Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
All of the directors of our company hold office until the next annual meeting of the stockholders or until their successors have been elected and qualified. Our officers are appointed by our board of directors and hold office until their death, resignation or removal from office. Our directors and executive officers, their ages, positions held, and duration as such, are as follows:
Name |
Position Held with the Company |
Age |
Date First Elected or Appointed |
Bruce Costerd |
Chief Executive Officer and Director |
67 |
January 24, 2022 |
Richard Haderer |
Chief Financial Officer and Director |
59 |
April 13, 2015 |
Luke Rich |
Director |
57 |
June 14, 2010 |
Craig Young |
Director |
51 |
March 1, 2022* |
* Effective September 1, 2022, Mr. Craig Young resigned as director of the Company
Business Experience
The following is a brief account of the education and business experience of each director and executive officer during at least the past five years, indicating each person's principal occupation during the period, and the name and principal business of the organization by which he was employed.
Bruce Costerd
Mr. Costerd is responsible for the financing and management of Wolverine and its mineral projects. Mr. Costerd has spent over twenty-five years in the financing and management of exploration projects in Newfoundland and Labrador and is responsible for introducing Wolverine to its current projects, the Frog Property and the Cache River Property.
Prior to Wolverine Mr. Costerd was CEO and a director of Gallery Resources Limited ("Gallery") from 1990 to 2006. Gallery was a junior mineral exploration and development company with projects in the Provinces of British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Gallery conducted exploration on a number of projects in the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador between 1995 and 2006 and incurred exploration expenditures in excess of $10,000,000 during that period. Gallery also owned certain mining claims located in the Cariboo Mining Division of British Columbia and incurred acquisition costs and development expenses on the claims totaling approximately $3,000,000.
Richard Haderer
Mr. Haderer has worked as a regulatory consultant for Wolverine since February of 2006. Mr. Haderer has been President of PubCo Services Inc. since April 1996. PubCo Services Inc. provides regulatory consulting services to publicly traded companies. Mr. Haderer has also served as a director and officer of several publicly traded companies. From November 1989 to April 1996, Mr. Haderer worked as a Listing Analyst with the Alberta Stock Exchange (now the TSX Venture Exchange).
Luke Rich
Mr. Rich is a member of the Innu Nation and Mushuau Innu First Nations and is a former VP of the Innu Nation. Prior to joining Wolverine, Mr. Rich was also Co-CEO of the Innu Development Limited Partnership ("IDLP") from October 2007 to April 2010. IDLP participated in the construction of the mine and mill for the Voisey Bay Nickel Project. Mr. Rich is also a board member of various IDLP owned companies including Innu Mikun Airlines, Innu Keiwit Constructor LP and the Innu/SNC Lavalin Partnership.
Craig Young
Craig holds a B.A. Sc. in Mining Engineering from the Technical University of Nova Scotia and has worked in the Canadian mining industry for 27 years. Craig has held senior roles at large mining operations across the country, holding positions in Mine Engineering, Mine Operations, and Capital Projects. Craig has worked with several major mining companies including Teck Resources, Detour Gold Corporation, and most recently Centerra Gold. His mining background and industry connections, make Craig a welcome addition to Wolverine as it looks to acquire and develop base metal assets throughout the country. Effective September 1, 2022, Craig resigned as director of the Company.
Family Relationships
There are no family relationships among our directors or officers.
Corporate Governance
Corporate Governance relates to the activities of the Board of Directors. National Instrument 58-201(Canada) establishes corporate governance guidelines which apply to all public companies. The Company has reviewed its own corporate governance practices in light of these guidelines. In certain cases, the Company's practices comply with the guidelines, however, the Board considers that some of the guidelines are not suitable for the Company at its current stage of development and therefore these guidelines have not been adopted. National Instrument 58-201 mandates disclosure of corporate governance practices which disclosure is set out below. The Board is committed to sound corporate governance practices in the interest of its shareholders and contribute to effective and efficient decision making. The Company will continue to review and implement corporate governance guidelines as the business of the Company progresses.
