DEVONSHIRE RESOURCES LTD.
Suite 1500 – 701 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V7Y 1C6
Telephone: (604) 696 6672 Facsimile: (604) 601 3431
INFORMATION CIRCULAR
(As at November 23, 2007, except as indicated)
The Company is providing this Information Circular and a form of proxy in connection with management’s solicitation of proxies for use at the Annual General Meeting (the "Meeting") of the Company to be held on December 31, 2007 and at any adjournments. The Company will conduct its solicitation by mail and officers and employees of the Company may, without receiving special compensation, also telephone or make other personal contact. The Company will pay the cost of solicitation.
APPOINTMENT OF PROXYHOLDER
The purpose of a proxy is to designate persons who will vote the proxy on a shareholder’s behalf in accordance with the instructions given by the shareholder in the proxy. The persons whose names are printed in the enclosed form of proxy are officers or Directors of the Company (the "Management Proxyholders").
A shareholder has the right to appoint a person other than a Management Proxyholder, to represent the shareholder at the Meeting by striking out the names of the Management Proxyholders and by inserting the desired person’s name in the blank space provided or by executing a proxy in a form similar to the enclosed form. A proxyholder need not be a shareholder.
VOTING BY PROXY
Only registered shareholders or duly appointed proxyholders are permitted to vote at the Meeting.Shares represented by a properly executed proxy will be voted or be withheld from voting on each matter referred to in the Notice of Meeting in accordance with the instructions of the shareholder on any ballot that may be called for and if the shareholder specifies a choice with respect to any matter to be acted upon, the shares will be voted accordingly.
If a shareholder does not specify a choice and the shareholder has appointed one of the Management Proxyholders as proxyholder, the Management Proxyholder will vote in favour of the matters specified in the Notice of Meeting and in favour of all other matters proposed by management at the Meeting.
The enclosed form of proxy also gives discretionary authority to the person named therein as proxyholder with respect to amendments or variations to matters identified in the Notice of the Meeting and with respect to other matters which may properly come before the Meeting.At the date of this Information Circular, management of the Company knows of no such amendments, variations or other matters to come before the Meeting.
COMPLETION AND RETURN OF PROXY
Completed forms of proxy must be deposited at the office of the Company’s registrar and transfer agent, Pacific Corporate Trust Company, 2nd Floor, 510 Burrard Street, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6C 3B9, not later than forty-eight (48) hours, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, prior to the
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time of the Meeting, unless the chairman of the Meeting elects to exercise his discretion to accept proxies received subsequently.
NON-REGISTERED HOLDERS
Only shareholders whose names appear on the records of the Company as the registered holders of shares or duly appointed proxyholders are permitted to vote at the Meeting.Most shareholders of the Company are "non-registered" shareholders because the shares they own are not registered in their names but instead registered in the name of a nominee such as a brokerage firm through which they purchased the shares; bank, trust company, trustee or administrator of self-administered RRSP's, RRIF's, RESP's and similar plans; or clearing agency such as The Canadian Depository for Securities Limited (a "Nominee"). If you purchased your shares through a broker, you are likely an unregistered holder.
In accordance with securities regulatory policy, the Company has distributed copies of the Meeting materials, being the Notice of Meeting, this Information Circular and the Proxy, to the Nominees for distribution to non-registered holders.
Nominees are required to forward the Meeting materials to non-registered holders to seek their voting instructions in advance of the Meeting. Shares held by Nominees can only be voted in accordance with the instructions of the non-registered holder. The Nominees often have their own form of proxy, mailing procedures and provide their own return instructions. If you wish to vote by proxy, you should carefully follow the instructions from the Nominee in order that your Shares are voted at the Meeting.
If you, as a non-registered holder, wish to vote at the Meeting in person, you should appoint yourself as proxyholder by writing your name in the space provided on the request for voting instructions or proxy provided by the Nominee and return the form to the Nominee in the envelope provided. Do not complete the voting section of the form as your vote will be taken at the Meeting.
