UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

xQUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

ýQUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the Quarterly Period Ended May 31, 2019February 29, 2020

OR

 

¨TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

oTRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the Transition Period from to

Commission File Number: 1-35447

 

TRILOGY METALS INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

British Columbia98-1006991

(State or Other Jurisdiction of

Incorporation or Organization)

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

  

Suite 1150, 609 Granville Street

Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada

V7Y 1G5
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)(Zip Code)

 

(604) 638-8088

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common SharesTMQ

NYSE American

Toronto Stock Exchange

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YesxNo¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).

YesxNo¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer¨Accelerated filerxNon-accelerated filer¨Smaller reporting companyxEmerging growth company¨

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes¨Nox

 

As of July 8, 2019,April 7, 2020, the registrant had 138,905,097140,665,733 Common Shares, no par value, outstanding.

 

 

 

 

TRILOGY METALS INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

Page

  
PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION2
  
Item 1.Financial Statements2
  
Item 2.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations1416
  
Item 3.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk2224
  
Item 4.Controls and Procedures2324
  
PART II - OTHER INFORMATION2425
  
Item 1.Legal Proceedings2425
  
Item 1A.Risk Factors2425
  
Item 2.Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds2426
  
Item 3.Defaults Upon Senior Securities2426
  
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures2426
  
Item 5.Other Information.2426
  
Item 6.Exhibits2426

  

ii

ii

 

 

PART I -FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1.Financial Statements

 

Item 1.  Financial Statements

Trilogy Metals Inc.

Interim Consolidated Balance Sheets

(unaudited)

in thousands of US dollars

  

May 31, 2019

$

  

November 30, 2018

$

 
Assets      
Current assets        
Cash and cash equivalents  25,806   22,991 
Accounts receivable  171   23 
Deposits and prepaid amounts  1,513   619 
   27,490   23,633 
         
Rent deposit  114   114 
Plant and equipment (note 3)  250   325 
Mineral properties and development costs (note 4)  30,587   30,587 
   58,441   54,659 
Liabilities        
Current liabilities        
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 5)  1,481   1,657 
   1,481   1,657 
         
Mineral properties purchase option (note 4(c))  31,000   20,800 
   32,481   22,457 
Shareholders’ equity        

Share capital (note 6)– unlimited common shares authorized, no par value

Issued -132,143,407 (2018 – 131,585,612)

  164,574   164,069 
Warrants (note 6(c))  2,253   2,253 
Contributed surplus  122   122 
Contributed surplus – options (note 6(a))  20,936   19,076 
Contributed surplus – units (note 6(b))  1,727   1,489 
Deficit  (163,652)  (154,807)
   25,960   32,202 
   58,441   54,659 

 

February 29, 2020

$

  

November 30, 2019

$

 
Assets        
Current assets        
Cash and cash equivalents  15,217   19,174 
Accounts receivable (note 3)  418   264 
Deposits and prepaid amounts  300   719 
   15,935   20,157 
Rent deposit  -   114 
Equity method investment (note 4)  175,822   - 
Plant and equipment (note 5)  255   715 
Right of use asset (note 8)  547   - 
Mineral properties and development costs (note 6)  -   30,631 
   192,559   51,617 
Liabilities        
Current liabilities        
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 7)  1,274   2,354 
Current portion of lease liability  137   - 
   1,411   2,354 
Long-term portion of lease liability (note 8)  510   - 
Mineral properties purchase option  -   31,000 
   1,921   33,354 
Shareholders’ equity        

Share capital (note 9)– unlimited common shares authorized, no par value

Issued -140,659,776 (2019 – 140,427,761)

  178,307   177,971 
Contributed surplus  122   122 
Contributed surplus – options (note 9(a))  22,272   21,123 
Contributed surplus – units (note 9(b))  1,470   1,759 
Deficit  (11,533)  (182,712)
   190,638   18,263 
   192,559   51,617 

Commitments and contingencies(note 8)11)

 

(See accompanying notes to the interim consolidated financial statements)

 

/s/ Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse,James Gowans, Director /s/ Kalidas Madhavpeddi, Director
   
Approved on behalf of the Board of Directors  

 

2

2

 

 

Trilogy Metals Inc.

Interim Consolidated Statements of LossIncome (Loss) and Comprehensive LossIncome (Loss)

(unaudited)

 

in thousands of US dollars, except share and per share amounts

  For the three months ended  For the six months ended 
  

May 31, 2019

$

  

May 31, 2018

$

  

May 31, 2019

$

  

May 31, 2018

$

 
Expenses                
Amortization  38   42   75   83 
Foreign exchange loss (gain)  5   19   (29)  (44)
General and administrative  436   454   928   799 
Investor relations  175   138   292   202 
Mineral properties expense (note 4(d))  2,906   2,475   4,441   3,606 
Professional fees  153   114   244   273 
Salaries  282   223   563   452 
Salaries – stock-based compensation  664   151   2,603   1,073 
Total expenses  4,659   3,616   9,117   6,444 
Other items                
Loss on held for trading investments  -   125   -   260 
Interest and other income  (150)  (77)  (272)  (94)
Loss and comprehensive loss for the period  4,509   3,664   8,845   6,610 
Basic and diluted loss per common share $0.04  $0.03  $0.07  $0.06 
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding  132,095,920   117,583,238   132,007,414   111,989,192 

(See accompanying notes to the interim consolidated financial statements)

3

Trilogy Metals Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

(unaudited)

in thousands of US dollars, except share amounts

  Number of
shares
outstanding
  Share capital
$
  Warrants
$
  Contributed
surplus
$
  Contributed
surplus –
options
$
  Contributed
surplus –
units
$
  Deficit
$
  Total
shareholders’
equity
$
 
Balance – November 30, 2017  105,684,523   136,525   2,163   124   18,402   1,319   (132,868)  25,665 
Exercise of options  50,753   29   -   -   (29)  -   -   - 
Restricted share units  800,000   457   -   -   -   (457)  -   - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   -   -   484   438   -   922 
Loss for the period  -   -   -   -   -   -   (2,946)  (2,946)
Balance – February 28, 2018  106,535,276   137,011   2,163   124   18,857   1,300   (135,814)  23,641 
Bought deal financing  24,784,482   28,750   90   -   -   -   (90)  28,750 
Share issuance costs  -   (1,819)  -   -   -   -   -   (1,819)
Exercise of options  28,700   5   -   -   (5)  -   -   - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   -   -   90   61   -   151 
Loss for the period  -   -   -   -   -   -   (3,664)  (3,664)
Balance – May 31, 2018  131,348,458   163,947   2,253   124   18,942   1,361   (139,568)  47,059 
                                 
Balance – November 30, 2018  131,585,612   164,069   2,253   122   19,076   1,489   (154,807)  32,202 
Exercise of options  44,230   28   -   -   (28)  -   -   - 
Restricted share units  412,501   424   -   -   -   (424)  -   - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   -   -   1,586   353   -   1,939 
Loss for the period  -   -   -   -   -   -   (4,336)  (4,336)
Balance – February 28, 2019  132,042,343   164,521   2,253   122   20,634   1,418   (159,143)  29,805 
Exercise of options  101,064   53   -   -   (53)  -   -   - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   -   -   355   309   -   664 
Loss for the period  -   -   -   -   -   -   (4,509)  (4,509)
Balance – May 31, 2019  132,143,407   164,574   2,253   122   20,936   1,727   (163,652)  25,960 
 For the three months ended 
 

February 29, 2020

$

  

February 28, 2019

$

 
Expenses        
         
Amortization  42   37 
Foreign exchange loss (gain)  23   (34)
General and administrative  651   492 
Investor relations  126   117 
Mineral properties expense (note 6(a))  1,545   1,535 
Professional fees  668   91 
Salaries  224   281 
Salaries – stock-based compensation  1,196   1,939 
Total expenses  4,475   4,458 
Other items        
Gain on derecognition of assets contributed to joint venture (note 4(a))  (175,770)  - 
Share of loss on equity investment (note 4(b))  178   - 
Interest and other income  (62)  (122)
Comprehensive earnings (loss) for the period  171,179   (4,336)
Basic earnings (loss) per common share $1.22  $(0.03)
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share $1.16  $(0.03)
Basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding  140,616,672   131,916,941 
Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding  147,649,507   131,916,941 

 

(See accompanying notes to the interim consolidated financial statements)

 

4

3

 

 

Trilogy Metals Inc.

Interim Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

(unaudited)

in thousands of US dollars, except share amounts

 

 

Number of
shares
outstanding

  

Share capital

$

  

Warrants

$

  

Contributed
surplus

$

  

Contributed
surplus – options

$

  

Contributed
surplus – units

$

  

Deficit

$

  

Total
shareholders’
equity

$

 
Balance – November 30, 2018  131,585,612   164,069   2,253   122   19,076   1,489   (154,807)  32,202 
Exercise of options  44,230   28   -   -   (28)  -   -   - 
Restricted Share Units  412,501   424   -   -   -   (424)  -   - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   -   -   1,586   353   -   1,939 
Loss for the period  -   -   -   -   -   -   (4,336)  (4,336)
Balance – February 28, 2019  132,042,343   164,521   2,253   122   20,634   1,418   (159,143)  29,805 
                                 
                                 
                                 
Balance – November 30, 2019  140,427,761   177,971   -   122   21,123   1,759   (182,712)  18,263 
Exercise of options  19,514   6   -   -   (6)  -   -   - 
Restricted Share Units  212,501   330   -   -   -   (330)  -   - 
Stock-based compensation  -   -   -   -   1,155   41   -   1,196 
Earnings for the period  -   -   -   -   -   -   171,179   171,179 
Balance – February 29, 2020  140,659,776   178,307   -   122   22,272   1,470   (11,533)  190,638 

(See accompanying notes to the interim consolidated financial statements)


Trilogy Metals Inc.

Interim Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(unaudited)

  

in thousands of US dollars

  For the six months ended 
  May 31, 2019
$
  May 31, 2018
$
 
Cash flows used in operating activities        
Loss for the period  (8,845)  (6,610)
Items not affecting cash        
Amortization  75   83 
Loss on held for trading investments  -   260 
Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain)  8   (64)
Stock-based compensation  2,603   1,073 
Net change in non-cash working capital        
Decrease (Increase) in accounts receivable  (148)  441 
Increase in deposits and prepaid amounts  (894)  (67)
Decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities  (176)  (1,682)
   (7,377)  (6,566)
Cash flows from (used in) financing activities        
Proceeds from bought deal financing  -   28,750 
Share issuance cost  -   (1,819)
   -   26,931 
Cash flows from investing activities        
Acquisition of plant & equipment  -   (13)
Mineral properties funding (note 4 (c))  10,200   9,635 
Proceeds from the sale of investments, net of fees  -   2,080 
   10,200   11,702 
Increase in cash and cash equivalents  2,823   32,067 
Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents  (8)  11 
Cash and cash equivalents – beginning of period  22,991   5,391 
Cash and cash equivalents – end of period  25,806   37,469 

 For the three months ended 
 

February 29, 2020

$

  

February 28, 2019

$

 
Cash flows used in operating activities        
Earnings (Loss) for the period  171,179   (4,336)
Items not affecting cash        
Amortization  42   37 
Right of use asset amortization  60   - 
Loss on working capital written-off upon joint venture formation  18   - 
Gain on derecognition of assets (note 4(a))  (175,770)  - 
Loss on equity investment in Ambler Metals LLC. (note 4(b))  178   - 
Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain)  25   5 
Stock-based compensation  1,196   1,939 
Operating lease payments  (54)  - 
Net change in non-cash working capital        
Increase in accounts receivable  (154)  (6)
Decrease (increase) in deposits and prepaid amounts  419   (280)
Decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities  (1,080)  (590)
   (3,941)  (3,231)
Cash flows from investing activities        
Mineral properties funding  -   10,200 
   -   10,200 
Increase in cash and cash equivalents  (3,941)  6,969 
Effect of exchange rate on cash and cash equivalents  (16)  (5)
Cash and cash equivalents – beginning of period  19,174   22,991 
Cash and cash equivalents – end of period  15,217   29,955 

  

(See accompanying notes to the interim consolidated financial statements)

 

5

5

 

 

Trilogy Metals Inc.