Board of Directors
The Company's Board consists of three directors, Bruce Costerd, Richard Haderer and Luke Rich. Luke Rich is the independent director of the Company. Bruce Costerd is not independent as he is the Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Richard Haderer is not independent as he is the Chief Financial Officer of the Company.
The size of the Company is such that all of the Company's operations are conducted by a small management team which is also represented on the Board. Any director may submit items for inclusion in the agenda of matters to be discussed at meetings of the Board. The Board considers that management is effectively supervised by the independent directors on an informal basis as the independent directors are actively and regularly involved in reviewing the operations of the Company and have regular and full access to management. The independent directors will be able to meet at any time without any members of management being present. Further supervision is performed through the audit committee which will be composed of a majority of independent directors. The independent directors exercise their responsibilities for independent oversight of management through their majority control of the Board.
Directorships
None of the directors are directors of other reporting issuers.
Orientation and Continuing Education
The Board does not have a formal orientation or education program for its members. New Board members will be provided with information respecting the functioning of the Board of Directors, audit committee, access to all of the publicly filed documents of the Company and complete access to management and the Company's professional advisors.
Board members are encouraged to communicate with management and the auditors, to keep themselves current with industry trends and developments and changes in legislation with the Company's assistance, to attend industry seminars and to visit the Company's operations. Board members have full access to the Company's records and legal counsel.
Ethical Business Conduct
The Board believes good corporate governance in an integral component to the success of the Company and to meet responsibilities to shareholders.
At present the Board has not adopted guidelines or stipulations or a code to encourage and promote a culture of ethical business conduct due to the size of its Board and its limited activities. The Company does promote ethical business conduct through the nomination of Board members it considers ethical.
Nomination of Directors
The Board has responsibility for identifying and assessing potential Board candidates. Recruitment of new directors has generally resulted from recommendations made by directors, management and shareholders. The Board assesses potential Board candidates to fill perceived needs on the Board for required skills, expertise, independence and other factors.
Compensation
The directors decide as a Board the compensation for the Company's directors and officers. Compensation payable is determined by considering compensation paid for director's and CEO's of companies of similar size and stage of development in the mineral exploration industry and determining appropriate compensation reflecting the need to provide incentive and compensation for the time and effort expended by the directors and senior management while taking into account the financial and other resources of the Company. In setting the compensation, the performance of the CEO is reviewed in light of the Company's objectives and other factors that may have impacted the success of the Company.
Other Board Committees
The members of the audit committee are Richard Haderer, Luke Rich and Craig Young.
The Board is of the view that the size of the Company's operations does not warrant additional committees at this stage of the Company's development.
Assessments
The Board does not con sider that formal assessments would be useful at this stage of the Company's development.
Involvement in Certain Legal Proceedings
Our directors, executive officers and control persons have not been involved in any of the following events during the past five years:
1. any bankruptcy petition filed by or against any business of which such person was a general partner or executive officer either at the time of the bankruptcy or within two years prior to that time;
2. any conviction in a criminal proceeding or being subject to a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and other minor offences);
3. being subject to any order, judgment, or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining, barring, suspending or otherwise limiting his involvement in any type of business, securities or banking activities; or
4. being found by a court of competent jurisdiction (in a civil action), the Commission or the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to have violated a federal or state securities or commodities law, and the judgment has not been reversed, suspended, or vacated.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 requires our executive officers and directors and persons who own more than 10% of our common stock to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission initial statements of beneficial ownership, reports of changes in ownership and annual reports concerning their ownership of our common stock and other equity securities, on Forms 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Executive officers, directors and greater than 10% shareholders are required by the SEC regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) reports that they file.
Based solely on our review of the copies of such forms received by us, or written representations from certain reporting persons, we believe that during fiscal year ended May 31, 2021 all filing requirements applicable to our officers, directors and greater than 10% percent beneficial owners were complied with.