In addition, Canadian securities legislation now permits the Company to forward meeting materials directly to "non objecting beneficial owners". If the Company or its agent has sent these materials directly to you (instead of through a Nominee), your name and address and information about your holdings of securities have been obtained in accordance with applicable securities regulatory requirements from the Nominee holding on your behalf. By choosing to send these materials to you directly, the Company (and not the Nominee holding on your behalf) has assumed responsibility for (i) delivering these materials to you and (ii) executing your proper voting instructions.
REVOCABILITY OF PROXY
Any registered shareholder who has returned a proxy may revoke it at any time before it has been exercised. In addition to revocation in any other manner permitted by law, a registered shareholder, his attorney authorized in writing or, if the registered shareholder is a corporation, a corporation under its corporate seal or by an officer or attorney thereof duly authorized, may revoke a proxy by instrument in writing, including a proxy bearing a later date. The instrument revoking the proxy must be deposited at the registered office of the Company, at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the date of the Meeting, or any adjournment thereof, or with the chairman of the Meeting on the day of the Meeting.Only registered shareholders have the right to revoke a proxy. Non-Registered Holders who wish to change their vote must, at least 7 days before the Meeting, arrange for their Nominees to revoke the proxy on their behalf.
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VOTING SHARES AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS THEREOF
The Company is authorized to issue an unlimited number of common shares without par value (the "shares"), of which 3,651,568 shares are issued and outstanding. Persons who are registered shareholders at the close of business on November 26, 2007 will be entitled to receive notice of and vote at the Meeting and will be entitled to one vote for each share held. The Company has only one class of shares.
To the knowledge of the Directors and executive officers of the Company, no person beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, or controls or directs shares carrying 10% or more of the voting rights attached to all shares of the Company.
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
The Directors of the Company are elected at each Annual General Meeting and hold office until the next Annual General Meeting or until their successors are appointed. In the absence of instructions to the contrary, the enclosed proxy will be voted for the nominees herein listed.
Shareholder approval will be sought to fix the number of Directors of the Company at three.
The Company is required to have an audit committee. Members of this committee are as set out below. Management of the Company proposes to nominate each of the following persons for election as a Director. Information concerning such persons, as furnished by the individual nominees, and each other person whose term of office as a Director will continue after the Meeting, is as follows:
Name, Jurisdiction of Residence and Position
| Principal Occupation or employment and, if not a previously elected Director, occupation during the past 5 years
|
Previous Service as a Director
| Number of Common Shares beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, or Controlled or directed [2] |
George Cavey, P.Geo.[1] Vancouver, B.C., Canada Vice President Exploration, Director | President, OreQuest Consultants Ltd.
| May 2004
| 97,000
|
Timothy Crowhurst[1] Vancouver, B.C., Canada Director | President, Sea Level Communications Ltd.
| June 2004
| 187,000
|
William Schmidt[1] Vancouver, B.C., Canada | Barrister and Solicitor, Hemsworth Schmidt | December 2006
| nil
|
[1] | Member of the audit committee. |
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[2] | Shares beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, or over which control or direction is exercised, as at October 31, 2007, based upon information furnished to the Company by individual Directors. Unless otherwise indicated, such shares are held directly. |
No proposed Director is to be elected under any arrangement or understanding between the proposed Director and any other person or company, except the Directors and executive officers of the company acting solely in such capacity.