Notes to the Interim Consolidated Financial Statements

 

11)Nature of operations

 

Trilogy Metals Inc. (“Trilogy” or the “Company”) was incorporated in British Columbia under theBusiness Corporations Act (BC) on April 27, 2011. The Company is engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties, through our equity investee (see note 4), with a focus on the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects (“UKMP”), including the Arctic and Bornite Projects located in Northwest Alaska in the United States of America (“US”).

 

22)Summary of significant accounting policies

 

Basis of presentation

 

These interim consolidated financial statements have been prepared using accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) and include the accounts of Trilogy and its wholly-ownedwholly owned subsidiary, NovaCopper US Inc. (dba “Trilogy Metals US”). All significant intercompany transactions are eliminated on consolidation. For variable interest entities (“VIEs”) where Trilogy is not the primary beneficiary, we use the equity method of accounting.

 

All figures are in United States dollars unless otherwise noted. References to CAD$ refer to amounts in Canadian dollars.

 

TheseThe unaudited interim consolidated financial statements include all adjustments of a normal recurring nature necessary for the fair presentation of the Company’s financial position as of May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 and our results of operations and cash flows for the sixthree months ended May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 and May 31, 2018.February 28, 2019. The results of operations for the sixthree months ended May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2019.2020.

 

As these interim consolidated financial statements do not contain all of the disclosures required by U.S. GAAP for annual financial statements, these unaudited interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the annual financial statements and related notes included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 20182019, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and Canadian securities regulatory authorities on February 11, 2019.13, 2020.

 

These interim consolidated financial statements were approved by the Company’s Audit Committee on behalf of the Board of Directors for issue on July 8, 2019.April 7, 2020.

 

Accounting standards adopted

i.Financial instruments

In March 2016, the FASB issued new guidance on classifying and measuring financial instruments (“ASU 2016-01”). This update is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. The Company adopted the provisions of this guidance effective November 1, 2018. As the Company’s investments in equity instruments were previously classified at fair value with the change in fair value recorded to the statement of loss and comprehensive loss, the new guidance does not impact the Company’s accounting or reporting results.

Recent accounting pronouncements

ii.Leases

 

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”)FASB issued new accounting requirements for accounting for, presentation of, and classification of leases (“ASU 2016-02”). This will result which, together with subsequent amendments, is included in most leases being capitalizedASC 842, Leases. ASC 842 became effective for the Company as a right of use asset with a related liability onDecember 1, 2019.

The Company adopted ASC 842 using the balance sheets. The requirementsmodified retrospective transition method by applying the transition provision and recording our cumulative adjustment to opening deficit at the beginning of the new standard are effective for annual reporting periodsperiod of adoption on December 1, 2019, rather than at the beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those annual periods, which for Trilogy is the first quarter of the fiscal year ending November 30, 2020. We expect the adoption will have an impact as we expect to capitalize leases, specifically our office leases which are not currently recognized on the balance sheets. We arecomparative period presented. Therefore, in the processcomparative periods, we continue to apply the legacy guidance in ASC 840, including its disclosure requirements. We elected to apply all of analyzing the quantitative impact of this guidance on our results of operations and financial position. The impact of this adoption will increase asset and liability balances as part of recognizing the leases on the balance sheet.transition practical expedients available, including:

6

 

3·Plantthe package of three practical expedients to (1) not reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, (2) not reassess the lease classification for any expired or existing leases, and equipment(3) not reassess initial direct costs for any existing lease;
·the hindsight practical expedient to use hindsight when determining lease term and assessing impairment of right-of-use assets, if any; and
·the easements practical expedient to continue applying our current policy for accounting for any land easements expired before or existing as of December 1, 2019.


In addition, we elected to apply the short-term lease recognition exemption and elected to apply the practical expedient to not separate lease and non-lease components for all applicable leases on transition. The adoption of this new standard resulted in the recognition of right of use assets and lease liabilities of $786,000 as at December 1, 2019.

iiInvestment in affiliates

Investments in unconsolidated ventures over which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but does not control, are accounted for under the equity method and include the Company’s investment in the Ambler Metals project. We identified Ambler Metals LLC as a Variable Interest Entity (VIE) as the entity is dependent on funding from its owners. All funding, ownership, voting rights and power to exercise control is shared equally on a 50/50 basis between the owners of the VIE. Therefore, the Company has determined that it is not the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The Company’s maximum exposure to loss is its investment in Ambler Metals LLC.

Ambler Metals LLC is a non-publicly traded equity investee holding exploration and development projects. The Company reviews and evaluates its investment in affiliates for other than temporary impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Events that could indicate impairment of an investment in affiliates include a significant decrease in long-term expected commodity prices, a significant increase in expected operating or capital costs, unfavorable exploration results or technical studies, a significant decrease in reserves, a loss of significant mineral claims or a change in the development plan or strategy for the project. Asset impairment is considered to exist if the total estimated future cash flows on an undiscounted basis are less than the carrying amount of the asset. If the underlying assets are not recoverable, an impairment loss is measured and recorded based on the difference between the carrying amount of the investee and its estimated fair value which may be determined using a discounted cash flow model.

3)Accounts receivable

 

in thousands of dollars

  May 31, 2019
  

 

Cost

$

  

Accumulated

amortization

$

  

 

Net

$

 
British Columbia, Canada            
Furniture and equipment  63   (23)  40 
Leasehold improvements  53   (14)  39 
Computer hardware and software  115   (111)  4 
Alaska, USA            
Machinery, and equipment  3,178   (3,014)  164 
Vehicles  348   (346)  2 
Computer hardware and software  35   (34)  1 
   3,792   (3,542)  250 
 

February 29, 2020

$

  

November 30, 2019

$

 
GST input tax credits  37   42 
Recoverable payments  22   222 
Ambler Metals LLC  359   - 
Accounts receivable  418   264 

The balance due from Ambler Metals LLC (“Ambler Metals”) (see note 4 below) consists of $110 thousand for services rendered by Trilogy per a service agreement (the “Service Agreement”) between Trilogy and Ambler Metals, $120 thousand for additional staking costs and $130 thousand for invoices paid by Trilogy on behalf of Ambler Metals LLC, per the Service Agreement.

4)Equity method investment

(a)Formation of Ambler Metals LLC

On February 11, 2020, the Company completed the formation of a 50/50 joint venture named Ambler Metals with South32 Limited (“South32”). As part of the formation of the joint venture, Trilogy contributed all of its assets associated with the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects (“UKMP”), including the Arctic and Bornite projects, while South32 contributed US$145 million, resulting in each party’s subsidiaries directly owning a 50% interest in Ambler Metals.

Ambler Metals is an independently operated company jointly controlled by Trilogy and South32 through a four-member board, of which two members are currently appointed by Trilogy based on its 50% equity interest. All significant decisions related to the UKMP require the approval of both companies. We determined that Ambler Metals is a VIE because it is expected to need additional funding from its owners for its significant activities. However, we concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary of Ambler Metals as the power to direct its activities, through its board, is shared under the Ambler Metals limited liability company agreement. As we have significant influence over Ambler Metals through our representation on its board, we use the equity method of accounting for our investment in Ambler Metals. Our investment in Ambler Metals was initially measured at its fair value of $176 million upon recognition. Our maximum exposure to loss in this entity is limited to the carrying amount of our investment in Ambler Metals, which totaled $176 million, as well as $0.4 million of amounts receivable per the Service Agreement. The following table summarizes the gain on recognition of the UKMP assets upon transfer to the Ambler Metals joint venture on February 11, 2020.


in thousands of dollars

$
Fair value ascribed to Ambler Metals interest176,000
Less: carrying value of contributed /eliminated assets
Mineral properties(30,587)
Property, plant and equipment(618)
Elimination of Fairbanks warehouse right of use asset(93)
Elimination of prepaid State of Alaska mining claim fees(303)
Add:
Demobilization costs of drills278
Cancellation of Fairbanks warehouse lease liability93
Fair value of mineral properties purchase option31,000
Gain on derecognition175,770

(b)Carrying value of equity method investment

During the three-month period ended February 29, 2020, Trilogy recognized, based on its 50% ownership interest in Ambler Metals, an equity pick-up equivalent to its pro rata share of Ambler Metals’ operating loss of $0.4 million for the period between February 11, 2020 (date of joint venture formation) to February 29, 2020. The carry value of Trilogy’s 50% investment in Ambler Metals as at February 29, 2020 is summarized on the following table.

 

in thousands of dollars

  November 30, 2018
  

 

Cost

$

  

Accumulated

amortization

$

  

 

Net

$

 
British Columbia, Canada            
Furniture and equipment  63   (17)  46 
Leasehold improvements  53   (10)  43 
Computer hardware and software  115   (109)  6 
Alaska, USA            
Machinery, and equipment  3,178   (2,964)  214 
Vehicles  348   (333)  15 
Computer hardware and software  35   (34)  1 
   3,792   (3,467)  325 
$
February 11, 2020, fair value ascribed to Ambler Metals interest176,000
Share of loss on equity investment(178)
February 29, 2020, equity method investment175,822

 

4(c)Mineral properties and development costsThe following table summarizes Ambler Metals Balance Sheet as at February 29, 2020.

 

in thousands of dollars

  

November 30, 2018

$

  

Acquisition costs

$

  

May 31, 2019

$

 
Alaska, USA            
Ambler (a)  26,587   -   26,587 
Bornite (b)  4,000   -   4,000 
   30,587   -   30,587 

February 29, 2020

$

Current assets: Cash, deposits and prepaid expenses145,049
Non - current assets: Property, equipment and mineral properties31,454
Current liabilities: Accounts payable and accrued liabilities(517)
Non - current liabilities: Lease obligation(91)
Net assets175,895

(d)The following table summarizes Ambler Metals comprehensive loss from the formation of the joint venture on February 11, 2020 to the end of the reporting period on February 29, 2020.

in thousands of dollars

February 11- 29, 2020

$

Amortization12
Mineral properties expense167
General and administrative expense219
Interest income(43)
Comprehensive loss355

5)Plant and equipment

in thousands of dollars

 February 29, 2020 
 

 

Cost

 

$

  

Accumulated

amortization

 

$

  

Assets derecognized

note 4(a)

$

  

 

Net

 

$

 
British Columbia, Canada                
Furniture and equipment  63   (33)  -   30 
Leasehold improvements  253   (30)  -   223 
Computer hardware and software  115   (113)  -   2 
Alaska, USA                
Machinery, and equipment  3,667   (3,049)  (618)  - 
Vehicles  348   (348)  -   - 
Computer hardware and software  4   (4)  -   - 
   4,450   (3,577)  (618)  255 

in thousands of dollars

 November 30, 2019 
 

 

Cost

$

  

Accumulated

amortization

$

  

 

Net

$

 
British Columbia, Canada            
Furniture and equipment  63   (29)  34 
Leasehold improvements  53   (17)  36 
Computer hardware and software  115   (112)  3 
Alaska, USA            
Machinery, and equipment  3,667   (3,026)  641 
Vehicles  348   (348)  - 
Computer hardware and software  4   (3)  1 
   4,250   (3,535)  715 

6)Mineral properties and development costs

in thousands of dollars

 

November 30, 2019

 

 

$

  Acquisition costs
reimbursable
from Ambler
Metals LLC
  

Assets
derecognized

note 4(a)

$

  

February 29, 2020

 

 

$

 
Alaska, USA                
Ambler (a)  26,631   (44)  (26,587)  - 
Bornite (b)  4,000   -   (4,000)  - 
   30,631   (44)  (30,587)  - 

 

in thousands of dollars

 

November 30, 2017

$

 

Acquisition costs

$

 

November 30, 2018

$

  

November 30, 2018

$

  

Acquisition costs

$

  

November 30, 2019

$

 
Alaska, USA                        
Ambler (a)  26,587   -   26,587   26,587   44   26,631 
Bornite (b)  4,000   -   4,000   4,000   -   4,000 
  30,587   -   30,587   30,587   44   30,631 

  


(a)Ambler

On January 11, 2010, NovaGold Resources Inc. (“NovaGold”), through Alaska Gold Company (“AGC”), at the time a wholly-owned NovaGold subsidiary, purchased 100% of the Ambler lands in Northwest Alaska, which contains the copper-zinc-lead-gold-silver Arctic Project and other mineralized targets within the volcanogenic massive sulfide belt, through a series of cash and share payments. Total fair value of the consideration was $26.6 million. The vendor retained a 1% net smelter return royalty that the Company can purchase at any time for a one-time payment of $10.0 million.

