Exhibit
10.1
VOTING AND EXCHANGE TRUST
AGREEMENT
VOTING AND EXCHANGE AGREEMENT
(the “
Agreement ”) made as of the 14 th
day of November, 2008.
GRAN
TIERRA ENERGY INC. ,
a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Nevada
(hereinafter referred to as “ Acquiror
”),
- and -
GRAN
TIERRA EXCHANGECO INC. , a corporation existing under the laws of
Alberta (hereinafter referred to as “
ExchangeCo ”),
- and -
COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY OF
CANADA , a Canadian
trust company incorporated under the laws of Canada (hereinafter
referred to as the “ Trustee
”),
WHEREAS , in connection with the Arrangement Agreement,
ExchangeCo may be required to issue Exchangeable Shares to certain
holders of common shares in the capital of Target, a corporation
existing under the laws of Alberta, pursuant to the Plan of
Arrangement contemplated in the Arrangement Agreement;
AND WHEREAS , pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement,
Acquiror, ExchangeCo and Trustee have agreed to execute a voting
and exchange trust agreement substantially in the form of this
Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE , in consideration of the respective covenants
and agreements provided in this Agreement and for other good and
valuable consideration (the receipt and sufficiency of which are
hereby acknowledged), the parties hereto covenant and agree as
follows:
ARTICLE
1
INTERPRETATION
In this Agreement, unless the context otherwise
requires, the following terms shall have the following meanings
respectively:
“ ABCA ” means the
Business Corporations Act (Alberta) as the same has been
and may hereafter from time to time be amended;
“ Acquiror Common Shares
” means the shares of common stock, no par value per share,
in the capital of Acquiror;
“ Acquiror Control
Transaction ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in
the Exchangeable Share Provisions;
“ Acquiror Consent
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.2;
“ Acquiror Meeting
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.2;
“ Acquiror Special Voting
Stock ” means one share of preferred stock of
Acquiror to which that number of voting rights attach (each such
voting right to be equal to the voting rights attached to one
Acquiror Common Share) equal to the number of outstanding
Exchangeable Shares held by Beneficiaries;
“ Acquiror Successor
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Subsection
10.1(a);
“ Affiliate ” has
the meaning ascribed thereto in the Securities Act, unless
otherwise expressly stated herein;
“ Arrangement ”
means the arrangement under section 193 of the ABCA on the terms
and subject to the conditions set out in the Plan of Arrangement,
subject to any amendments or variations thereto made in accordance
with Article 6 of the Plan of Arrangement and Section 9.2 of the
Arrangement Agreement or made at the direction of the
Court;
“ Arrangement Agreement
” means the arrangement agreement made as of July 28, 2008
among Acquiror, ExchangeCo and Target, as amended, supplemented
and/or restated in accordance therewith prior to the date hereof,
providing for, among other things, the Arrangement;
“ Automatic Exchange
Rights ” means the benefit of the obligation of
Acquiror to effect the automatic exchange of Exchangeable Shares
for Acquiror Common Shares pursuant to Section 5.12;
“ Beneficiaries ”
means the registered holders from time to time of Exchangeable
Shares, other than Acquiror and its Affiliates;
“ Beneficiary Votes
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.2;
“ Business Day ”
means any day on which commercial banks are generally open for
business in Calgary, Alberta, other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a
day observed as a holiday in Calgary, Alberta under the laws of the
Province of Alberta or the federal laws of Canada;
“ Callco ” means
Gran Tierra Callco ULC, a corporation existing under the laws of
the Province of Alberta;
“ Change of Law Call
Right ” has the meaning
ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“ Court ” has the
meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of Arrangement;
“ Effective Date ”
means the date the Arrangement is effective under the
ABCA;
“ Equivalent Vote
Amount ” means, with respect to any matter,
proposition or question on which holders of Acquiror Common Shares
are entitled to vote, consent or otherwise act, the number of votes
to which a holder of one Acquiror Common Share is entitled with
respect to such matter, proposition or question;
“ Exchange Right ”
has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.1;
“ Exchangeable Shares
” means the non-voting exchangeable shares in the capital of
ExchangeCo, having substantially the rights, privileges,
restrictions and conditions set out in Schedule “A” to
the Plan of Arrangement;
“ Exchangeable Share
Consideration ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in
the Exchangeable Share Provisions;
“ Exchangeable Share
Price ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the
Exchangeable Share Provisions;