To the knowledge of the Company, no proposed Director:
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(a) | is, as at the date of the Information Circular, or has been, within 10 years before the date of the Information Circular, a Director or executive officer of any company (including the Company) that, while that person was acting in that capacity, |
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| (i) | was the subject of a cease trade or similar order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under securities legislation, for a period of more than 30 consecutive days; |
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| (ii) | was subject to an event that resulted, after the Director or executive officer ceased to be a Director or executive officer, in the company being the subject of a cease trade or similar order or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under securities legislation, for a period of more than 30 consecutive days; or |
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| (iii) | or within a year of that person ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets; or |
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(b) | has, within the 10 years before the date of the Information Circular, become bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or become subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of the proposed Director. |
The following Directors of the Company hold Directorships in other reporting issuers as set out below:
Name of Director | Name of Other Reporting Issuer |
George Cavey
| Staccato Gold Resources Ltd. Icon Industries Limited Orex Ventures Inc. Orko Gold Corporation Tri-Gold Resources Corp. |
William Schmidt
| Clifton Star Resources Inc. Unbridled Energy Corporation Lignol Energy Inc. Exchequer Resource Corp. |
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
The following table (presented in accordance with National Instrument Form 51-102F6 ("Statement of Executive Compensation" ("Form 51-102F6")) sets forth all annual and long term compensation for services in all capacities to the Company for the three most recently completed financial years (to the extent required by Form 51-102F6) in respect of each of the individuals comprised of the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer as at June 30, 2006 and the other three most highly compensated executive officers of the Company as at June 30, 2006 whose individual total salary and bonus for the most recently completed financial year exceeded $150,000 and any individual who would have satisfied these criteria but for the fact that individual was not serving as such an officer at the end of the most recently completed financial year (collectively the "Named Executive Officers" or "NEOs").
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Summary Compensation Table
NEO Name and Principal Position |
Year | Annual Compensation | Long Term Compensation |
All Other Compen- sation ($) |
Salary ($) |
Bonus ($) |
Other Annual Compen- sation ($) | Awards | Payouts |
Securities Under Option/ SARs Granted (#) | Shares/Units Subject to Resale Restrictions [2] ($) |
LTIP Payouts ($) |
Timothy Crowhurst President & CEO | 2007 2006 2005 | $30,000 $nil $nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | 300,000 300,000 300,000 | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil |
Robert Lipsett [1]
| 2007 2006 2005 | $36,000 $72,000 $72,000 | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | 80,000 80,000 300,000 | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil |
Ming Wong
| 2007 2006 2005 | $19,160 $nil $nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil |
Foo Chan [2]
| 2007 2006 2005 | $15,000 $12,000 $12,000 | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | 200,000 200,000 100,000 | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil | Nil Nil Nil |
[1] | Robert lipset resigned as CEO effective December 20, 2006. |
[2] | Foo Chan resigned as CFO effective February 6, 2007. |
Long Term Incentive Plan (LTIP) Awards
The Company does not have a LTIP, pursuant to which cash or non-cash compensation intended to serve as an incentive for performance over a period greater than one financial year (whereby performance is measured by reference to financial performance or the price of the Company’s securities) was paid to the Named Executive Officer(s) during the most recently completed financial year.
Option/Stock Appreciation Rights ("SAR") Grants
During the Most Recently Completed Financial Year
The following table sets forth stock options granted under the Company's Stock Option Plan or otherwise during the most recently completed financial year to each of the Named Executive Officers.
NEO Name |
Securities Under Option/SARs Granted[1] (#) | % of Total Options/SARs Granted to Employees in Financial Year |
Exercise or Base Price[2] ($/Security) | Market Value of Securities Underlying Options/SARs on Date of Grant ($/Security) |
Expiration Date |
N.A. | Nil | Nil % | $N.A. | $N.A. | N.A. |
[1] | The options for common shares become exercisable on the date of grant. |
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[2] | The exercise price of stock options is determined by the Board of Directors but shall in no event be less than the trading price of the common shares of the Company on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") at the time of the grant of the option, less the maximum discount permitted under the regulations of the Exchange. |
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Aggregated Option/SAR Exercises During The Most Recently Completed
Financial Year and Financial Year-End Option/SAR Values
The Named Executive Officers did not exercise any options in respect of the Company's shares during the most recently completed financial year.
Termination of Employment, Changes in Responsibility and Employment Contracts:
The Company has no employment contracts with any Named Executive Officer during the Company's last financial year end.