7

The Ambler lands were acquired on October 17, 2011 by Trilogy Metals US through a purchase and sale agreement with AGC. On October 24, 2011, NovaGold transferred its ownership of Trilogy Metals US to the Company, then itself a wholly owned subsidiary of NovaGold, which was subsequently spun-out to NovaGold shareholders and publicly listed on April 30, 2012 (“NovaGold Arrangement”).

(b)Bornite

On October 19, 2011, Trilogy Metals US acquired the exclusive right to explore and the non-exclusive right to access and enter on the Bornite lands, and lands deeded to NANA Regional Corporation, Inc. (“NANA”) through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, located adjacent to the Ambler lands in Northwest Alaska. As consideration, Trilogy Metals US paid $4 million to acquire the right to explore and develop the combined Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects through an Exploration Agreement and Option to Lease with NANA. Upon a decision to proceed with construction of a mine on the lands, NANA maintains the right to purchase between a 16%-25% ownership interest in the mine or retain a 15% net proceeds royalty which is payable after Trilogy Metals US has recovered certain historical costs, including capital and cost of capital. Should NANA elect to purchase an ownership interest, consideration will be payable equal to all historical costs incurred on the properties at the elected percentage purchased less $40 million, not to be less than zero. The parties would form a joint venture and be responsible for all future costs, including capital costs of the mine based on their pro-rata share.

NANA would also be granted a net smelter return royalty of between 1% and 2.5% upon the execution of a mining lease or a surface use agreement, the amount of which is determined by the classification of land from which production originates.

(c)Option Agreement

On April 10, 2017, Trilogy and Trilogy Metals US entered into an Option Agreement to form a Joint Venture with South32 Group Operations Pty Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of South32 Limited, which agreement was later assigned by South32 Operations to its affiliate, South32 USA Exploration Inc. (“South32”) on the UKMP (“Option Agreement”). Under the terms of the Option Agreement, as amended, Trilogy Metals US granted South32 the right to form a 50/50 joint venture to hold all of Trilogy Metals US’ Alaskan assets. Upon exercise of the option, Trilogy Metals US will transfer its Alaskan assets, including the UKMP, and South32 will contribute a minimum of $150 million, to a newly formed and jointly held, limited liability company (“LLC”).

To maintain the option in good standing, South32 is required to fund a minimum of $10 million per year for up to a three-year period, which funds will be used to execute a mutually agreed upon program at the UKMP. The funds provided by South32 may only be expended in accordance with an approved program by a technical committee with equal representation from Trilogy and South32. South32 may exercise its option at any time over the three-year period to enter into the 50/50 joint venture. To subscribe for 50% of the JV, South32 must contribute a minimum of $150 million, plus (i) any amounts Trilogy spends on matched parallel funding to a maximum of $16 million over the three year period and (ii) $5 million if the option had been exercised between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019 or $10 million if the option is exercised between April 1, 2019 and the expiration date of the option, less the amount of the initial funding contributed by South32 (the “Subscription Price”). South32 has now funded the full three-year option period. South32 has until the end of January 2020 to exercise the option to form the JV LLC and make the subscription payment. Should South32 not make its annual minimum payment or elect to withdraw, the option will lapse and South32 will have no claim to ownership or the funds it had already spent

During the year ended November 30, 2017, the Company received the first payment of $10.0 million and these funds were expended on the year 1 program at the Bornite Project. In October 2017, the Company received $0.4 million as a first instalment towards the year 2 program and budget to begin preparatory work. During the year ended November 30, 2018, the Company received payments totaling $10.4 million following the approval of the year 2 program and budget in January 2018, including a $0.80 million advance on South32’s year three funding obligation per the Option Agreement. During the quarter ended February 28, 2019, the Company received payments totaling $10.2 million following the approval of the year 3 program and budget, including $1 million funding for the approved regional exploration program. The receipt of the year 3 funding represents receipt of the final tranche of funding from South32. The Company is responsible for the disbursement of these funds in accordance with the approved program and budget and accordingly has not classified the funds as restricted cash.

8

As the initial option payments are credited against the future subscription price upon exercise, the Company has accounted for the payments received from South32 as deferred consideration for the purchase of the UKMP interest. At such time as the option is exercised, the $31.0 million of payments received will be recognized as part of the consideration received for the Company’s contribution of the UKMP into JV LLC. If South32 withdraws from the Option Agreement, the consideration will be recognized as income in the statement of loss at that time.

The option to form the JV LLC is recognized as a financial instrument at inception of the arrangement with an initial fair value of $nil. This option is required to be re-measured at fair value at each reporting date with any changes in fair value recorded in loss for the period. The Company determined that the fair value of the option remains $nil as at May 31, 2019.

(d)Mineral properties expense

 

The following table summarizes mineral properties expense for the noted periods.

 

In thousands of dollars

 

Three months
ended
May 31, 2019

$

 

Three months
ended
May 31, 2018

 $

 

Six months
ended
May 31, 2019

 $

 

Six months
ended
May 31, 2018

 $

  

Three months ended

February 29, 2020

$

  

Three months ended

February 28, 2019

$

 
Alaska, USA                        
Community  146   154   264   244   137   118 
Drilling  173   180   173   180   -   - 
Engineering  303   186   624   505   723   357 
Environmental  136   81   271   169   99   165 
Geochemistry and geophysics  593   591   758   646   12   165 
Land and permitting  174   166   360   359   134   120 
Project support  778   601   1,004   677   249   226 
Other income  -   (2)  (1)  (20)  -   (1)
Wages and benefits  603   518   988   846   191   385 
Mineral property expense  2,906   2,475   4,441   3,606 
  1,545   1,535 

Mineral property expenses consist of direct drilling, personnel, community, resource reporting and other exploration expenses as outlined above, as well as indirect project support expenses such as fixed wing charters, helicopter support, fuel, and other camp operation costs. Expenses during the first quarter ended February 29, 2020 consisted mainly of engineering studies in preparation of the Arctic feasibility study and care and maintenance of the camp during the winter season. Cumulative mineral properties expense in Alaska from the initial earn-in agreement on the property in 2004 to May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 is $99.0$115.3 million and cumulative acquisition costs arewere $30.6 million. Cumulative spend to date totaled $145.9 million through to February 29, 2020. On February 11, 2020, upon the formation of the joint venture with South 32, the acquisition costs of $30.6 million totaling $129.6 million spentwere derecognized upon the contribution of the mineral properties to date.Ambler Metals.

 

5(b)Derecognition

As part of the formation of the joint venture with South32 on February 11, 2020, Trilogy contributed all of its assets associated with the UKMP, including the Arctic and Bornite projects. As a result, $0.62 million of machinery and equipment as well as $30.6 million of mineral properties related to the UKMP were derecognized in Trilogy on February 11, 2020.

7)Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

 

in thousands of dollars

  May 31, 2019
$
  November 30, 2018
$
 
Trade accounts payable  834   400 
Accrued liabilities  474   503 
Accrued salaries and vacation  173   746 
Due to related parties  -   8 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  1,481   1,657 

9

 

February 29, 2020

$

  

November 30, 2019

$

 
Trade accounts payable  528   902 
Accrued liabilities  646   721 
Accrued salaries and vacation  100   731 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  1,274   2,354 

 

68)Leases

(a)Right-of-Use asset

in thousands of dollars

$
ASC 842 transition as at December 1, 2019681
Amortization(60)
Lease accretion19
Derecognition of Fairbanks warehouse lease(93)
547


(b)Lease liabilities

The Company’s lease arrangements primarily consist of an operating lease for our office space ending in June 2024. There are no extension options.

Total lease expense recorded within general and administrative expenses was comprised of the following components:

in thousands of dollars

Three months ended

February 29, 2020

$

Operating lease costs50
Variable lease costs34
Total lease expense84

Variable lease costs consist primarily of the Company’s portion of operating costs associated with the office space lease as the Company elected to apply the practical expedient not to separate lease and non-lease components.

As of February 29, 2020, the weighted-average remaining lease term was 4.3 years and the weighted-average discount rate is 8%. Significant judgment was used in the determination of the incremental borrowing rate which included estimating the Company’s credit rating.

Supplemental cash and non-cash information relating to our leases during the three months ended February 29, 2020 are as follows:

Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities was $54,134.
No cash was paid upon termination of a lease for office and warehouse space and reassignment to Ambler Metals that resulted in the derecognition of the right-of-use asset of $92,974 and the operating lease liability of $93,006.

Future minimum payments relating to the lease recognized in our balance sheet as of February 29, 2020 are as follows:

in thousands of dollars

Fiscal year 

February 29, 2020

$

 
2020  136 
2021  189 
2022  195 
2023  200 
2024  119 
Total undiscounted lease payments  839 
Effect of discounting  (192)
Present value of lease payments recognized as lease liability  647 


9)Share capital

 

Authorized:

unlimited common shares, no par value

Inin thousands of dollars, except share amounts

  Number of shares  Ascribed value
$
 
November 30, 2017  105,684,523   136,525 
Bought deal financing  24,784,482   28,750 
Share issuance costs  -   (1,805)
Exercise of options  315,148   140 
Restricted share units  800,000   457 
NovaGold DSU conversion  1,459   2 
November 30, 2018  131,585,612   164,069 
Exercise of options  145,294   81 
Restricted share units  412,501   424 
May 31, 2019, issued and outstanding  132,143,407   164,574 
 Number of shares  

Ascribed value

$

 
November 30, 2018  131,585,612   164,069 
Exercise of options  1,725,776   1,123 
Restricted Share Units  412,501   424 
Deferred Share Units  182,132   189 
Exercise of warrants  6,521,740   12,166 
November 30, 2019  140,427,761   177,971 
Exercise of options  19,514   6 
Restricted Share Units  212,501   330 
February 29, 2020, issued and outstanding  140,659,776   178,307 

 

On April 30, 2012, under the NovaGold Arrangement, Trilogy committed to issue common shares to satisfy holders of NovaGold deferred share units (“NovaGold DSUs”) on record as of the close of business April 27, 2012. When vested, Trilogy committed to deliver one Common Sharecommon share to the holder for every six shares of NovaGold the holder is entitled to receive, rounded down to the nearest whole number. As of May 31, 2019, there remainsFebruary 29, 2020, 11,927 NovaGold DSUs remained outstanding representing a right to receive 1,988 Common Sharescommon shares in Trilogy, which will settle upon certain directors retiring from NovaGold’s board.

On April 20, 2018, the Company completed a bought-deal financing for gross proceeds of $28.7 million by issuing 24,784,482 common shares at $1.16 per common share. Expenses including bank commissions, legal fees, stock exchange and other fees totaled $1.8 million for net proceeds of $26.9 million.

