. |
5.13 Withholding Rights
Acquiror, ExchangeCo and the Trustee shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from any
consideration otherwise payable under this Agreement to any holder of Exchangeable Shares or
Acquiror Shares such amounts as Acquiror, ExchangeCo or the Trustee is required to deduct and
withhold with respect to such payment under the Income Tax Act (Canada), the United States Internal
Revenue Code of 1986 or any provision of federal, provincial, state, local or foreign tax law, in
each case as amended or succeeded. The Trustee may act on the advice of counsel with respect to
such matters. To the extent that amounts are so withheld, such withheld amounts shall be treated
for all purposes as having been paid to the holder of the shares in respect of which such deduction
and withholding was made, provided that such withheld amounts are actually remitted to the
appropriate taxing authority. To the extent that the amount so required to be deducted or withheld
from any payment to a holder exceeds the cash portion of the consideration otherwise payable to the
holder, Acquiror, ExchangeCo and the Trustee are hereby
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authorized to sell or otherwise dispose of such portion of the consideration as is necessary
to provide sufficient funds to Acquiror, ExchangeCo or the Trustee, as the case may be, to enable
it to comply with such deduction or withholding requirement and Acquiror, ExchangeCo or the Trustee
shall notify the holder thereof and remit to such holder any unapplied balance of the net proceeds
of such sale.
ARTICLE 6
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
CONCERNING THE TRUSTEE
6.1 Powers and Duties of the Trustee
The rights, powers, duties and authorities of the Trustee under this Agreement, in its
capacity as trustee of the Trust, shall include:
(a) | receipt and deposit of Acquiror Special Voting Stock from Acquiror as trustee for and on behalf of the Beneficiaries and Acquiror in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; | ||
(b) | granting proxies and distributing materials to Beneficiaries as provided in this Agreement; | ||
(c) | casting and exercising the Beneficiary Votes in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; | ||
(d) | receiving the grant of the Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange Rights from Acquiror as trustee for and on behalf of the Beneficiaries in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; | ||
(e) | exercising the Exchange Right and enforcing the benefit of the Automatic Exchange Rights, in each case in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, and in connection therewith receiving from Beneficiaries Exchangeable Shares and other requisite documents and distributing to such Beneficiaries Acquiror Shares and cheques, if any, to which such Beneficiaries are entitled upon the exercise of the Exchange Right or pursuant to the Automatic Exchange Rights, as the case may be; | ||
(f) | holding title to the Trust Estate; | ||
(g) | investing any moneys forming, from time to time, a part of the Trust Estate as provided in this Agreement; | ||
(h) | taking action on its own initiative or at the direction of a Beneficiary or Beneficiaries to enforce the obligations of Acquiror and ExchangeCo under this Agreement; and | ||
(i) | taking such other actions and doing such other things as are specifically provided in this Agreement. |
In the exercise of such rights, powers, duties and authorities, the Trustee shall have (and is
granted) such incidental and additional rights, powers, duties and authority not in conflict with
any of the provisions of this Agreement as the Trustee, acting in good faith and in the reasonable
exercise of its discretion, may deem necessary, appropriate or desirable to effect the purpose of
the Trust. Any exercise of such discretionary rights, powers, duties and authorities by the
Trustee shall be final, conclusive and binding upon all persons.
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The Trustee in exercising its rights, powers, duties and authorities hereunder shall act
honestly and in good faith and with a view to the best interests of the Beneficiaries and shall
exercise the care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent trustee would exercise in
comparable circumstances.
The Trustee shall not be bound to give notice or do or take any act, action or proceeding by
virtue of the powers conferred on it hereby unless and until it shall be specifically required to
do so under the terms hereof, nor shall the Trustee be required to take any notice of, or to do, or
to take any act, action or proceeding as a result of any default or breach of any provision
hereunder, unless and until notified in writing of such default or breach, which notices shall
distinctly specify the default or breach desired to be brought to the attention of the Trustee, and
in the absence of such notice the Trustee may for all purposes of this Agreement conclusively
assume that no default or breach has been made in the observance or performance of any of the
representations, warranties, covenants, agreements or conditions contained herein.
6.2 No Conflict of Interest
The Trustee represents to Acquiror and ExchangeCo that at the date of execution and delivery
of this Agreement there exists no material conflict of interest in the role of the Trustee as a
fiduciary hereunder and the role of the Trustee in any other capacity. The Trustee shall, within
90 days after it becomes aware that such material conflict of interest exists, either eliminate
such material conflict of interest or resign in the manner and with the effect specified in Article
9. If, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 6.2, the Trustee has such a
material conflict of interest, the validity and enforceability of this Agreement shall not be
affected in any manner whatsoever by reason only of the existence of such material conflict of
interest. If the Trustee contravenes the foregoing provisions of this Section 6.2, any interested
party may apply to the Court for an order that the Trustee be replaced as trustee hereunder.
