National Instrument 62-104 Takeover Bids and Issuer Bids

Part 4 Exemptions

A take-over bid is exempt from Part 2 if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) the bid is for not more than 5% of the outstanding securities of a class of securities of the offeree issuer;

(b) the aggregate number of securities acquired in reliance on this exemption by the offeror and any person acting jointly or in concert with the offeror within any period of 12 months, when aggregated with acquisitions otherwise made by the offeror and any person acting jointly or in concert with the offeror within the same 12-month period, other than under a bid that is subject to Part 2, does not exceed 5% of the securities of that class outstanding at the beginning of the 12-month period;

(c) there is a published market for the class of securities that are the subject of the bid;

(d) the value of the consideration paid for any of the securities acquired is not in excess of the market price at the date of acquisition, as determined in accordance with section 1.11, plus reasonable brokerage fees or commissions actually paid.

(1) A take-over bid is exempt from Part 2 if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) purchases are made from not more than 5 persons in the aggregate, including persons located outside the local jurisdiction;

(b) the bid is not made generally to security holders of the class of securities that is the subject of the bid, so long as there are more than 5 security holders of the class;

(c) if there is a published market for the securities acquired, the value of the consideration paid for any of the securities, including brokerage fees or commissions, is not greater than 115% of the market price of the securities at the date of the bid as determined in accordance with section 1.11;

(d) if there is no published market for the securities acquired, there is a reasonable basis for determining that the value of the consideration paid for any of the securities is not greater than 115% of the value of the securities.

(2) In subsection (1), if an offeror makes an offer to acquire securities from a person and the offeror knows or ought to know after reasonable enquiry that

(a) the person acquired the securities in order that the offeror might make use of the exemption under subsection (1), then each person from whom those securities were acquired must be included in the determination of the number of persons to whom an offer to acquire has been made, or

(b) the person from whom the acquisition is being made is acting as a nominee, agent, trustee, executor, administrator or other legal representative for one or more other persons having a direct beneficial interest in those securities, then each of those other persons must be included in the determination of the number of persons to whom an offer to acquire has been made.

(3) Despite paragraph (2)(b), a trust or estate is to be considered a single security holder in the determination of the number of persons to whom an offer to acquire has been made if

(a) an inter vivos trust has been established by a single settlor, or

(b) an estate has not vested in all persons who are beneficially entitled to it.

A take-over bid is exempt from Part 2 if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) the offeree issuer is not a reporting issuer;

(b) there is no published market for the securities that are the subject of the bid;

(c) the number of security holders of that class of securities at the commencement of the bid is not more than 50, exclusive of holders who

(i) are in the employment of the offeree issuer or an affiliate of the offeree issuer, or

(ii) were formerly in the employment of the offeree issuer or in the employment of an entity that was an affiliate of the offeree issuer at the time of that employment, and who while in that employment were, and have continued after that employment to be, security holders of the offeree issuer.

A take-over bid is exempt from Part 2 if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) security holders whose last address as shown on the books of the offeree issuer is in Canada hold less than 10% of the outstanding securities of the class subject to the bid at the commencement of the bid;

(b) the offeror reasonably believes that security holders in Canada beneficially own less than 10% of the outstanding securities of the class subject to the bid at the commencement of the bid;

(c) the published market on which the greatest volume of trading in securities of that class occurred during the 12 months immediately preceding the commencement of the bid was not in Canada;

(d) security holders in the local jurisdiction are entitled to participate in the bid on terms at least as favourable as the terms that apply to the general body of security holders of the same class;

(e) at the same time as material relating to the bid is sent by or on behalf of the offeror to security holders of the class that is subject to the bid, the material is filed and sent to security holders whose last address as shown on the books of the offeree issuer is in the local jurisdiction;

(f) if the bid materials referred to in paragraph (e) are not in English, a brief summary of the key terms of the bid prepared in English, and in Quebec in French or French and English, is filed and sent to security holders whose last address as shown on the books of the offeree issuer is in the local jurisdiction at the same time as the bid materials are filed and sent;

(g) if no material relating to the bid is sent by or on behalf of the offeror to security holders of the class that is subject to the bid but a notice or advertisement of the bid is published by or on behalf of the offeror in the jurisdiction where the offeree issuer is incorporated or organized, an advertisement of the bid specifying where and how security holders may obtain a copy of, or access to, the bid documents is filed and published in English, and in Quebec in French or French and English, in at least one major daily newspaper of general and regular paid circulation in the local jurisdiction.

A take-over bid is exempt from Part 2 if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

(a) the number of beneficial owners of securities of the class subject to the bid in the local jurisdiction is fewer than 50;

(b) the securities held by the beneficial owners referred to in paragraph (a) constitute, in aggregate, less than 2% of the outstanding securities of that class;

(c) security holders in the local jurisdiction are entitled to participate in the bid on terms at least as favourable as the terms that apply to the general body of security holders of the same class;

(d) at the same time as material relating to the bid is sent by or on behalf of the offeror to security holders of the class that is subject to the bid, the material is filed and sent to security holders whose last address as shown on the books of the offeree issuer is in the local jurisdiction.