 

(a)Stock options

 

During the period ended May 31, 2019,February 29, 2020, the Company granted 2,527,5002,050,000 options (2018(20192,125,0002,430,000 options) at a weighted-average exercise price of CAD$2.96 (20183.02 (2019 – CAD$1.04)2.94) to employees, consultants and directors exercisable for a period of five years with various vesting terms from immediate vesting to over a two-year period. The weighted-average fair value attributable to options granted in the period was $1.08 (2018$0.99 (2019 - $0.37)$1.08).

 

For the period ended May 31, 2019,February 29, 2020, Trilogy recognized a stock-based compensation charge of $1.94$1.16 million (2018– $0.58(2019 – $1.59 million) for options granted to directors, employees and service providers, net of estimated forfeitures.

 

The recognized fair value of the stock options grantedrecognized in the period has been estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model.

 

Assumptions used in the pricing model for the period are as provided below.

 

 May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 
Risk-free interest rates  2.031.64%
Exercise price CAD$3.013.10 
Expected life  3.0 years 
Expected volatility  75.063.1%
Expected dividends  Nil 

 

As of May 31, 2019,February 29, 2020, there were 1,841,6721,453,338 non-vested options outstanding with a weighted average exercise price of $1.79;$2.21; the non-vested stock option expense not yet recognized was $0.90$0.95 million. This expense is expected to be recognized over the next two years.

 

10

A summary of the Company’s stock option plan and changes during the period ended May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 is as follows:

 

 May 31, 2019  February 29, 2020 
 

 

 

Number of options

  Weighted average
exercise price
$
  

 

 

Number of options

  

Weighted average exercise price

$

 
Balance – beginning of the period  8,821,434   0.60   9,205,600   1.08 
Granted  2,527,500   2.19   2,050,000   2.25 
Exercised  (219,153)  0.77   (26,667)  0.54 
Forfeited  (230,000)  2.19 
Balance – end of period  11,129,781   0.95   10,998,933   1.27 

 

The following table summarizes information about the stock options outstanding at May 31,February 29, 2019.

 

  Outstanding  Exercisable  Unvested 
Range of price Number of
outstanding
options
  Weighted
average years
to expiry
  Weighted
average
exercise price
$
  Number of
exercisable
options
  Weighted
average
exercise price
$
  Number of
unvested
options
 
$0.33 to $0.50  3,920,614   1.22   0.38   3,920,614   0.38   - 
$0.51 to $1.00  4,346,667   2.45   0.71   3,898,331   0.70   448,336 
$1.01 to $1.50  225,000   3.87   1.31   125,000   1.22   100,000 
$1.51 to $2.00  120,000   4.11   1.79   86,666   1.76   33,334 
$2.01 to $2.52  2,517,500   4.53   2.19   1,257,498   2.19   1,260,002 
   11,129,781   2.53   0.95   9,288,109   0.79   1,841,672 
Outstanding  Exercisable  Unvested 
Range of price  Number of outstanding
options
  Weighted
average years
to expiry
  

Weighted
average
exercise price

$

  Number of exercisable options  

Weighted
average
exercise price

$

  Number of unvested
options
 
 $0.33 to $0.50   2,676,433   0.73   0.36   2,676,433   0.73   - 
 $0.51 to $1.00   3,195,000   2.35   0.66   3,195,000   2.35   - 
 $1.01 to $1.50   225,000   3.12   1.32   175,000   3.08   50,000 
 $1.51 to $2.00   640,000   4.46   1.81   623,333   4.49   16,667 
 $2.01 to $2.54   4,262,500   4.28   2.23   2,875,829   4.17   1,386,671 
     10,998,933   2.84   1.27   9,545,595   2.60   1,453,338 

 

The aggregate intrinsic value of vested share options (the market value less the exercise price) at May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 was $17.6$5.9 million (2018(2019 - $5.9$13 million) and the aggregate intrinsic value of exercised options for the sixthree months ended May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 was $0.3$0.04 million (2018(2019 - $0.1$0.08 million).

 

(b)Restricted Share Units and Deferred Share Units

 

The Company has a Restricted Share Unit Plan (“RSU Plan”) and a Non-Executive Director Deferred Share Unit Plan (“DSU Plan”) to provide long-term incentives to employees, officers and directors. Awards under the RSU Plan and DSU Plan may be settled in cash and/or common shares of the Company at the Company’s election with each restricted share unit (“RSU”) and deferred share unit (“DSU”) entitling the holder to receive one common share of the Company or equivalent value. All units are accounted for as equity-settled awards.

 

11

A summary of the Company’s unit plans and changes during the period ended May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 is as follows:

 

 Number of RSUs Number of DSUs  Number of RSUs  Number of DSUs 
Balance – beginning of the period  400,002   1,182,106   212,501   1,137,488 
Granted  225,000   104,489   -   21,927 
Vested/paid  (412,501)  -   (212,501)  - 
Balance – end of period  212,501   1,286,595   -   1,159,415 

 

For the period ended May 31, 2019,February 29, 2020, Trilogy recognized a stock-based compensation charge of $0.66$0.04 million (2018- $0.49(2019- $0.35 million), net of estimated forfeitures.

 

AsNo RSUs were granted as part of the annual incentive payout for the 2019 fiscal year to officers. The 225,000 RSUs granted for the annual incentive payout for the 2018 fiscal year 225,000 RSUs were granted to officers, vestingvested half on the grant date and half on the first anniversary of the grant date. RSUs vesting in December 20182019 were settled on December 21, 201817, 2019 through the issuance of 412,501212,501 common shares.

 


(c)10)Share Purchase Warrants

A summary of the Company’s warrants and changes during the period ended May 31, 2019 is as follows:

  Number of
warrants
  Years to expiry  

Exercise price

$

 
Balance – beginning of the period  6,521,740   0.59   1.52 
Balance – end of period  6,521,740   0.09   1.52 

7Financial instruments

 

The Company is exposed to a variety of risks arising from financial instruments. These risks and management’s objectives, policies and procedures for managing these risks are disclosed as follows.

 

The Company’s financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, deposits, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities. The fair value of the Company’s financial instruments approximates their carrying value due to the short-term nature of their maturity. The Company’s financial instruments initially measured at fair value and then held at amortized cost include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, deposits, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities. The Company’s investments were held for trading and were marked-to-market at each period end with changes in fair value recorded to the statement of loss.

 

Financial risk management

 

The Company’s activities expose it to certain financial risks, including currency risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, interest risk and price risk.

 

(a)Currency risk

 

Currency risk is the risk of a fluctuation in financial asset and liability settlement amounts due to a change in foreign exchange rates. The Company operates in the United States and Canada. The Company’s exposure to currency risk at May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 is limited to the Canadian dollar consisting of cash of CDN$244,000,540,000, accounts receivable of CDN$26,00049,000 and accounts payable of CDN$442,000.865,000. Based on a 10% change in the US-Canadian exchange rate, assuming all other variables remain constant, the Company’s net loss would change by approximately $13,000.$21,000.

 

(b)Credit risk

 

Credit risk is the risk of an unexpected loss if a customer or third party to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations. The Company holds cash and cash equivalents with Canadian Chartered financial institutions. The Company’s accounts receivable consists of Canadian Goods and Services Tax receivable from the Federal Government of Canada and other receivables for recoverable expenses. The Company’s exposure to credit risk is equal to the balance of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable as recorded in the financial statements.

 

12

(c)Liquidity risk

 

Liquidity risk is the risk that the Company will encounter difficulties raising funds to meet its financial obligations as they fall due. The Company is in the exploration stage and does not have cash inflows from operations; therefore, the Company manages liquidity risk through the management of its capital structure and financial leverage.

 

Contractually obligated cash flow requirements as at May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 are as follows:

 

in thousands of dollars

  Total
$
  < 1 Year
$
  1–2 Years
$
  2–5 Years
$
  Thereafter
$
 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  1,481   1,481   -   -   - 
   1,481   1,481   -   -   - 
 

Total

$

  

<1 Year

$

  

1–2 Years

$

  

2–5 Years

$

  

Thereafter

$

 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  1,274   1,274   -   -   - 
   1,274   1,274   -   -   - 

  

(d)Interest rate risk

 

Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market interest rates. The Company is exposed to interest rate risk with respect to interest earned on cash and cash equivalents. Based on balances as at May 31, 2019,February 29, 2020, a 1% change in interest rates would result in a change in net loss of $0.3$0.1 million, assuming all other variables remain constant.

 


811)Commitment

 

The Company has commitments with respect to an office and warehouse leaseslease requiring future minimum lease payments as follows:

summarized in thousands of dollars

May 31, 2019
$
One year231
Years 2 through 5457
Beyond 5 years414
Total1,102

9Subsequent events

On June 28, 2019, the Company announced all its outstanding warrants were exercised in advance of the July 2, 2019 expiry date.  As a result of the warrants exercised, the Company issued a total of 6,521,740 common shares and received cash proceeds of approximately $9.9 million.

note 8(b) above.

13

Item 2.

Item 2.  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Trilogy Metals Inc.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Trilogy Metals Inc.

Management’s Discussion and Analysis

(expressed in US dollars)

Cautionary notes

 

Forward-looking statements

 

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and other applicable securities laws. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding the Company’s work programs and budgets; perceived merit of properties, the timing and filing of updated technical reports, the timing of permitting,exploration results and budgets, the Company and Ambler Metals’ funding requirements, mineral reserves and resource estimates, work programs, capital expenditures, operating costs, cash flow estimates, production estimates and similar statements relating to the economic viability of a project, timelines, strategic plans, statements regarding the Company’sAmbler Metals’ plans and expectations relating to its Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects, sufficiency of the $145 million subscription price to fund the UKMP through feasibility and the permitting of the first mine; impact of COVID-19 on the upcoming field season; market prices for precious and base metals, or other statements that are not statements of fact. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Statements concerning mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute “forward-looking statements” to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered if the property is developed.

Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, identified by words or phrases such as “expects”, “is expected”, “anticipates”, “believes”, “plans”, “projects”, “estimates”, “assumes”, “intends”, “strategy”, “goals”, “objectives”, “potential”, “possible” or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events, conditions or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, as well as on a number of material assumptions, including those listed below, which could prove to be significantly incorrect:incorrect, including about:

 

·assumptions made in the interpretation of drill results, and of the geology, grade and continuity of the Company’s mineral deposits;
·our ability to achieve production at anythe Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects;
·the accuracy of our mineral resource and reserve estimates;
·the Company’s mineralresults, costs and timing of future exploration drilling and engineering;
·timing and receipt of approvals, consents and permits under applicable legislation;
·the adequacy of our financial resources;
·the receipt of third party contractual, regulatory and governmental approvals for the exploration, development, construction and production of our properties;
·our expected ability to develop adequate infrastructure and that the cost of doing so will be reasonable;
·assumptions that all necessary permits and governmental approvals will be obtained;
·estimated capital costs, operating costs, production and economic returns;
·estimated metal pricing, metallurgy, mineability, marketability and operating and capital costs, together with other assumptions underlying the Company’s resource and reserve estimates;
·continued good relationships with South32, our joint venture partner, as well as local communities and other stakeholders;
·our expectations regarding demand forthere being no significant disruptions affecting operations, whether relating to labor, supply, power damage to equipment skilled labour and services needed for exploration and development of mineral properties;or other matter;
·expected trends and specific assumptions regarding metal prices and currency exchange rates;
·the meritpotential impact of litigation;the novel coronavirus (COVID-19); and
·that our activities will not be adversely disrupted or impeded by development, operating or regulatory risks.prices for and availability of fuel, electricity, parts and equipment and other key supplies remaining consistent with current levels.