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee's role is to act in an objective, independent capacity as a liaison between the auditors, management and the Board and to ensure the auditors have a facility to consider and discuss governance and audit issues with parties not directly responsible for operations. NI 52-110, NI 41-101and Form 52-110F2 require the Company, as a venture issuer, to disclose certain information relating to the Company's audit committee and its relationship with the Company's independent auditors. Effective May 4, 2022, Richard Haderer, Luke Rich and Craig Young were appointed as members of the Company's audit committee. Craig Young resigned as a director of the Company effective September 1, 2022, and is no longer a member of the audit committee.
Audit Committee Charter
Mandate
The primary function of the audit committee (the "Committee") is to assist the Board of Directors in fulfilling its financial oversight responsibilities by reviewing the financial reports and other financial information provided by the Company to regulatory authorities and shareholders, the Company's systems of internal controls regarding finance and accounting and the Company's auditing, accounting and financial reporting processes. Consistent with this function, the Committee will encourage continuous improvement of, and should foster adherence to, the Company's policies, procedures and practices at all levels. The Committee's primary duties and responsibilities are to:
- Serve as an independent and objective party to monitor the Company's financial reporting and internal control system and review the Company's financial statements.
- Review and appraise the performance of the Company's external auditors.
- Provide an open avenue of communication among the Company's auditors, financial and senior management and the Board of Directors.
Composition
The Committee shall be comprised of three directors as determined by the Board of Directors, whom shall be free from any relationship that, in the opinion of the Board of Directors, would interfere with the exercise of his or her independent judgment as a member of the Committee.
The members of the Committee shall be elected by the Board of Directors at its first meeting following the annual shareholders' meeting. Unless a Chair is elected by the full Board of Directors, the members of the Committee may designate a Chair by a majority vote of the full Committee membership.
Meetings
The Committee shall meet annually, or more frequently as circumstances dictate. As part of its job to foster open communication, the Committee will meet at least annually with the Chief Financial Officer and the external auditors.
Responsibilities and Duties
To fulfill its responsibilities and duties, the Committee shall:
Documents/Reports Review
(a) Review and update this Charter annually.
(b) Review the Company's financial statements, MD&A and any reports or other financial information (including quarterly financial statements), which are submitted to any governmental body, or to the public, including any certification, report, opinion, or review rendered by the external auditors.
External Auditors
(a) Review annually, the performance of the external auditors who shall be ultimately accountable to the Board of Directors and the Committee as representatives of the shareholders of the Company.
(b) Obtain annually, a formal written statement of the external auditors setting forth all relationships between the external auditors and the Company, consistent with Independence Standards Board Standard 1.
(c) Review and discuss with the external auditors any disclosed relationships or services that may impact the objectivity and independence of the external auditors.
(d) Take, or recommend that the full Board of Directors take, appropriate action to oversee the independence of the external auditors.
(e) Recommend to the Board of Directors the selection and, where applicable, the replacement of the external auditors nominated annually for shareholder approval.
(f) At each meeting, consult with the external auditors, without the presence of management, about the quality of the Company's accounting principles, internal controls and the completeness and accuracy of the Company's financial statements.
(g) Review with management and the external auditors the audit plan for the year-end financial statements and intended template for such statements.
(h) Review and pre-approve all audit and audit related services and the fees and other compensation related thereto, and any non-audit services, provided by the Company's external auditors. The pre- approval requirement is waived with respect to the provision of non-audit services if:
(i) the aggregate amount of all such non-audit services provided to the Company constitutes not more than five percent of the total amount of revenues paid by the Company to its external auditors during the fiscal year in which the non-audit services are provided;
(ii) such services were not recognized by the Company at the time of the engagement to be non- audit services; and
(iii) such services are promptly brought to the attention of the Committee by the Company and approved prior to the completion of the audit by the Committee or by one or more members of the Committee who are members of the Board of Directors to whom authority to grant such approvals have been delegated by the Committee.
Provided the pre-approval of the non-audit services is presented to the Committee's first scheduled meeting following such approval such authority may be delegated by the Committee to one or more independent members of the Committee.
Financial Reporting Processes
(a) In consultation with the external auditors, review with management the integrity of the Company's financial reporting process, both internal and external.