“ Exchangeable Share
Provisions ” means the rights, privileges,
restrictions and conditions attaching to the Exchangeable
Shares;
“ Final Order ”
means the final order of the Court approving the Arrangement as
such order may be amended by the Court at any time prior to the
date hereof or, if appealed, then, unless such appeal is withdrawn
or denied, as affirmed;
“ Indemnified Parties
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 8.1;
“ Insolvency Event
” means: (i) the institution by ExchangeCo of any proceeding
to be adjudicated a bankrupt or insolvent or to be wound up, or the
consent of ExchangeCo to the institution of bankruptcy, insolvency
or winding-up proceedings against it; or (ii) the filing of a
petition, answer or consent seeking dissolution or winding-up under
any bankruptcy, insolvency or analogous laws, including the
Companies Creditors’ Arrangement Act (Canada) and
the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (Canada), and the
failure by ExchangeCo to contest in good faith any such proceedings
commenced in respect of ExchangeCo within 30 days of becoming aware
thereof, or the consent by ExchangeCo to the filing of any such
petition or to the appointment of a receiver; or (iii) the making
by ExchangeCo of a general assignment for the benefit of creditors,
or the admission in writing by ExchangeCo of its inability to pay
its debts generally as they become due; or (iv) ExchangeCo not
being permitted, pursuant to solvency requirements of applicable
law, to redeem any Retracted Shares pursuant to Section 6.6 of the
Exchangeable Share Provisions;
“ Liquidation Call Right
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Plan of
Arrangement;
“ Liquidation Event
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Subsection
5.12(b);
“ Liquidation Event Effective
Time ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in
Subsection 5.12(c);
“ List ” has the
meaning ascribed thereto in Section 4.6;
“ Officer’s
Certificate ” means, with respect to Acquiror or
ExchangeCo, as the case may be, a certificate signed by any one of
the authorized signatories of Acquiror or ExchangeCo, as the case
may be;
“ Person ” includes
any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, venture capital
fund, limited liability company, unlimited liability company,
association, trust, trustee, executor, administrator, legal
personal representative, estate, group, body corporate,
corporation, unincorporated association or organization, government
body, syndicate or other entity, whether or not having legal
status;
“ Plan of Arrangement
” means the plan of arrangement substantially in the form and
content of Exhibit A annexed to the Arrangement Agreement and any
amendments or variations thereto made in accordance with Section
9.2 of the Arrangement Agreement or Article 6 of the Plan of
Arrangement or made at the direction of the Court in the Final
Order;
“ Redemption Call
Right ” has the meaning ascribed thereto in
the Plan of Arrangement;
“ Redemption Date ”
has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Exchangeable Share
Provisions;
“ Retracted Shares
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in Section 5.7;
“ Retraction Call Right
” has the meaning ascribed thereto in the Exchangeable Share
Provisions;
“ Securities Act ”
means the Securities Act (Alberta) and the rules,
regulations and policies made thereunder, as now in effect and as
they may be amended from time to time prior to the Effective
Date;
“ Support Agreement
” means that certain support agreement made as of even date
herewith among ExchangeCo, Callco and Acquiror substantially in the
form and content of Exhibit B to the Arrangement Agreement, with
such changes thereto as the parties to the Arrangement Agreement,
acting reasonably, may agree;
“ Target ” means
Solana Resources Limited, a corporation existing under the laws of
Alberta;
“ Trust ” means the
trust created by this Agreement;
“ Trust Estate ”
means the Acquiror Special Voting Stock, any other securities, the
Exchange Right, the Automatic Exchange Rights and any money or
other property which may be held by the Trustee from time to time
pursuant to this Agreement; and
“ Voting Rights ”
means the voting rights of the Acquiror Special Voting Stock held
by the Trustee in respect of which the Beneficiaries are, in
accordance with this Agreement, entitled to instruct the Trustee to
vote.
1.2
Interpretation Not Affected
by Headings, etc .
The division of this Agreement into articles,
sections, subsections and other portions and the insertion of
headings are for convenience of reference only and should not
affect the construction or interpretation hereof. Unless otherwise
indicated, all references to an “Article”,
“Section” or “Subsection” followed by a
number refer to the specified Article, Section or Subsection of
this Agreement. The terms “this Agreement,”
“hereof,” “herein” and
“hereunder” and similar expressions refer to this
Agreement and not to any particular Article, Section, Subsection or
other portion hereof.
