Exhibit 10.4
ENBRIDGE INC.
PERFORMANCE STOCK OPTION PLAN
(2007)
The purpose of the Performance Stock
Option Plan (2007) (the “ Plan ”) is
to:
|
|
(a)
|
focus
Participants on the attainment of the Corporation’s long-term
strategy and share price appreciation;
|
|
|
(b)
|
assist in
attracting, retaining, engaging and rewarding senior executives of
the Corporation and its Subsidiaries; and
|
|
|
(c)
|
provide an
opportunity for Participants to earn competitive total compensation
based on achieving the performance goals set out in this
Plan.
|
In this Plan (including any
schedules to this Plan):
|
|
(a)
|
“
affiliate ” has the meaning ascribed to that term in
the Securities Act (Alberta);
|
|
|
(b)
|
“
associate ” has the meaning ascribed to that term in
the Securities Act (Alberta);
|
|
|
(c)
|
“
Blackout Period ” means a period of time imposed by
the Corporation where Participants holding Options may not trade in
securities of the Corporation;
|
|
|
(d)
|
“
Board ” means the Board of Directors of the
Corporation;
|
|
|
(e)
|
“
CEO ” means the Chief Executive Officer of the
Corporation;
|
|
|
(f)
|
“
Change of Control ” means:
|
|
|
(i)
|
the sale to a
person or acquisition by a person not affiliated with the
Corporation or its Subsidiaries of assets of the Corporation or its
Subsidiaries having a value greater than 50% of the fair market
value of the assets of the Corporation and its Subsidiaries
determined on a consolidated basis prior to such sale whether such
sale or acquisition occurs by way of reconstruction,
reorganization, recapitalization, consolidation, amalgamation,
arrangement, merger, transfer, sale or otherwise;
|
|
|
(ii)
|
any change in the holding, direct
or indirect, of shares of the Corporation by a person not
affiliated with the Corporation as a result of which such person,
or a group of persons, or persons acting in concert, or persons
associated or affiliated with any such person or group within the
meaning of the Securities Act (Alberta), are in a position to
exercise effective
|
|
|
control of the Corporation whether
such change in the holding of such shares occurs by way of takeover
bid, reconstruction, reorganization, recapitalization,
consolidation, amalgamation, arrangement, merger, transfer, sale or
otherwise; and for the purposes of this Plan, a person or group of
persons holding shares or other securities in excess of the number
which, directly or following conversion thereof, would entitle the
holders thereof to cast 20% or more of the votes attaching to all
shares of the Corporation which, directly or following conversion
of the convertible securities forming part of the holdings of the
person or group of persons noted above, may be cast to elect
directors of the Corporation shall be deemed, other than a person
holding such shares or other securities in the ordinary course of
business as an investment manager who is not using such holding to
exercise effective control, to be in a position to exercise
effective control of the Corporation;
|
|
|
(iii)
|
any
reconstruction, reorganization, recapitalization, consolidation,
amalgamation, arrangement, merger, transfer, sale or other
transaction involving the Corporation where shareholders of the
Corporation immediately prior to such reconstruction,
reorganization, recapitalization, consolidation, amalgamation,
arrangement, merger, transfer, sale or other transaction hold less
than 50% of the shares of the Corporation or of the continuing
corporation following completion of such reconstruction,
reorganization, recapitalization, consolidation, amalgamation,
arrangement, transfer, sale or other transaction;
|
|
|
(iv)
|
the Corporation
ceases to be a distributing corporation as that term is defined in
the Canada Business Corporations Act;
|
|
|
(v)
|
any event or
transaction which the Board, in its discretion, deems to be a
Change of Control; or
|
|
|
(vi)
|
Incumbent
Directors ceasing to be a majority of the Board;
|
provided that:
|
|
(i)
|
any transaction
whereby shares held by shareholders of the Corporation are
transferred or exchanged for units or securities of a trust,
partnership or other entity which trust, partnership or other
entity continues to own directly or indirectly all of the shares of
the Corporation previously owned by the shareholders of the
Corporation and the former shareholders of the Corporation continue
to be beneficial holders of such units or securities in the same
proportions following the transaction as they were beneficial
holders of shares of the Corporation prior to the transaction will
be deemed not to constitute a change of control; and
|
|
|
(ii)
|
any change of
control initiated or commenced by the Board (and whether or not
such transaction was initiated or commenced by the Board shall be
conclusively determined by the Board) will not constitute a change
of control for purposes of this Plan;
|
- 2 -
|
|
(g)
|
“
Code ” means the United States Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, as amended;
|
|
|
(h)
|
“
constructive dismissal ” means, unless consented to by
the Participant, any action that constitutes constructive dismissal
of the Participant, including without limiting the generality of
the foregoing:
|
|
|
(i)
|
where the
Participant ceases to be an officer of the Corporation, unless the
Participant is appointed as an officer of a successor to a material