The Company has no compensatory plan, contract or arrangement where a Named Executive Officer is entitled to receive more than $100,000 to compensate such executive officers in the event of resignation, retirement or other termination, a change of control of the Company or a change in responsibilities following a change in control.
Compensation of Directors
The Company has no arrangements, standard or otherwise, pursuant to which Directors are compensated by the Company for their services in their capacity as Directors, or for committee participation, involvement in special assignments or for services as consultant or expert during the most recently completed financial year or subsequently, up to and including the date of this Information Circular.
The Company has a Stock Option Plan for the granting of incentive stock options to the officers, employees and Directors. The Company did not grant stock options to the Directors during the most recently completed financial year. The purpose of granting such options is to assist the Company in compensating, attracting, retaining and motivating the Directors of the Company and to closely align the personal interests of such persons to that of the shareholders.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
The following table sets forth the Company's compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance as at the end of the most recently completed financial year.
Plan Category |
Number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights (a) |
Weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights (b) | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in column (a)) (c) |
Equity compensation plans approved by securityholders | 1,980,000
| $0.36
| 1,631,568
|
Equity compensation plans not approved by securityholders | N/A
| N/A
| N/A
|
Total | 1,980,000 | $0.36 | 1,631,568 |
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INDEBTEDNESS TO COMPANY OF DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND SENIOR OFFICERS
There is no indebtedness of any Director, executive officer, proposed nominee for election as a Director or associate of them, to or guaranteed or supported by the Company either pursuant to an employee stock purchase program of the Company or otherwise, during the most recently completed financial year.
INTEREST OF CERTAIN PERSONS IN MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
Except as set out herein, no person who has been a Director or executive officer of the Company at any time since the beginning of the Company's last financial year, no proposed nominee of management of the Company for election as a Director of the Company and no associate or affiliate of the foregoing persons, has any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership or otherwise, in matters to be acted upon at the Meeting other than the election of Directors or the appointment of auditors.
INTEREST OF INFORMED PERSONS IN MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS
No informed person or proposed Director of the Company and no associate or affiliate of the foregoing persons has or has had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the commencement of the Company's most recently completed financial year or in any proposed transaction which in either such case has materially affected or would materially affect the Company.
APPOINTMENT OF AUDITORS
Amisano Hanson, Chartered Accountants, of Vancouver, British Columbia, is the auditor of the Company. Unless otherwise instructed, the proxies given pursuant to this solicitation will be voted for the re-appointment of Amisano Hanson as the auditor of the Company to hold office for the ensuing year at a remuneration to be fixed by the Directors.
Amisano Hanson were first appointed as auditors on February 10, 2005.
MANAGEMENT CONTRACTS
No management functions of the Company are performed to any substantial degree by a person other than the Directors or executive officers of the Company.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE DISCLOSURE
A summary of the responsibilities and activities and the membership of each of the Committees is set out below.
National Instrument 58-201 ("NI 58-201") establishes corporate governance guidelines which apply to all public companies. The Company has reviewed its own corporate governance practices in light of these guidelines. In certain cases, the Company’s practices comply with the guidelines, however, the Board considers that some of the guidelines are not suitable for the Company at its current stage of development and therefore these guidelines have not been adopted. National Instrument 58-101 mandates disclosure of corporate governance practices which disclosure is set out below.
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Independence of Members of Board
The Company's Board consists of three Directors, two of whom are independent based upon the tests for independence set forth in Multilateral Instrument 52-110. George Cavey and William Schmidt are independent. Timothy Crowhurst is not independent as he is the President and CEO of the Company.
Management Supervision by Board
The size of the Company is such that all the Company’s operations are conducted by a small management team which is also represented on the Board. The Board considers that management is effectively supervised by the independent Directors on an informal basis as the independent Directors have regular and full access to management.
Participation of Directors in Other Reporting Issuers
The participation of the Directors in other reporting issuers is described in the table provided under "Election of Directors" in this Information Circular.