1.3
Rules of
Construction
Unless otherwise specifically indicated or the
context otherwise requires: (a) all references to
“dollars” or “$” mean United States
dollars; (b) words importing the singular shall include the plural
and vice versa and words importing any gender shall include all
genders; and (c) “include,” “includes” and
“including” shall be deemed to be followed by the words
“without limitation.”
In the event that any date on which any action
is required to be taken hereunder by any of the parties hereto is
not a Business Day, such action shall be required to be taken on
the next succeeding day that is a Business Day.
All payments to be made hereunder will be made
without interest and less any tax required by Canadian law to be
deducted or withheld.
ARTICLE
2
PURPOSE OF
AGREEMENT
2.1
Establishment of
Trust
The purpose of this Agreement is to create the
Trust for the benefit of the Beneficiaries and Acquiror, as herein
provided. The Trustee will hold the Acquiror Special Voting Stock
in order to enable the Trustee to exercise the Voting Rights and
will hold the Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange Rights in
order to enable the Trustee to exercise such rights, in each case
as trustee for and on behalf of the Beneficiaries as provided in
this Agreement. The Trustee will hold the Acquiror Special Voting
Stock for and on behalf of Acquiror for all other rights associated
with such Acquiror Special Voting Stock other than the Voting
Rights.
ARTICLE
3
ACQUIROR SPECIAL VOTING
STOCK
3.1
Issue and Ownership of the
Acquiror Special Voting Stock
Acquiror hereby agrees to issue to, and deposit
with, the Trustee the Acquiror Special Voting Stock to be hereafter
held of record by the Trustee as trustee for and on behalf of, and
for the use and benefit of, the Beneficiaries and in accordance
with the provisions of this Agreement. Acquiror hereby acknowledges
receipt from the Trustee as trustee for and on behalf of the
Beneficiaries of good and valuable consideration (and the adequacy
thereof) for the issuance of the Acquiror Special Voting Stock by
Acquiror to the Trustee. During the term of the Trust and subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Trustee shall
possess and be vested with full legal ownership of such Acquiror
Special Voting Stock and shall be entitled to exercise all of the
rights and powers of an owner with respect to such Acquiror Special
Voting Stock provided that the Trustee shall:
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hold such
Acquiror Special Voting Stock and the legal title thereto as
trustee solely for the use and benefit of the Beneficiaries in
accordance with the provisions of this Agreement; and
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except as
specifically authorized by this Agreement, have no power or
authority to sell, transfer, vote or otherwise deal in or with such
Acquiror Special Voting Stock and such Acquiror Special Voting
Stock shall not be used or disposed of by the Trustee for any
purpose other than the purposes for which this Trust is created
pursuant to this Agreement.
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3.2
Legended Share
Certificates
ExchangeCo will cause each certificate
representing Exchangeable Shares to bear an appropriate legend
notifying the Beneficiaries of their right to instruct the Trustee
with respect to the exercise of the portion of the Voting Rights in
respect of the Exchangeable Shares held by the
Beneficiaries.
3.3
Safe Keeping of
Certificate
The physical certificates representing the
Acquiror Special Voting Stock are held by the Trust, such
certificates shall at all times be held in safe keeping by the
Trustee or its duly authorized agent.
ARTICLE
4
EXERCISE OF VOTING
RIGHTS
The Trustee, as the holder of record of the
Acquiror Special Voting Stock forming part of the Trust Estate,
shall be entitled to all of the Voting Rights, including the right
to vote in person or by proxy the Acquiror Special Voting Stock
held by the Trustee on any matter, question, proposal or
proposition whatsoever that may properly come before the
shareholders of Acquiror at a Acquiror Meeting or in connection
with a Acquiror Consent. The Voting Rights shall be and remain
vested in and exercised by the Trustee. Subject to Section
6.15:
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the Trustee
shall exercise the Voting Rights only on the basis of instructions
received pursuant to this Article 4 from Beneficiaries entitled to
instruct the Trustee as to the voting thereof at the time at which
the Acquiror Meeting is held or a Acquiror Consent is sought;
and
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to the extent
that no instructions are received from a Beneficiary with respect
to the Voting Rights to which such Beneficiary is entitled, the
Trustee shall not exercise or permit the exercise of such Voting
Rights.