6.3 Dealings with Transfer Agents, Registrars, etc.
Acquiror and ExchangeCo irrevocably authorize the Trustee, from time to time, to:
(a) | consult, communicate and otherwise deal with the respective registrars and transfer agents, and with any such subsequent registrar or transfer agent, of the Exchangeable Shares and Acquiror Shares; and | ||
(b) | requisition, from time to time: (i) from any such registrar or transfer agent any information readily available from the records maintained by it which the Trustee may reasonably require for the discharge of its duties and responsibilities under this Agreement; and (ii) from the transfer agent of Acquiror Shares, and any subsequent transfer agent of such shares, the share certificates issuable upon the exercise from time to time of the Exchange Right and pursuant to the Automatic Exchange Rights. |
Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall irrevocably authorize their respective registrars and transfer
agents to comply with all such requests and confirm to the Trustee that such irrevocable
authorization has been given. Acquiror covenants that it will supply, in a timely manner, its
transfer agents with duly executed share certificates for the purpose of completing the exercise
from time to time of the Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange Rights.
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6.4 Books and Records
The Trustee shall keep available for inspection by Acquiror and ExchangeCo at the Trustee’s
principal office in Calgary, Alberta correct and complete books and records of account relating to
the Trust created by this Agreement, including all relevant data relating to mailings and
instructions to and from Beneficiaries and all transactions pursuant to the Exchange Right and the
Automatic Exchange Rights. On or before January 31 in every year, so long as any Acquiror Shares
are on deposit with the Trustee, the Trustee shall transmit to Acquiror and ExchangeCo a brief
report, dated as of the preceding December 31, with respect to:
(a) | the property and funds comprising the Trust Estate as of that date; | ||
(b) | the number of exercises of the Exchange Right, if any, and the aggregate number of Exchangeable Shares received by the Trustee on behalf of Beneficiaries in consideration of the issuance by Acquiror of Acquiror Shares and any other Exchangeable Share Consideration in connection with the Exchange Right, during the calendar year ended on such December 31; and | ||
(c) | any action taken by the Trustee in the performance of its duties under this Agreement which it had not previously reported and which, in the Trustee’s opinion, materially affects the Trust Estate. |
6.5 Income Tax Returns and Reports
The Trustee shall, to the extent necessary, prepare and file on behalf of the Trust
appropriate United States and Canadian income tax returns and any other returns or reports as may
be required by applicable law or pursuant to the rules and regulations of any securities exchange
or other trading system through which the Exchangeable Shares are traded; provided that, the
Trustee will not be responsible for preparing United States tax returns unless specifically
directed by Acquiror and Acquiror will indemnify the Trustee for any costs or damages to the
Trustee as a result of Acquiror failing to so direct the preparation of a United States tax return.
In connection therewith, the Trustee may obtain the advice and assistance of such experts or
advisors as the Trustee reasonably considers necessary or advisable (who may be experts or advisors
to Acquiror or ExchangeCo). If requested by the Trustee, Acquiror or ExchangeCo shall retain, at
their expense, qualified experts or advisors for the purpose of providing such tax advice or
assistance.
6.6 Indemnification Prior to Certain Actions by Trustee
The Trustee shall exercise any or all of the rights, duties, powers or authorities vested in
it by this Agreement at the request, order or direction of any Beneficiary upon such Beneficiary
furnishing to the Trustee reasonable funding, security or indemnity against the costs, expenses and
liabilities which may be incurred by the Trustee therein or thereby, provided that no Beneficiary
shall be obligated to furnish to the Trustee any such security or indemnity in connection with the
exercise by the Trustee of any of its rights, duties, powers and authorities with respect to the
Acquiror Shares held by the Trustee pursuant to Article 4, subject to Section 6.15, with respect to
the Exchange Right pursuant to Article 5, subject to Section 6.15, and with respect to the
Automatic Exchange Rights pursuant to Article 5, subject to Section 6.15.
None of the provisions contained in this Agreement shall require the Trustee to expend or risk
its own funds or otherwise incur financial liability in the exercise of any of its rights, powers,
duties, or authorities unless funded, given security or indemnified as aforesaid.
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6.7 Action of Beneficiaries
No Beneficiary shall have the right to institute any action, suit or proceeding or to exercise
any other remedy authorized by this Agreement for the purpose of enforcing any of its rights or for
the execution of any trust or power hereunder unless the Beneficiary has requested the Trustee to
take or institute such action, suit or proceeding and furnished the Trustee with the funding,
security or indemnity referred to in Section 6.6 and the Trustee shall have failed to act within a
reasonable time thereafter. In such case, but not otherwise, the Beneficiary shall be entitled to
take proceedings in any court of competent jurisdiction such as the Trustee might have taken; it
being understood and intended that no one or more Beneficiaries shall have any right in any manner
whatsoever to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights hereby created by any such action, or to
enforce any right hereunder or the Voting Rights, the Exchange Rights or the Automatic Exchange
Rights except subject to the conditions and in the manner herein provided, and that all powers and
trusts hereunder shall be exercised and all proceedings at law shall be instituted, had and
maintained by the Trustee, except only as herein provided, and in any event for the equal benefit
of all Beneficiaries.
