NOTE 13 COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Commitments

At December 31, 2017, the Company’s commitments include long-term operating leases covering office space, land and equipment purchase commitments, exploration expenditures, option payments on properties and reclamation costs for the following minimum amounts:


	Payments due by period
	2018		2019		2020		2021		2022		Thereafter		Total
	(in thousands)
Operating lease obligations (office rent)	$	400	$	368	$	300	$	240	$	230	$	197	$	1,735
Operating lease obligations (mining and surface rights)		3,994		436		442		442		437		—		5,751
Exploration (including $10.0 million flow-through shares)		11,554		—		—		—		—		—		11,554
Construction		11,344		—		—		—		—		—		11,344
Reclamation costs(1)		639		448		3,883		3,974		3,181		30,807		42,932
Total	$	27,931	$	1,252	$	4,625	$	4,656	$	3,848	$	31,004	$	73,316

(1)

Amounts presented represent the undiscounted uninflated future payments.

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the Company had rental expense under operating leases of $0.4 million (2016 - $0.4 million; 2015 - $0.5 million).

Reclamation Bonds

As part of its ongoing business and operations, the Company is required to provide bonding for its environmental reclamation obligations in the United States and Canada. Pursuant to the requirements imposed by United States Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”), the Company has Nevada bonding obligations of $19.9 million which primarily pertains to the Tonkin property and the Gold Bar property reclamation requirements. Under current Mexican regulations, bonding of projected reclamation costs is not required. Under Canadian regulations, the Company was required to deposit approximately $0.1 million with respect to its Timmins properties acquired from Lexam. The $0.1 million is recorded as restricted cash in Other assets. Furthermore, under Canadian regulations, the Company has bonding obligations of $16.5 million (C$20.6 million) with respect to the Black Fox Complex.

Surety Bonds

The Company satisfies its reclamation bonding obligations in the United States and Canada through the use of surety bonds. These surety bonds are available for draw down by the beneficiary in the event the Company does not perform its reclamation obligations. If the specific reclamation requirements are met, the beneficiary of the surety bonds will release the instrument to the issuing entity. The Company believes it is in compliance with all applicable bonding obligations and will be able to satisfy future bonding requirements, through existing or alternative means, as they arise.

On June 23, 2017, the Company replaced its previous surety facility by entering into a new $20.0 million surety facility, carrying an annual financing fee of 2%, with no requirement for an initial deposit and the financing fee payable only on draw down amounts. The $0.5 million deposit associated with the previous facility and recorded in Other assets was released and received by the Company in July 2017. Effective July 1, the Company drew down $3.6 million for the Tonkin project and $1.3 million for other exploration projects in Nevada.

On August 25, 2017, the BLM in Nevada accepted the Company’s bond in the amount of $15.0 million to provide reclamation coverage for operations on the Gold Bar property. On August 25, 2017, the Company drew down $15.0 million on the existing surety to satisfy the bonding requirements for the Gold Bar project.

In connection with the Black Fox acquisition, as described in Note 19 Acquisitions, the Company extended its existing $20.0 million surety facility to include the necessary bonding to satisfy the Black Fox closure plan. The terms of the credit facility remain the same, with no requirement for an initial deposit and an annual financing fee of 2%. Black Fox has bonding requirements of $16.5 million (C$20.6 million).

Flow-Through Common Shares

The Company raised $10.0 million (C$12.88 million) during 2017 on a Canadian flow-through tax basis. The Company is required to spend this amount on Canadian Exploration Expenditures and renounce the associated tax benefit before December 31, 2018. As at December 31, 2017, $nil has been spent. The Company expects to meet this commitment.

Streaming Agreement

As part of the acquisition of the Black Fox Complex, the Company assumed a gold purchase agreement (streaming contract) related to production, if any, from certain claims. The Company is obligated to sell 8% of gold production from the Black Fox mine and 6.3% at the adjoining Pike River property (Black Fox Extension) to Sandstorm Gold Ltd. at the lesser of market price or $531 per ounce (with inflation adjustments of up to 2% per year) until 2090.

The Company records revenue on these shipments based on the contract price at the time of delivery to the customer. During the year ended December 31, 2017 subsequent to the acquisition of Black Fox, the company recorded revenue of $0.4 million (2016 - $nil).

Short-term Bank Indebtedness

On November 30, 2017, Compañia Minera Pangea, S.A. de C.V. (“CMP”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, executed a line of credit agreement with Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior, S.N.C., a Mexican federal development banking institution (“Bancomext”). The line of credit allows CMP to borrow up to 120,000,000 Mexican pesos (approximately $6.4 million based on a market exchange rate of 19.64 Mexican pesos to 1 US dollar, as published by Bloomberg on November 30, 2017). Borrowing under the Line of Credit will be available for one (1) year from November 30, 2017.

Interest payments under the Line of Credit are due quarterly beginning with any borrowing and a final payment of all principal and accrued interest is due twenty-four (24) months following the date of the first withdrawal. CMP is permitted to prepay any amounts owed without penalty. The interest rate for each advance is as agreed upon by the parties prior to each advance, and will be reviewed and adjusted on a quarterly basis.

CMP is permitted to use the proceeds from the line of credit (i) to finance up to 90% of the value added tax (“VAT”) refunds related to the cost of its El Gallo 1 mining project, (ii) as working capital, and (iii) for other expenses related to CMP’s mining activity. Borrowings under the line of credit are secured by a lien on all VAT collections received by CMP.

The line of credit will be immediately due and payable in the event of a failure to pay principal or interest when due, or for a breach of other covenants set forth in the line of credit. All amounts due under the line of credit have been irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed by the Company.

As of December 31, 2017, no funds had been withdrawn from the line of credit.

Other potential contingencies

The Company’s mining and exploration activities are subject to various laws and regulations governing the protection of the environment. These laws and regulations are continually changing and generally becoming more restrictive. The Company conducts its operations so as to protect public health and the environment, and believes its operations are materially in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The Company has made, and expects to make in the future, expenditures to comply with such laws and regulations.

The Company and its predecessors have transferred their interest in several mining properties to third parties throughout its history. The Company could remain potentially liable for environmental enforcement actions related to its prior ownership of such properties. However, the Company has no reasonable belief that any violation of relevant environmental laws or regulations has occurred regarding these transferred properties.