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With respect to all meetings of shareholders of
Acquiror at which holders of Acquiror Common Shares are entitled to
vote (each, a “ Acquiror Meeting ”)
and with respect to all written consents sought from
Acquiror’s shareholders, including the holders of Acquiror
Common Shares (each, a “ Acquiror Consent
”), each Beneficiary shall be entitled to instruct the
Trustee to cast and exercise, in the manner instructed, a number of
votes equal to the Equivalent Vote Amount for each Exchangeable
Share owned of record by such Beneficiary on the record date
established by Acquiror or by applicable law for such Acquiror
Meeting or Acquiror Consent, as the case may be (collectively, the
“ Beneficiary Votes ”), in respect of
each matter, question, proposal or proposition to be voted on at
such Acquiror Meeting or consented to in connection with such
Acquiror Consent.
4.3
Mailings to
Shareholders
With respect to each Acquiror Meeting and
Acquiror Consent, the Trustee will use its reasonable commercial
efforts promptly to mail or cause to be mailed (or otherwise
communicate in the same manner as Acquiror utilizes in
communications to holders of Acquiror Common Shares subject to
applicable regulatory requirements and provided such manner of
communications is reasonably available to the Trustee) to each of
the Beneficiaries named in the List, such mailing or communication
to commence on the same day as the mailing or notice (or other
communication) with respect thereto is commenced by Acquiror to its
shareholders:
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a copy of such
notice, together with any related materials, including any proxy or
information statement, to be provided to shareholders of
Acquiror;
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a statement
that such Beneficiary is entitled to instruct the Trustee as to the
exercise of the Beneficiary Votes with respect to such Acquiror
Meeting or Acquiror Consent or, pursuant to Section 4.7, to attend
such Acquiror Meeting and to exercise personally thereat the
Beneficiary Votes of such Beneficiary;
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a statement as
to the manner in which such instructions may be given to the
Trustee, including an express indication that instructions may be
given to the Trustee to give:
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a proxy to such
Beneficiary or its designee to exercise personally the Beneficiary
Votes; or
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a proxy to a
designated agent or other representative of the management of
Acquiror to exercise such Beneficiary Votes;
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a statement
that if no such instructions are received from the Beneficiary, the
Beneficiary Votes to which such Beneficiary is entitled will not be
exercised;
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a form of
direction whereby the Beneficiary may so direct and instruct the
Trustee as contemplated herein; and
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a statement of
the time and date by which such instructions must be received by
the Trustee in order to be binding upon it, which in the case of a
Acquiror Meeting shall not be earlier than the close of business on
the Business Day immediately prior to the date by which the
Corporation has required proxies be deposited for such meeting, and
of the method for revoking or amending such
instructions.
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For the purpose of determining Beneficiary Votes
to which a Beneficiary is entitled in respect of any Acquiror
Meeting or Acquiror Consent, the number of Exchangeable Shares
owned of record by the Beneficiary shall be determined at the close
of business on the record date established by Acquiror or by
applicable law for purposes of determining shareholders entitled to
vote at such Acquiror Meeting or to give written consent in
connection with such Acquiror Consent. Acquiror will notify the
Trustee of any decision of the Board of Directors of Acquiror with
respect to the calling of any Acquiror Meeting or the seeking of
any Acquiror Consent and shall provide all necessary information
and materials to the Trustee in each case promptly and in any event
in sufficient time to enable the Trustee to perform its obligations
contemplated by this Section 4.3.
The materials referred to in this Section 4.3
are to be provided to the Trustee by Acquiror and the materials
referred to in Subsections 4.3(c), 4.3(e) and 4.3(f) shall be
subject to reasonable comment by the Trustee in a timely manner.
Acquiror shall ensure that the materials to be provided to the
Trustee are provided in sufficient time to permit the Trustee to
comment as aforesaid and to send all materials to each Beneficiary
at the same time as such materials are first sent to holders of
Acquiror Common Shares. Acquiror agrees not to communicate with
holders of Acquiror Common Shares with respect to the materials
referred to in this Section 4.3 otherwise than by mail unless such
method of communication is also reasonably available to the Trustee
for communication with the Beneficiaries. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, Acquiror may at its option exercise the duties of the
Trustee to deliver copies of all materials to each Beneficiary as
required by this Section 4.3 so long as in each case Acquiror
delivers a certificate to the Trustee stating that Acquiror has
undertaken to perform the obligations of the Trustee set forth in
this Section 4.3.
