CIBC World Markets Corp.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.
Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc
As representatives of the several Underwriters
c/o CIBC World Markets Corp.
300 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor
New York, New York 10017
U.S.A.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Province of Ontario (the “Province”) proposes to sell the principal amount of its securities identified in Schedule II hereto (the “Securities”) to the underwriters named in Schedule II hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”). The Securities will be issued in the form of one or more fully registered permanent global securities (the “Global Securities”) registered in the name of Cede & Co., as the nominee of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”), subject to the provisions of the fiscal agency agreement between the Province and The Bank of New York Mellon, as fiscal agent, expected to be dated the Closing Date (as defined below) (the “Fiscal Agency Agreement”). As of September 20, 2013, (the “Time of Sale”), the Province had prepared the following information (collectively, the “Time of Sale Information”): a Preliminary Final Prospectus (as defined below) dated September 20, 2013, and the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) in the form of Schedule I hereto. As used herein, “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” shall have the meaning assigned to the term “issuer free writing prospectus” in Section 433 under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”). This Agreement is to confirm the arrangements with respect to the purchase of the Securities by the Underwriters.
1. Representations and Warranties. The Province represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter that:
(i) The Time of Sale Information, at the Time of Sale and at the Closing Date, did not and will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Province makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Province in writing by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Time of Sale Information. The Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in the form of Schedule I hereto complies in all material respects with the U.S. Securities Act.
(ii) The Province has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a registration statement or registration statements under Schedule B of the U.S. Securities Act, which has or have become effective, for the registration of any Securities which may be sold in the United States under the U.S. Securities Act. Each such registration statement, as amended at the date of this Agreement, complies in all material respects with the requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. The Province has filed a Preliminary Final Prospectus (as defined below) with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424 under the U.S. Securities Act, which has been furnished to the Underwriters, and proposes to file with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424 under the U.S. Securities Act a supplement to the form of prospectus included in the most recent registration statement, or amendment thereto, filed with the SEC relating to the Securities and the plan of distribution thereof and has advised you of all further information (financial and other) with respect to the Province to be set forth therein. The registration statement or registration statements, including the exhibits thereto and the documents incorporated by reference therein, as amended at the date of this Agreement, is or are herein called the “Registration Statement”; the prospectus in the form in which it appears in the Registration Statement, including the documents incorporated by reference therein, is herein called the “Basic Prospectus”; such supplemented form of prospectus, in the form in which it shall be first filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424 after the date hereof (including the Basic Prospectus as so supplemented), including the documents incorporated by reference therein, is herein called the “Final Prospectus”; and any preliminary form of the Final Prospectus which has heretofore been filed pursuant to Rule 424 (including the Basic Prospectus as so supplemented), including the documents incorporated by reference therein, is herein called the “Preliminary Final Prospectus”.
(iii) The documents filed by the Province with the SEC pursuant to the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “U.S. Exchange Act”) that are incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, at the time they were filed with the SEC, complied in all material respects with the requirements of the U.S. Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(iv) As of the date hereof, when the Final Prospectus is first filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the U.S. Securities Act, when, prior to the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), any amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective, when any supplement to the Final Prospectus is filed with the SEC and at the Closing Date, (a) the Registration Statement, as amended as of any such time and the Final Prospectus, as amended or supplemented as of any such time, complied and will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and (b) the Registration Statement, as amended as of any such time, did not or will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading, and the Final Prospectus, as amended or supplemented as of any such time, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and the summary set out in the Final Prospectus is not misleading, inaccurate or inconsistent when read with other parts of the Final Prospectus; provided, however, that the Province makes no representations or warranties as to the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Province by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use in connection with the preparation of the Registration Statement or the Final Prospectus.
2. Purchase and Sale. Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Province agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Province, at the purchase price set forth in Schedule II hereto, the principal amount of the Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule II hereto.
3. Delivery and Payment. Delivery of and payment for the Securities shall be made at the offices of Shearman & Sterling LLP, Commerce Court West, Suite 4405, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (or such other place as may be agreed to by the Representatives and the Province) at 9:00 A.M., Toronto time, on September 27, 2013 (or at such time on such later date not later than five business days after such specified date as the Representatives and the Province shall agree upon), which date and time may be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Province or as provided in Section 10 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment for the Securities being herein called the “Closing Date”). Delivery of the Global Securities shall be made to the Representatives or to their order for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the purchase price thereof to the Province in immediately available (same day) funds by transfer to a U.S. dollar account specified by the Province. The Global Securities shall be substantially in the form annexed to the Fiscal Agency Agreement and registered in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee of DTC.