6.8 Reliance Upon Declarations
The Trustee shall not be considered to be in contravention of any of its rights, powers,
duties and authorities hereunder if, when required, it acts and relies in good faith upon statutory
declarations, certificates, opinions, Lists, reports or other papers or documents furnished
pursuant to the provisions hereof or required by the Trustee to be furnished to it in the exercise
of its rights, powers, duties and authorities hereunder if such statutory declarations,
certificates, opinions, Lists, reports or other papers or documents comply with the provisions of
Section 6.9, if applicable, and with any other applicable provisions of this Agreement.
6.9 Evidence and Authority to Trustee
Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo shall furnish to the Trustee evidence of compliance with the
conditions provided for in this Agreement relating to any action or step required or permitted to
be taken by Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo or the Trustee under this Agreement or as a result of any
obligation imposed under this Agreement, including in respect of the Voting Rights or the Exchange
Right or the Automatic Exchange Rights and the taking of any other action to be taken by the
Trustee at the request of or on the application of Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo promptly if and when:
(a) | such evidence is required by any other section of this Agreement to be furnished to the Trustee in accordance with the terms of this Section 6.9; or | ||
(b) | the Trustee, in the exercise of its rights, powers, duties and authorities under this Agreement, gives Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo written notice requiring it to furnish such evidence in relation to any particular action or obligation specified in such notice. |
Such evidence shall consist of an Officer’s Certificate of Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo or a
statutory declaration or a certificate made by persons entitled to sign an Officer’s Certificate
stating that any such condition has been complied with in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement.
Whenever such evidence relates to a matter other than the Voting Rights or the Exchange Right
or the Automatic Exchange Rights or the taking of any other action to be taken by the Trustee at
the request or on the application of Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo, and except as otherwise
specifically provided herein, such evidence may consist of a report or opinion of any solicitor,
attorney, auditor, accountant, appraiser, valuer, engineer or other expert or any other person
whose qualifications give
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authority to a statement made by him, provided that if such report or opinion is furnished by
a director, officer or employee of Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo it shall be in the form of an
Officer’s Certificate or a statutory declaration.
Each statutory declaration, Officer’s Certificate, opinion or report furnished to the Trustee
as evidence of compliance with a condition provided for in this Agreement shall include a statement
by the person giving the evidence:
(c) | declaring that such person has read and understands the provisions of this Agreement relating to the condition in question; | ||
(d) | describing the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which such person based the statutory declaration, certificate, statement or opinion; and | ||
(e) | declaring that such person has made such examination or investigation as such person believes is necessary to enable such person to make the statements or give the opinions contained or expressed therein. |
6.10 Experts, Advisers and Agents
The Trustee may:
(a) | in relation to these presents act and rely on the opinion or advice of or information obtained from any solicitor, attorney, auditor, accountant, appraiser, valuer, engineer or other expert, whether retained by the Trustee or by Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo or otherwise, and may retain or employ such assistants as may be necessary to the proper discharge of its powers and duties and determination of its rights hereunder and may pay proper and reasonable compensation for all such legal and other advice or assistance as aforesaid; and | ||
(b) | employ such agents and other assistants as it may reasonably require for the proper determination and discharge of its powers and duties hereunder, and may pay reasonable remuneration for all services performed for it (and shall be entitled to receive reasonable remuneration for all services performed by it) in the discharge of the trusts hereof and compensation for all disbursements, costs and expenses made or incurred by it in the discharge of its duties hereunder and in the management of the Trust. |
6.11 Investment of Moneys Held by Trustee
Unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, any moneys held by or on behalf of the Trustee
which under the terms of this Agreement may or ought to be invested or which may be on deposit with
the Trustee or which may be in the hands of the Trustee may be invested and reinvested in the name
or under the control of the Trustee, in trust for Acquiror, in securities in which, under the laws
of the Province of Alberta, trustees are authorized to invest trust moneys, provided that such
securities are stated to mature within two years after their purchase by the Trustee, and the
Trustee shall so invest such moneys on the written direction of ExchangeCo. Pending the investment
of any moneys as hereinbefore provided, such moneys may be deposited in the name of the Trustee in
any chartered bank in Canada or, with the consent of ExchangeCo, in the deposit department of the
Trustee or any other loan or trust company authorized to accept deposits under the laws of Canada
or any province thereof at the rate of interest then current on similar deposits.
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6.12 Trustee Not Required to Give Security
The Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or security in respect of the execution of
the trusts, rights, duties, powers and authorities of this Agreement or otherwise in respect of the
premises.