4.4
Copies of Shareholder
Information
Acquiror will deliver to the Trustee copies of
all proxy materials (including notices of Acquiror Meetings but
excluding proxies to vote Acquiror Common Shares, and in lieu of
such proxies, Acquiror shall deliver to the Trustee a voting
information form in form satisfactory to the Trustee, acting
reasonably), information statements, reports (including all interim
and annual financial statements) and other written communications
that, in each case, are to be distributed from time to time to
holders of Acquiror Common Shares in sufficient quantities and in
sufficient time so as to enable the Trustee to send those materials
to each Beneficiary, to the extent possible, at the same time as
such materials are first sent to holders of Acquiror Common Shares.
The Trustee will mail or otherwise send to each Beneficiary, at the
expense of Acquiror, copies of all such materials (and all
materials specifically directed to the Beneficiaries or to the
Trustee for the benefit of the Beneficiaries by Acquiror) received
by the Trustee from Acquiror, to the extent possible, at the same
time as such materials are sent to holders of Acquiror Common
Shares. The Trustee will make copies of all such materials
available for inspection by any Beneficiary at the Trustee’s
principal office in Calgary, Alberta. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, Acquiror at its option may exercise the duties of the
Trustee to deliver copies of all materials to each Beneficiary as
required by this Section 4.4 so long as in each case Acquiror
delivers a certificate to the Trustee stating that Acquiror has
undertaken to perform the obligations set forth in this Section
4.4.
As soon as reasonably practicable after receipt
by Acquiror or holders of Acquiror Common Shares (if such receipt
is known by Acquiror) of any material sent or given by or on behalf
of a third party to holders of Acquiror Common Shares generally,
including dissident proxy and information circulars (and related
information and material) and tender and exchange offer circulars
(and related information and material), Acquiror shall use its
reasonable best efforts to obtain and deliver to the Trustee copies
thereof in sufficient quantities so as to enable the Trustee to
forward such material (unless the same has been provided directly
to Beneficiaries by such third party) to each Beneficiary as soon
as possible thereafter. As soon as reasonably practicable after
receipt thereof, the Trustee will mail or otherwise send to each
Beneficiary, at the expense of Acquiror, copies of all such
materials received by the Trustee from Acquiror. The Trustee will
also make available for inspection by any Beneficiary at the
Trustee’s principal office in Calgary, Alberta copies of all
such materials. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Acquiror at its
option may exercise the duties of the Trustee to deliver copies of
all such materials to each Beneficiary as required by this Section
4.5 so long as in each case Acquiror delivers a certificate to the
Trustee stating that Acquiror has undertaken to perform the
obligations set forth in this Section 4.5.
4.6
List of Persons Entitled to
Vote
ExchangeCo shall: (a) prior to each annual and
special Acquiror Meeting or the seeking of any Acquiror Consent;
and (b) forthwith upon each request made at any time by the Trustee
in writing, prepare or cause to be prepared a list (a “
List ”) of the names and addresses of the
Beneficiaries arranged in alphabetical order and showing the number
of Exchangeable Shares held of record by each such Beneficiary, in
each case at the close of business on the date specified by the
Trustee in such request or, in the case of a List prepared in
connection with a Acquiror Meeting or a Acquiror Consent, at the
close of business on the record date established by Acquiror or
pursuant to applicable law for determining the holders of Acquiror
Common Shares entitled to receive notice of and/or to vote at such
Acquiror Meeting or to give consent in connection with such
Acquiror Consent. Each such List shall be delivered to the Trustee
promptly after receipt by ExchangeCo of such request or the record
date for such meeting or seeking of consent, as the case may be,
and in any event within sufficient time as to permit the Trustee to
perform its obligations under this Agreement. Acquiror agrees to
give ExchangeCo notice (with a copy to the Trustee) of the calling
of any Acquiror Meeting or the seeking of any Acquiror Consent by
Acquiror or its management, together with the record dates
therefor, sufficiently prior to the date of the calling of such
meeting or seeking of such consent so as to enable ExchangeCo to
perform its obligations under this Section 4.6.