The Global Securities shall be made available for inspection and checking by the Representatives in Toronto, Ontario not later than 3:00 P.M. (Toronto time) on the business day prior to the Closing Date. For purposes of this Agreement, “business day” shall mean a day on which banking institutions in The City of New York, in The City of London and in The City of Toronto are not authorized or obligated by law or executive order to be closed.
4. Listing. The Province agrees with the Underwriters to file or cause to be filed an application to list the Securities on the Euro MTF Market, the exchange regulated market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (the “Stock Exchange”) on or as soon as possible after the Closing Date. References herein to “list”, “listed” or “listing” when used in relation to the Stock Exchange shall mean admitted to the Official List and admitted to trading on the Euro MTF Market. The Province shall use all reasonable efforts to cause the Securities to be listed on the Stock Exchange on or as soon as possible after the Closing Date. The Province further agrees to furnish to the Stock Exchange all documents, instruments, information and undertakings and to publish all advertisements or other material that may be necessary in order to effect the listing of the Securities and to cause the listing of the Securities on the Stock Exchange to be continued for so long as any of the Securities remain outstanding; provided, however, that if in the opinion of the Province, the continuation of such listing shall become unduly onerous, then the Province may terminate the listing of the Securities on the Stock Exchange; provided, further, that if the listing of the Securities is to be so terminated, the Province will use its best efforts to obtain the admission to listing, trading and/or quotation of the Securities by another listing authority, securities exchange and/or quotation system reasonably acceptable to the Representatives and the Province prior to the delisting of the Securities from the Stock Exchange, provided that nothing herein shall require the Province to seek an alternative admission, listing, trading and/or quotation of the Securities on any securities exchange where it would be, as determined by the Province, impractical or unduly burdensome to do so. The provisions of this Section 4 shall apply to any other listing authority, securities exchange and/or quotation system on which the Securities may be admitted to listing, trading and/or quotation mutatis mutandis.
5. Agreements. (a) The Province and the Underwriters agree that:
(i) Prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities, the Province will not file any amendment to the Registration Statement, any supplement to the Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus, or any document that would as a result thereof be incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus, unless the Province has furnished to the Underwriters a copy for their review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment, supplement or document to which the Underwriters reasonably object, except that the Underwriters may not object to the filing, as exhibits to an amendment on Form 18-K/A to the Province’s Annual Report on Form 18-K, of reports prepared by the Province and the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation in the ordinary course. Subject to the foregoing sentence, the Province will cause any Preliminary Final Prospectus and the Final Prospectus to be filed (or mailed for filing) with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424 and the Province will file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the extent required by Rule 433 under the U.S. Securities Act. The Province will promptly advise the Representatives (i) when the Time of Sale Information, the Final Prospectus or any document that would as a result thereof be incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus shall have been filed with the SEC, (ii) when any amendment to the Registration Statement relating to the Securities shall have become effective, (iii) of any request by the SEC for any amendment of the Registration Statement or amendment of or supplement to the Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus or for any additional information relating thereto or to any document incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, (iv) of the issuance by the SEC of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (v) of the receipt by the Province of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Province will use its best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
(ii) Before using or filing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, other than the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in the form of Schedule I hereto, the Province will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters a copy of the proposed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus for review and will not use or file any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to which the Representatives reasonably object provided that the Representatives may not object to a filing that is required.
(iii) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the U.S. Securities Act, any event occurs as a result of which the Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend or supplement the Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus to comply with the U.S. Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, the Province promptly will prepare and file with the SEC, subject to the first sentence in paragraph (a)(i) of this Section 5, an amendment or supplement at its own expense which will correct such statement or omission or an amendment which will effect such compliance.
(iv) The Province will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives as soon as practicable after the close of its first fiscal year beginning after the date hereof, statements of its revenues and expenditures for such fiscal year which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the U.S. Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations thereunder.