6.13 Trustee Not Bound to Act on Request
Except as in this Agreement otherwise specifically provided, the Trustee shall not be bound to
act in accordance with any direction or request of Acquiror and/or ExchangeCo or of the directors
thereof until a duly authenticated copy of the instrument or resolution containing such direction
or request shall have been delivered to the Trustee, and the Trustee shall be empowered to act and
rely upon any such copy purporting to be authenticated and believed by the Trustee to be genuine.
The Trustee shall retain the right not to act and shall not be liable for refusing to act if, due
to a lack of information or for any other reason whatsoever, the Trustee, in its sole judgment,
determines that such act might cause it to be in non-compliance with any applicable anti-money
laundering or anti-terrorist legislation, regulation or guideline. Further, should the Trustee, in
its sole judgment, determine at any time that its acting under this Agreement has resulted in its
being in non-compliance with any applicable anti-money laundering or anti-terrorist legislation,
regulation or guideline, then it shall have the right to resign on ten days written notice to the
other parties to this Agreement, provided that: (a) the Trustee’s written notice shall describe the
circumstances of such non-compliance; and (b) if such circumstances are rectified to the Trustee’s
satisfaction within such 10 day period, then such resignation shall not be effective.
6.14 Authority to Carry on Business
The Trustee represents to Acquiror and ExchangeCo that at the date of execution and delivery
by it of this Agreement it is authorized to carry on the business of a trust company in each of the
Provinces of Canada but if, notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 6.14, it ceases to be so
authorized to carry on business, the validity and enforceability of this Agreement and the Voting
Rights, the Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange Rights shall not be affected in any manner
whatsoever by reason only of such event but the Trustee shall, within 90 days after ceasing to be
authorized to carry on the business of a trust company in any province of Canada, either become so
authorized or resign in the manner and with the effect specified in Article 9.
6.15 Conflicting Claims
If conflicting claims or demands are made or asserted with respect to any interest of any
Beneficiary in any Exchangeable Shares, including any disagreement between the heirs,
representatives, successors or assigns succeeding to all or any part of the interest of any
Beneficiary in any Exchangeable Shares, resulting in conflicting claims or demands being made in
connection with such interest, then the Trustee shall be entitled, at its sole discretion, to
refuse to recognize or to comply with any such claims or demands. In so refusing, the Trustee may
elect not to exercise any Voting Rights, Exchange Right or Automatic Exchange Rights subject to
such conflicting claims or demands and, in so doing, the Trustee shall not be or become liable to
any person on account of such election or its failure or refusal to comply with any such
conflicting claims or demands. The Trustee shall be entitled to continue to refrain from acting
and to refuse to act until:
(a) | the rights of all adverse claimants with respect to the Voting Rights, Exchange Right or Automatic Exchange Rights subject to such conflicting claims or demands have been adjudicated by a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction and all rights of appeal have expired; or |
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(b) | all differences with respect to the Voting Rights, Exchange Right or Automatic Exchange Rights subject to such conflicting claims or demands have been conclusively settled by a valid written agreement binding on all such adverse claimants, and the Trustee shall have been furnished with an executed copy of such agreement certified to be in full force and effect. |
If the Trustee elects to recognize any claim or comply with any demand made by any such
adverse claimant, it may in its discretion require such claimant to furnish such surety bond or
other security satisfactory to the Trustee as it shall deem appropriate to fully indemnify it as
between all conflicting claims or demands.
6.16 Acceptance of Trust
The Trustee hereby accepts the Trust created and provided for by and in this Agreement and
agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and to hold all rights,
privileges and benefits conferred hereby and by law in trust for the various persons who shall from
time to time be Beneficiaries, subject to all the terms and conditions herein set forth.
6.17 Maintenance of Office or Agency
Acquiror will maintain in Calgary, Alberta an office or agency where certificates representing
Exchangeable Shares may be presented or surrendered for exchange by Beneficiaries and where notices
and demands to or upon Acquiror or ExchangeCo in respect of the Exchangeable Shares may be served.
Acquiror will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the
location, of such office or agency. If at any time Acquiror shall fail to maintain any such office
or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations,
surrenders, notices and demands may be served at the Corporate Trust Office of the Trustee, and
Acquiror and ExchangeCo hereby appoint the Trustee as their agent to receive all such
presentations, surrenders, notices and demands. Furthermore, copies of all Acquiror proxy
materials will be made available for inspection by any Beneficiary at such office or agency.
6.18 Third Party Interests
Each party to this Agreement hereby represents to the Trustee that any account to be opened
by, or interest to be held by the Trustee in connection with this Agreement, for or to the credit
of such party, either (i) is not intended to be used by or on behalf of any third party; or (ii) is
intended to be used by or on behalf of a third party, in which case such party hereto agrees to
complete and execute forthwith a declaration in the Trustee’s prescribed form as to the particulars
of such third party.
