UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 | |
| OR |
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13(a) OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
| For the fiscal year ended | Commission File Number: |
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) |
British Columbia, |
| 1040 |
| Not Applicable | ||
(Province or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
| (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code) |
| (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||
(
(Address and telephone number of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
(
(Name, address (including zip code) and telephone number (including
area code) of agent for service in the United States)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to section 12(b) of the Act:
Title Of Each Class |
| Name Of Each Exchange On Which Registered |
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Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None
For annual reports, indicate by check mark the information filed with this Form:
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the Registrant’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report:
Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION
In this annual report, references to “we”, “our”, “us”, the “Company” or “Northern Dynasty”, mean Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. its subsidiaries and consolidated interests, unless the context suggests otherwise.
Northern Dynasty is a Canadian issuer eligible to file its annual report pursuant to Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) on Form 40-F pursuant to the multi-jurisdictional disclosure system (the “MJDS”) adopted by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The equity securities of the Company are further exempt from Sections 14(a), 14(b), 14(c), 14(f) and 16 of the Exchange Act pursuant to Rule 3a12-3 of the Exchange Act.
Unless otherwise indicated, all amounts in this annual report are in Canadian dollars and all references to “$” mean Canadian dollars.
PRINCIPAL DOCUMENTS
The following documents that are filed as exhibits to this annual report are incorporated by reference herein:
Document |
| Exhibit No. |
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Annual Information Form of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the “AIF”) |
| 99.7 |
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Audited Consolidated Financial Statements of the Company as at and for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, including the reports of the Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm with respect thereto (the “Audited Consolidated Financial Statements”) |
| 99.5 |
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the “MD&A”) |
| 99.6 |
| 2 |
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This annual report includes or incorporates by reference certain statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E under the Exchange Act and Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These statements appear in a number of places in this annual report and documents incorporated by reference herein and include statements regarding our intent, belief or current expectation and that of our officers and directors. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. When used in this annual report or in documents incorporated by reference in this annual report, words such as “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “project”, “intend”, “expect”, “may”, “will”, “plan”, “should”, “would”, “contemplate”, “possible”, “attempts”, “seeks” and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. All statements in documents incorporated herein, other than statements of historical facts that address future production, permitting, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on various factors and were derived utilizing numerous assumptions that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Other forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding:
| · | our expectations regarding the potential for securing the necessary permitting of a mine at the Pebble Project and our ability to establish that such a permitted mine can be economically developed; |
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| · | the success of our appeal of the Record of Decision (the “ROD”) of the United States Army Corps of Engineers (the “USACE”) denying the issuance of certain permits required for the Pebble Project and, and the timing of a decision of this appeal; |
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| · | our ability to successfully obtain federal permits and apply for and obtain state permits that we will be required to obtain for the Pebble Project under the Clean Water Act (“CWA”) and the National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”) and relevant legislation; |
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| · | the outcome of the US government investigations involving the Company; |
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| · | our ability to successfully defend against purported class action law suits that have been commenced against the Company; |
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| · | our plan of operations, including our plans to carry out and finance exploration and development activities; |
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| · | our ability to raise capital for exploration, permitting and development activities and meet our working capital requirements; |
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| · | our expected financial performance in future periods; |
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| · | our expectations regarding the exploration and development potential of the Pebble Project |
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| · | the outcome of the legal proceedings in which we are engaged; |
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| · | the contribution of the Pebble Project to the Alaskan and United States economies; |
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| · | the uncertainties with respect to the effects of COVID-19; |
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| · | the uncertainties related to the conflict in the Ukraine; and |
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| · | factors relating to our investment decisions. |
Such forward-looking statements or information related to the Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Pebble Project (as referred to in the AIF and the MD&A, the “2021 PEA”) include statements regarding (i) the mine plan for the Pebble Project, the financial results of the 2021 PEA, including net present value and internal rates of return, and the ability of the Pebble Partnership to secure the financing to proceed with the development of the Pebble Project, including any stream financing and infrastructure outsourcing, (ii) the social integration of the Pebble Project into the Bristol Bay region and benefits for Alaska, (iii) the political and public support for the permitting process, (iv) the ability to successfully appeal the negative Record of Decision and secure the issuance of a positive Record of Decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the ability of the Pebble Project to secure all required federal and state permits, (v) the right-sizing and de-risking of the Pebble Project, including any determination to pursue any of the expansion scenarios for the Pebble Project or to incorporate a gold plant, (vi) the design and operating parameters for the Pebble Project mine plan, including projected capital and operating costs, (vii) exploration potential of the Pebble Project, (viii) future demand for copper and gold and the metals prices assumed for the financial projections including the 2021 PEA, (ix) the potential addition of partners in the Pebble Project, and (x) the ability and timetable of NDM to develop the Pebble Project and become a leading copper, gold and molybdenum producer. Although NDM believes the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements should not be in any way be construed as guarantees that the Pebble Project will secure all required government permits, establish the commercial feasibility of the Pebble Project, achieve the required financing or develop the Pebble Project. Such forward-looking statements or information related to this Preliminary Economic Assessment include but are not limited to statements or information with respect to the mined and processed material estimates; the internal rate of return; the annual production; the net present value; the life of mine; the capital costs, operating costs estimated for each of the Proposed Project and three Expansion Scenarios for the Pebble Project; and other costs and payments for the proposed infrastructure for the Pebble Project (including how, when, where and by whom such infrastructure will be constructed or developed); projected metallurgical recoveries; plans for further development, and securing the required permits and licenses for further studies to consider expansion of the operation; and market price of precious and base metals; or other statements that are not statement of fact.