We have also assumed that no significant events will occur outside of our normal course of business. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. We believe that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date of this MD&A. However, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

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Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation:

 

·risks related to inability to define proven and probable reserves;
·risks related to our ability to finance the development of our mineral properties through external financing, strategic alliances, the sale of property interests or otherwise;
·none ofuncertainty as to whether there will ever be production at the Company’s mineral properties are inexploration and development properties;
·risks related to our ability to commence production and generate material revenues or are under development;obtain adequate financing for our planned exploration and development activities;
·risks related to lack of infrastructure including but not limited to the risk whether or not the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project, or AMDIAP, will receive the requisite permits and, if it does, whether the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority will build the AMDIAP;
·uncertainty asrisks related to whether South32 will exercise its option underinclement weather which may delay or hinder exploration activities at our mineral properties;
·risks related to our dependence on a third party for the Option Agreement;development of our projects;
·commodity price fluctuations;
·our history of losses and expectation of future losses;
·uncertainties relating to the assumptions underlying our resource estimates, such as metal pricing, metallurgy, mineability, marketability and operating and capital costs;

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·risks related to lack of infrastructure including but not limited to the risk whether or not the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Project (“AMDIAP”) will receive the requisite permits and, if it does, whether Alaska Industrial Development Export Authority will build the AMDIAP;
·uncertainty as to whether there will ever be production at the Company’s mineral exploration and development properties;
·uncertainty as to estimates of capital costs, operating costs, production and economic returns;
·risks related to our ability to commence production and generate material revenues or obtain adequate financing for our planned exploration and development activities;
·risks related to future sales or issuances of equity securities decreasing the value of existing Trilogy common shares, diluting voting power and reducing future earnings per share;
·risks related to market events and general economic conditions;
·uncertainty related to inferred mineral resources;
·uncertainty related to the economic projections derived from the Pre-Feasibility Study titled “Arctic Project, Northwest Alaska, USA, NI 43-101 technical report on Pre-Feasibility Study” dated effective February 20, 2018;
·risks related to inclement weather which may delay or hinder exploration activities at its mineral properties;
·risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of our mineral deposits;
·mining and development risks, including risks related to infrastructure, accidents, equipment breakdowns, labor disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in development, construction or production;
·the risk that permitsrisks related to market events and governmental approvals necessary to develop and operate mines at our mineral properties will not be available on a timely basis or at all;general economic conditions;
·commodity price fluctuations;risks related to the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19);
·risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of our mineral deposits;
·risks related to governmental regulation and permits, including environmental regulation, including the risk that more stringent requirements or standards may be adopted or applied due to circumstances unrelated to the Company and outside of itsour control;
·the risk that permits and governmental approvals necessary to develop and operate mines at our mineral properties will not be available on a timely basis or at all;
·risks related to the need for reclamation activities on our properties and uncertainty of cost estimates related thereto;
·uncertainty related to title to our mineral properties;
·our historyrisks related to the acquisition and integration of losses and expectation of future losses;operations or projects;
·risks related to increases in demand for equipment, skilled labor and services needed for exploration and development of mineral properties, and related cost increases;
·our need to attract and retain qualified management and technical personnel;
·risks related to conflicts of interests of some of our directors and officers;
·risks related to potential future litigation;
·risks related to the voting power of our major shareholders and the impact that a sale by such shareholders may have on our share price;
·risks related to global climate change;
·risks related to adverse publicity from non-governmental organizations;
·uncertainty as to the volatility in the price of the Company’s shares;
·the Company’s expectation of not paying cash dividends;
·adverse federal income tax consequences for U.S. shareholders should the Company be a passive foreign investment company;
·uncertainty as to our ability to maintain the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting as per the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; and
·increased regulatory compliance costs, associated with rules and regulations promulgated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, (the “SEC”), Canadian Securities Administrators, the NYSE American, the TSX,Toronto Stock Exchange, and the Financial Accounting Standards Boards, and more specifically, our efforts to comply with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection ActAct;
·uncertainty as to the volatility in the price of the Company’s common shares;
·the Company’s expectation of not paying cash dividends; and
·adverse federal income tax consequences for U.S. shareholders should the newly adopted SEC mining disclosure rules.Company be a passive foreign investment company.

 

This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company’s forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in Trilogy’s Form 10-K dated February 11, 2019,13, 2020, filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities and the SEC, and other information released by Trilogy and filed with the appropriate regulatory agencies.

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The Company’s forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, except as required by law. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

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Cautionary note to United States investors

Reserve and resource estimates

 

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Unless otherwise indicated, all resource and reserve estimates included in this Management’s Discussion and Analysis have been prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) and the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators which establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. Canadian standards, including NI 43-101, differ significantly from the requirements of the SEC, and resource and reserve information contained herein may not be comparable to similar information disclosed by U.S. companies. In particular, and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term “resource” does not equate to the term “reserves”. Under U.S. standards, mineralization may not be classified as a “reserve” unless the determination has been made that the mineralization could be economically and legally produced or extracted at the time the reserve determination is made. The SEC’s disclosure standards normally do not permit the inclusion of information concerning “measured mineral resources”, “indicated mineral resources” or “inferred mineral resources” or other descriptions of the amount of mineralization in mineral deposits that do not constitute “reserves” by U.S. standards in documents filed with the SEC. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. U.S. investors should also understand that “inferred mineral resources” have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an “inferred mineral resource” will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Under Canadian rules, estimated “inferred mineral resources” may not form the basis of feasibility or pre-feasibility studies except in rare cases. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of an “inferred mineral resource” exists or is economically or legally mineable. Disclosure of “contained ounces” in a resource is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute “reserves” by SEC standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. The requirements of NI 43-101 for identification of “reserves” are also not the same as those of the SEC, and reserves reported by the Company in compliance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as “reserves” under SEC standards. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

 

General

 

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”) of Trilogy Metals Inc. (“Trilogy”, “Trilogy Metals”, “the Company” or “we”) is dated July 8, 2019April 7, 2020 and provides an analysis of our unaudited interim financial results for the quarter ended May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 compared to the quarter ended May 31, 2018.February 28, 2019.

 

The following information should be read in conjunction with our May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes which were prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”). The MD&A should also be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes for the year ended November 30, 2018.2019. A summary of the U.S. GAAP accounting policies is outlined in note 2 of the audited consolidated financial statements. All amounts are in United States dollars unless otherwise stated. References to “Canadian dollars” and “C$” and “CDN$” are to the currency of Canada and references to “U.S. dollars”, “$” or “US$” are to the currency of the United States.

 

Andrew W. West, P.Geo., an employee and Exploration Manager, is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 -Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects(“ (“NI 43-101”), and has approved the scientific and technical information in this MD&A.

 

Trilogy’s shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (“TSX”) and the NYSE American Stock Exchange (“NYSE American”) under the symbol “TMQ”. Additional information related to Trilogy, including our annual report on Form 10-K, is available on SEDAR atwww.sedar.com and on EDGAR atwww.sec.gov.

 


Description of business

 

We are a base metals exploration company focused on exploring and developing our mineral holdings in the Ambler mining district located in Alaska, U.S.A. We conduct our operations through a wholly-ownedwholly owned subsidiary, NovaCopper US Inc. which is doing business as Trilogy Metals US (“Trilogy Metals US”). Our Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects, (“UKMP” or “UKMP Projects”), were contributed into a 50/50 joint venture named Ambler Metals LLC (‘Ambler Metals”) between Trilogy and South32 Limited (‘South32”) on February 11, 2020 (see below). The projects contributed to the joint venture consist of: i) the 100% owned Ambler lands which host the Arctic copper-zinc-lead-gold-silver Projectproject (the “Arctic Project”); and ii) the Bornite lands being explored under a collaborative long-term agreement with NANA Regional Corporation, Inc. (“NANA”), a regional Alaska Native Corporation, which host the Bornite carbonate-hosted copper Projectproject (the “Bornite Project”). and related assets.

 

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Corporate developments

 

Outlook & Project activitiesLong-term incentives

 

On December 19, 2019, the Board of Directors approved the granting of 2,050,000 stock options to employees and directors with various vesting terms.

Project Activities

2020 Operating Budget for the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects

In a press release dated February 26, 2020, the Company announced that Ambler Metals had approved a 2020 program budget of $22.8 million for the advancement of the UKMP. The budget is 100% funded by Ambler Metals. The 2020 program budget includes 10,000 meters of drilling at the Arctic Project, 2,500 meters of drilling within the Ambler Volcanogenic massive Sulphide (“VMS”) Belt and geological mapping and geochemical soil sampling at the Bornite Project. However, the timing of these programs may be delayed,see “Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19)” below.

Arctic Project

The $7.0 million engineering and environmental program, which will be funded entirely by Trilogy, has commenced at Arctic with two rigs from Tuuq Drilling LLC currently in operation at the site. WorkActivities at the Arctic deposit commenced in late June withProject will continue to focus on advancing studies and preparing for permit applications. Ambler Metals plans to conduct a view of completing feasibility level geotechnical and hydrology work. The main goal of this year’s work10,000-meter drilling program is to complete engineering and environmental studies to prepare a National Instrument 43-101 compliant feasibility study which results are anticipated to be released in the first half of 2020. Work is also being done to prepareat the Arctic Project during the summer field season to gather additional drill data for permitting, which we expectthe conversion of resources to the measured category, the next phase of metallurgical studies, including pilot plant testing, and geotechnical drilling for infrastructure placement. The drill program is expected to commence in 2020. The permitting preparation work being carried out will support Federal, Statemid-June and Borough permitting requirements.finish at the end of August. Studies are expected to continue throughout the year.

 

Bornite Project

 

Exploration activities commenced at the beginning of June with more than 2,000 meters of drilling completed so farThe 2020 field program at the Bornite Project with three rigs from Major Drilling America, Inc. currentlywill consist of geological mapping and geochemical soil sampling over the northern Cosmos Hills and review of drill core and surface exposures to determine controls on high grade zones of copper mineralization. Although there is no planned drilling at the Bornite Project in operation at site. The main goal of2020, the $9.2 million programBornite geological database will be toupdated and the team will identify priority drill approximately 8,000 meters within 12 holes and will include both infill and expansion drilling. Drilling is anticipated to continue throughouttargets for the summer and results from the first few holes of this program are expected to be release in late summer. South32 Limited (“South32”) funded the entire $9.2 million budget in which funds were fully received during the first quarter maintaining the Option Agreement as defined below in good standing.2021 field season.

 

Regional Exploration Project

 

District-wide VTEM and ZTEM helicopter airborne geophysical surveys were completed this springFollowing up from the 2019 work performed by Trilogy along the entire 100-kilometer long70-mile (100 kilometer) Ambler VMS belt, Ambler Metals will continue exploration efforts within the Ambler VMS belt to discover and define potential deposits that can provide additional feed to a future Arctic mill. Ambler Metals plans to conduct a 2,500-meter drill campaign in the VMS belt, following up from last year’s drilling at the Sunshine prospect and at other identified targets. The drill program is expected to commence in mid-July and finish at the end of August. The drilling will be preceded by detailed geologic mapping, geochemical soil sampling, and ground geophysics.

Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19)

With respect to the outbreak of the favorable stratigraphy hosting known polymetallic volcanogenic-massive sulphide (“VMS”) deposits, as well asnovel coronavirus (COVID-19), Trilogy recognizes that the areas aroundsituation is extremely fluid and is monitoring the Bornite deposit and the surrounding Cosmos Hills area. The surveys were flown by Geotech Ltd. and the data is currently being re-processed by Resource Potential PTY Ltd. The new VTEM and ZTEM surveys will be integrated into our dataset of historical drilling accumulated over a 40-year period of exploration, all of which has been geo-referenced into an integrated GIS database. This dataset will be analyzed to determine and prioritize targets for drill testing later in the summer after the Arctic environmental and geotechnical drill program has been completed. The Company and South32 have agreed to equally fund the Regional Exploration budget. Funds were received during the first quarter from South32 for their $1.0 million contribution, which is in excess of the original $30 million in option payments.