6.19 Privacy
The parties acknowledge that Canadian federal and/or provincial legislation that addresses the
protection of individuals’ personal information (collectively, “Privacy Laws”) applies to
obligations and activities under this Agreement. Despite any other provision of this Agreement, no
party shall take or direct any action that would contravene, or cause the others to contravene,
applicable Privacy Laws. The parties shall, prior to transferring or causing to be transferred
personal information to the Trustee, obtain and retain required consents of the relevant
individuals to the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information, or shall have
determined that such consents either have previously been given upon which the parties can rely or
are not required under the Privacy Laws. The Trustee shall use commercially reasonable efforts to
ensure that its services hereunder comply with Privacy Laws. Specifically, the Trustee agrees: (a)
to have a designated chief privacy officer; (b) to maintain policies and procedures to
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protect personal information and to receive and respond to any privacy complaint or inquiry;
(c) to use personal information solely for the purposes of providing its services under or
ancillary to this Agreement and not to use it for any other purpose except with the consent of or
direction from the other parties or the individual involved; (d) not to sell or otherwise
improperly disclose personal information to any third party; and (e) to employ administrative,
physical and technological safeguards to reasonably secure and protect personal information against
loss, theft, or unauthorized access, use or modification.
ARTICLE 7
COMPENSATION
COMPENSATION
7.1 Fees and Expenses of the Trustee
Acquiror and ExchangeCo jointly and severally agree to pay the Trustee reasonable compensation
for all of the services rendered by it under this Agreement and will reimburse the Trustee for all
reasonable expenses (including taxes other than taxes based on the net income of the Trustee, fees
paid to legal counsel and other experts and advisors and travel expenses) and disbursements,
including the cost and expense of any suit or litigation of any character and any
proceedings before any governmental agency reasonably incurred by the Trustee in connection with
its duties under this Agreement; provided that Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall have no obligation to
reimburse the Trustee for any expenses or disbursements paid, incurred or suffered by the Trustee
in any suit or litigation in which the Trustee is determined to have acted in bad faith or with
gross negligence, recklessness or wilful misconduct.
ARTICLE 8
INDEMNIFICATION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
INDEMNIFICATION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
8.1 Indemnification of the Trustee
Acquiror and ExchangeCo jointly and severally agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Trustee
and each of its directors, officers, employees and agents appointed and acting in accordance with
this Agreement (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties”) against all claims, losses, damages,
reasonable costs, penalties, fines and reasonable expenses (including reasonable expenses of the
Trustee’s legal counsel) which, without fraud, gross negligence, recklessness, wilful misconduct or
bad faith on the part of such Indemnified Party, may be paid, incurred or suffered by the
Indemnified Party by reason or as a result of the Trustee’s acceptance or administration of the
Trust, its compliance with its duties set forth in this Agreement, or any written or oral
instruction delivered to the Trustee by Acquiror or ExchangeCo pursuant hereto.
In no case shall Acquiror or ExchangeCo be liable under this indemnity for any claim against
any of the Indemnified Parties unless Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall be notified by the Trustee of
the written assertion of a claim or of any action commenced against the Indemnified Parties,
promptly after any of the Indemnified Parties shall have received any such written assertion of a
claim or shall have been served with a summons or other first legal process giving information as
to the nature and basis of the claim. Subject to (ii) below, Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall be
entitled to participate at their own expense in the defense and, if Acquiror and ExchangeCo so
elect at any time after receipt of such notice, either of them may assume the defense of any suit
brought to enforce any such claim. The Trustee shall have the right to employ separate counsel in
any such suit and participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such counsel
shall be at the expense of the Trustee unless: (i) the employment of such counsel has been
authorized by Acquiror or ExchangeCo; or (ii) the named parties to any such suit include both the
Trustee and Acquiror or ExchangeCo and the Trustee shall have been advised by counsel acceptable to
Acquiror or ExchangeCo that there may be one or more legal defenses available to the Trustee that
are different from or in addition to those available to Acquiror or ExchangeCo and that, in the
judgment of such
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counsel, would present a conflict of interest were a joint representation to be undertaken (in
which case Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall not have the right to assume the defense of such suit on
behalf of the Trustee but shall be liable to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for
the Trustee). This indemnity shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the resignation
or removal of the Trustee.
8.2 Limitation of Liability
The Trustee shall not be held liable for any loss which may occur by reason of depreciation of
the value of any part of the Trust Estate or any loss incurred on any investment of funds pursuant
to this Agreement, except to the extent that such loss is attributable to the fraud, gross
negligence, recklessness, wilful misconduct or bad faith on the part of the Trustee.