4.7
Entitlement to Direct
Votes
Any Beneficiary named in a List prepared in
connection with any Acquiror Meeting or Acquiror Consent will be
entitled: (a) to instruct the Trustee in the manner described in
Section 4.3 with respect to the exercise of the Beneficiary Votes
to which such Beneficiary is entitled; or (b) to attend such
meeting and personally exercise thereat (or to personally exercise
with respect to any Acquiror Consent), as the proxy of the Trustee,
the Beneficiary Votes to which such Beneficiary is
entitled.
4.8
Voting by Trustee and
Attendance of Trustee Representative at Meeting
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In connection
with each Acquiror Meeting and Acquiror Consent, the Trustee shall
exercise, either in person or by proxy, in accordance with the
instructions received from a Beneficiary pursuant to Section 4.3,
the Beneficiary Votes as to which such Beneficiary is entitled to
direct the vote (or any lesser number thereof as may be set forth
in the instructions); provided, however, that such written
instructions are received by the Trustee from the Beneficiary prior
to the time and date fixed by the Trustee for receipt of such
instruction in the notice given by the Trustee to the Beneficiary
pursuant to Section 4.3.
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The Trustee
shall cause a representative who is empowered by it to sign and
deliver, on behalf of the Trustee, proxies for Voting Rights to
attend each Acquiror Meeting. Upon submission by a Beneficiary (or
its designee) of identification satisfactory to the Trustee’s
representative, and at the Beneficiary’s request, such
representative shall sign and deliver to such Beneficiary (or its
designee) a proxy to exercise personally the Beneficiary Votes as
to which such Beneficiary is otherwise entitled hereunder to direct
the vote, if such Beneficiary either: (i) has not previously given
the Trustee instructions pursuant to Section 4.3 in respect of such
meeting; or (ii) submits to such representative written revocation
of any such previous instructions. At such meeting, upon receipt of
a proxy from the Trustee’s representative, the Beneficiary
exercising such Beneficiary Votes shall have the same rights as the
Trustee to speak at the meeting in respect of any matter, question,
proposal or proposition, to vote by way of ballot at the meeting in
respect of any matter, question, proposal or proposition, and to
vote at such meeting by way of a show of hands in respect of any
matter, question or proposition.
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4.9
Distribution of Written
Materials
Any written materials distributed by or on
behalf of the Trustee pursuant to this Agreement shall be sent by
mail (or otherwise communicated in the same manner as Acquiror
utilizes in communications to holders of Acquiror Common Shares,
subject to applicable regulatory requirements and provided such
manner of communications is reasonably available to the Trustee) to
each Beneficiary at its address as shown on the books of
ExchangeCo. Acquiror agrees not to communicate with holders of
Acquiror Common Shares with respect to such written material
otherwise than by mail unless such method of communication is also
reasonably available to the Trustee for communication with the
Beneficiaries. ExchangeCo shall provide or cause to be provided to
the Trustee for purposes of communication, on a timely basis and
without charge or other expense:
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upon the
request of the Trustee, mailing labels to enable the Trustee to
carry out its duties under this Agreement.
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ExchangeCo’s obligations under this
Section 4.9 shall be deemed satisfied to the extent Acquiror
exercises its option to perform the duties of the Trustee to
deliver copies of materials to each Beneficiary and ExchangeCo
provides the required information and materials to
Acquiror.
4.10
Termination of Voting
Rights
Except as otherwise provided herein or in the
Exchangeable Share Provisions, all of the rights of a Beneficiary
with respect to the Beneficiary Votes exercisable in respect of the
Exchangeable Shares held by such Beneficiary, including the right
to instruct the Trustee as to the voting of or to vote personally
such Beneficiary Votes, shall be deemed to be surrendered by the
Beneficiary to Acquiror or Callco, as the case may be, and such
Beneficiary Votes and the Voting Rights represented thereby shall
cease and be terminated immediately, upon the delivery by such
Beneficiary to the Trustee of the certificates representing such
Exchangeable Shares in connection with the exercise by the
Beneficiary of the Exchange Right or upon the occurrence of the
automatic exchange of Exchangeable Shares for Acquiror Common
Shares, as specified in Article 5 (unless, in either case, Acquiror
shall not have delivered the Exchangeable Share Consideration
deliverable in exchange therefor to the Trustee for delivery to the
Beneficiaries), or upon the redemption of Exchangeable Shares
pursuant to Article 6 or Article 7 of the Exchangeable Share
Provisions, or upon the effective date of the liquidation,
dissolution or winding-up of ExchangeCo pursuant to Article 5 of
the Exchangeable Share Provisions, or the purchase of Exchangeable
Shares from the holder thereof by Callco pursuant to the exercise
by Callco of the Retraction Call Right, the Redemption Call Right
or the Liquidation Call Right, or upon the purchase of Exchangeable
Shares from the holders thereof by Acquiror or Callco pursuant to
the exercise by Acquiror or Callco of the Change of Law Call
Right.