Property review

Our principal assets, the UKMP Projects, are located in the Ambler mining district in Northwest Alaska. Our UKMP Projects comprise approximately 355,323 acres (143,794 hectares) consisting of the Ambler and Bornite lands.

Arctic Project

The Ambler lands, which host several deposits, including the high-grade copper-zinc-lead-gold-silver Arctic Project, and other mineralized targets within a 100-kilometer-long VMS belt, are owned by NovaCopper US. The Ambler lands are in Northwestern Alaska and consist of 114,500 acres (46,337 hectares) of Federal patented mining claims and State of Alaska mining claims, within which VMS mineralization has been found.

We have recordedHealth Department recommendations and restrictions on travel. These recommendations and restrictions may significantly impact our ability to conduct the planned work programs during the upcoming field season. So, although the work programs discussed above are still currently scheduled to commence as originally planned, our highest priority is the health, safety and welfare of our employees, contractors and community members. As a result, we and our joint venture partner, through Ambler lands as a mineral property with acquisition costs capitalized and exploration costs expensed in accordance with our accounting policies.

Bornite Project

On October 19, 2011, Trilogy Metals, US and NANA signed a collaborative agreement to explore and developwill make the Ambler mining district. Under the Exploration Agreement and Option to Lease (the “NANA Agreement”), we acquired, in exchange for, among other things, a $4.0 million cash payment to NANA, the exclusive right to explore the Bornite property and lands deeded to NANA through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (“ANCSA”), located adjacentnecessary adjustments to the Arctic Project, andwork programs, including extending the non-exclusive righttimeline or scope for the remainder of the programs, or even cancelling the planned exploration activities at the UKMP for this season, if it is determined to access and entry onto NANA’s lands. The agreement establishes a framework for any future development of either the Bornite Projectbe necessary or the Arctic Project. Both projects are included as part of a larger area of interest set forth in the NANA Agreement. The agreement with NANA created a total land package incorporating our Ambler lands with the adjacent Bornite and ANCSA lands with a total area of approximately 355,323 acres (143,794 hectares).prudent to do so.

 

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Joint Venture

Upon the decision to proceed with development of a mine within the area of interest, NANA maintains the right to purchase an ownership interest in the mine equal to range between 16%-25% or retain a 15% net proceeds royalty which is payable after we have recovered certain historical costs, including capital and cost of capital. Should NANA elect to purchase an ownership interest in the mine, consideration will be payable based on the elected percentage purchased and all the costs incurred on the properties less $40.0 million, not to be less than zero. The parties would form a joint venture and be responsible for all future costs incurred in connection with the mine, including capital costs of the mine, based on each party’s pro-rata share.

NANA would also be granted a net smelter return royalty between 1% and 2.5% upon the execution of a mining lease or a surface useOption agreement the amount of which is determined by the particular area of land from which production originates.

We have accounted for the Bornite property as a mineral property with acquisition costs capitalized and exploration costs expensed in accordance with our accounting policies.

South32 Option Agreement

 

On April 10, 2017, Trilogy and Trilogy Metals US entered into an Option Agreement to form a Joint Venture with South32 Group Operations Pty Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of South32, Limited, which agreement was later assigned by South32 Operations to its affiliate, South32 USA Exploration Inc. on the UKMP (“Option Agreement”). Under the terms of the Option Agreement, as amended, Trilogy Metals US granted South32 the right to form a 50/50 joint venture to hold all of Trilogy Metals US’ Alaskan assets. Upon exerciseassets which South32 exercised on December 19, 2019.

Formation of joint venture

On February 11, 2020, Trilogy completed the option,50/50 joint venture with South32. Trilogy Metals US will transfercontributed all of its Alaskan assets associated with the 172,675-hectare UKMP, including the UKMP,Arctic and Bornite projects, while South32 will contributecontributed a minimumsubscription price of $150US$145 million to(the “Subscription Price”), resulting in each party owning a newly formed and jointly held, limited liability company (“LLC”).

To maintain the option50% interest in good standing, South32 is required to fund a minimum of $10 million per year for up to a three-year period, which fundsAmbler Metals. The Subscription Price will be used to execute a mutually agreed upon program atadvance the UKMP. The funds providedArctic and Bornite Projects, along with exploration in the Ambler mining district. With Ambler Metals being well funded, with access to $145 million, Trilogy does not expect to fund programs and budgets to advance the UKMP until the Subscription Price is spent by South32 may only be expended in accordance withAmbler Metals.

Ambler Metals is an approved programindependently operated company controlled by a technical committee with equal representation from Trilogy and South32. South32 may exercisethrough a four-member board of which two members are currently appointed by Trilogy based on its option50% equity interest. All significant decisions related to the UKMP require the approval of both companies. We determined that Ambler Metals is a variable interest entity, or VIE, because it is expected to need additional funding from its owners for its significant activities. However, we concluded that we are not the primary beneficiary of Ambler Metals as the power to direct its activities, through its board, is shared under the limited liability company agreement. As we have significant influence over Ambler Metals through our representation on its board, we use the equity method of accounting for our investment in Ambler Metals. Our investment in Ambler Metals was initially measured at any time overits fair value of $176 million upon recognition. Our maximum exposure to loss in this entity is limited to the three-year period to enter into the 50/50 joint venture. To subscribe for 50% of the JV, South32 must contribute a minimum of $150 million, plus (i) any amounts Trilogy spends on matched parallel funding to a maximum of $16 million over the three year period and (ii) $5 million if the option is exercised between April 1, 2018 and March 31, 2019 or $10 million if the option is exercised between April 1, 2019 and the expiration date of the option, less thecarrying amount of the initial funding contributed by South32 (the “Subscription Price”). South32 has now funded the full three-year option period. South32 has untilour investment in Ambler Metals, which totaled $176 million as well as $0.4 million of amounts receivable per a Service Agreement between Trilogy and Ambler Metals.

Subsequent to the end of January 2020 to exercise the option to form the JV LLC and make the subscription payment.

Option Funding Phase

Provided that all the exploration data and information has been made availablefirst quarter, Ambler Metals loaned US$57.5 million back to South32 and retained $87.5 million. The loan has a 7-year maturity date, but Ambler Metals can demand earlier repayment in installments as required to advance development studies, resource drilling and regional exploration programs. The loan is secured by no later than December 31 of each year, South32 must decide by the end of January of the following year whether; (i) to fund a further tranche of a minimum of $10 million, or (ii) to withdraw and not provide any further annual funding. In years 1 and 2, if the election to fund a further tranche is not madeSouth32’s membership interest in January, South32 has until the end of March to exercise the option to form the LLC and make the subscription payment. If South32 elects to exercise the option, the Subscription Price shall be paid in one tranche within 45 business days. Should South32 not make its annual minimum payment or elect to withdraw, the option will lapse and South32 will have no claim to ownership or the funds it had already spent. The option payment for the first year was paidguaranteed by South32 in April 2017 and expended on the Year 1 exploration program at the Bornite Project. Early in December 2017, South32 committed to fund the $10 million 2018 program for the Bornite Project. The funds, which represent the second tranche, maintain the Option Agreement in good standing, and were fully received on January 24, 2018. An additional $0.80 million was received during the year ended November 30, 2018 from South32 as an advance on the year three funding.

On January 31, 2019, we announced the 2019 program and budgets with South32 committing to fund the $9.2 million budget for the Bornite Project. The funds, which represent the third and final tranche, maintain the Option Agreement in good standing, and were fully received during the quarter ended February 28, 2019.

Subscription Funding Phase

At any time during the option funding phase of the agreement, South32 may elect to subscribe for a 50% interest in a newly formed LLC which will take transfer of, and hold, Trilogy Metals US’ Alaskan Assets. As part of the Subscription Price, South32 will match any spending expended by us at the Arctic Project over 3 years (2017, 2018 and 2019), to a cumulative maximum of $16 million. Depending on when the option is exercised, certain amounts of the Initial Funding will be deducted from the Subscription Price.

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International Investment Holdings Pty Ltd. Trilogy currently estimates that the Subscription Price, wouldwhich includes the funds to be repaid under the loan, will fund the UKMP through feasibility and the permitting of the first mine to be developed in the Ambler mining district. Once the full amount of the subscriptionSubscription Price payment of approximately $150$145 million is expended, the parties will contribute funding pro rata, as contemplated by the operating agreement which will govern the LLC (the “LLC Agreement”). The LLC Agreement anticipates a General Manager, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating and Technical Officer to be appointed by the LLC’s Board, which will have equal representation from Trilogy and South32.governs Ambler Metals.


Summary of results

 

As the initial option payments are credited against the future subscription price upon exercise, we have accounted for the payment received as deferred consideration. At such time as the option is exercised, the initial payments received to that date will be recognized as part of the consideration received for our contribution of the Alaska assets, including the UKMP, into the joint venture. If South 32 withdraws from the Option Agreement, the consideration will be recognized in the statement of loss at that time.

Summary of results

in thousands of dollars,
except for per share amounts

 Three months ended Six months ended  Three months ended 
Selected expenses May 31, 2019
$
 May 31, 2018
$
 May 31, 2019
$
 May 31, 2018
$
  

February 29, 2020

$

  

February 28, 2019

$

 
General and administrative  436   454   928   799   651   492 
Mineral properties expense  2,906   2,475   4,441   3,606   1,545   1,535 
Professional fees  153   114   244   273   668   91 
Salaries  282   223   563   452   224   281 
Salaries – stock-based compensation  664   151   2,603   1,073   1,196   1,939 
Investor relations  175   138   292   202 
Loss and comprehensive loss for the period  4,509   3,664   8,845   6,610 
Basic and diluted loss per common share $0.04  $0.03  $0.07  $0.06 
Total expenses  4,475   4,458 
Gain on derecognition of assets contributed to joint venture  (175,770)  - 
Equity in investee  178   - 
Comprehensive earnings (loss) for the period  171,179   (4,336)
Basic earnings (loss) per common share $1.22  $(0.03)
Diluted earnings (loss) per common share $1.16  $(0.03)

 

For the three monthmonths ended February 29, 2020, Trilogy reported net earnings of $171 million (or $1.22 basic and $1.16 diluted earnings per common share). For the comparable period ended May 31,in 2019, Trilogywe reported a net loss of $4.5$4.3 million (or $0.04 basic and diluted loss per common share) which was higher than the net loss of $3.7 million for the comparative period in 2018 (or $0.03 basic and diluted loss per common share).

The first quarter 2020 differences, in relationwhen compared to the comparative three month period ended May 31, 2018first quarter 2019, are primarily due to: i) an increaseto the gain of $0.4$176 million recognized from the contribution of mineral property assets to the joint venture with South32 upon formation of the joint venture on February 11, 2020. This gain was slightly offset by $0.18 million in mineral properties expense mostlyloss from equity investee, consisting of engineering work related to the scoping study for Bornite and Arctic projects, environmental work related to meteorological and air quality studyTrilogy’s 50% share of Ambler Metals’ operating loss for the Arctic project during the secondfirst quarter of 2019, personnel costs and project support costs including camp facilities repair and maintenance, fixed wing costs and set-up costs incurred for the new office and warehouse in Fairbanks; and ii) an increase of $0.5 million in stock-based compensation due to a higher share price contributing to a higher fair value vesting for stock options, RSUs and DSUs granted during the six month period ended May 31, 2019.

Other differences noted for the comparable periods were: i) an increase in salaries as the current period includes compensation for a new hire during the third quarter of 20182020, for which there is no comparativecomparable amount in the first quarter of 2019.

Other variances noted for the second quartercomparable period were i) an increase in general and administrative expenses of 2018;$0.16 million primarily due to an additional $0.07 million in regulatory fees due mostly to the filing of the base shelf prospectus and $0.1 million in executive recruiting fees; ii) an increase in professional fees due to an increase inof $0.58 million mainly consisting of $0.12 million for consulting fees for the research and implementation of new accounting and audit fees; iii) an increase in investor relations expenses duestandards, legal fees of $0.25 million related to the Company’s increased levelformation of marketing activity including attendance at more investor conferencesthe joint venture, valuation and meetings in the current period; and iv) a slight decrease in general and administrative expenses in the current period.