| 3 |
Certain of the assumptions we have made include assumptions regarding, among other things:
| · | that our appeal of the ROD with the USACE will be successful; |
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| · | that we will ultimately be able to demonstrate that a mine at the Pebble Project can be developed and operated in an environmentally sound and socially responsible manner, meeting all relevant federal, state and local regulatory requirements so that we will be ultimately able to obtain permits authorizing construction of a mine at the Pebble Project; |
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| · | that we will be able to secure sufficient capital necessary for continued environmental assessment and permitting activities and engineering work which must be completed prior to any potential development of the Pebble Project which would then require engineering and financing in order to advance to ultimate construction; |
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| · | that we will ultimately be able to demonstrate that a mine at the Pebble Project will be economically feasible based on a mine plan for which permitting can be secured; |
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| · | the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Proposed Determination process under the CWA will not have a negative impact on the ability of the Pebble Partnership to develop the Pebble Project; |
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| · | that the COVID-19 outbreak will not materially impact or delay our ability to obtain permitting for a mine at the Pebble Project; |
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| · | that the market prices of copper, gold, molybdenum, silver and rhenium will not significantly decline or stay depressed for a lengthy period of time; |
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| · | the projected contributions of the Pebble Project to the Alaskan and United States economics are subject to the assumptions underlying the 2021 PEA and other assumptions as to economic impact; |
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| · | that our key personnel will continue their employment with us; and |
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| · | that we will continue to be able to secure minimum adequate financing on acceptable terms. |
Some of the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include:
| · | we may be unsuccessful in our appeal of the ROD with respect to the decision to deny the issuance of permits which we require to operate a mine at the Pebble Project, and the timing of a decision on the appeal may be longer than anticipated; |
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| · | the issuance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of a Revised Proposed Determination under the CWA; |
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| · | an inability to ultimately obtain permitting for a mine at the Pebble Project; |
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| · | an inability to establish that the Pebble Project may be economically developed and mined or contain commercially viable deposits of ore based on a mine plan for which government authorities are prepared to grant permits; |
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| · | we may not be successful in defending shareholder securities litigation claims that have been filed against us in the US and in Canada, and we may be obligated to indemnify our underwriters in addition to being subject to liabilities to the plaintiffs; |
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| · | the uncertainty of the outcome of current or future government investigations and inquiries, including but not limited to, matters before the U.S. Department of Justice, a federal grand jury in Alaska and the Securities and Exchange Commission; |
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| · | government efforts to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic may delay the Company in completion of its work relating to this permitting process; |
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| · | our ability to obtain funding for working capital and other corporate purposes associated with advancement of the Pebble Project; |
| 4 |
| · | an inability to continue to fund exploration and development activities and other operating costs; |
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| · | the highly cyclical and speculative nature of the mineral resource exploration business; |
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| · | our actual operating expenses may be higher than projected; |
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| · | the pre-development stage economic viability and technical uncertainties of the Pebble Project and the lack of known reserves on our Pebble Project; |
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| · | an inability to recover even the financial statement carrying values of the Pebble Project if we cease to continue on a going concern basis; |
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| · | the potential for loss of the services of key executive officers; |
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| · | a history of, and expectation of further, financial losses from operations impacting our ability to continue on a going concern basis; |
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| · | an inability to establish that the Pebble Project may be economically developed and mined or contain commercially viable deposits of ore based on a mine plan for which government authorities are prepared to grant permits; |
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| · | the volatility of gold, copper, molybdenum, silver and rhenium prices and share prices of mining companies; |
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| · | the inherent risk involved in the exploration, development and production of minerals and the presence of unknown geological and other physical and environmental hazards at the Pebble Project; |
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| · | the potential for changes in, or the introduction of new, government regulations relating to mining, including laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment and project legal titles; |
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| · | potential claims by third parties to titles or rights involving the Pebble Project; |
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| · | the uncertainty of the outcome of current or future litigation including but not limited to, the appeal of the ROD denying the issuance of many of the permits required to operate a mine at the Pebble Project; |
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| · | the possible inability to insure our operations against all risks; |
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| · | the highly competitive nature of the mining business; |
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| · | the projected contributions of the Pebble Project to the Alaskan and United States economies may not be realized; |
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| · | the potential equity dilution to current shareholders from future equity financings or from the exercise of share purchase options and warrants to purchase Company’s shares; and |
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| · | that we have never paid dividends and will not do so in the foreseeable future. |
We refer you to Section F, “Risk Factors” under Item 5 in our AIF, Section 1.15.5 “Risk Factors” in our MD&A and the discussions of forward-looking statements in our AIF and MD&A for more detailed discussion of such risks and other important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. These discussions of forward-looking statements and risk factors identify factors that could cause our actual results, performance and achievements to be materially different from any anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report are made as of the date hereof and, accordingly are subject to change after such date. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any of the forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements.