ARTICLE
5
EXCHANGE RIGHT AND AUTOMATIC
EXCHANGE
5.1
Grant and Ownership of the
Exchange Right
Acquiror hereby grants to the Trustee as trustee
for and on behalf of, and for the use and benefit of, the
Beneficiaries the right (the “ Exchange
Right ”), upon the occurrence and during the
continuance of an Insolvency Event, to require Acquiror to purchase
from each or any Beneficiary all or any part of the Exchangeable
Shares held by such Beneficiary and the Automatic Exchange Rights,
all in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Acquiror
hereby acknowledges receipt from the Trustee as trustee for and on
behalf of the Beneficiaries of good and valuable consideration (and
the adequacy thereof) for the grant of the Exchange Right and the
Automatic Exchange Rights by Acquiror to the Trustee. During the
term of the Trust and subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, the Trustee shall possess and be vested with full legal
ownership of the Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange Rights
and shall be entitled to exercise all of the rights and powers of
an owner with respect to the Exchange Right and the Automatic
Exchange Rights, provided that the Trustee shall:
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hold the
Exchange Right and the Automatic Exchange Rights and the legal
title thereto as trustee solely for the use and benefit of the
Beneficiaries in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement;
and
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except as
specifically authorized by this Agreement, have no power or
authority to exercise or otherwise deal in or with the Exchange
Right or the Automatic Exchange Rights, and the Trustee shall not
exercise any such rights for any purpose other than the purposes
for which the Trust is created pursuant to this
Agreement.
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5.2
Legended Share
Certificates
ExchangeCo will cause each certificate
representing Exchangeable Shares to bear an appropriate legend
notifying the Beneficiaries of:
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their right to
instruct the Trustee with respect to the exercise of the Exchange
Right in respect of the Exchangeable Shares held by a Beneficiary;
and
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the Automatic
Exchange Rights.
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5.3
General Exercise of Exchange
Right
The Exchange Right shall be and remain vested in
and exercisable by the Trustee. Subject to Section 6.15, the
Trustee shall exercise the Exchange Right only on the basis of
instructions received pursuant to this Article 5 from Beneficiaries
entitled to instruct the Trustee as to the exercise thereof. To the
extent that no instructions are received from a Beneficiary with
respect to the Exchange Right, the Trustee shall not exercise or
permit the exercise of the Exchange Right.
The purchase price payable by Acquiror for each
Exchangeable Share to be purchased by Acquiror under the Exchange
Right shall be an amount per share equal to the Exchangeable Share
Price on the last Business Day prior to the day of closing of the
purchase and sale of such Exchangeable Share under the Exchange
Right. In connection with each exercise of the Exchange Right,
Acquiror shall provide to the Trustee an Officer’s
Certificate setting forth the calculation of the Exchangeable Share
Price for each Exchangeable Share. The Exchangeable Share Price for
each such Exchangeable Share so purchased may be satisfied only by
Acquiror delivering or causing to be delivered to the Trustee, on
behalf of the relevant Beneficiary, the Exchangeable Share
Consideration representing the total Exchangeable Share Price. Upon
payment by Acquiror of such purchase price to the Trustee for the
benefit of the Beneficiary, the relevant Beneficiary shall cease to
have any right to be paid any amount in respect of declared and
unpaid dividends on each such Exchangeable Share by
ExchangeCo.