(v) The Province will furnish to the Representatives, upon request, copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein) and each amendment thereto which shall become effective on or prior to the Closing Date and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by an Underwriter or a dealer may be required by the U.S. Securities Act, as many copies of any Preliminary Final Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the Final Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplements thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(vi) The Province will arrange for the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale and the determination of their eligibility for investment under the securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions of the United States as the Representatives may designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities; provided, however, that the Province shall not be obligated to consent to general service of process under the laws of any state or other jurisdiction.
(vii) The Province will pay (i) all expenses in connection with (a) the preparation, issue, execution and delivery of the Securities (including fees of the registrar, fiscal agent, transfer agent and paying agents and the fees and expenses of the Province’s legal advisors), (b) the fee incurred in filing the Registration Statement (including all amendments thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any Time of Sale Information with the SEC, (c) all costs, expenses, fees or commissions, payable on or in connection with the listing of the Securities on the Stock Exchange and (d) any fee payable to rating services in connection with the rating of the Securities and (ii) the cost of copying the documents incorporated by reference in the Time of Sale Information and the Final Prospectus in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably request and the cost of delivering the same to locations designated by the Representatives and satisfactory to the Province in its reasonable judgment. Except as provided in Section 9 hereof, the Province shall not be required to pay or bear any fees or expenses of the Underwriters.
(viii) The Underwriters will pay all costs incurred in connection with the printing of the Final Prospectus and each Preliminary Final Prospectus (including all amendments thereof or supplements thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and the cost of delivering the same to locations designated by the Underwriters, the Province and each of their counsel.
(b) Each Underwriter agrees that:
(i) It will cause the Representatives to deliver to the Province a letter prior to the Closing Date containing the total sales of the Securities made in the initial distribution in the United States together with an estimate of the number of Securities reasonably expected to be sold within the United States in secondary market transactions within 40 days of the Closing Date; provided, however, that the Underwriters shall bear no responsibility for any discrepancy between such estimate and the actual number of Securities sold within the United States pursuant to such secondary market transactions in such time period.
(ii) It has not and will not use, authorize use of, refer to, or participate in the planning for use of, any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under the U.S. Securities Act) (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the SEC by the Province and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Province) other than (A) the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in the form of Schedule I hereto or prepared pursuant to Section 5(a)(ii) above, or (B) any “free writing prospectus” prepared by such Underwriter and provided to and consented to by the Province in advance in writing (each such “free writing prospectus” referred to in this clause (B), an “Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus”); provided that the Underwriters may use a Bloomberg term sheet in accordance with Section 5(b)(iv) below.
(iii) It has not and will not distribute any Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus referred to in Section 5(b)(ii)(B) in a manner reasonably designed to lead to its broad unrestricted dissemination unless the Province has consented in advance in writing to such dissemination.
(iv) It has not and will not, without the prior written consent of the Province, use any “free writing prospectus”, that contains the final terms of the Securities unless such terms have previously been included in an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus filed or to be filed with the SEC; provided that the Underwriters may use a Bloomberg term sheet that contains some or all of the information in Schedule I hereto without the consent of the Province; provided further that any Underwriter using such term sheet shall notify the Province, and provide a copy of such Bloomberg term sheet to the Province, prior to, or substantially concurrently with, the first use of such term sheet.
(v) It is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the U.S. Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Province if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the period that delivery of a prospectus by an Underwriter or a dealer may be required by the U.S. Securities Act).
6. Selling Restrictions.
(a) European Economic Area.
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Directive 2003/71/EC (the “Prospectus Directive”) (each, a “Relevant Member State”), each of the Underwriters has represented and agreed that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the “Relevant Implementation Date”) it has not made and will not make an offer of Securities which are the subject of the offering contemplated by the Preliminary Final Prospectus and the Final Prospectus to the public in that Relevant Member State, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of such Securities to the public in that Relevant Member State:
(i) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;
(ii) to fewer than 100 or, if the Relevant Member State has implemented the relevant provision of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Underwriter or Underwriters nominated by the Province for any such offer; or
(iii) in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,
provided that no such offer of Securities shall require the Province or any Underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of Securities to the public” in relation to any Securities in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the Securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the Securities, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State. The expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive, to the extent implemented in the Relevant Member State), and includes any relevant implementing measure in the Relevant Member State and the expression “2010 PD Amending Directive” means Directive 2010/73/EU.