The comparative period also included a $0.1loan capacity analysis fees of $0.07 million loss on held for trading investments resulting from the disposition of 725,000 common shares of Gold Mining Inc. (“GMI”) for which there are no comparative figures for the three month period ended May 31, 2019 as the remaining investment in GMI was fully disposed during fiscal 2018.

For the six month period ended May 31, 2019, Trilogy reported a net loss of $8.8 million (or $0.07 basic and diluted loss per common share) compared to a net loss of $6.6 million for the corresponding period in 2018 (or $0.06 basic and diluted loss per common share).

19

The differences in relationrelated to the comparative six month period ended May 31, 2018 are primarily due to: i) an increaseformation of $0.8 million in mineral properties expense mostly consisting of Geophysics work including core scan work for the Arctic project, aerial electromagnetic survey for Bornitejoint venture, and the region, engineering work related to additional metallurgical and scoping studies, environmental work related to meteorological and air quality study, personnel costs and project support costs including camp facilities repair and maintenance, and fixed wing costs and set-up costs incurred for the new office and warehouse in Fairbanks; ii) an increase of $1.5 million in stock-based compensation due to a higher share price contributing to a greater fair value amortization of stock options, RSUs and DSUs granted during the six month period ended May 31, 2019; iii) an increaseconsulting fees of $0.1 million in general and administration costs; iv) an increasefor Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse who remained as a consultant to Trilogy through to February 29, 2020; iii) a decrease of $0.9 million in investor relations expenses due to the Company’s increased level of marketing activity including attendance at more investor conferences and meetings during the six month period ended May 31, 2019 and v) an increase of $0.1$0.06 million in salaries due to reductions in head office staffing levels; and iv) a new hiredecrease in stock-based compensation driven primarily by a 0.38 million reduction in the number of stock options granted during the thirdfirst quarter versus the comparative period as well as no vesting of 2018 for which there is no comparativeRSUs during the period, resulting in stock based compensation savings of approximately $0.74 million and $0.33 million, respectively.

Mineral property expenses for the six monththree months ended February 29, 2020 were consistent with the comparative period ended May 31, 2018.

and mainly include engineering costs related to the Company’s Arctic feasibility study.

 

During the six month period ended May 31, 2018, the Company recorded a loss on held for trading investments of $0.3 million upon disposition of 2,085,000 common shares of GMI for which there are no comparative figures for the six month period ended May 31, 2019 as the remaining investment in GMI was fully disposed during fiscal 2018.

Selected financial data

 

Quarterly information

Inin thousands of dollars,

except per share amounts

 Q2 2019 Q1 2019 Q4 2018 Q3 2018 Q2 2018 Q1 2018 Q4 2017 Q3 2017 
 05/31/19 02/28/19 11/30/18 08/31/18 05/31/18 02/28/17 11/30/17 08/31/17  Q1 2020  Q4 2019  Q3 2019  Q2 2019  Q1 2019  Q4 2018  Q3 2018  Q2 2018 
 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $  

02/28/19

$

  

11/30/19

$

  

08/31/19

$

  

05/31/19

$

  

02/28/19

$

  

11/30/18

$

  

08/31/18

$

  

05/31/18

$

 
Interest and other income  150   122   117   135   77   17   13   23   62   91   137   150   122   117   135   77 
Mineral property expenses  2,906   1,535   3,833   9,051   2,475   1,131   4,693   8,471   1,545   3,819   10,951   2,906   1,535   3,833   9,051   2,475 
Earnings (loss) for the period  (4,509)  (4,336)  (5,319)  (9,920)  (3,664)  (2,946)  (6,726)  (8,992)  171,179   (6,525)  (12,535)  (4,509)  (4,336)  (5,319)  (9,920)  (3,664)
Earnings (loss) per common share – basic and diluted  (0.04)  (0.03)  (0.04)  (0.08)  (0.03)  (0.03)  (0.06)  (0.09)
Earnings (loss) per common share – basic  1.22   (0.05)  (0.09)  (0.04)  (0.03)  (0.04)  (0.08)  (0.03)
Earnings (loss) per common share – diluted  1.16   (0.05)  (0.09)  (0.04)  (0.03)  (0.04)  (0.08)  (0.03)

 

Factors that can cause fluctuations in our quarterly results include the length of the exploration field season at the properties, the type of program conducted, stock option vesting, and issuance of shares. Other factors that have caused fluctuations in the quarterly results that would not be expected to re-occur include the acquisition and disposition of GMI sharesassets and financing activities.

 


For the first quarter of 2020, we reported comprehensive earnings of $171 million which consisted of a gain of $176 million arising from the derecognition of our Alaskan mineral properties upon contribution to the joint venture with South32, offset by Trilogy’s 50% share of the joint venture’s operating loss for the period from February 11, 2020 to February 29, 2020 and total expenses of $4.5 million for the period. There are no prior period comparatives for the gain on contribution of Alaskan assets or the pro rata share of the joint venture’s operating loss. The remaining difference between the expense of $4.4 million incurred for the current quarter and the loss of $6.5 million for the fourth quarter of 2019 was primarily due to a $2.3 million reduction in mineral property expenses and reflects the seasonal nature of this cost.

During

The loss of $6.5 million for the fourth quarter ended November 30, 2019 is higher when compared to the net loss of $5.3 million incurred in the fourth quarter ended November 30, 2018. The primary drivers for the difference were $0.7 million higher stock-based compensation, $0.6 million higher professional fees and $0.1 million increase in general and administrative expenses, all offset by $0.2 million in decreased salaries and benefits in the fourth quarter 2019.

Our net loss for the third quarter ended August 31, 2019 of $12.5 million was significantly higher versus the comparative loss of $9.9 million for the same quarter in the prior year. The $2.6 million increase is primarily due to an increase in mineral properties expenditures due to the size of the 2019 field program which included the new regional exploration program which did not exist in the comparative period.

Our net loss for the second quarter ended May 31, 2019 mineral property expense increased by $1.4 million when compared to the prior quarter as the Company prepared for the commencement of the 2019 drill program and field season. Our loss of $4.5 million for the quarter ended May 31, 2019 is consistent with the prior quarter as the increase in the second quarter mineral property expenses were offset by higher first quarter stock-based compensation due to the fair value amortization of new option grants during the first quarter. The current period loss is $0.9 million higher when compared to the loss for thecomparative second quarter ended May 31, 2018 of $3.7 million2018. The difference is primarily due mostly to an increase in mineral properties expenseexpenses related to the new regional exploration program commencing in the period with district-wide airborne geophysical surveys completed in the quarter and an increase in stock-based compensation.

 

Our loss for the first quarter ended February 28, 2019 of $4.3 million was lower when compared to the two prior quarterly periods and reflects the seasonality of the mineral property expenses which are mostly incurred during the summer and fall season.

During the fourth quarter of 2018, we had a loss of $5.3 million compared to a loss of $6.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. The primary drivers for the difference were $0.9 million lower mineral properties expenses, loss on disposition of investments of $0.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 for which the comparative is nil in the fourth quarter 2018, all offset by $0.5 million in increased salaries benefits in the fourth quarter 2018. We incurred $3.8 million of mineral property expenses in the fourth quarter of 2018 compared to $4.7 million of mineral property expenses in the fourth quarter of 2017 as the camp closed earlier in the 2018 program (October 13, 2018) versus the 2017 program (October 31, 2017).

Similarly, our loss for the third quarter ended August 31, 2018 of $9.9 million is slightly higher than the comparable loss of $9.0 million in the third quarter ended August 31, 2017 due to the size of the 2018 field program which added an additional $0.6 million in mineral property expenses. The remaining $0.3 million difference is mostly due to increased general and administrative expenses, salaries and stock-based compensation.

Liquidity and capital resources

 

At May 31, 2019,February 29, 2020, we had $25.8$15.2 million in cash and cash equivalents and working capital of $26.0 million.$14.5 million, which is sufficient to fund our ongoing operations for at least the next 12 months. The increase in cash was a resultprojects will be funded by Ambler Metals and we do not anticipate needing to fund our 50% share of fully receivingfuture expenditures to advance the $9.2projects until the approximately $145 million Year 3 funding from South32 as well as an additional $1.0 million for the regional exploration program. The increase in working capital for the period was a result of higher accounts receivable and prepaids balances as well as a lower accounts payable balance as at May 31, 2019. Subsequent to the end of the second quarter, the Company received additional proceeds of approximately $9.9 million as a result of an exercise of 6,521,740 warrants.

20

We expended $7.4 million on operating activities during the six months ended May 31, 2019 compared with $6.6 million for operating activities for the same period in 2018. Most cash spent on operating activities during all periods was expended on mineral property expenses, general and administrative, salaries and professional fees.is spent.

 

The Company continues to fund its cash expenditures through its working capital. As the Company is not currently in production, the Company will need to raise additional funds to support its operations and administration expenses in the future. Future sources of liquidity may include debt financing, equity financing, convertible debt, exercise of options, or other means. The continued operations of the Company are dependent on its ability to obtain additional financing or to generate future cash flows.

All cash generated from investing activities during the six months ended May 31, 2019 were from the South 32 Option Agreement funding of $10.2 million (2018 - $9.6 million) and there were no proceeds from the sale of investments (2018 - $2.1 million) as all GMI shares were full disposed during fiscal 2018. During the six months ended May 31, 2019, no cash was generated from financing activities (2018 - $26.9 million).

Contractual obligations

 

Contractual obligated undiscounted cash flow requirements as at May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 are as follows.

In thousands of dollars

 Total < 1 Year 1–2 Years 2–5 Years Thereafter 
 $ $ $ $ $  

Total

$

  

<1 Year

$

  

1–2 Years

$

  

2–5 Years

$

  

Thereafter

$

 
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities  1,481   1,481   -   -   -   1,274   1,274   -   -   - 
Office lease  963   174   375   414   -   839   136   384   319   - 
Office and warehouse lease  139   57   82   -   - 
  2,583   1,712   457   414   -   2,113   1,410   384   319   - 

 

Off-balance sheet arrangements

 

We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements. The Company has lease commitments for office and warehouse spaces with a remaining total commitment of $1.1 million.

 

Outstanding share data

 

At July 8, 2019,April 7, 2020, we had 138,905,097140,665,733 common shares issued and outstanding. At July 8, 2019,April 7, 2020, we had outstanding, 11,042,50210,983,933 stock options with a weighted-average exercise price of $0.98. We also had, 1,286,595$1.21 as well as 1,182,391 deferred share units (“DSUs”), and 11,927 NovaGold deferred share units entitlingDSUs for which the holder is entitled to receive one common share for every six NovaGold shares received, and 212,501 RSUs.received. Upon exercise of all the foregoing convertible securities, the Company would be required to issue aggregate of 12,543,58612,168,312 common shares.

 

New accounting pronouncements

 

Certain recent accounting pronouncements have been included under note 2 in our May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 unaudited interim consolidated financial statementsstatements.

 


Critical accounting estimates

 

The most critical accounting estimates upon which our financial status depends are those requiring estimates of the recoverability of our capitalized mineral properties, impairment of long-lived assets, equity method investment, income taxes and valuation of stock-based compensation.

 

Mineral properties and development costs

 

All direct costs related to the acquisition of mineral property interests are capitalized. The acquisition of title to mineral properties is a complicated and uncertain process. The Company has taken steps, in accordance with industry standards, to verify the title to mineral properties in which it has an interest. Although the Company has made efforts to ensure that legal title to its mining assets is properly recorded, there can be no assurance that such title will be secured indefinitely.