5.5
Exercise
Instructions
Subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth, a Beneficiary shall be entitled, upon the occurrence and
during the continuance of an Insolvency Event, to instruct the
Trustee to exercise the Exchange Right with respect to all or any
part of the Exchangeable Shares registered in the name of such
Beneficiary on the books of ExchangeCo. To cause the exercise of
the Exchange Right by the Trustee, the Beneficiary shall deliver to
the Trustee, in person or by certified or registered mail, at its
principal office in Calgary, Alberta or at such other places as the
Trustee may from time to time designate by written notice to the
Beneficiaries, the certificates representing the Exchangeable
Shares which such Beneficiary desires Acquiror to purchase, duly
endorsed in blank for transfer, and accompanied by such other
documents and instruments as may be required to effect a transfer
of Exchangeable Shares under the ABCA and the by-laws of ExchangeCo
and such additional documents and instruments as the Trustee,
ExchangeCo and Acquiror may reasonably require together with: (a) a
duly completed form of notice of exercise of the Exchange Right,
contained on the reverse of or attached to the Exchangeable Share
certificates, stating: (i) that the Beneficiary thereby instructs
the Trustee to exercise the Exchange Right so as to require
Acquiror to purchase from the Beneficiary the number of
Exchangeable Shares specified therein: (ii) that such Beneficiary
has good title to and owns all such Exchangeable Shares to be
acquired by Acquiror free and clear of all liens, claims, security
interests and encumbrances; (iii) the names in which the
certificates representing Acquiror Common Shares issuable in
connection with the exercise of the Exchange Right are to be
issued; and (iv) the names and addresses of the persons to whom
such new certificates should be delivered; and (b) payment (or
evidence satisfactory to the Trustee, ExchangeCo and Acquiror of
payment) of the taxes (if any) payable as contemplated by Section
5.8 of this Agreement. If only a part of the Exchangeable Shares
represented by any certificate or certificates delivered to the
Trustee are to be purchased by Acquiror under the Exchange Right, a
new certificate for the balance of such Exchangeable Shares shall
be issued to the holder at the expense of ExchangeCo.
5.6
Delivery of Acquiror Common
Shares; Effect of Exercise
Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of the
certificates representing the Exchangeable Shares which the
Beneficiary desires Acquiror to purchase under the Exchange Right,
together with such documents and instruments of transfer and a duly
completed form of notice of exercise of the Exchange Right (and
payment of taxes, if any payable as contemplated by Section 5.8 or
evidence thereof), duly endorsed for transfer to Acquiror, the
Trustee shall notify Acquiror and ExchangeCo of its receipt of the
same, which notice to Acquiror and ExchangeCo shall constitute
exercise of the Exchange Right by the Trustee on behalf of the
Beneficiary in respect of such Exchangeable Shares, and Acquiror
shall promptly thereafter deliver or cause to be delivered to the
Trustee, for delivery to the Beneficiary in respect of such
Exchangeable Shares (or to such other persons, if any, properly
designated by such Beneficiary) the Exchangeable Share
Consideration deliverable in connection with the exercise of the
Exchange Right; provided, however, that no such delivery shall be
made unless and until the Beneficiary requesting the same shall
have paid (or provided evidence satisfactory to the Trustee,
ExchangeCo and Acquiror of the payment of) the taxes (if any)
payable as contemplated by Section 5.8 of this Agreement.
Immediately upon the giving of notice by the Trustee to Acquiror
and ExchangeCo of the exercise of the Exchange Right, as provided
in this Section 5.6, the closing of the transaction of purchase and
sale contemplated by the Exchange Right shall be deemed to have
occurred, and the Beneficiary of such Exchangeable Shares shall be
deemed to have transferred to Acquiror all of such
Beneficiary’s right, title and interest in and to such
Exchangeable Shares and in the related interest in the Trust Estate
and shall cease to be a holder of such Exchangeable Shares and
shall not be entitled to exercise any of the rights of a holder in
respect thereof, other than the right to receive his proportionate
part of the total purchase price therefor, unless such Exchangeable
Share Consideration is not delivered by Acquiror to the Trustee for
delivery to such Beneficiary (or to such other person, if any,
properly designated by such Beneficiary) within five Business Days
of the date of the giving of such notice by the Trustee, in which
case the rights of the Beneficiary shall remain unaffected until
such Exchangeable Share Consideration is delivered by Acquiror and
any cheque included therein is paid. Upon delivery of such
Exchangeable Share Consideration by Acquiror to the Trustee, the
Trustee shall deliver such Exchangeable Share Consideration to such
Beneficiary (or to such other person, if any, properly designated
by such Beneficiary).