(b) United Kingdom. Each of the Underwriters, on behalf of itself and each of its affiliates that participates in the initial distribution of the Securities, represents and agrees that:
(i) it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, as amended (“FSMA”)) received by it in connection with the issue or sale of the Securities in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of the FSMA does not apply to the Province; and
(ii) it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of the FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the Securities in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.
(c) Japan. The Securities have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, each of the Underwriters, on behalf of itself and each of its affiliates that participates in the initial distribution of the Securities, undertakes that it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Securities, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any Japanese Person except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended), and under circumstances which will result in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and guidelines promulgated by the relevant Japanese governmental and regulatory authorities and in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
(d) Hong Kong. Each of the Underwriters, on behalf of itself and each of its affiliates that participates in the initial distribution of the Securities, represents and agrees that:
| | (i) | it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell in Hong Kong, by means of any document, any Securities (except for Securities which are a “structured product” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong) other than (i) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance; or (ii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance; and |
| | (ii) | it has not issued or had in its possession for the purposes of issue, and will not issue or have in its possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, any advertisement, invitation or document relating to the Securities, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to Securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) and any rules made under that Ordinance. |
(e) Switzerland. Each Underwriter represents and agrees, on behalf of itself and each of its affiliates that participates in the initial distribution of the Securities, that it has not offered, sold or advertised and will not offer, sell or advertise, directly or indirectly, Securities to the public in, into or from Switzerland and that it has not distributed, or otherwise made available, and will not distribute or otherwise make available, the Prospectus Supplement or any other offering or marketing material relating to the Bonds to the public in Switzerland. “Public” shall have the meaning as per articles 652a and 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations.
(f) Singapore. Each Underwriter represents and agrees, on behalf of itself and each of its affiliates that participates in the initial distribution of the Securities, that it has not offered or sold Securities, or made Securities the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, nor will it offer or sell Securities, or make Securities the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions, specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.
(g) Sale and Distribution. In addition to the provisions of Sections 6(a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) above, each of the Underwriters, on behalf of itself and each of its respective affiliates that participates in the initial distribution of the Securities, represents to and agrees with the Province that it and each of its respective affiliates (i) has not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver, directly or indirectly, any of the Securities or distribute the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus, the Final Prospectus, the Time of Sale Information, any “free writing prospectus”, or any other offering material relating to the Securities, in or from any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will, to the best of its knowledge and belief, after reasonable investigation, result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations thereof and which will not impose any obligations on the Province except as contained in this Agreement, and (ii) notwithstanding the foregoing clause (i), will not distribute any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the other Time of Sale Information outside the United States.
(h) Authorizations. Without prejudice to the provisions of Sections 6(a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f) and (g) and except for the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale and the determination of their eligibility for investment under the applicable securities laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate pursuant to Section 5(a)(vi), the Province shall not have any responsibility for, and the Underwriters agree with the Province that the Underwriters and their respective affiliates will obtain, any consent, approval or authorization required by them for the subscription, offer, sale or delivery by them of any of the Securities under the laws and regulations in force in any jurisdiction to which they are subject or in or from which they make such subscription, offer, sale or delivery of any of the Securities.
7. Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Securities shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Province contained herein as of the date hereof, as of the date of the effectiveness of any amendment to the Registration Statement filed prior to the Closing Date (including the filing of any document incorporated by reference therein) and as of the Closing Date, to the accuracy of the statements of the Province made in any certificate furnished pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Province of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, as amended from time to time, shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened; and the Final Prospectus shall have been filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424 not later than 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on the second business day following the date hereof or transmitted by a means reasonably calculated to result in filing with the SEC by such date; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to the extent required by Rule 433 under the U.S. Securities Act, shall have been filed with the SEC under the U.S. Securities Act.