Orientation and Continuing Education
While the Company does not have formal orientation and training programs, new Board members are provided with:
1. | access to recent, publicly filed documents of the Company, technical reports and the Company's internal financial information; and |
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2. | access to management. |
Board members are encouraged to communicate with management, auditors and technical consultants; to keep themselves current with industry trends and developments and changes in legislation with management’s assistance; and to attend related industry seminars and visit the Company’s operations. Board members have full access to the Company's records.
Ethical Business Conduct
The Board views good corporate governance as an integral component to the success of the Company and to meet responsibilities to shareholders.
Nomination of Directors
The Board has responsibility for identifying potential Board candidates. The Board assesses potential Board candidates to fill perceived needs on the Board for required skills, expertise, independence and other factors. Members of the Board are consulted for possible candidates.
Compensation of Directors and the CEO
The independent Directors are George Cavey and William Schmidt.These Directors have the responsibility for determining compensation for the Directors and senior management.
To determine compensation payable, the independent Directors review compensation paid for Directors and CEOs of companies of similar size and stage of development in the mineral exploration industry and determines an appropriate compensation reflecting the need to provide incentive and compensation for
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the time and effort expended by the Directors and senior management while taking into account the financial and other resources of the Company.
Board Committees
As the Directors are actively involved in the operations of the Company and the size of the Company’s operations does not warrant a larger board of Directors, the Board has determined that additional committees are not necessary at this stage of the Company’s development.
Assessments
The Board does not consider that formal assessments would be useful at this stage of the Company’s development.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee's Charter
Mandate
The primary function of the audit committee (the "Committee") is to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its financial oversight responsibilities by reviewing the financial reports and other financial information provided by the Company to regulatory authorities and shareholders, the Company’s systems of internal controls regarding finance and accounting and the Company’s auditing, accounting and financial reporting processes. Consistent with this function, the Committee will encourage continuous improvement of, and should foster adherence to, the Company’s policies, procedures and practices at all levels. The Committee’s primary duties and responsibilities are to:
Serve as an independent and objective party to monitor the Company’s financial reporting and internal control system and review the Company’s financial statements.
Review and appraise the performance of the Company’s external auditors.
Provide an open avenue of communication among the Company’s auditors, financial and senior management and the Board of Directors.
Composition
The Committee shall be comprised of three Directors as determined by the Board of Directors, the majority of whom shall be free from any relationship that, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, would interfere with the exercise of his or her independent judgment as a member of the Committee.
At least one member of the Committee shall have accounting or related financial management expertise. All members of the Committee that are not financially literate will work towards becoming financially literate to obtain a working familiarity with basic finance and accounting practices. For the purposes of the Company's Charter, the definition of "financially literate" is the ability to read and understand a set of financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of the issues that can presumably be expected to be raised by the Company's financial statements.
The members of the Committee shall be elected by the Board of Directors at its first meeting following the annual shareholders’ meeting. Unless a Chair is elected by the full Board of Directors, the members of the Committee may designate a Chair by a majority vote of the full Committee membership.
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Meetings
The Committee shall meet a least twice annually, or more frequently as circumstances dictate. As part of its job to foster open communication, the Committee will meet at least annually with the Chief Financial Officer and the external auditors in separate sessions.