ARTICLE 9
CHANGE OF TRUSTEE
CHANGE OF TRUSTEE
9.1 Resignation
The Trustee, or any trustee hereafter appointed, may at any time resign by giving written
notice of such resignation to Acquiror and ExchangeCo specifying the date on which it desires to
resign, provided that such notice shall not be given less than 30 days before such desired
resignation date unless Acquiror and ExchangeCo otherwise agree and provided further that such
resignation shall not take effect until the date of the appointment of a successor trustee and the
acceptance of such appointment by the successor trustee. Upon receiving such notice of
resignation, Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall promptly appoint a successor trustee, which shall be a
corporation organized and existing under the laws of Canada or any Province thereof, by written
instrument in duplicate, one copy of which shall be delivered to the resigning trustee and one copy
to the successor trustee. Failing the appointment and acceptance of a successor trustee, a
successor trustee may be appointed by order of a court of competent jurisdiction upon application
of one or more of the parties to this Agreement. If the retiring trustee is the party initiating
an application for the appointment of a successor trustee by order of a court of competent
jurisdiction, Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall be jointly and severally liable to reimburse the
retiring trustee for its legal costs and expenses in connection with same.
9.2 Removal
The Trustee, or any trustee hereafter appointed, may (provided a successor trustee is
appointed) be removed at any time on not less than 30 days’ prior notice by written instrument
executed by Acquiror and ExchangeCo, in duplicate, one copy of which shall be delivered to the
trustee so removed and one copy to the successor trustee.
9.3 Successor Trustee
Any successor trustee appointed as provided under this Agreement shall execute, acknowledge
and deliver to Acquiror and ExchangeCo and to its predecessor trustee an instrument accepting such
appointment. Thereupon the resignation or removal of the predecessor trustee shall become
effective and such successor trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become
vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of its predecessor under this Agreement,
with the like effect as if originally named as trustee in this Agreement. However, on the written
request of Acquiror and ExchangeCo or of the successor trustee, the trustee ceasing to act shall,
upon payment of any amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, execute and
deliver an instrument transferring to such successor trustee all the rights and powers of the
trustee so ceasing to act. Upon the request of any such successor trustee, Acquiror, ExchangeCo
and such predecessor trustee shall execute any and all
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instruments in writing for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such
successor trustee all such rights and powers.
9.4 Notice of Successor Trustee
Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee as provided herein, Acquiror and
ExchangeCo shall cause to be mailed notice of the succession of such trustee hereunder to each
Beneficiary specified in a List. If Acquiror or ExchangeCo shall fail to cause such notice to be
mailed within ten days after acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee, the successor
trustee shall cause such notice to be mailed at the expense of Acquiror and ExchangeCo.
ARTICLE 10
ACQUIROR SUCCESSORS
ACQUIROR SUCCESSORS
10.1 Certain Requirements in Respect of Combination, etc.
Acquiror shall not consummate any transaction (whether by way of reconstruction,
reorganization, consolidation, merger, transfer, sale, lease or otherwise) whereby all or
substantially all of its undertaking, property and assets would become the property of any other
person or, in the case of a merger, of the continuing corporation resulting therefrom unless, but
may do so if:
(a) | such other person or continuing corporation (herein called the “Acquiror Successor”), by operation of law, becomes, without more, bound by the terms and provisions of this Agreement or, if not so bound, executes, prior to or contemporaneously with the consummation of such transaction, a trust agreement supplemental hereto and such other instruments (if any) as are satisfactory to the Trustee, acting reasonably, and in the opinion of legal counsel to the Trustee are reasonably necessary or advisable to evidence the assumption by the Acquiror Successor of liability for all moneys payable and property deliverable hereunder and the covenant of such Acquiror Successor to pay and deliver or cause to be delivered the same and its agreement to observe and perform all the covenants and obligations of Acquiror under this Agreement; and | ||
(b) | such transaction shall be upon such terms and conditions as substantially to preserve and not to impair in any material respect any of the rights, duties, powers and authorities of the Trustee or of the Beneficiaries hereunder. |
10.2 Vesting of Powers in Successor
Whenever the conditions of Section 10.1 have been duly observed and performed, the Trustee,
Acquiror Successor and ExchangeCo shall, if required by Section 10.1, execute and deliver the
supplemental trust agreement provided for in Article 11 and thereupon Acquiror Successor shall
possess and from time to time may exercise each and every right and power of Acquiror under this
Agreement in the name of Acquiror or otherwise and any act or proceeding by any provision of this
Agreement required to be done or performed by the Board of Directors of Acquiror or any officers of
Acquiror may be done and performed with like force and effect by the directors or officers of such
Acquiror Successor.
10.3 Wholly-Owned Subsidiaries
Nothing herein shall be construed as preventing the amalgamation or merger of any wholly-owned
direct or indirect subsidiary of Acquiror with or into Acquiror or the winding-up, liquidation or
dissolution of any wholly-owned subsidiary of Acquiror provided that all of the assets of such
subsidiary
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are transferred to Acquiror or another wholly-owned direct or indirect subsidiary of Acquiror
and any such transactions are expressly permitted by this Article 10.