(b) The Province shall have furnished to the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, on or prior to the Closing Date, a written opinion dated the Closing Date of the Deputy Attorney General, Assistant Deputy Attorney General or Acting Assistant Deputy Attorney General of the Province or any solicitor who is an employee of the Crown and seconded to the Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Finance, addressed to the Minister of Finance of the Province to the effect that, based on the assumptions and subject to the qualifications set forth therein:
(i) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Province in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the Order or Orders of the Lieutenant Governor in Council applicable thereto, and constitutes a legal, valid and binding agreement of the Province, enforceable in accordance with its terms;
(ii) the Fiscal Agency Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Province in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the Order or Orders of the Lieutenant Governor in Council applicable thereto, and, assuming due execution and delivery by the Fiscal Agent, constitutes a legal, valid and binding agreement of the Province, enforceable in accordance with its terms;
(iii) the Securities have been duly authorized and the Global Securities have been duly executed by and sealed on behalf of the Province in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the Order or Orders of the Lieutenant Governor in Council applicable thereto, and, when the Global Securities are authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Fiscal Agency Agreement and delivered and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement, they will constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the Province, enforceable in accordance with their terms;
(iv) the statements in the Preliminary Final Prospectus and the Final Prospectus under the headings “Description of Debt Securities and Warrants — Canadian Income Tax Considerations” and “Taxation — Canadian Taxation” are accurate in all material respects, subject to the qualifications therein stated;
(v) the payment of principal of and interest on the Securities will be a charge on and payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Province of Ontario (as defined in the Financial Administration Act (Ontario));
(vi) no authorization, consent, waiver or approval of, or filing, registration, qualification or recording with, any governmental authority of the Province of Ontario or of Canada is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Province of this Agreement or the Fiscal Agency Agreement or the sale of the Securities by the Province in the manner contemplated in this Agreement and the Final Prospectus, except for the Order or Orders of the Lieutenant Governor in Council applicable thereto, and an approval under section 28 of the Financial Administration Act (Ontario), which have been obtained;
(vii) no stamp or other similar duty or levy is payable under the laws of the Province of Ontario or the federal laws of Canada applicable in the Province of Ontario in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Province of this Agreement or the Fiscal Agency Agreement or in connection with the issue and sale of the Securities by the Province in the manner contemplated in this Agreement, the Time of Sale Information and the Final Prospectus; and
(viii) Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario may be sued in the courts of the Province of Ontario with regard to any claims arising out of or relating to the obligations of the Province under the Securities. No law in the Province of Ontario requires the consent of any public official or authority for suit to be brought or judgment to be obtained against Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario arising out of or relating to the obligations of the Province under the Securities, though in certain circumstances prior notice and particulars of a claim must be given to Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario. An amount payable by Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario under an order of a court of the Province of Ontario that is final and not subject to appeal is payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Province of Ontario pursuant to the Proceedings Against the Crown Act (Ontario).
(c) The Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, shall have received on the Closing Date from Shearman & Sterling LLP, United States counsel to the Province, favorable opinions dated the Closing Date to the effect that:
(i) the statements in the Preliminary Final Prospectus, read together with the Time of Sale Information, and the Final Prospectus under the caption “Description of Bonds” and “Underwriting”, in each case, insofar as such statements constitute summaries of documents referred to therein, fairly summarize in all material respects the documents referred to therein;
(ii) the statements in the Preliminary Final Prospectus, read together with the Time of Sale Information, and the Final Prospectus under the caption “Description of Debt Securities and Warrants— United States Federal Income Tax Considerations”, as supplemented by “Taxation — United States Taxation”, in each case, insofar as such statements constitute summaries of legal matters referred to therein, fairly summarize in all material respects the legal matters referred to therein; and
(iii) the statements in the Preliminary Final Prospectus and the Final Prospectus under the caption “Taxation — United Kingdom Taxation”, insofar as such statements purport to summarize certain tax laws of the United Kingdom, constitute a fair summary of the matters addressed therein.
Such counsel shall also state that although they have not verified, are not passing upon and do not assume any responsibility for, the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus (including the documents incorporated by reference therein), such counsel has, however, generally reviewed and discussed such statements with certain officers or employees of the Province, and with counsel and representatives of the Underwriters, and, in the opinion of such counsel, (a) each of the documents incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Final Prospectus, read together with the Time of Sale Information, and the Final Prospectus (other than the financial statements and other financial data contained therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), except to the extent that any statement therein is modified or superseded in the Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus, at the time it was filed with the SEC, appears on its face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the U.S. Exchange Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, and (b) each of the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus, excluding the documents incorporated by reference therein, and any supplements or amendments thereto (other than the financial statements and other financial data contained therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel need not express any opinion) appears on its face to be appropriately responsive in all material respects to the requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder.