| 5 |
CAUTIONARY NOTE TO UNITED STATES INVESTORS CONCERNING
CANADIAN MINERAL PROPERTY DISCLOSURE STANDARDS
The disclosure in this annual report, including the documents incorporated by reference herein, uses terms that comply with reporting standards in Canada and certain estimates are made in accordance with Canadian National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”). NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. In accordance with NI 43-101, the Company uses the terms mineral reserves and resources as they are defined in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards on mineral reserves and resources (the “CIM Definition Standards”) adopted by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.
The SEC has adopted amendments to its disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for issuers whose securities are registered with the SEC under the U.S. Exchange Act, effective February 25, 2019 (the “SEC Modernization Rules”), with compliance required for the first fiscal year on or after January 1, 2021. The SEC Modernization Rules have replaced the historical property disclosure requirements for mining registrants that were included in SEC Industry Guide 7 (“Guide 7”), which will be rescinded from and after the required compliance date of the SEC Modernization Rules.
The SEC Modernization Rules include the adoption of definitions of the following terms, which are substantially similar to the corresponding terms under the CIM Definition Standards under “Canadian Mineral Property Disclosure Standards and Resource Estimates”:
| · | feasibility study; |
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| · | indicated mineral resource; |
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| · | inferred mineral resource; |
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| · | measured mineral resource; |
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| · | mineral reserve; |
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| · | mineral resource; |
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| · | modifying factors; |
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| · | preliminary feasibility study (or “pre-feasibility study”); |
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| · | probable mineral resource; and |
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| · | proven mineral reserve. |
As a result of the adoption of the SEC Modernization Rules, the SEC will now recognize estimates of “measured mineral resources”, “indicated mineral resources” and “inferred mineral resources”. In addition, the SEC has amended its definitions of “proven mineral reserves” and “probable mineral reserves” to be substantially similar to the corresponding CIM Definitions.
| 6 |
We are not required to provide disclosure on our mineral properties, including the Pebble Project, under the SEC Modernization Rules as we are presently a “foreign issuer” under the U.S. Exchange Act and entitled to file continuous disclosure reports with the SEC under the MJDS between Canada and the United States. Accordingly, we anticipate that we will be entitled to continue to provide disclosure on our mineral properties, including the Pebble Project, in accordance with NI 43-101 disclosure standards and CIM Definition Standards. However, if we either cease to be a “foreign issuer” or cease to be entitled to file reports under the MJDS, then we will be required to provide disclosure on our mineral properties under the SEC Modernization Rules. Accordingly, United States investors are cautioned that the disclosure that we provide on our mineral properties, including the Pebble Project, in this annual report and under our continuous disclosure obligations under the U.S. Exchange Act may be different from the disclosure that we would otherwise be required to provide as a U.S. domestic issuer or a non-MJDS foreign issuer under the SEC Modernization Rules.
United States investors are cautioned that while the above terms are substantially similar to CIM Definitions, there are differences in the definitions under the SEC Modernization Rules and the CIM Definition Standards. Accordingly, there is no assurance any mineral resources that we may report as “measured mineral resources”, “indicated mineral resources” and “inferred mineral resources” under NI 43-101 would be the same had we prepared the resource estimates under the standards adopted under the SEC Modernization Rules.