portion of the assets of the Corporation;
|
|
|
(ii)
|
a material
decrease in the title, position, responsibilities, powers or
reporting relationships of the Participant;
|
|
|
(iii)
|
a reduction in
the base salary (excluding any annual incentive bonus) of the
Participant; or
|
|
|
(iv)
|
any material
reduction in the value of the Participant’s employee
benefits, plans and programs (other than any annual incentive
bonus);
|
|
|
(i)
|
“
Corporation ” means Enbridge Inc., and includes any
successor entity thereto;
|
|
|
(j)
|
“
Director ” means a director of the
Corporation;
|
|
|
(k)
|
“ Fair
Market Value ” means, as of a particular day, the
weighted average of the board lot trading prices per Share on the
Toronto Stock Exchange, or the New York Stock Exchange, for the
last five Trading Days immediately prior to such day;
|
|
|
(l)
|
“ For
Cause ” includes “just cause” as defined in
the common law and also includes any circumstance in which the
Participant shall have been convicted of a criminal act of
dishonesty resulting or intending to result directly or indirectly
in gain or personal enrichment of the Participant;
|
|
|
(m)
|
“
Grant Date ” has the meaning set forth in
Section 7(c);
|
|
|
(n)
|
“
Grant Price ” has the meaning set forth in
Section 7(c);
|
|
|
(o)
|
“ HRC
Committee ” means the Human Resources &
Compensation Committee of the Board, established and duly
authorized to act in accordance with the By-Laws of the
Corporation;
|
|
|
(p)
|
“
Incumbent Director ” means any member of the Board who
was a member of the Board immediately prior to the occurrence of
the transaction, elections or appointments giving rise to a Change
of Control and any successor to an Incumbent Director who was
recommended for election at a meeting of shareholders of the
Corporation, or elected or appointed to succeed any Incumbent
Director, by the affirmative vote of the Directors, which
affirmative vote includes a majority of the Incumbent Directors
then on the Board;
|
- 3 -
|
|
(i)
|
an insider, as
defined in the Securities Act (Alberta); and
|
|
|
(ii)
|
an associate of
any person who is an insider by virtue of
(i) above;
|
|
|
(r)
|
“
Notice Period ” means the notice period for
termination of employment agreed to between the Corporation (or its
Subsidiary) and the Participant, or, in the absence of any such
agreement, the notice period required under applicable
law;
|
|
|
(s)
|
“
Option ” means an Option to purchase Shares granted to
the Participant in accordance with the terms and conditions of this
Plan;
|
|
|
(t)
|
“
Participant ” means any employee, including an
officer, of the Corporation or a Subsidiary who has been designated
by the HRC Committee to receive and be granted Options in
accordance with Section 5;
|
|
|
(u)
|
“
Performance Vesting Requirement ” has the meaning
ascribed to that term in Section 7(b);
|
|
|
(v)
|
“
Plan ” means the Performance Stock Option Plan
(2007) of the Corporation described in this document, and as
the same may be duly amended or varied from time to time in
accordance with the provisions of this Plan;
|
|
|
(w)
|
“
Pro-rated Option ” means a grant of Options where the
number of Options subject to the grant has been reduced in
accordance with Section 8(a), (b), (d) or (e);
|
|
|
(x)
|
“
Retirement Plan ” means a pension plan of the
Corporation established or in effect from time to time which
applies when an employee retires from the employment of the
Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries;
|
|
|
(y)
|
“
Share ” means a common share in the capital of the
Corporation;
|
|
|
(z)
|
“
Share Reserve ” has the meaning ascribed to that term
in Section 4;
|
|
|
(aa)
|
“
Subsidiary ” means:
|
|
|
(i)
|
any corporation
that is a subsidiary (as such term is defined in the Canada
Business Corporations Act ) of the Corporation, as such
provision is from time to time amended, varied or
re-enacted;
|
- 4 -
|
|
(ii)
|
any partnership
or limited partnership that is controlled by the Corporation (the
Corporation will be deemed to control a partnership or limited
partnership if the Corporation possesses, directly or indirectly,
the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or
policies of such partnership or limited partnership, whether
through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or
otherwise); and
|
|
|
(iii)
|
subject to
regulatory approval, any corporation, partnership, limited
partnership, trust, limited liability company or other form of
business entity that the HRC Committee determines ought to be
treated as a subsidiary for purposes of the Plan, provided that the
HRC Committee shall have the sole discretion to determine that any
such entity has ceased to be a subsidiary for purposes of the
Plan;
|
|
|
(bb)
|
“
Term ” has the meaning ascribed to that term in
Section 7;
|
|
|
(cc)
|
“ Time
Vesting Period ” means the aggregate number of months
from the Grant Date of the Option to the date that all Time Vesting
Requirements have been met;
|
|
|
(dd)
|
“ Time
Vesting Requirement ” has the meaning ascribed to that
term in Section 7(b);
|
|
|
(ee)
|
“
Trading Day ” means any day on which the Toronto Stock
Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange, as the case may be, is
open for trading; and
|
|
|
(ff)
|
“
United States Incentive Stock Option ” has the meaning
set forth in Section 9(a).