Such counsel shall also state that, subject to the limitations set forth in the immediately preceding paragraph, in the course of such review and discussion, no facts have come to such counsel’s attention which caused them to believe that (i) the Registration Statement (including the documents incorporated by reference therein, other than the financial statements and other financial data contained therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel has not been requested to comment), as of the date of the Time of Sale, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; (ii) the Time of Sale Information (other than the financial statements and other financial data contained therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel has not been requested to comment), as of the Time of Sale (which such counsel may assume to be the date of the Underwriting Agreement), contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; or (iii) the Final Prospectus as amended or supplemented, if applicable (including the documents incorporated by reference therein, other than the financial statements and other financial data contained therein or omitted therefrom, as to which such counsel has not been requested to comment), as of the date of such Final Prospectus as amended or supplemented, if applicable, or the Closing Date, contained or contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
In giving such opinions, such counsel may rely, without independent investigation, as to matters relating to the laws of the Province of Ontario or the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, on the opinion of the Deputy Attorney General, Assistant Deputy Attorney General or Acting Assistant Deputy Attorney General of the Province or any solicitor who is an employee of the Crown and seconded to the Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Finance, rendered pursuant to Section 7(b) hereof.
(d) The Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, shall have received on the Closing Date from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, United States counsel for the Underwriters, and Stikeman Elliott LLP, Canadian counsel for the Underwriters, favorable opinions dated the Closing Date as to the form and validity of the Securities and as to the proceedings and other related matters incident to the issuance and sale of the Securities on the Closing Date, and the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, shall have received on the Closing Date from Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP a favorable opinion dated the Closing Date with respect to the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Final Prospectus and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably require. In giving their opinion, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP may rely upon the opinion of Stikeman Elliott LLP as to matters of Canadian and Ontario law.
(e) The Province shall have furnished to the Representatives, on behalf of the Underwriters, on the Closing Date a certificate of the Province, signed by the duly authorized officer of the Province (who may rely as to proceedings pending or contemplated upon the best of his knowledge), dated the Closing Date, to the effect that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Province in this Agreement are true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Closing Date with the same effect as if made on the Closing Date and the Province has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Date;
(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, as amended, has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Province’s knowledge, threatened; and
(iii) there has been no material adverse change in the financial, economic or political conditions of the Province from those set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Time of Sale Information and the Final Prospectus other than changes arising in the ordinary and normal course.
(f) Subsequent to the execution of this Agreement and on or prior to the Closing Date, there shall not have been any downgrading in the ratings of any of the Province’s long-term debt securities by Moody’s Investors Service Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
(g) Prior to the Closing Date, the Province shall have furnished to the Representatives such further information, certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.
If any of the conditions specified in this Section 7 shall not have been fulfilled in all material respects when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be in all material respects reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be cancelled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the Representatives. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Province in writing or by telephone or facsimile transmission, in either case confirmed in writing.
8. Stabilization and Over-allotment. The Underwriters (or persons acting on their behalf) may over-allot Securities or effect transactions with a view to supporting the market price of the Securities at a level higher than that which might otherwise prevail. Any stabilization action may begin on or after the date on which adequate public disclosure of the terms of the offer of the relevant Securities is made and, if begun, may be ended at any time, but it must end no later than the earlier of 30 days after the date on which the Province received the proceeds of the issue, and 60 days after the date of the allotment of the Securities. Any over-allotment or stabilization transaction by the Underwriters in connection with the distribution of the Securities shall be effected by them on their own behalf and not as agents of the Province, and any gain or loss arising therefrom shall be for their own account. The Underwriters acknowledge that the Province has not been authorized to issue Securities in excess of the principal amount set forth in Schedule I hereto. The Underwriters also acknowledge that the Province has not authorized the carrying out by the Underwriters of stabilization transactions other than in conformity with applicable laws and rules, including those made pursuant to Regulation M under the U.S. Exchange Act (if applicable). The Province authorises the Underwriters to make such public disclosure of information relating to stabilization as is required by applicable law, regulation and guidance.
9. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Province agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each of its affiliates that participates in the initial distribution of the Securities and each person who controls any Underwriter or any such affiliate within the meaning of either the U.S. Securities Act or the U.S. Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the laws of any jurisdiction, including but not limited to the U.S. Securities Act, the U.S. Exchange Act or other United States Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of the Securities as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, including all documents incorporated by reference, or in the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and agrees to reimburse, as incurred, each such indemnified party, for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that (i) the Province will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Province by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use in connection with the preparation thereof and (ii) such indemnity with respect to the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Time of Sale Information shall not enure to the benefit of any Underwriter or affiliate thereof (or any person controlling any Underwriter or affiliate) from whom the person asserting any such loss, claim, damage or liability purchased the Securities which are the subject thereof if such person did not receive the Time of Sale Information at or prior to the sale of such Securities to such person and the untrue statement or omission of a material fact contained in the Basic Prospectus, any Preliminary Final Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus was corrected in the Time of Sale Information. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Province may otherwise have.
(b) Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Province:
(i) to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Province to such Underwriter, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Province by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use in the preparation of the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity;
(ii) against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Province may become subject under the laws of any jurisdiction, including but not limited to the U.S. Securities Act, the U.S. Exchange Act or other United States Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any document prepared by such Underwriter and distributed by it in connection with the offering of the Securities, including any “free writing prospectus”, or which arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and which statement or omission is not contained in the Time of Sale Information, the Final Prospectus or the agreed press releases; and
(iii) against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Province may become subject arising out of or in connection with a breach by such Underwriter (or its affiliates that participate in the initial distribution of the Securities) of any representation, or failure to perform or observe any agreement, contained in Section 6 of this Agreement.
Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to reimburse, as incurred, any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Province in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action referred to in clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) above. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Province acknowledges, for the purposes of Sections 1(i), 1(v), 9(a) and 9(b)(i) above, that the statements set forth under the heading “Underwriting” (except for the statements in the paragraphs relating to the European Economic Area, the FSMA and the securities laws of Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Singapore and the sentence relating to stamp taxes and other charges and expenses of the offering) in any Preliminary Final Prospectus or the Final Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Underwriters for inclusion in any of the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity, and the Underwriters confirm that such statements are correct; provided that such acknowledgement by the Province does not extend to any “free writing prospectus” other than the Issuer Free Writing Prospectus in the form of Schedule I hereto.
(c) Each of the Province and the Underwriters agree that the Underwriters shall have and hold the covenants of the Province contained in this Section 9 in respect of the Underwriters’ controlling persons (as referred to herein) and affiliates in trust for the benefit of their controlling persons and affiliates. The Underwriters agree to accept the trusts in this paragraph (c) declared and provided for and agree to enforce those covenants on behalf of such persons.
(d) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 9 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 9, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the indemnifying party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any indemnified party otherwise than under this Section 9.
In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party, and it notifies the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party will be entitled to appoint counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party to represent the indemnified party in such action; provided, however, that if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to defend such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding. In order to be entitled to an indemnity with respect to a claim hereunder, an indemnified party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnifying parties (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed), settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to such pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnifying parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action).
Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to appoint counsel to defend such action and approval by the indemnified party of such counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 9 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless:
(i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the proviso to the first sentence of the next preceding paragraph (it being understood, however, that the indemnifying party shall not be liable for the expenses of more than one separate counsel, approved by the Representatives in the case of paragraph (a) of this Section 9, representing the indemnified parties under such paragraph (a) who are parties to such action),
(ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action, or
(iii) the indemnifying party has authorized the employment of counsel for the indemnified party at the expense of the indemnifying party; and except that, if clause (i) or (iii) is applicable, such liability shall be only in respect of the counsel referred to in such clause (i) or (iii).