21

 

Impairment of long-lived assets

 

Management assesses the possibility of impairment in the carrying value of its long-lived assets whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amounts of the asset or asset group may not be recoverable. Significant judgments are made in assessing the possibility of impairment. Management considers several factors in considering if an indicator of impairment has occurred, including but not limited to, indications of value from external sources, significant changes in the legal, business or regulatory environment, and adverse changes in the use of physical condition of the asset. These factors are subjective and require consideration at each period end. If an indicator of impairment is determined to exist, management calculates the estimated undiscounted future net cash flows relating to the asset or asset group using estimated future prices, mineral resources, and operating, capital and reclamation costs. When the carrying value of an asset exceeds the related undiscounted cash flows, the asset is written down to its estimated fair value, which is usually determined using discounted future cash flows. Management’s estimates of mineral prices, mineral resources, foreign exchange rates, production levels and operating capital and reclamation costs are subject to risk and uncertainties that may affect the determination of the recoverability of the long-lived asset.

 

Income taxes

 

We must make estimates and judgments in determining the provision for income tax expense, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and liabilities for unrecognized tax benefits including interest and penalties. We are subject to income tax law in the United States and Canada. The evaluation of tax liabilities involving uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulation is based on factors such as changes in facts or circumstances, changes in tax law, new audit activity, and effectively settled issues. The evaluation of an uncertain tax position requires significant judgment, and a change in such recognition would result in an additional charge to the income tax expense and liability.

 

Stock-based compensation

 

Compensation expense for options granted to employees, directors and certain service providers is determined based on estimated fair values of the options at the time of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, which takes into account, as of the grant date, the fair market value of the shares, expected volatility, expected life, expected forfeiture rate, expected dividend yield and the risk-free interest rate over the expected life of the option. The use of the Black-Scholes option pricing model requires input estimation of the expected life of the option, volatility, and forfeiture rate which can have a significant impact on the valuation model, and resulting expense recorded.

 

South32 Option AgreementInvestment in affiliates

 

Investments in unconsolidated ventures over which the Company has the ability to exercise significant influence, but does not control, are accounted for under the equity method and include the Company’s investment in the Ambler Metals project. We identified Ambler Metals LLC as a Variable Interest Entity (VIE) as the entity is dependent on funding from its owners. All funding, ownership, voting rights and power to exercise control is shared equally on a 50/50 basis between the owners of the VIE. Therefore, the Company has determined that it is not the primary beneficiary of the VIE. The optionCompany’s maximum exposure to form the JVloss is its investment in Ambler Metals LLC.

Ambler Metals LLC is recognized as a financial instrument at inceptionnon-publicly traded equity investee holding exploration and development projects. The Company reviews and evaluates its investment in affiliates for other than temporary impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the related carrying amounts may not be recoverable. Events that could indicate impairment of an investment in affiliates include a significant decrease in long-term expected gold price, a significant increase in expected operating or capital costs, unfavorable exploration results or technical studies, a significant decrease in reserves, a loss of significant mineral claims or a change in the development plan or strategy for the project. Asset impairment is considered to exist if the total estimated future cash flows on an undiscounted basis are less than the carrying amount of the arrangement withasset. If the underlying assets are not recoverable, an initialimpairment loss is measured and recorded based on the difference between the carrying amount of the investee and its estimated fair value of $nil. This option is required towhich may be re-measured at fair value at each reporting date with any changes in fair value recorded in loss for the period.determined using a discounted cash flow model.

 

23

Additional information

Additional information regarding the Company, including our annual report on Form 10-K, is available on SEDAR atwww.sedar.com and EDGAR atwww.sec.gov and on our website atwww.trilogymetals.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference.

Item 3.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

Our financial instruments consist of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, deposits, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities. The fair value of the financial instruments approximates their carrying value due to the short-term nature of their maturity. Our financial instruments initially measured at fair value and then held at amortized cost include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, deposits, and accounts payable and accrued liabilities.

 

(a)Currency risk

 

Currency risk is the risk of a fluctuation in financial asset and liability settlement amounts due to a change in foreign exchange rates. The Company operatesWe operate in the United States and Canada. The Company’sOur exposure to currency risk at May 31, 2019February 29, 2020 is limited to the Canadian dollar amounts consisting of cash of CDN$244,000,540,000, accounts receivable of CDN$26,00049,000 and accounts payable of CDN$442,000.865,000. Based on a 10% change in the US-Canadian exchange rate, assuming all other variables remain constant, the Company’sour net loss would change by approximately $13,000.$21,000.

22

 

(b)Credit risk

 

Credit risk is the risk of an unexpected loss if a customer or third party to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations. The Company holdsWe hold cash and cash equivalents with Canadian Chartered financial institutions. The Company’sOur accounts receivable consists of Canadian Goods and Services Tax receivable from the Federal Government of Canada and other receivables for recoverable expenses. The Company’sOur exposure to credit risk is equal to the balance of cash and cash equivalents and accounts receivable as recorded in the financial statements.

 

(c)Liquidity risk

 

Liquidity risk is the risk that we will encounter difficulties raising funds to meet our financial obligations as they fall due. We are in the exploration stage and do not have cash inflows from operations; therefore, we manage liquidity risk through the management of the capital structure and financial leverage. Future financing may be obtained through debt financing, equity financing, sales of investments, convertible debt, exercise of options, or other means. Continued operations are dependent on our ability to obtain additional financing or to generate future cash flows. Our contractually obligated cash flow is disclosed under the section titled “Contractual Obligations.”

  

(d)Interest rate risk

 

Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in market interest rates. The Company isWe are exposed to interest rate risk with respect to interest earned on cash and cash equivalents. Based on balances as at May 31, 2019,February 29, 2020, a 1% change in interest rates would result in a change in net loss of $0.3$0.1 million, assuming all other variables remain constant.

 

As we are currently in the exploration phase, none of our financial instruments are exposed to commodity price risk; however, our ability to obtain long-term financing and its economic viability could be affected by commodity price volatility.

 

Additional information

Additional information regarding the Company, including our annual report on Form 10-K, is available on SEDAR atwww.sedar.com and EDGAR atwww.sec.gov and on our website atwww.trilogymetals.com. Information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference.


Item 4.Controls and Procedures

 

Management, with the participation of our PresidentItem 4.  Controls and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosureProcedures

Disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act) as of May 31, 2019. On the basis of this review, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure

Disclosure controls and procedures are effectivedesigned to ensure that the information we are required to disclosebe disclosed in reports that we filefiled or submitsubmitted by the Company under the Exchange ActU.S. and Canadian securities legislation is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in thethose rules, including providing reasonable assurance that material information is gathered and forms of the SEC andreported to ensure that information required to be disclosed in the reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to oursenior management, including our President andthe Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), as appropriate, to allowpermit timely decisions regarding requiredpublic disclosure. Management, including the CEO and CFO, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and the rules of Canadian Securities Administration, as of February 29, 2020. Based on this evaluation, the CEO and CFO have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

 

There have not been any changes in the Company’sInternal control over financial reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (asas defined in RulesRule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated by the SEC underof the Exchange Act) during the Company’s most recently completed fiscal quarter that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.Act and National Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in Issuer’s Annual and Interim filings. Any system of internal control over financial reporting, no matter how well designed, has inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.

 

23

Changes in internal control over financial reporting

 

Except for the implementation of certain internal controls over the formation of the Ambler joint venture and the adoption of new lease accounting requirements under ASC 842, there have been no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting during the three-month period ended February 29, 2020, which have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting. We continue to evaluate our internal control over financial reporting on an ongoing basis to identify improvements. In connection with the joint venture, Ambler Metals LLC, in February 2020, and the adoption of the new lease accounting requirements, we will continue to modify our internal control over financial reporting over the next few months to reflect the impact of both the formation of the joint venture and adoption of ASC 842 lease accounting rules.

 

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 1.Legal Proceedings

 

From time to time, we are a party to routine litigation and proceedings that are considered part of the ordinary course of its business. We are not aware of any material current, pending, or threatened litigation.

 

Item 1A.1A.Risk Factors

 

Trilogy and its future business, operations and financial condition are subject to various risks and uncertainties due to the nature of its business and the present stage of exploration of its mineral properties. Certainproperties and the formation of the joint venture. Except as set forth below, certain of these risks and uncertainties are under the heading “Risk Factors” under Trilogy’s Form 10-K dated February 11, 2019,13, 2020 which is available on SEDAR atwww.sedar.com and, EDGAR atwww.sec.govand on our website atwww.trilogymetals.com.

 

The outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) may affect our operations

The Company faces risks related to health epidemics and other outbreaks of communicable diseases, which could significantly disrupt its operations and may materially and adversely affect its business and financial conditions.

The Company’s business could be adversely impacted by the effects of the coronavirus or other epidemics. In December 2019, a novel strain of the coronavirus emerged in China and the virus has now spread to several other countries, including Canada and the U.S., and infections have been reported globally. The extent to which the coronavirus impacts the Company’s business, including exploration and development activities at Ambler Metals and the market for its securities, will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted at this time, and include the duration, severity and scope of the outbreak and the actions taken to contain or treat the coronavirus outbreak. In particular, the continued spread of the coronavirus and travel and other restrictions established to curb the spread of the coronavirus, could materially and adversely impact the Company’s business including without limitation, the planned exploration programs at Ambler Metals during the upcoming field season, employee health, workforce productivity, increased insurance premiums, limitations on travel, the availability of industry experts and personnel, the timing to process drill and other metallurgical testing, and other factors that will depend on future developments beyond the Company’s control, which may have a material and adverse effect on the its business, financial condition and results of operations.


There can be no assurance that the Company's personnel will not be impacted by these pandemic diseases and ultimately see its workforce productivity reduced or incur increased medical costs or insurance premiums as a result of these health risks.

In addition, a significant outbreak of coronavirus could result in a widespread global health crisis that could adversely affect global economies and financial markets resulting in an economic downturn that could have an adverse effect on the demand for precious metals and our future prospects.

Item 2.Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

 

None

 

Item 3.Defaults Upon Senior Securities

 

None.

 

Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures

 

These disclosures are not applicable to us.

 

Item 5.Other Information.

 

None.

 

Item 6.Exhibits

 

Exhibits

See Exhibit Index.

24

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date: July 9, 2019TRILOGY METALS INC.
By:/s/ Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse  
Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse  
President and Chief Executive Officer  
By:/s/ Elaine M. Sanders  
Elaine M. Sanders  
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer  

25

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No. Description
2.1Contribution Agreement, dated February 11, 2020, between NovaCopper US Inc., Trilogy Metals Inc. and Ambler Metals LLC (incorporated by reference Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 18, 2020)
   
3.1 

Certificate of Incorporation, dated April 27, 2011 (incorporated by reference Exhibit 99.2 to the Registration Statement on Form 40-F as filed on March 1, 2012, File No. 001-35447)

   
3.2 

Articles of Trilogy Metals Inc., effective April 27, 2011, as altered March 20, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 to Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form 40-F as filed on April 19, 2012, File No. 001-35447)

3.3

Notice of Articles and Certificate of Change of Name, dated September 1, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Form 8-K dated September 8, 2016)

10.1Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Ambler Metals LLC, dated February 11, 2020 (incorporated by reference Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed on February 18, 2020)
31.1 Certification of the Chief Executive Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)
   
31.2 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer required by Rule 13a-14(a) or Rule 15d-14(a)
   
32.1 Certification of the Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
   
32.2 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
   
101 Interactive Data Files
   
101.INS XBRL Instance Document
   
101.SCH XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
   
101.CAL XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
   
101.DEFXBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
   
101.PRE XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

26

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date: April 8, 2020TRILOGY METALS INC.
By:/s/ James Gowans 
James Gowans 
President and Chief Executive Officer 
   
101.DEF XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

26By:/s/ Elaine M. Sanders 
Elaine M. Sanders 
Vice President and Chief Financial Officer