Responsibilities and Duties
To fulfill its responsibilities and duties, the Committee shall:
Documents/Reports Review
(a) | Review and update this Charter annually. |
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(b) | Review the Company's financial statements, MD&A and any annual and interim earnings, press releases before the Company publicly discloses this information and any reports or other financial information (including quarterly financial statements), which are submitted to any governmental body, or to the public, including any certification, report, opinion, or review rendered by the external auditors. |
External Auditors
(a) | Review annually, the performance of the external auditors who shall be ultimately accountable to the Board of Directors and the Committee as representatives of the shareholders of the Company. |
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(b) | Obtain annually, a formal written statement of external auditors setting forth all relationships between the external auditors and the Company, consistent with Independence Standards Board Standard 1. |
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(c) | Review and discuss with the external auditors any disclosed relationships or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the external auditors. |
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(d) | Take, or recommend that the full Board of Directors take, appropriate action to oversee the independence of the external auditors. |
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(e) | Recommend to the Board of Directors the selection and, where applicable, the replacement of the external auditors nominated annually for shareholder approval. |
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(f) | At each meeting, consult with the external auditors, without the presence of management, about the quality of the Company’s accounting principles, internal controls and the completeness and accuracy of the Company's financial statements. |
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(g) | Review and approve the Company's hiring policies regarding partners, employees and former partners and employees of the present and former external auditors of the Company. |
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(h) | Review with management and the external auditors the audit plan for the year-end financial statements and intended template for such statements. |
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(i) | Review and pre-approve all audit and audit-related services and the fees and other compensation related thereto, and any non-audit services, provided by the Company’s external auditors. The pre-approval requirement is waived with respect to the provision of non-audit services if: |
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| i. | the aggregate amount of all such non-audit services provided to the Company constitutes not more than five percent of the total amount of revenues paid by the Company to its external auditors during the fiscal year in which the non-audit services are provided; |
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| ii. | such services were not recognized by the Company at the time of the engagement to be non-audit services; and |
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| iii. | such services are promptly brought to the attention of the Committee by the Company and approved prior to the completion of the audit by the Committee or by one or more members of the Committee who are members of the Board of Directors to whom authority to grant such approvals has been delegated by the Committee. |
Provided the pre-approval of the non-audit services is presented to the Committee's first scheduled meeting following such approval such authority may be delegated by the Committee to one or more independent members of the Committee.
Financial Reporting Processes
(a) | In consultation with the external auditors, review with management the integrity of the Company's financial reporting process, both internal and external. |
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(b) | Consider the external auditors’ judgments about the quality and appropriateness of the Company’s accounting principles as applied in its financial reporting. |
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(c) | Consider and approve, if appropriate, changes to the Company’s auditing and accounting principles and practices as suggested by the external auditors and management. |
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(d) | Review significant judgments made by management in the preparation of the financial statements and the view of the external auditors as to appropriateness of such judgments. |
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(e) | Following completion of the annual audit, review separately with management and the external auditors any significant difficulties encountered during the course of the audit, including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to required information. |
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(f) | Review any significant disagreement among management and the external auditors in connection with the preparation of the financial statements. |
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(g) | Review with the external auditors and management the extent to which changes and improvements in financial or accounting practices have been implemented. |
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(h) | Review any complaints or concerns about any questionable accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters. |
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(i) | Review certification process. |
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(j) | Establish a procedure for the confidential, anonymous submission by employees of the Company of concerns regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters. |
Other
Review any related-party transactions.
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Composition of the Audit Committee
The following are the members of the Committee:
George Cavey | Independent [1] | Not financially literate [1] |
Timothy Crowhurst | Not Independent [1] | Financially literate [1] |
William Schmidt | Independent [1] | Financially literate [1] |
[1] | As defined by Multilateral Instrument 52-110 ("MI 52-110"). | |
Relevant Education and Experience
Both Mssrs Crowhurst and Schmidt have been Directors of public companies for several years.
Audit Committee Oversight
At no time since the commencement of the Company's most recently completed financial year was a recommendation of the Committee to nominate or compensate an external auditor not adopted by the Board of Directors.
Reliance on Certain Exemptions
At no time since the commencement of the Company's most recently completed financial year has the Company relied on the exemption in Section 2.4 of MI 52-110(De Minimis Non-audit Services), or an exemption from MI 52-110, in whole or in part, granted under Part 8 of Multilateral Instrument 52-110.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The Committee has adopted specific policies and procedures for the engagement of non-audit services as described above under the heading "External Auditors".