(e) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in circumstances in which the indemnification provided for in paragraph (a) of this Section 9 is due in accordance with its terms but is for any reason held by a court to be unavailable from the Province on grounds of policy or otherwise, the Province and the Underwriters shall contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending same) to which the Province and the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion so that the Underwriters are responsible for that portion represented by the percentage that the underwriting discount specified in Schedule II hereto bears to the public offering price of the Securities specified in Schedule I hereto and the Province is responsible for the balance; provided, however, that (a) in no case shall any Underwriter be responsible for any amount in excess of the underwriting discount applicable to the Securities purchased by such Underwriter hereunder and (b) no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the U.S. Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 9, each person who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Underwriters, and each person who controls the Province within the meaning of the U.S. Securities Act and each official of the Province who shall have signed the Registration Statement shall have the same rights to contribution as the Province. Any party entitled to contribution will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action, suit or proceeding against such party in respect of which a claim for contribution may be made against another party or parties under this paragraph (e), notify such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission to so notify such party or parties shall not relieve the party or parties from whom contribution may be sought from any other obligation it or they may have hereunder or otherwise than under this paragraph (e).
10. Default by an Underwriter. If any one or more Underwriters shall fail to purchase and pay for any of the Securities agreed to be purchased by such Underwriter or Underwriters hereunder and such failure to purchase shall constitute a default in the performance of its or their obligations under this Agreement, the remaining Underwriters shall be obligated severally to take up and pay for (in the respective proportions which the amount of Securities set forth opposite their names in Schedule II hereto bears to the aggregate amount of Securities set forth opposite the names of all the remaining Underwriters) the Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase; provided, however, that in the event that the aggregate amount of Securities which the defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters agreed but failed to purchase shall exceed 10% of the aggregate amount of Securities set forth in Schedule II hereto, the remaining Underwriters shall have the right to purchase all, but shall not be under any obligation to purchase any, of the Securities, and if such nondefaulting Underwriters do not purchase all the Securities, this Agreement will terminate without liability to any nondefaulting Underwriter or the Province. In the event of a default by any Underwriter as set forth in this Section 10, the Closing Date shall be postponed for such period, not exceeding seven days, as the Representatives shall determine in order that the required changes in the Registration Statement and the Final Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements may be effected. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the Province and any nondefaulting Underwriter for damages occasioned by its default hereunder. For purposes of this Section 10, if more than one series of Securities is identified in Schedule II hereto, this Section 10 shall apply to each series of Securities separately as if this Agreement applied solely to such series.
11. Termination. This Agreement shall be subject to termination in the absolute discretion of the Representatives or the Province, by notice given to the Province or the Representatives, as the case may be, prior to delivery and payment for the Securities, if prior to that time, there shall have occurred such a change in national or international financial, political or economic conditions or currency exchange rates or exchange controls which, in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives or the Province, as the case may be, is material and adverse and such changes, singly or together with any other such change, makes it, in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives or the Province, as the case may be, impracticable to market the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Time of Sale Information or the Final Prospectus. Notwithstanding any such termination, the provisions of Sections 9, 11, 12, and 14 hereof shall remain in effect.
12. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Province and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriters or the Province or any of the officers, directors or controlling persons referred to in Section 9 hereof, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities.
13. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters, will be mailed, delivered or sent by facsimile transmission and confirmed to them care of CIBC World Markets Corp., 300 Madison Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, New York 10017, U.S.A. (Facsimile No. (212) 856-6696) or, if sent to the Province, will be mailed, delivered or sent by facsimile transmission and confirmed at Ontario Financing Authority, One Dundas Street West, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1Z3, attention: Director, Capital Markets Operations, Capital Markets Division, Ontario Financing Authority (Facsimile No. (416) 860-8346).
14. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement will enure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and the officials and controlling persons referred to in Section 9 hereof, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder. Neither this Agreement nor any interest or obligation in or under this Agreement may be assigned by the Underwriters without the prior written consent of the Province or by the Province without the prior written consent of the Representatives on behalf of the Underwriters. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of the Securities shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
15. Governing Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable in the Province of Ontario.
16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and when a counterpart has been executed by each party hereto all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
17. Advertisements. All advertisements of the issue of the Securities or publication of such formal notice as may be required by the rules of the Stock Exchange in connection with the listing of the securities on the Stock Exchange shall be published in a form or forms and manner to which the Province consents in writing prior to the date of publication. The Province may withhold its consent in its discretion regarding the use of any symbol in any such advertisement and the publication in which such advertisement is to appear.
18. Time of the Essence. Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.
19. Representation of Underwriters. In all dealings hereunder, the Representatives shall, and have all necessary authority to, act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the Province shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement given by the Representatives, jointly or individually, on behalf of any of the Underwriters.