10.4 Successor Transaction
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Article 10, in the event of an Acquiror
Control Transaction:
(a) | in which Acquiror merges or amalgamates with, or in which all or substantially all of the then outstanding Acquiror Shares are acquired by, one or more other corporations to which Acquiror is, immediately before such merger, amalgamation or acquisition, “related’’ within the meaning of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (otherwise than by virtue of a right referred to in paragraph 251(5)(b) thereof); | ||
(b) | which does not result in an acceleration of the Redemption Date in accordance with paragraph (b) of that definition; and | ||
(c) | in which all or substantially all of the then outstanding Acquiror Shares are converted into or exchanged for shares or rights to receive such shares (the “Other Shares”) of another corporation (the “Other Corporation”) that, immediately after such Acquiror Control Transaction, owns or controls, directly or indirectly, Acquiror, |
then: (i) all references herein to “Acquiror” shall thereafter be and be deemed to be references to
“Other Corporation’’ and all references herein to “Acquiror Shares’’ shall thereafter be and be
deemed to be references to “Other Shares’’ (with appropriate adjustments, if any, as are required
to result in a holder of Exchangeable Shares on the exchange, redemption or retraction of such
shares pursuant to the Exchangeable Share Provisions or Article 8 of the Plan of Arrangement or
exchange of such shares pursuant to this Agreement immediately subsequent to the Acquiror Control
Transaction being entitled to receive that number of Other Shares equal to the number of Other
Shares such holder of Exchangeable Shares would have received if the exchange, redemption or
retraction of such shares pursuant to the Exchangeable Share Provisions or Article 8 of the Plan of
Arrangement, or exchange of such shares pursuant to this Agreement had occurred immediately prior
to the Acquiror Control Transaction and the Acquiror Control Transaction was completed) without any
need to amend the terms and conditions of this Agreement and without any further action required;
and (ii) Acquiror shall cause the Other Corporation to deposit one or more voting securities of
such Other Corporation to allow Beneficiaries to exercise voting rights in respect of the Other
Corporation substantially similar to those provided for in this Agreement.
ARTICLE 11
AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTAL TRUST AGREEMENTS
AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTAL TRUST AGREEMENTS
11.1 Amendments, Modifications, etc.
This Agreement may not be amended or modified except by an agreement in writing executed by
Acquiror, ExchangeCo and the Trustee and approved by the Beneficiaries in accordance with Section
10.2 of the Exchangeable Share Provisions.
11.2 Ministerial Amendments
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 11.1, the parties to this Agreement may in writing,
at any time and from time to time, without the approval of the Beneficiaries, amend or modify this
Agreement for the purposes of
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(a) | adding to the covenants of any or all parties hereto for the protection of the Beneficiaries hereunder provided that the Board of Directors of each of ExchangeCo and Acquiror shall be of the good faith opinion that such additions will not be prejudicial to the rights or interests of the Beneficiaries; | ||
(b) | making such amendments or modifications not inconsistent with this Agreement as may be necessary or desirable with respect to matters or questions which, in the good faith opinion of the Board of Directors of each of Acquiror and ExchangeCo and in the opinion of the Trustee, having in mind the best interests of the Beneficiaries it may be expedient to make, provided that such Boards of Directors and the Trustee, acting on the advice of counsel, shall be of the opinion that such amendments and modifications will not be prejudicial to the interests of the Beneficiaries; or | ||
(c) | making such changes or corrections which are required for the purpose of curing or correcting any ambiguity or defect or inconsistent provision or clerical omission or mistake or manifest error, provided that the Trustee, acting on the advice of counsel, and the Board of Directors of each of Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall be of the opinion that such changes or corrections will not be prejudicial to the rights and interests of the Beneficiaries. |
11.3 Meeting to Consider Amendments
ExchangeCo, at the request of Acquiror, shall call a meeting or meetings of the Beneficiaries
for the purpose of considering any proposed amendment or modification requiring approval pursuant
hereto. Any such meeting or meetings shall be called and held in accordance with the by-laws of
ExchangeCo, the Exchangeable Share Provisions and all applicable laws; provided that any such
meeting shall only be called for a bona fide business purpose and not for the principle purpose of
causing a Redemption Date (as defined in the Exchangeable Share Provisions) to occur or transpire.
11.4 Changes in Capital of Acquiror and ExchangeCo
At all times after the occurrence of any event contemplated pursuant to Sections 2.7 or 2.8 of
the Support Agreement or otherwise, as a result of which either Acquiror Shares or the Exchangeable
Shares or both are in any way changed, this Agreement shall forthwith be deemed amended and
modified as necessary in order that it shall apply with full force and effect, mutatis mutandis, to
all new securities into which Acquiror Shares or the Exchangeable Shares or both are so changed.