|
|
|
(a)
|
Subject to any
determinations or approvals required to be made by the Board, the
HRC Committee will administer the Plan in its sole discretion. The
HRC Committee shall have the full power and sole responsibility to
interpret the provisions of the Plan and to make regulations and
formulate administrative provisions for its implementation, and to
make such changes in the regulations and administrative procedures
as, from time to time, the HRC Committee deems proper and in the
best interests of the Corporation. Such regulations and provisions
may include the delegation to any Director or Directors or any
officer or officers of the Corporation or its Subsidiaries of such
administrative duties and powers of the HRC Committee as it may, in
its sole discretion, deem fit. The determinations of the HRC
Committee in the administration of the Plan shall be final and
conclusive.
|
|
|
(b)
|
Prior to the
CEO requesting any grants under the Plan, the CEO will recommend to
the HRC Committee for its approval the performance measures and the
levels of achievement for 100% of the Options to vest and the level
below which no Options will vest. The HRC Committee is authorized
to approve, for each Option granted under the plan, the terms for
vesting any Option granted under the Plan. The HRC Committee shall
also have the authority to approve any amendments to such
performance measures and the expected levels of
performance.
|
- 5 -
|
|
(c)
|
Subject to
Section 13, the HRC Committee may waive any restrictions with
respect to participation in the Plan or vesting with respect to any
specific Participants where, in the opinion of the HRC Committee,
it is reasonable to do so and such waiver does not prejudice the
rights of the Participant under the Plan.
|
|
|
(d)
|
Subject to
Section 13, the HRC Committee may amend the Plan for any
general administrative matters, correct, remedy or reconcile any
errors, inconsistencies or ambiguities, cashless exercise, vesting
or termination provisions or any performance measures and recommend
to the Board for its approval any other amendments.
|
|
|
(e)
|
Grants to
Participants will be made in the sole discretion of the HRC
Committee.
|
|
4.
|
SHARES
AND SHARE RESERVE
|
The Shares subject to the Options
and other provisions of the Plan shall be authorized and unissued
common shares of the Corporation. The total number of Shares
reserved to be issued under the Plan and the Incentive Stock Option
Plan (2007) (and its predecessors) shall not exceed in the
aggregate 16,500,000 (the “ Share Reserve ”),
subject to the adjustment provisions set forth in Section 10.
Shares subject to Options which are terminated, cancelled or expire
prior to exercise shall be available for the grant of further
Options hereunder.
Any changes to the Share Reserve
shall be recommended by the CEO to the HRC Committee for its review
and recommendation to the Board. Any increase in the Share Reserve
shall be subject to approval of the shareholders of the Corporation
in accordance with the rules of the Toronto Stock
Exchange.
|
5.
|
PARTICIPATION AND GRANT OF
OPTIONS
|
|
|
(a)
|
The CEO may
from time to time recommend to the HRC Committee employees of the
Corporation or its Subsidiaries, for participation in the Plan, the
extent and terms of their participation and the performance
measures applicable thereto. The HRC Committee shall consider such
recommendations and may approve such recommended employees for
participation in the Plan, the extent and terms of their
participation and the performance measures applicable thereto,
subject to the following:
|
|
|
(i)
|
the total
number of Shares reserved for issuance to any one Participant
pursuant to all security based compensation arrangements of the
Corporation shall not exceed in the aggregate 5% of the number of
Shares outstanding at the time of reservation;
|
|
|
(ii)
|
the total
number of Shares reserved for issuance to Insiders pursuant to all
security based compensation arrangements of the Corporation shall
not exce
|
|