External Auditors Service Fees (By Category)
The aggregate fees billed by the Company's external auditors in each of the last two fiscal years for audit fees are as follows:
Financial YearEnding | Audit Fees | Audit Related Fees | Tax Fees | All Other Fees |
2006 | $29,900 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
2007 | $15,688 | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Exemption in Section 6.1 of MI 52-110
The Company is relying on the exemption in Section 6.1 of MI 52-110 from the requirement of Parts 3 (Composition of the Audit Committee) and 5 (Reporting Obligations).
Nomination and Assessment
The Board determines new nominees to the Board, although a formal process has not been adopted. The nominees are generally the result of recruitment efforts by the Board members, including both formal and
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informal discussions among Board members and the President and Chief Executive Officer. The Board monitors but does not formally assess the performance of individual Board members or committee members or their contributions.
Expectations of Management
The Board expects management to operate the business of the Company in a manner that enhances shareholder value and is consistent with the highest level of integrity. Management is expected to execute the Company's business plan and to meet performance goals and objectives.
PARTICULARS OF OTHER MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
(a) Approval and Ratification of Stock Option Plan
The Board of Directors of the Company implemented a stock option plan (the "Plan") effective March 3, 2005, which was approved by the Exchange and the shareholders of the Company. The number of common shares which may be issued pursuant to options previously granted and those granted under the Plan is a maximum of 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares at the time of the grant. In addition, the number of shares which may be reserved for issuance to any one individual may not exceed 5% of the issued shares on a yearly basis or 2% if the optionee is engaged in investor relations activities or is a consultant. Under Exchange policy, all such rolling stock option plans which set the number of common shares issuable under the plan at a maximum of 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares must be approved and ratified by shareholders on an annual basis.
Therefore, at the Meeting, shareholders will be asked to pass a resolution in the following form:
"UPON MOTION IT WAS RESOLVED that the Company approve and ratify, subject to regulatory approval, the Stock Option Plan pursuant to which the Directors may, from time to time, authorize the issuance of options to Directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries to a maximum of 10% of the issued and outstanding common shares at the time of the grant, with a maximum of 5% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares being reserved to any one person on a yearly basis."
The purpose of the Plan is to allow the Company to grant options to Directors, officers, employees and consultants, as additional compensation, and as an opportunity to participate in the success of the Company. The granting of such options is intended to align the interests of such persons with that of the shareholders. Options will be exercisable over periods of up to five years as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company and are required to have an exercise price no less than the closing market price of the Company’s shares prevailing on the day that the option is granted less a discount of up to 25%, the amount of the discount varying with market price in accordance with the policies of the Exchange. Pursuant to the Plan, the Board of Directors may from time to time authorize the issue of options to Directors, officers employees and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries or employees of companies providing management or consulting services to the Company or its subsidiaries. The Plan contains no vesting requirements, but permits the Board of Directors to specify a vesting schedule in its discretion. The Plan provides that if a change of control, as defined therein, occurs, all shares subject to option shall immediately become vested and may thereupon be exercised in whole or in part by the option holder.
The full text of the Plan will be available for review at the Meeting.
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Unless such authority is withheld, the persons named in the enclosed Proxy intend to vote for the approval and ratification of the Plan.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Additional information relating to the Company is on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Shareholders may contact the Company at #1500-701 West Georgia St., Vancouver, British Columbia, V7Y 1C6, to request copies of the Company’s financial statements and MD&A.
Financial information is provided in the Company’s comparative financial statements and MD&A for its most recently completed financial year which are filed on SEDAR.
OTHER MATTERS
Management of the Company is not aware of any other matter to come before the Meeting other than as set forth in the notice of Meeting. If any other matter properly comes before the Meeting, it is the intention of the persons named in the enclosed form of proxy to vote the shares represented thereby in accordance with their best judgment on such matter.
DATED this 23rdday of November, 2007.
APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
"TIMOTHY CROWHURST"
TIMOTHY CROWHURST
President/Chief Executive Officer