11.5 Execution of Supplemental Trust Agreements
No amendment to or modification or waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement otherwise
permitted hereunder shall be effective unless made in writing and signed by all of the parties
hereto. From time to time ExchangeCo, Acquiror and the Trustee may, subject to the provisions of
these presents, and they shall, when so directed by these presents, execute and deliver by their
proper officers, trust agreements or other instruments supplemental hereto, which thereafter shall
form part hereof, for any one or more of the following purposes:
(a) | evidencing the succession of Acquiror Successors and the covenants of and obligations assumed by each such Acquiror Successor in accordance with the provisions of Article 10 and the successors of any successor trustee in accordance with the provisions of Article 9; |
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(b) | making any additions to, deletions from or alterations of the provisions of this Agreement or the Voting Rights, the Exchange Right or the Automatic Exchange Rights which, in the opinion of the Trustee, will not be prejudicial to the interests of the Beneficiaries or are, in the opinion of counsel to the Trustee, necessary or advisable in order to incorporate, reflect or comply with any legislation the provisions of which apply to Acquiror, ExchangeCo, the Trustee or this Agreement; and |
(c) | for any other purposes not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement, including to make or evidence any amendment or modification to this Agreement as contemplated hereby, provided that, in the opinion of the Trustee, the rights of the Trustee and Beneficiaries will not be prejudiced thereby. |
ARTICLE 12
TERMINATION
TERMINATION
12.1 Term
The Trust created by this Agreement shall continue until the earliest to occur of the
following events:
(a) | no outstanding Exchangeable Shares are held by a Beneficiary; | ||
(b) | each of Acquiror and ExchangeCo elects in writing to terminate the Trust and such termination is approved by the Beneficiaries in accordance with Section 10.2 of the Exchangeable Share Provisions; and | ||
(c) | 21 years after the death of the last survivor of the descendants of His Majesty King Xxxxxx VI of Canada and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland living on the date of the creation of the Trust. |
12.2 Survival of Agreement
This Agreement shall survive any termination of the Trust and shall continue until there are
no Exchangeable Shares outstanding held by a Beneficiary; provided, however, that the provisions of
Article 7 and Article 8 shall survive any such termination of this Agreement.
ARTICLE 13
GENERAL
GENERAL
13.1 Severability
If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being
enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement
shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of
the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any party.
Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being
enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect
the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner to the end that
transactions contemplated hereby are fulfilled to the extent possible.
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13.2 Assignment
No party hereto may assign this Agreement or any of its rights, interests or obligations under
this Agreement (whether by operation of law or otherwise) except that ExchangeCo may assign in its
sole discretion, any or all of its rights, interests and obligations hereunder to any wholly-owned
subsidiary of Acquiror.
13.3 Binding Effect
Subject to Section 13.2, this Agreement and the Arrangement shall be binding upon, enure to
the benefit of and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns
and to the benefit of the Beneficiaries.
13.4 Notices to Parties
All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given
when delivered personally, telecopied (which is confirmed) or dispatched (postage prepaid) to a
nationally recognized overnight courier service with overnight delivery instructions, in each case
addressed to the particular party at:
(a) | if to Acquiror or ExchangeCo, at: | ||
c/o Magnum Hunter Resources Corporation | |||
000 Xxxx Xxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000 | |||
Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 00000 | |||
Attention: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx | |||
Senior Vice President and General Counsel | |||
Facsimile Number: (000) 000-0000 | |||
(b) | if to the Trustee, at: | ||
[•] Trust Company | |||
[•] | |||
[•] | |||
Attention: [•] | |||
Facsimile Number: [•] |
or at such other address of which any party may, from time to time, advise the other parties by
notice in writing given in accordance with the foregoing.
13.5 Notice to Beneficiaries
Any and all notices to be given and any documents to be sent to any Beneficiaries may be given
or sent to the address of such Beneficiary shown on the register of holders of Exchangeable Shares
in any manner permitted by the by-laws of ExchangeCo from time to time in force in respect of
notices to shareholders and shall be deemed to be received (if given or sent in such manner) at the
time specified in such by-laws, the provisions of which by-laws shall apply mutatis mutandis to
notices or documents as aforesaid sent to such Beneficiaries.
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13.6 Counterparts
This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an
original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
13.7 Governing Laws; Consent to Jurisdiction
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Alberta.
Each party hereby irrevocably attorns to the jurisdiction of the courts of Alberta in respect of
all matters arising under or in relation to this Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the
date first above written.
MAGNUM HUNTER RESOURCES CORPORATION |
||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: | ||||
MHR EXCHANGECO CORPORATION |
||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: | ||||
[•] TRUST COMPANY |
||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: | ||||
By: | ||||
Name: | ||||
Title: | ||||
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