United States investors are also cautioned that while the SEC will now recognize “measured mineral resources”, “indicated mineral resources” and “inferred mineral resources”, investors should not assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into mineral reserves. Accordingly, investors are cautioned not to assume that any “measured mineral resources”, “indicated mineral resources”, or “inferred mineral resources” that we report in this annual report are or will be economically or legally mineable.
Further, “inferred resources” have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and as to whether they can be mined legally or economically. In accordance with Canadian securities laws, estimates of “inferred mineral resources” cannot form the basis of feasibility or other economic studies, except in limited circumstances where permitted under NI 43-101.
In addition, disclosure of “contained ounces” is permitted disclosure under Canadian regulations; however, the SEC only permits issuers to report mineralization as in place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures.
The 2021 PEA is preliminary in nature, and includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. There is no assurance that the 2021 PEA will be realized. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability, and there is no assurance that the Pebble Project mineral resources will ever be upgraded to reserves. The 2021 PEA assumes that the proposed Pebble Project will ultimately be able to obtain the required permits from the USACE and state of Alaska authorities to enable development of the project. Neither the 2021 PEA, nor the mineral resource estimates on which the 2021 PEA is based, have been adjusted for any risk that the Pebble Partnership may not be able to successfully appeal the record of decision issued by the USACE on November 25, 2020, denying the granting of the required permit under the CWA.
For the above reasons, information contained in this annual report and the documents incorporated by reference herein containing descriptions of our mineral deposits may not be comparable to similar information made public by United States companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements under the United States federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
NOTE TO UNITED STATES READERS REGARDING DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN UNITED STATES AND CANADIAN REPORTING PRACTICES
The Company is permitted to prepare this annual report in accordance with Canadian disclosure requirements which require Canadian public companies to prepare financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and interpretations of the IFRS Interpretations Committee (together, “IFRS”). Accordingly, the Company’s Audited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS, and the audit is performed in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and our auditor is subject to both Canadian auditor independence standards and the auditor independence standards of the PCAOB and the SEC. Therefore, the Company’s Audited Consolidated Financial Statements incorporated by reference in this annual report may not be comparable to financial statements prepared in accordance with US GAAP.
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DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Disclosure controls and procedures are defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act to mean controls and other procedures of an issuer that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the issuer in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and includes, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the issuer’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
As of the end of the period covered by this report, our management carried out an evaluation, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 13a-15(e), were effective to give a reasonable assurance that the information required to be disclosed by us in reports that we file or submit to the SEC under the Exchange Act is:.
· | recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and |
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· | accumulated and communicated to our management, including our CEO and CFO, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. |
It should be noted that while our CEO and our CFO believe that our disclosure controls and procedures provide a reasonable level of assurance that they are effective, they do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived or operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system will be met.
INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The Company’s management, including the CEO and the CFO, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting (“ICFR”), as defined by Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act, is a process designed by, or under the supervision of the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers or persons performing similar functions and effected by the Company’s Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB. The Company’s ICFR includes those policies and procedures that:
· | pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company; |
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| provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with IFRS, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and |
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· | provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements. |
The Company’s management, including its CEO and CFO, believe that any system of internal control over financial reporting, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Furthermore, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, they cannot provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been prevented or detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by unauthorized override of control. The design of any system of controls is also based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Accordingly, because of the inherent limitations in a cost effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.
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Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) for the Company.
The Company’s management, with the participation of the CEO and CFO, assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s ICFR as of December 31, 2021. In making the assessment, it used the criteria set forth in the Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) published by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based on its assessment, management has concluded that the Company’s ICFR was effective as of December 31, 2021.
Auditor’s Attestation Report
The Company’s ICFR as of December 31, 2021, has been audited by Deloitte LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, who also audited the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021. Deloitte LLP’s attestation report on the Company’s ICFR as of December 31, 2021, is included in the Company’s Audited Consolidated Financial Statements incorporated herein by reference (exhibit 99.5).
No Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management, including the CEO and CFO, has evaluated the Company’s ICFR to determine whether any changes occurred during the period covered by this annual report on Form 40-F that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s ICFR. There have been no changes that occurred during the Company’s fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s ICFR.
AUDIT COMMITTEE
Our Board of Directors (the “Board”) has established a separately-designated independent Audit and Risk Committee (the “Audit Committee”) of the Board in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Exchange Act for the purpose of overseeing our accounting and financial reporting processes and the audits of our annual financial statements. As at the date of this annual report, the Audit Committee was comprised of Gordon Keep, Christian Milau (Chair) and Ken Pickering. The Board has determined that each of the members of the Audit Committee is independent as determined under Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act and Section 803 of the NYSE American LLC Company Guide.
AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT
Our Board has determined that Mr. Christian Milau is an audit committee financial expert (as that term is defined in Item 407 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act) and is an independent director under applicable securities laws and the listing requirements of the NYSE American LLC.
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PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Information about aggregate fees billed to us by our principal accountant, Deloitte LLP (PCAOB ID No. 1208) is presented under “Item 19, Audit and Risk Committee, Auditor Fees, Exemptions, Code of Ethics - Principal Accountant Fees and Services” in our AIF and is incorporated herein by reference (Exhibit 99.7).
OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
The Company has not entered into any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues, expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that is material to investors.
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CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
The following table lists information as of December 31, 2021, with respect to our known contractual obligations in thousands of Canadian dollars:
Contractual obligation |
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| Less than 1 Year |
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| Between 1 and 3 years |
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| Between 3 and 5 years |
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Long term debt obligations |
| $ | – |
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| $ | – |
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| $ | – |
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| $ | – |
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Lease obligations 1 |
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| 740 |
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| 190 |
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| 330 |
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| 220 |
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Purchase obligations |
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| – |
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| – |
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| – |
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| – |
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Other long term liabilities 2 |
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| 1,285 |
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| 145 |
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| 1,006 |
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| 134 |
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Total |
| $ | 2,025 |
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| $ | 335 |
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| $ | 1,336 |
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| $ | 354 |
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Notes
1. | The majority of the amounts are to be paid by the Company in US dollars, and represent the undiscounted lease payments to be made in respect of right-of-use assets recognized in the Audited Consolidated Financial statements. The conversion rate employed in the table was the year end rate of Cdn$1.2641 per US dollar. |
2. | Includes US$635 ($804) payable on the completion of a partnering transaction, and payments due on a short term lease and for the use of offices and shared space. |
The term purchase obligation means an agreement to purchase goods or services that is enforceable and legally binding on the registrant that specifies all significant terms, including: fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the transaction.
CODE OF ETHICS
We have adopted a Code of Ethics that applies to our officers, employees and directors and promotes, among other things, honest and ethical conduct. The Code of Ethics meets the requirements for a “code of ethics” within the meaning of that term in Form 40-F. The Code of Ethics was updated in 2007, 2009, 2012 and again in 2013 and is contained in the the Corporate Governance Policies and Procedures Manual in Appendix 4 which is available for download from the Company’s website under Corporate at www.northerndynastyminerals.com.
No substantive amendments were made to the Company’s Code of Ethics during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and no waivers of the Company’s Code of Ethics were granted to any principal officer of the Company or any person performing similar functions during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
NYSE AMERICAN EQUITIES CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
The Company’s common shares are listed for trading on the NYSE American Exchange (“NYSE American”). Section 110 of the NYSE American LLC Company Guide permits NYSE American to consider the laws, customs and practices of their home country in relaxing certain NYSE American listing criteria otherwise applicable to foreign issuers, and grants exemptions from NYSE American listing criteria based on these considerations. A company seeking relief under these provisions is required to provide written certification from independent local counsel that the non-complying practice is not prohibited by home country law. A description of the significant ways in which the Company’s governance practices differ from those followed by United States domestic companies pursuant to NYSE American standards is contained on the Company’s website at www.northerndynastyminerals.com.
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MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE
Pursuant to Section 1503(a) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (“Dodd-Frank Act”), issuers that are operators, or that have a subsidiary that is an operator, of a coal or other mine in the United States are required to disclose in their periodic reports filed with the SEC information regarding specified health and safety violations, orders and citations, related assessments and legal actions, and mining-related fatalities under the regulation of the Federal Mine safety and Health Administration under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977. The Company was not the operator of a mine in the United States during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.
UNDERTAKING
The Registrant undertakes to make available, in person or by telephone, representatives to respond to inquiries made by the Commission staff, and to furnish promptly, when requested to do so by the Commission staff, information relating to: the securities registered pursuant to Form 40-F; the securities in relation to which the obligation to file an annual report on Form 40-F arises; or transactions in said securities.
CONSENT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS
The Company previously filed an Appointment of Agent for Service of Process and Undertaking on Form F-X signed by the Company and its agent for service of process with respect to the class of securities in relation to which the obligation to file this annual report arises, which Form F-X is incorporated herein by reference. Any change to the name or address of the Company’s agent for service shall be communicated promptly to the Commission by amendment to Form F-X referencing the file number of the Company.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Exchange Act, the Company certifies that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form 40-F and has duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| Date: March 31, 2022. | NORTHERN DYNASTY MINERALS LTD. | ||
| By: | /s/ Ronald W. Thiessen | ||
| Ronald W. Thiessen | ||
Chief Executive Officer | |||
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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