(b) Consider the external auditors' judgments about the quality and appropriateness of the Company's accounting principles as applied in its financial reporting.
(c) Consider and approve, if appropriate, changes to the Company's auditing and accounting principles and practices as suggested by the external auditors and management.
(d) Review significant judgments made by management in the preparation of financial statements and the view of the external auditors as to the appropriateness of such judgments.
(e) Following completion of the annual audit, review separately with management and the external auditors any significant difficulties encountered during the course of the audit, including any restrictions on the scope of work or access to required information.
(f) Review any significant disagreement among management and the external auditors in connection with the preparation of the financial statements.
(g) Review with the external auditors and management the extent to which changes and improvements in financial or accounting practices have been implemented.
(h) Review any complaints or concerns about questionable accounting, internal accounting controls or auditing matters.
(i) Review certification process.
Other
Review any related-party transactions.
Composition of Audit Committee
Member |
Independence |
Financially literate |
Richard Haderer |
Not Independent(1) |
Financially literate(2) |
Luke Rich |
Independent(1) |
Not Financially literate(2) |
Craig Young (3) |
Independent(1) |
Not Financially literate(2) |
Notes:
(1) A member of an audit committee is independent if the member has no direct or indirect material relationship with the Company, which could, in the view of the Board, reasonably interfere with the exercise of a member's independent judgment.
(2) An individual is financially literate if he has the ability to read and understand a set of financial statements that present a breadth of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of the issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the Company's financial statements.
(3) Craig Young resigned as a director of the Company effective September 1, 2022, and is no loner a member of the audit committee.
Breach of Canadian securities law
Craig Young resigned as a director of the Company effective September 1, 2022. As a result, the Company is in breach of NI 52-110 which requires the Company to have an audit committee comprised of three directors of which the majority are not executive officers, employees or control persons. The Company will rectify this breach by appointing an additional independent director who will also be appointed as a member of the audit committee.
Relevant Education and Experience
Each member of the Company's present Audit Committee has adequate education and experience that is relevant to his performance as an Audit Committee member and, in particular, the requisite education and experience that have provided the member with:
(a) an understanding of the accounting principles used by the Company to prepare its financial statements and the ability to assess the general application of those principles in connection with estimates, accruals and reserves;
(b) experience preparing, auditing, analyzing or evaluating financial statements that present a breadth and level of complexity of accounting issues that are generally comparable to the breadth and complexity of issues that can reasonably be expected to be raised by the Company's financial statements or experience actively supervising individuals engaged in such activities; and
(c) an understanding of internal controls and procedures for financial reporting.
The determination of the financially literacy of the members of our board of directors is made by the Company and each of the directors in question. The determination that Mr. Haderer is financial literate is based upon his experience and abilities gained as a consultant and regulator of publicly reporting mineral exploration companies. See "Directors and Executive Officers" for further details.
Audit Committee Oversight
At no time since the commencement of the Company's most recently completed financial year was a recommendation to nominate or compensate an external auditor not adopted by the Board.
Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The Audit Committee will pre-approve all non-audit services to be provided to the Corporation or its subsidiary entities by the Corporation's external auditor, however the Audit Committee has not adopted specific policies and procedures for such approval.
Exemption
The Company is a "venture issuer" as defined in National Instrument 52-110 and is relying on the exemption contained in Section 6.1 of National Instrument 52-110, which exempts the Corporation from the requirements of Part 3 (Composition of the Audit Committee) and Part 5 (Reporting Obligations) of National Instrument 52-110.
Code of Ethics
We adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to all of our directors, officers, employees and consultants, which is a "code of ethics" as defined by applicable rules of the SEC. Our Code of Ethics is attached as an exhibit to our registration statement on Form S-1 filed on July 15, 2008. If we make any amendments to our Code of Ethics other than technical, administrative, or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waivers, including implicit waivers, from a provision of our Code of Ethics to our chief executive officer, chief financial officer, or certain other finance executives, we will disclose the nature of the amendment or waiver, its effective date and to whom it applies in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC.