0001437749-18-005348.txt : 20180323 0001437749-18-005348.hdr.sgml : 20180323 20180323163858 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001437749-18-005348 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: SC 13D PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 16 FILED AS OF DATE: 20180323 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20180323 GROUP MEMBERS: 1156291 B.C. UNLIMITED LIABILITY CO SUBJECT COMPANY: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: KLONDEX MINES LTD CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0001311605 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: GOLD & SILVER ORES [1040] IRS NUMBER: 000000000 STATE OF INCORPORATION: A1 FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: SC 13D SEC ACT: 1934 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 005-85305 FILM NUMBER: 18710568 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1055 WEST HASTINGS ST, SUITE 200 CITY: VANCOUVER STATE: A1 ZIP: V6C 2E9 BUSINESS PHONE: 775-284-5757 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 1055 WEST HASTINGS ST, SUITE 200 CITY: VANCOUVER STATE: A1 ZIP: V6C 2E9 FILED BY: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: HECLA MINING CO/DE/ CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000719413 STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION: MINING, QUARRYING OF NONMETALLIC MINERALS (NO FUELS) [1400] IRS NUMBER: 770664171 STATE OF INCORPORATION: DE FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: SC 13D BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6500 N MINERAL DRIVE SUITE 200 STREET 2: NONE CITY: COEUR D'ALENE STATE: ID ZIP: 83815-9408 BUSINESS PHONE: 2087694100 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: 6500 N MINERAL DRIVE SUITE 200 STREET 2: NONE CITY: COEUR D'ALENE STATE: ID ZIP: 83815-9408 SC 13D 1 hl20180322_sc13d.htm SCHEDULE 13D hl20180322_sc13d.htm

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 


 

SCHEDULE 13D

Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )*

 

KLONDEX MINES LTD.


(Name of Issuer)

 

Common Stock, no par value

(Title of Class of Securities)

 

498696103


(CUSIP Number)

 

David C. Sienko

Vice President and General Counsel

Hecla Mining Company

6500 North Mineral Drive, Suite 200

Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83815-9408


(Name, Address and Telephone Number of Person
Authorized to Receive Notices and Communications)

 

March 16, 2018


(Date of Event which Requires Filing of this Statement)

 

If the filing person has previously filed a statement on Schedule 13G to report the acquisition that is the subject of this Schedule 13D, and is filing this schedule because of §§240.13d-1(e), 240.13d-1(f) or 240.13d-1(g), check the following box.

 

Note: Schedules filed in paper format shall include a signed original and five copies of the schedule, including all exhibits. See §240.13d-7 for other parties to whom copies are to be sent.

 

* The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person’s initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities, and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter disclosures provided in a prior cover page.

 

The information required on the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Exchange Act but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Exchange Act (however, see the Notes).

 

 

 

 

CUSIP No. 498696103

 

 

1.

Names of Reporting Persons.

 

Hecla Mining Company

 

2.

Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See Instructions)

 

   

(a)              

 

       
   

(b)              

 

 

3.

SEC Use Only

 

4.

Source of Funds (See Instructions)

 

OO

 

5.

Check if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings Is Required Pursuant to Items 2(d) or 2(e)

 

 

6.

Citizenship or Place of Organization

 

Delaware

Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned by
Each
Reporting
Person With

7.

Sole Voting Power

 

None

8.

Shared Voting Power

 

47,885,883(1)(2)

9.

Sole Dispositive Power

 

None

10.

Shared Dispositive Power

 

47,885,883(1)(2)

 

11.

Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person

 

47,885,883(1)(2)

 

12.

Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain Shares (See Instructions) ☐

 

13.

Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11) 
26.3%

 

14.

Type of Reporting Person (See Instructions)
CO

 


 

2

 

 

 

(1)

All of the 47,885,883 shares of common stock of Klondex Mines Ltd., no par value (the “Common Stock”) reported above (which include shares subject to, or that may be acquired in connection with, options to acquire Common Stock (“Options”), restricted stock units (“RSUs”), and deferred stock units (“DSUs”)) are collectively directly owned or may be deemed to be owned or are controlled by Sentry Investments Inc. (“Sentry”), CI Investments Inc. (“CI”), William Matlack, Blair Schultz, Paul Huet, Ritch Hall, Barry Dahl, James Haggarty, and Rodney Cooper (each an “Individual Shareholder” and together with Sentry and CI, the “Shareholders”). Beneficial ownership and voting power of the 47,885,883 shares of Common Stock owned or controlled by the Shareholders is being reported solely because Hecla Mining Company may be deemed to have beneficial ownership and voting power with respect to such Common Stock as a result of entering into (i) a Support Letter Agreement with Sentry, dated March 15, 2018, (ii) a Support Letter Agreement with CI, dated March 16, 2018, and (iii) separate Voting Agreements with each Individual Shareholder, each dated as of March 16, 2018. Neither the filing of this Schedule 13D nor any of its contents shall be deemed to constitute an admission by any Reporting Person that it is the beneficial owner of such 47,885,883 shares of Common Stock for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, or for any other purpose, and such beneficial ownership thereof is expressly disclaimed.

 

 

(2)

This amount includes the aggregate amounts of shares subject to, or that may be acquired in connection with, the following securities held by the Individual Shareholders: (i) 1,900,834 Options; (ii) 308,279 RSUs; and (iii) 270,274 DSUs.

 

3

 

 

CUSIP No. 498696103

 

 

1.

Names of Reporting Persons.

 

1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company

 

2.

Check the Appropriate Box if a Member of a Group (See Instructions)

     
   

(a)      

 

       
   

(b)      

 

 

3.

SEC Use Only

 

4.

Source of Funds (See Instructions)

 

OO

 

5.

Check if Disclosure of Legal Proceedings Is Required Pursuant to Items 2(d) or 2(e)

 

 

6.

Citizenship or Place of Organization

 

British Columbia, Canada

Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned by
Each
Reporting
Person With

7.

Sole Voting Power

 

None

8.

Shared Voting Power

 

47,885,883(1)(2)

9.

Sole Dispositive Power

 

None

10.

Shared Dispositive Power

 

47,885,883(1)(2)

 

11.

Aggregate Amount Beneficially Owned by Each Reporting Person

 

47,885,883(1)(2)

 

12.

Check if the Aggregate Amount in Row (11) Excludes Certain Shares (See Instructions) ☐

 

13.

Percent of Class Represented by Amount in Row (11) 
26.3% 

 

14.

Type of Reporting Person (See Instructions)
CO

 


 

 

4

 

 

 

(1)

All of the 47,885,883 shares of common stock of Klondex Mines Ltd., no par value (the “Common Stock”) reported above (which include shares subject to, or that may be acquired in connection with, options to acquire Common Stock (“Options”), restricted stock units (“RSUs”), and deferred stock units (“DSUs”)) are collectively directly owned or may be deemed to be owned or are controlled by Sentry Investments Inc. (“Sentry”), CI Investments Inc. (“CI”), William Matlack, Blair Schultz, Paul Huet, Ritch Hall, Barry Dahl, James Haggarty, and Rodney Cooper (each an “Individual Shareholder” and together with Sentry and CI, the “Shareholders”). Beneficial ownership and voting power of the 47,885,883 shares of Common Stock owned or controlled by the Shareholders is being reported solely because Hecla Mining Company may be deemed to have beneficial ownership and voting power with respect to such Common Stock as a result of entering into (i) a Support Letter Agreement with Sentry, dated March 15, 2018, (ii) a Support Letter Agreement with CI, dated March 16, 2018, and (iii) separate Voting Agreements with each Individual Shareholder, each dated as of March 16, 2018. Neither the filing of this Schedule 13D nor any of its contents shall be deemed to constitute an admission by any Reporting Person that it is the beneficial owner of such 47,885,883 shares of Common Stock for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, or for any other purpose, and such beneficial ownership thereof is expressly disclaimed.

 

 

(2)

This amount includes the aggregate amounts of shares subject to, or that may be acquired in connection with, the following securities held by the Individual Shareholders: (i) 1,900,834 Options; (ii) 308,279 RSUs; and (iii) 270,274 DSUs.

 

5

 

 

Item 1.

Security and Issuer

   
 

The class of equity securities to which this Schedule 13D relates is the common stock, no par value (the “Common Stock”), of Klondex Mines Ltd., a company existing under the laws of the Province of British Columbia (the “Issuer”). The principal executive offices of the Issuer are located at 6110 Plumas Street, Suite A, Reno, Nevada 89519.

   

Item 2.

Identity and Background

   
 

This Schedule 13D is being filed jointly, pursuant to a joint filing agreement included as Exhibit 1 hereto, by:

   
 

(i) Hecla Mining Company, a Delaware corporation (“Parent”). The principal office of Parent is 6500 North Mineral Drive, Suite 200, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83815-9408. Parent is a precious metals mining company.

   
 

(ii) 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, an unlimited liability company existing under the laws of the Province of British Columbia (“Acquireco” and together with Parent, the “Reporting Persons”). The principal office of Acquireco is 800 West Pender Street, Suite 970, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6C 2V6. Acquireco is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Parent formed for purposes of entering into the Arrangement described in Item 4.

 

The name, business address, present principal occupation or employment and certain other information relating to each of the directors and executive officers of the Reporting Persons is set forth on Schedule A hereto, and is incorporated by reference.

   
 

During the last five years, none of the Reporting Persons nor, to the best of the Reporting Persons’ knowledge, any of the persons listed on Schedule A attached hereto have (i) been convicted in a criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations or similar misdemeanors) or (ii) been a party to a civil proceeding of a judicial or administrative body of competent jurisdiction and as a result of such proceeding was or is subject to a judgment, decree or final order enjoining future violations of, or prohibiting or mandating activities subject to, U.S. federal or state securities laws or finding any violation with respect to such laws.

   

Item 3.

Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration

   
 

The Shareholders Agreements described in Item 4 of this Schedule 13D (the terms of which are hereby incorporated by reference) were entered into between Parent and each of Sentry Investments Inc. (“Sentry”), CI Investments Inc. (“CI”), William Matlack, Blair Schultz, Paul Huet, Ritch Hall, Barry Dahl, James Haggarty, and Rodney Cooper (each an “Individual Shareholder” and together with Sentry and CI, the “Shareholders”). Neither Acquireco nor Parent paid additional consideration to the Shareholders in connection with the execution and delivery of the Shareholders Agreements, and thus no funds were used for such purpose.

 

6

 

 

Item 4.

Purpose of Transaction

   
 

Arrangement Agreement

   
 

On March 16, 2018, Parent and Acquireco entered into an Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) with the Issuer. Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, Parent will acquire all of the outstanding shares of the Issuer (the Arrangement”), and Issuer’s shareholders will receive total consideration with a value of US$2.71 per share (based on the market price of Parent common stock on March 16, 2018), consisting of (A) cash and Parent common stock, with a value (as of March 16, 2018) of US$2.47 per share, and (B) shares of a new company (“Spinco”) formed to hold the Issuer’s Canadian assets, with a value of US$0.24 per share of Spinco. The Issuer’s shareholders may elect to receive either (i) US$2.47 in cash (the “Cash Alternative”) or (ii) 0.6272 of a Parent share (the “Share Alternative”), or (iii) US$0.8411 in cash and 0.4136 of a share of Parent common stock (the “Combined Alternative”), currently valued at US$2.47, subject in the case of the Cash Alternative and the Share Alternative to proration based on a maximum total cash consideration of US$157,410,417 and a maximum total number of Parent shares issued of 77,411,859. The Issuer’s shareholders who fail to properly elect either the Cash Alternative or the Share Alternative will be deemed to have elected the Combined Alternative. If all shareholders elected either the Cash Alternative or the Share Alternative, as a result of proration each shareholder would be entitled to receive US$0.8411 in cash and 0.4136 of a Parent share. The Issuer’s shareholders will also receive 0.125 of a share of Spinco for each of the Issuer’s common shares (after giving effect to an 8:1 share consolidation in Spinco). As a result of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, each holder of a warrant of the Issuer will receive upon the exercise of such warrant such securities and other property, if any, which the holder is entitled to receive under the terms of their warrant.

 

Pursuant to the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, at the effective time of the Arrangement, the directors and officers of the Issuer immediately prior to the effective time of the Arrangement will resign and be replaced in accordance with the Arrangement Agreement. In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, at the effective time of the Arrangement and amalgamation, the articles and notice of articles of the combined entity of Acquireco and the Issuer will be in the form of Acquireco’s articles and notice of articles. If the Arrangement is completed, the shares of Common Stock will be delisted from the NYSE American LLC and the Toronto Stock Exchange and will be deregistered under the Exchange Act.

 

7

 

 

 

The Arrangement Agreement has been approved by the Board of Directors of each of the Issuer and Parent. The Arrangement is currently expected to close in the second quarter of 2018 and is subject to customary closing conditions, including, among others, the following: (i) the affirmative vote of holders of 66.67% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the affirmative vote of 66.67% of the affected shareholders of the Issuer voting as a single class, and, if applicable, the affirmative vote of a majority of the holders of the outstanding shares of Common Stock after excluding any votes of Parent and other persons required to be excluded under applicable law, in each case approving the Arrangement Agreement and the Arrangement; (ii) the expiration of the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976; (iii) the accuracy of the representations and warranties therein of the parties thereto (subject in some cases to a material adverse effect standard); and (iv) material compliance by the parties thereto with their obligations under the Arrangement Agreement, including, among other things, covenants, subject to certain exceptions, of the Issuer to not solicit any Acquisition Proposals (as defined in the Arrangement Agreement) or change its recommendation to the shareholders of the Issuer to approve the Arrangement and the Arrangement Agreement.

 

The description contained in this Item 4 of certain principal terms of, and the transactions contemplated by, the Arrangement Agreement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Arrangement Agreement, the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 2 hereto.

 

The Arrangement Agreement contains representations and warranties that Parent and the Issuer made. The assertions embodied in those representations and warranties are qualified by information in a confidential disclosure letter that the Issuer has exchanged in connection with signing the Arrangement Agreement. While Parent does not believe that it contains information securities laws require Parent to publicly disclose other than information that has already been so disclosed, the disclosure letter does contain information that modifies, qualifies and creates exceptions to the representations and warranties set forth in the Arrangement Agreement. Accordingly, the representations and warranties should not be relied on as characterizations of the actual state of facts, since they are modified in important part by the disclosure letter. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may have changed since the date of the Arrangement Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in public disclosures.

 

Shareholders Agreements

 

Sentry entered into a Support Letter Agreement with Parent, dated March 15, 2018 (the “Sentry Agreement”); CI entered into a Support Letter Agreement with Parent, dated March 16, 2018 (the “CI Agreement”); and each of the Individual Shareholders entered into separate Voting Agreements with Parent each dated as of March 16, 2018 (each a “Voting Agreement” and together with the Sentry Agreement and the CI Agreement, the “Shareholders Agreements”). The Shareholders collectively directly own or may be deemed to own or have control over 47,885,883 shares of Common Stock.

 

8

 

 

 

Pursuant to the Sentry Agreement, Sentry irrevocably agreed that, unless the Sentry Agreement has been terminated, Sentry will vote or cause to be voted all of the shares of Common Stock over which Sentry exercises control (the “Sentry Shares”) in favor of the Arrangement and will not exercise any rights of dissent provided under the Arrangement, any applicable laws or otherwise. Sentry further agreed that, until termination of the Sentry Agreement, it will (i) not sell, option, transfer or otherwise encumber the Sentry Shares; (ii) not solicit a competing transaction or otherwise knowingly take any action of any kind which is reasonably likely to reduce the likelihood of success of the Arrangement; (iii) not grant or agree to grant any proxy or other right to vote the Sentry Shares, or enter into any voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind as to the Sentry Shares; and (iv) not do indirectly anything that Sentry has agreed not to do directly in the Sentry Agreement.

 

Pursuant to the CI Agreement, CI irrevocably agreed that, unless the CI Agreement has been terminated, CI will vote or cause to be voted all of the shares of Common Stock over which CI exercises control (the “CI Shares”) in favor of the Arrangement and will not exercise any rights of dissent provided under the Arrangement, any applicable laws or otherwise. CI further agreed that, until termination of the CI Agreement, it will (i) not sell, option, transfer or otherwise encumber the CI Shares; (ii) not solicit a competing transaction or otherwise knowingly take any action of any kind which is reasonably likely to reduce the likelihood of success of the Arrangement; (iii) not grant or agree to grant any proxy or other right to vote the CI Shares, or enter into any voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind as to the CI Shares; and (iv) not do indirectly anything that CI has agreed not to do directly in the CI Agreement. Nothing in the CI Agreement will prohibit CI from selling, transferring, assigning or otherwise disposing of any CI Shares held by a mutual fund for which CI acts as a portfolio manager (i) to the extent required to fund a redemption of greater than 10% of the securities of the mutual fund by its securityholders, or (ii) after May 31, 2018, to the extent required to comply with applicable Canadian securities laws; however, in the event the sale, transfer, assignment or disposition of any CI Shares occurs after the record date for the meeting of shareholders of the Issuer to approve the Arrangement, CI will use commercially reasonable efforts to vote or cause to be voted all CI Shares in favor of the Arrangement prior to such sale, transfer, assignment or disposition.

 

9

 

 

 

Pursuant to each Voting Agreement, the Individual Shareholder party thereto agreed to vote or cause to be voted such Individual Shareholder’s shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such Individual Shareholder (as set forth in such Individual Shareholder’s Voting Agreement): (i) in favor of the approval of the Arrangement Agreement and the transactions contemplated in the Arrangement Agreement, at every meeting of the shareholders of the Issuer at which such matters are considered and at every adjournment or postponement thereof; and (ii) against (1) any Acquisition Proposal (as defined in the Arrangement Agreement), (2) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement which could reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Individual Shareholder under the Voting Agreement, and (3) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement that could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, delay, discourage, adversely affect or inhibit the timely consummation of the Arrangement or change in any manner the voting rights of any class of shares of the Issuer (including any amendments to the notice of articles or articles of the Issuer). Each of the Individual Shareholders agreed to grant, under certain circumstances, an irrevocable proxy appointing Parent as the Individual Shareholder’s proxy and attorney-in-fact (with full power of substitution and resubstitution) to vote such Individual Shareholder’s shares of Common Stock at any meeting of the shareholders of the Issuer called with respect to any of the matters specified in the Voting Agreements, and in accordance and consistent with the above.

 

Parent has also entered into separate Support Agreements each dated as of March 16, 2018 (the “Support Agreements”) with Brian Morris, Charles Oliver, John Antwi, Mark Daniel, and Michael Doolin (the “Supporting Shareholders”). Pursuant to the Support Agreements, each Supporting Shareholder has agreed not to, among other things, (i) solicit or otherwise facilitate, or enter into or otherwise engage in any substantive discussions or negotiations regarding any inquiry or proposal that constitutes or reasonably may be expected to lead to an Acquisition Proposal (as defined in the Arrangement Agreement), (ii) directly or indirectly sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber any of the shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such Supporting Shareholder (“Supporting Shares”), and (iii) take any other action of any kind which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of, the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement. The Supporting Shareholders have further agreed that they will cooperate with the Issuer and Parent to successfully complete the Arrangement and the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, provided that nothing in the Support Agreements shall oblige the Supporting Shareholders to provide Parent any proxy, voting instructions, power of attorney or similar instrument regarding the voting of their respective Supporting Shares in favor of the approval of the Arrangement Agreement at the special meeting of shareholders or any other meeting of the Issuer at which such matters are considered.

   
 

The description contained in this Item 4 of certain principal terms of, and the transactions contemplated by, the Shareholders Agreements is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Shareholders Agreements, the terms of each of which are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3 through Exhibit 11, hereto.

 

Except as set forth in this Schedule 13D, the Arrangement Agreement and the Shareholders Agreements, none of the Reporting Persons have any plans or proposals which relate to or which would result in or relate to any of the actions specified in subparagraphs (a) through (j) of Item 4 of Schedule 13D of the Exchange Act.

 

10

 

 

Item 5.

Interest in Securities of the Issuer

   
 

(a)-(b) By virtue of the Shareholders Agreements, Parent and Acquireco may be deemed to share the power to direct the vote, and may be deemed to be the beneficial owners of, 47,885,883 shares of Common Stock, representing approximately 26.3% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (based upon a total number of 179,614,947 shares outstanding, as represented and warranted by the Issuer in the Arrangement Agreement). The Reporting Persons, however, hereby disclaim beneficial ownership of such shares, and this Schedule 13D shall not be construed as an admission that the Reporting Persons are, for any or all purposes, the beneficial owner of the securities covered by this Schedule 13D.

   
 

(c) Except as described in this Schedule 13D, no Reporting Person and, to the best of the Reporting Persons’ knowledge, no person listed on Schedule A hereto has beneficial ownership of, or has engaged in any transaction during the past 60 days involving, any shares of Common Stock.

 

(d) No Reporting Person and, to the best of the Reporting Persons’ knowledge, no person listed on Schedule A hereto has the right to receive or the power to direct the receipt of dividends from, or the proceeds from the sale of, the 47,896,993 shares of Common Stock owned by the Shareholders and that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the Reporting Persons.

 

(e) Not applicable.

   

Item 6.

Contracts, Arrangements, Understandings or Relationships With Respect to Securities of the Issuer

   
 

The information set forth under Items 3, 4 and 5 and the agreements filed as Exhibits 2 through 16 hereto are incorporated herein by reference. Other than the Arrangement Agreement, the Shareholders Agreements and the Support Agreements described in Item 4, there are no contracts, arrangements, understandings or relationships (legal or otherwise) between the Reporting Persons and any person with respect to the securities of the Issuer, including, but not limited to, transfer or voting of any of the securities, finder’s fees, joint ventures, loan or option arrangements, puts or calls, guarantees of profits, division of profits or loss, or the giving or withholding of proxies.

   

Item 7.

Material to Be Filed as Exhibits

 

 

Exhibit 1:

Joint Filing Agreement
 

Exhibit 2:

Arrangement Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, by and among the Issuer, Parent, and Acquireco. Filed as exhibit 2.1 to Parent’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 19, 2018 (File No. 1-8491), and incorporated herein by reference.
 

Exhibit 3:

Support Letter Agreement, dated March 15, 2018, between Sentry Investments Inc. and Parent

 

11

 

 

 

Exhibit 4:

Support Letter Agreement, dated March 16, 2018, between CI Investments Inc. and Parent
 

Exhibit 5:

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between William Matlack and Parent
 

Exhibit 6:

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Rodney Cooper and Parent
 

Exhibit 7:

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Richard J. Hall and Parent
 

Exhibit 8:

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Paul Andre Huet and Parent
 

Exhibit 9:

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Jamie Haggarty and Parent
 

Exhibit 10:

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Blair Schultz and Parent
 

Exhibit 11:

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Barry Dahl and Parent
 

Exhibit 12:

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Brian Morris and Parent
 

Exhibit 13:

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Charles Oliver and Parent
 

Exhibit 14:

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between John Antwi and Parent
 

Exhibit 15:

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Mark Daniel and Parent
 

Exhibit 16:

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Michael Doolin and Parent

 


 

12

 

 

Signature

 

After reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

 

 

 

HECLA MINING COMPANY

 

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald                                      

Name: Dean W.A. McDonald

Title: Senior Vice President - Exploration

Dated: March 23, 2018

 

1156291 B.C. Unlimited

Liability Company

 

 

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald                                      

Name: Dean W.A. McDonald

Title: Vice President

Dated: March 23, 2018

 

13

 

 

Exhibit Index

 

 

Exhibit 1

Joint Filing Agreement

Exhibit 2

Arrangement Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, by and among the Issuer, Parent, and Acquireco. Filed as exhibit 2.1 to Parent’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on March 19, 2018 (File No. 1-8491), and incorporated herein by reference.

Exhibit 3

Support Letter Agreement, dated March 15, 2018, between Sentry Investments Inc. and Parent

Exhibit 4

Support Letter Agreement, dated March 16, 2018, between CI Investments Inc. and Parent

Exhibit 5

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between William Matlack and Parent

Exhibit 6

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Rodney Cooper and Parent

Exhibit 7

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Richard J. Hall and Parent

Exhibit 8

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Paul Andre Huet and Parent

Exhibit 9

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Jamie Haggarty and Parent

Exhibit 10

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Blair Schultz and Parent

Exhibit 11

Voting Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Barry Dahl and Parent

Exhibit 12

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Brian Morris and Parent

Exhibit 13

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Charles Oliver and Parent

Exhibit 14

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between John Antwi Parent

Exhibit 15

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Mark Daniel and Parent

Exhibit 16

Support Agreement, dated as of March 16, 2018, between Michael Doolin and Parent

 

14

EX-99.1 2 ex_108718.htm EXHIBIT 1 ex_108718.htm

EXHIBIT 1

 

JOINT FILING AGREEMENT

 

The undersigned hereby agree to the joint filing of the Schedule 13D to which this Agreement is attached.

 

 

HECLA MINING COMPANY

 

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald                                      

Name: Dean W.A. McDonald

Title: Senior Vice President - Exploration

Dated: March 23, 2018

 

1156291 B.C. Unlimited

Liability Company

 

 

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald                                      

Name: Dean W.A. McDonald

Title: Vice President

Dated: March 23, 2018

 

 

 

 

Schedule A

 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OF HECLA MINING COMPANY

 

The name, business address, title and present principal occupation or employment of each of the directors and executive officers of Hecla Mining Company are set forth below. The current business address of each of these individuals is 6500 North Mineral Drive, Suite 200, Couer d’Alene, Idaho 83815-9408, and the current business phone number of each of these individuals is (208) 769-4100. Unless otherwise indicated, each occupation set forth opposite an individual’s name refers to Hecla Mining Company. All of the persons listed below are U.S. citizens except for Messrs. Brown, Hall and McDonald who are Canadian citizens.

 

Name, Title and Address

Principal Occupation

Name, Principal Business and

Address of Organization in which

Principal Occupation is

Conducted

Phillips S. Baker, Jr., President and CEO, Director

President and CEO, Director

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

Lindsay A. Hall, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

Lawrence P. Radford, Senior Vice President – Operations

Senior Vice President – Operations

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

Dr. Dean W.A. McDonald, Senior Vice President – Exploration

Senior Vice President – Exploration

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

David C. Sienko, Vice President and General Counsel

Vice President and General Counsel

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

Robert D. Brown, Vice President – Corporate Development

Vice President – Corporate Development

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

Ted Crumley, Director and Chairman of the Board

   

George R. Nethercutt, Jr., Director

Of Counsel

Lee & Hayes Law Offices (law firm)

601 W. Riverside, Suite 14500

Spokane, WA 99201

Terry V. Rogers, Director

   

Charles B. Stanley, Director

Executive Vice President and Director of QEP Resources, Inc.

QEP Resources, Inc. (natural gas and oil exploration and production company)

1050 17th Street, Suite 800

Denver, CO 80265

George R. Johnson, Director

   

Stephen F. Ralbovsky, Director

Sole Proprietor

Wolf Sky Consulting (mining and mining tax consulting company)

12138 N. 120th Way

Scottsdale, AZ 85259

Catherine J. Boggs

General Counsel

Resource Capital Funds (mining-focused private equity firm)

1400 Sixteenth St., Suite 200

Denver, CO 80202

 

 

 

 

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS OF 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company

 

The name, business address, title and present principal occupation or employment of each of the directors and executive officers of 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company are set forth below. The current business address of each of these individuals is 6500 North Mineral Drive, Suite 200, Couer d’Alene, Idaho 83815-9408, and the current business phone number of each of these individuals is (208) 769-4100. Unless otherwise indicated, each occupation set forth opposite an individual’s name refers to Hecla Mining Company. Ms. Whitman is a U.S. citizen; Messrs. Brown and McDonald are Canadian citizens.

 

Name, Title and Address

Principal Occupation

Name, Principal Business and

Address of Organization in which

Principal Occupation is

Conducted

Robert D. Brown, President and

Director

Vice President – Corporate Development

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

Dr. Dean W.A. McDonald, Vice

President and Director

Senior Vice President – Exploration

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

Tami D. Whitman

Secretary

Hecla Mining Company (precious metals mining company)

 

EX-99.3 3 ex_108632.htm EXHIBIT 3 ex_108632.htm

Exhibit 3

 

[Letterhead of Sentry Investments Inc.]

 

 

March 15, 2018

 

Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko,

  Vice President – General Counsel

                  

 

Dear Sirs:

 

Re:

Proposed Arrangement with Klondex Mines Ltd.

 

We refer to the arrangement agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) proposed to be entered into between Klondex Mines Ltd. (“Klondex”), Hecla Mining Company (“Hecla”) and 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company (“Acquireco”) providing for the acquisition by Acquireco of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Klondex (the “Arrangement”).

 

We represent and warrant that: (i) we beneficially own 16,933,900 common shares of Klondex (the “Affected Securities”) with good and marketable title thereto and free and clear of any encumbrances or any other rights or claims of others; and (ii) we have full power and authority to fulfill our obligations hereunder and doing so will not violate or conflict with applicable law or any agreement instrument or document to which we are party or by which we are bound.

We understand that you wish to have our agreement that we support the Arrangement and will not conduct ourselves in a manner that is inconsistent with the completion of the Arrangement. Accordingly, we agree that, during the period from the date of this letter to the Letter Termination (as hereinafter defined), we will: (i) not sell, option, transfer or otherwise encumber the Affected Securities or any interest therein; (ii) not solicit a competing transaction or otherwise knowingly take any action of any kind which is reasonably likely to reduce the likelihood of success of the Arrangement; (iii) not grant or agree to grant any proxy or other right to vote the Affected Securities, or enter into any voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of securityholders or give consents or approvals of any kind as to the Affected Securities; (iv) not do indirectly anything that we have agreed not to do directly in this Agreement; and (v) deposit all of the Affected Securities, together with a duly completed and executed letter of transmittal, with the depositary specified in connection with the Arrangement in accordance with the terms thereof.

 

In addition, we irrevocably covenant and agree in favour of Hecla and Acquireco that, unless the Letter Termination has occurred: (i) we will vote or to cause to be voted the Affected Securities in favour of the Arrangement and all other matters related thereto including in connection with any separate vote of any sub-group of securityholders that may be required to be taken and of which sub-group we form a part; (ii) we will not exercise any rights of dissent provided under the Arrangement, any applicable laws or otherwise in connection with the Arrangement or any other corporate transaction considered at the meeting of holders of Affected Securities of Klondex in connection with the Arrangement.

 

 

 

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this letter, our obligations hereunder shall automatically terminate (the “Letter Termination”): (i) if the Arrangement Agreement is amended without our prior written consent to reduce the amount of the consideration payable thereunder in respect of the Affected Securities; (ii) if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated for any reason; (iii) if the Outside Date (as such term is defined in the Arrangement Agreement) is extended beyond the date which is four months after the date of this letter without our prior written consent, (iv) if the directors of Klondex withdraw their approval of the Arrangement or approve or recommend any Competing Proposal (as defined in the Arrangement Agreement) in respect of Klondex in a manner that complies with the Arrangement Agreement, or (v) if the representations and warranties of each of Hecla and Acquireco as set forth in the Arrangement Agreement are not true and correct or Hecla or Acquireco have not complied with all of their covenants to Klondex contained in the Arrangement Agreement and such non-compliance has not been cured within five business days after receipt of written notice of such non-compliance, delivered by us or Klondex.

 

We confirm that this letter agreement constitutes our legal, valid and binding obligation and is enforceable against us in accordance with its terms. We also recognize and acknowledge that this Agreement is an integral part of the transactions contemplated in the Arrangement Agreement, that Hecla and Acquireco will not enter into the Arrangement Agreement unless this Agreement is executed, and accordingly acknowledge and agree that a breach by us of any covenants or other commitments contained in this Agreement will cause Hecla and Acquireco to sustain injury for which they would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Therefore, we agree that in the event of any such breach, you shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such covenants or commitments and preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which you may be entitled, at law or in equity and further agree to waive any requirement for the securing or posting of any bond in connection with the obtaining of any such injunctive or equitable relief.

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.

 

2

 

 

We look forward to the successful completion of the Arrangement.

 

Yours truly,

 

Sentry Investments Inc.

 

 

/s/ Ryan Caughey                                 
By:      Ryan Caughey
Name: Senior Vice-President and General Counsel

 

 

 

Acknowledged and agreed this  16  day of March, 2018.

 

Hecla Mining Company

 


By:      /s/ Dean W. A. McDonald                  
Name: Dean McDonald

 

 

3

EX-99.4 4 ex_108638.htm EXHIBIT 4 ex_108638.htm

Exhibit 4

 

[Letterhead of CI Investments]

 

 

March 16, 2018

 

Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko,
Vice President – General Counsel

 

 

Dear Sirs:

 

Re:

Proposed Arrangement with Klondex Mines Ltd.

 

We refer to the arrangement agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) proposed to be entered into between Klondex Mines Ltd. (“Klondex”), Hecla Mining Company (“Hecla”) and 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company (“Acquireco”) providing for the acquisition by Acquireco of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Klondex (the “Arrangement”).

 

We represent and warrant that: (i) we exercise control over 25,561,959 common shares of Klondex (the “Affected Securities”) with good and marketable title thereto and free and clear of any encumbrances or any other rights or claims of others; and (ii) we have full power and authority to fulfill our obligations hereunder and doing so will not violate or conflict with applicable law or any agreement instrument or document to which we are party or by which we are bound.

 

We understand that you wish to have our agreement that we support the Arrangement and will not conduct ourselves in a manner that is inconsistent with the completion of the Arrangement. Accordingly, we agree that, during the period from the date of this letter to the Letter Termination (as hereinafter defined), we will: (i) not sell, option, transfer or otherwise encumber the Affected Securities or any interest therein; (ii) not solicit a competing transaction or otherwise knowingly take any action of any kind which is reasonably likely to reduce the likelihood of success of the Arrangement; (iii) not grant or agree to grant any proxy or other right to vote the Affected Securities, or enter into any voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of securityholders or give consents or approvals of any kind as to the Affected Securities; (iv) not do indirectly anything that we have agreed not to do directly in this Agreement; and (v) deposit all of the Affected Securities, together with a duly completed and executed letter of transmittal, with the depositary specified in connection with the Arrangement in accordance with the terms thereof.

 

 

 

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this letter agreement shall in any way prohibit us from selling, transferring, assigning or otherwise disposing of any of the Affected Securities held by a mutual fund for which we act as portfolio manager: (i) to the extent required to fund a redemption of greater than 10% of the securities of the mutual fund by its securityholders, or (ii) after May 31, 2018, to the extent required to comply with applicable Canadian securities laws governing an investment’s fund’s ownership of securities provided that in the event of any such sale, transfer, assignment or disposition that occurs after the record date for the meeting of shareholders of Klondex called to approve the Arrangement, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to vote or cause to be voted all Affected Securities in favour of the Arrangement prior to completion of such sale, transfer, assignment or disposition.

 

In addition, we irrevocably covenant and agree in favour of Hecla and Acquireco that, unless the Letter Termination has occurred: (i) we will vote or to cause to be voted the Affected Securities in favour of the Arrangement and all other matters related thereto including in connection with any separate vote of any sub-group of securityholders that may be required to be taken and of which sub-group we form a part; (ii) we will not exercise any rights of dissent provided under the Arrangement, any applicable laws or otherwise in connection with the Arrangement or any other corporate transaction considered at the meeting of holders of Affected Securities of Klondex in connection with the Arrangement.

 

Notwithstanding any other provision of this letter agreement, our obligations hereunder shall automatically terminate (the “Letter Termination”): (i) if the Arrangement Agreement is amended without our prior written consent to reduce the amount of the consideration payable thereunder in respect of the Affected Securities; (ii) if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated for any reason; (iii) if the Outside Date (as such term is defined in the Arrangement Agreement) is extended beyond the date which is four months after the date of this letter without our prior written consent, (iv) if the directors of Klondex withdraw their approval of the Arrangement or approve or recommend any Superior Proposal (as defined in the Arrangement Agreement) in respect of Klondex in a manner that complies with the Arrangement Agreement, or (v) if the representations and warranties of each of Hecla and Acquireco as set forth in the Arrangement Agreement are not true and correct or Hecla or Acquireco have not complied with all of their covenants to Klondex contained in the Arrangement Agreement and such non-compliance has not been cured within five business days after receipt of written notice of such non-compliance, delivered by us or Klondex.

 

We confirm that this letter agreement constitutes our legal, valid and binding obligation and is enforceable against us in accordance with its terms. We also recognize and acknowledge that this Agreement is an integral part of the transactions contemplated in the Arrangement Agreement, that Hecla and Acquireco will not enter into the Arrangement Agreement unless this Agreement is executed, and accordingly acknowledge and agree that a breach by us of any covenants or other commitments contained in this Agreement will cause Hecla and Acquireco to sustain injury for which they would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Therefore, we agree that in the event of any such breach, you shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such covenants or commitments and preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which you may be entitled, at law or in equity and further agree to waive any requirement for the securing or posting of any bond in connection with the obtaining of any such injunctive or equitable relief.

 

2

 

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.

 

We look forward to the successful completion of the Arrangement.

 

Yours truly,

 

CI Investments Inc.

 


By:       /s/ Brandon Snow                                  
Name: Brandon Snow, Principal and Chief Investment Officer,
            Cambridge Global Asset Management

 


By:       /s/ Caitlin Dean                                    
Name: Caitlin Dean, Senior Vice-President, Portfolio Operations

 

 

 

Acknowledged and agreed this  16  day of March, 2018.

 

Hecla Mining Company

 

     
By:      /s/ Dean W. A. McDonald          
Name: Dean McDonald

 

 

3

EX-99.5 5 ex_108639.htm EXHIBIT 5 ex_108639.htm

Exhibit 5

 

 

VOTING AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

William Matlack

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware

(the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1 
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

at any Company Meeting of securityholders called to vote upon the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting) with respect to the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement is sought, the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum and shall vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) in favour of the approval of the Arrangement and any other matter necessary for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(b)

at any Meeting of securityholders of the Company or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval of all or some of the securityholders of the Company is sought (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting), the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing quorum and shall, unless otherwise directed by the Purchaser in writing, vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) against (1) any Acquisition Proposal, (2) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement which could reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Shareholder under this Agreement and (3) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement that could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, delay, discourage, adversely affect or inhibit the timely consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or change in any manner the voting rights of any class of shares of the Company (including any amendments to the notice or article or articles of the Company);

 

2

 

 

 

(c)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(d)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

     
  (e) the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly (i) sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, or (ii) grant any proxies or power of attorney, deposit any of its Subject Securities (to which voting rights attach) into any voting trust or enter into any voting arrangement, whether by proxy, voting agreement or otherwise, with respect to its Subject Securities, other than pursuant to this Agreement;

 

3

 

 

 

(f)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(g)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b);

 

 

(h)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have;

 

 

(i)

solely in the event of a failure by the Shareholder to act in accordance with Shareholder’s obligations as to voting pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) and (b) above, the Shareholder hereby appoints the Purchaser and any designee of Purchaser, and each of them individually, its proxies and attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to vote during the term of this Agreement with respect to the Subject Shares in accordance with Sections 2.1(a) and (b). This proxy and power of attorney is given solely to secure the performance of the duties of Shareholder under this Agreement. The Shareholder shall take such further action or execute such forms of proxy, voting instructions or similar instruments as may be necessary to effectuate the intent of this proxy. This proxy and power of attorney granted by the Shareholder shall be irrevocable during the term of this Agreement, shall be deemed to be coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable proxy and shall revoke any and all prior proxies granted by the Shareholder with respect to the Subject Shares. The power of attorney granted by the Shareholder herein is a durable power of attorney and shall survive the bankruptcy of Shareholder. The proxy and power of attorney granted hereunder shall terminate upon the termination of this Agreement; and

 

 

(j)

without limiting the generality of Section 5.2, no later than ten business days prior to the date of the Company Meeting: (i) with respect to any Subject Securities that are registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in accordance with the instructions set out in the Circular of the Company and with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently with such delivery, a duly executed proxy or proxies directing the holder of such proxy or proxies to vote such Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) in favour of the Arrangement; and (ii) with respect to any Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) that are beneficially owned by the Shareholder but not registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver a duly executed voting instruction form to the intermediary through which the Shareholder holds its beneficial interest in the Shareholder’s Subject Securities, with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently, instructing that the Shareholder’s Subject Securities be voted at the Company Meeting in favour of the Arrangement. Such proxy or proxies shall name those individuals as may be designated by the Company in the Circular of the Company and such proxy or proxies or voting instructions shall be revoked upon the earlier of: (i) the written consent of the Purchaser or (ii) upon the termination of this Agreement.

 

4

 

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

5

 

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

6

 

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) as contemplated herein. None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

7

 

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

     
    Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile: (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com
     
  with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
  Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8
     
 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

     
  And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

  Attention: J. Craig Walker
  Facsimile:   (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com
     

     

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

10

 

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

11

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

   

Hecla Mining Company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald                            

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

 

 

 

 

  William Matlack
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ William Matlack
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
   
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Director
  (Print Name and Title)
   
 

Address:     

 
     
     
     
     
     
  Telephone:  
     
  Facsimile:  
   
  1,222,488
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  197,000
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  0
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  45,046
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

EX-99.6 6 ex_108640.htm EXHIBIT 6 ex_108640.htm

Exhibit 6

 

 

VOTING AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Rodney Cooper

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware

(the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

at any Company Meeting of securityholders called to vote upon the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting) with respect to the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement is sought, the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum and shall vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) in favour of the approval of the Arrangement and any other matter necessary for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(b)

at any Meeting of securityholders of the Company or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval of all or some of the securityholders of the Company is sought (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting), the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing quorum and shall, unless otherwise directed by the Purchaser in writing, vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) against (1) any Acquisition Proposal, (2) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement which could reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Shareholder under this Agreement and (3) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement that could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, delay, discourage, adversely affect or inhibit the timely consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or change in any manner the voting rights of any class of shares of the Company (including any amendments to the notice or article or articles of the Company);

 

2

 

 

 

(c)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(d)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

     
  (e) the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly (i) sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, or (ii) grant any proxies or power of attorney, deposit any of its Subject Securities (to which voting rights attach) into any voting trust or enter into any voting arrangement, whether by proxy, voting agreement or otherwise, with respect to its Subject Securities, other than pursuant to this Agreement;

 

3

 

 

 

(f)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(g)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b);

 

 

(h)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have;

 

 

(i)

solely in the event of a failure by the Shareholder to act in accordance with Shareholder’s obligations as to voting pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) and (b) above, the Shareholder hereby appoints the Purchaser and any designee of Purchaser, and each of them individually, its proxies and attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to vote during the term of this Agreement with respect to the Subject Shares in accordance with Sections 2.1(a) and (b). This proxy and power of attorney is given solely to secure the performance of the duties of Shareholder under this Agreement. The Shareholder shall take such further action or execute such forms of proxy, voting instructions or similar instruments as may be necessary to effectuate the intent of this proxy. This proxy and power of attorney granted by the Shareholder shall be irrevocable during the term of this Agreement, shall be deemed to be coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable proxy and shall revoke any and all prior proxies granted by the Shareholder with respect to the Subject Shares. The power of attorney granted by the Shareholder herein is a durable power of attorney and shall survive the bankruptcy of Shareholder. The proxy and power of attorney granted hereunder shall terminate upon the termination of this Agreement; and

 

 

(j)

without limiting the generality of Section 5.2, no later than ten business days prior to the date of the Company Meeting: (i) with respect to any Subject Securities that are registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in accordance with the instructions set out in the Circular of the Company and with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently with such delivery, a duly executed proxy or proxies directing the holder of such proxy or proxies to vote such Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) in favour of the Arrangement; and (ii) with respect to any Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) that are beneficially owned by the Shareholder but not registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver a duly executed voting instruction form to the intermediary through which the Shareholder holds its beneficial interest in the Shareholder’s Subject Securities, with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently, instructing that the Shareholder’s Subject Securities be voted at the Company Meeting in favour of the Arrangement. Such proxy or proxies shall name those individuals as may be designated by the Company in the Circular of the Company and such proxy or proxies or voting instructions shall be revoked upon the earlier of: (i) the written consent of the Purchaser or (ii) upon the termination of this Agreement.

 

4

 

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

5

 

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

6

 

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) as contemplated herein. None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

7

 

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

     
    Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile: (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com
     
  with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
  Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8
     
 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

     
  And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

     
  Attention: J. Craig Walker
  Facsimile: (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

10

 

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

11

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

 

   

Hecla Mining Company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

 

 

 

 

  Rodney Cooper
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Rodney Cooper
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
   
 

(Place of Residency)

   
  Director
  (Print Name and Title)
     
  Address:                                   
     
                                      
     
     
     
  Telephone:  
     
  Facsimile:  
   
  208,320
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  26,667
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  0
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  45,046
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

 

 

                              

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

EX-99.7 7 ex_108641.htm EXHIBIT 7 ex_108641.htm

Exhibit 7

 

 

VOTING AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Richard J. Hall

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware

(the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

at any Company Meeting of securityholders called to vote upon the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting) with respect to the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement is sought, the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum and shall vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) in favour of the approval of the Arrangement and any other matter necessary for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(b)

at any Meeting of securityholders of the Company or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval of all or some of the securityholders of the Company is sought (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting), the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing quorum and shall, unless otherwise directed by the Purchaser in writing, vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) against (1) any Acquisition Proposal, (2) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement which could reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Shareholder under this Agreement and (3) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement that could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, delay, discourage, adversely affect or inhibit the timely consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or change in any manner the voting rights of any class of shares of the Company (including any amendments to the notice or article or articles of the Company);

 

2

 

 

 

(c)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(d)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

     
  (e) the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly (i) sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, or (ii) grant any proxies or power of attorney, deposit any of its Subject Securities (to which voting rights attach) into any voting trust or enter into any voting arrangement, whether by proxy, voting agreement or otherwise, with respect to its Subject Securities, other than pursuant to this Agreement;

 

3

 

 

 

(f)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(g)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b);

 

 

(h)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have;

 

 

(i)

solely in the event of a failure by the Shareholder to act in accordance with Shareholder’s obligations as to voting pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) and (b) above, the Shareholder hereby appoints the Purchaser and any designee of Purchaser, and each of them individually, its proxies and attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to vote during the term of this Agreement with respect to the Subject Shares in accordance with Sections 2.1(a) and (b). This proxy and power of attorney is given solely to secure the performance of the duties of Shareholder under this Agreement. The Shareholder shall take such further action or execute such forms of proxy, voting instructions or similar instruments as may be necessary to effectuate the intent of this proxy. This proxy and power of attorney granted by the Shareholder shall be irrevocable during the term of this Agreement, shall be deemed to be coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable proxy and shall revoke any and all prior proxies granted by the Shareholder with respect to the Subject Shares. The power of attorney granted by the Shareholder herein is a durable power of attorney and shall survive the bankruptcy of Shareholder. The proxy and power of attorney granted hereunder shall terminate upon the termination of this Agreement; and

 

 

(j)

without limiting the generality of Section 5.2, no later than ten business days prior to the date of the Company Meeting: (i) with respect to any Subject Securities that are registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in accordance with the instructions set out in the Circular of the Company and with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently with such delivery, a duly executed proxy or proxies directing the holder of such proxy or proxies to vote such Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) in favour of the Arrangement; and (ii) with respect to any Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) that are beneficially owned by the Shareholder but not registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver a duly executed voting instruction form to the intermediary through which the Shareholder holds its beneficial interest in the Shareholder’s Subject Securities, with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently, instructing that the Shareholder’s Subject Securities be voted at the Company Meeting in favour of the Arrangement. Such proxy or proxies shall name those individuals as may be designated by the Company in the Circular of the Company and such proxy or proxies or voting instructions shall be revoked upon the earlier of: (i) the written consent of the Purchaser or (ii) upon the termination of this Agreement.

 

4

 

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

5

 

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

6

 

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) as contemplated herein. None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

7

 

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

     
    Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile: (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com
     
  with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
 

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8

     
 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

     
  And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

  Attention: J. Craig Walker
  Facsimile:    (312) 827-8179
  Email:    craig.walker@klgates.com

  

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

10

 

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

11

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

 

   

Hecla Mining Company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

 

 

 

 

  Richard J. Hall 
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Richard J. Hall
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
                                 
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Richard J. Hall, Chairman
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:                             
     
                               
     
     
     
  Telephone:                             
     
  Facsimile:   n/a  
   
  109,625
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  460,000
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  0
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  90,090
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

                             

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

EX-99.8 8 ex_108642.htm EXHIBIT 8 ex_108642.htm

Exhibit 8

 

 

VOTING AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Paul Andre Huet

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware

(the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

at any Company Meeting of securityholders called to vote upon the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting) with respect to the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement is sought, the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum and shall vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) in favour of the approval of the Arrangement and any other matter necessary for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(b)

at any Meeting of securityholders of the Company or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval of all or some of the securityholders of the Company is sought (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting), the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing quorum and shall, unless otherwise directed by the Purchaser in writing, vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) against (1) any Acquisition Proposal, (2) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement which could reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Shareholder under this Agreement and (3) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement that could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, delay, discourage, adversely affect or inhibit the timely consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or change in any manner the voting rights of any class of shares of the Company (including any amendments to the notice or article or articles of the Company);

 

2

 

 

 

(c)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(d)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

     
  (e) the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly (i) sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, or (ii) grant any proxies or power of attorney, deposit any of its Subject Securities (to which voting rights attach) into any voting trust or enter into any voting arrangement, whether by proxy, voting agreement or otherwise, with respect to its Subject Securities, other than pursuant to this Agreement;

 

3

 

 

 

(f)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(g)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b);

 

 

(h)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have;

 

 

(i)

solely in the event of a failure by the Shareholder to act in accordance with Shareholder’s obligations as to voting pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) and (b) above, the Shareholder hereby appoints the Purchaser and any designee of Purchaser, and each of them individually, its proxies and attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to vote during the term of this Agreement with respect to the Subject Shares in accordance with Sections 2.1(a) and (b). This proxy and power of attorney is given solely to secure the performance of the duties of Shareholder under this Agreement. The Shareholder shall take such further action or execute such forms of proxy, voting instructions or similar instruments as may be necessary to effectuate the intent of this proxy. This proxy and power of attorney granted by the Shareholder shall be irrevocable during the term of this Agreement, shall be deemed to be coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable proxy and shall revoke any and all prior proxies granted by the Shareholder with respect to the Subject Shares. The power of attorney granted by the Shareholder herein is a durable power of attorney and shall survive the bankruptcy of Shareholder. The proxy and power of attorney granted hereunder shall terminate upon the termination of this Agreement; and

 

 

(j)

without limiting the generality of Section 5.2, no later than ten business days prior to the date of the Company Meeting: (i) with respect to any Subject Securities that are registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in accordance with the instructions set out in the Circular of the Company and with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently with such delivery, a duly executed proxy or proxies directing the holder of such proxy or proxies to vote such Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) in favour of the Arrangement; and (ii) with respect to any Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) that are beneficially owned by the Shareholder but not registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver a duly executed voting instruction form to the intermediary through which the Shareholder holds its beneficial interest in the Shareholder’s Subject Securities, with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently, instructing that the Shareholder’s Subject Securities be voted at the Company Meeting in favour of the Arrangement. Such proxy or proxies shall name those individuals as may be designated by the Company in the Circular of the Company and such proxy or proxies or voting instructions shall be revoked upon the earlier of: (i) the written consent of the Purchaser or (ii) upon the termination of this Agreement.

 

4

 

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

5

 

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

6

 

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) as contemplated herein. None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

7

 

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

     
    Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile:  (208) 209-1278
  Email:

DSienko@hecla-mining.com

     
  with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
  Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8
     
 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

     
  And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

  Attention: J. Craig Walker
  Facsimile: (312) 827-8179
 

Email:

craig.walker@klgates.com

    

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

10

 

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

11

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

 

   

Hecla Mining Company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

 

 

 

  Paul Andre Huet
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Paul Andre Huet
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
                              
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Paul Huet
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:                                
     
                                 
     
                                 
     
  Telephone:                               
     
  Facsimile:                              
   
  495,876
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  350,000
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  228,526
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
 

220,866

  (Number of PSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)


                   

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

 

EX-99.9 9 ex_108643.htm EXHIBIT 9 ex_108643.htm

 

Exhibit 9

 

VOTING AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Jamie Haggarty

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware

(the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

at any Company Meeting of securityholders called to vote upon the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting) with respect to the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement is sought, the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum and shall vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) in favour of the approval of the Arrangement and any other matter necessary for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(b)

at any Meeting of securityholders of the Company or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval of all or some of the securityholders of the Company is sought (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting), the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing quorum and shall, unless otherwise directed by the Purchaser in writing, vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) against (1) any Acquisition Proposal, (2) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement which could reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Shareholder under this Agreement and (3) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement that could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, delay, discourage, adversely affect or inhibit the timely consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or change in any manner the voting rights of any class of shares of the Company (including any amendments to the notice or article or articles of the Company);

 

2

 

 

 

(c)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(d)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

     
  (e) the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly (i) sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, or (ii) grant any proxies or power of attorney, deposit any of its Subject Securities (to which voting rights attach) into any voting trust or enter into any voting arrangement, whether by proxy, voting agreement or otherwise, with respect to its Subject Securities, other than pursuant to this Agreement;

 

3

 

 

 

(f)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(g)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b);

 

 

(h)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have;

 

 

(i)

solely in the event of a failure by the Shareholder to act in accordance with Shareholder’s obligations as to voting pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) and (b) above, the Shareholder hereby appoints the Purchaser and any designee of Purchaser, and each of them individually, its proxies and attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to vote during the term of this Agreement with respect to the Subject Shares in accordance with Sections 2.1(a) and (b). This proxy and power of attorney is given solely to secure the performance of the duties of Shareholder under this Agreement. The Shareholder shall take such further action or execute such forms of proxy, voting instructions or similar instruments as may be necessary to effectuate the intent of this proxy. This proxy and power of attorney granted by the Shareholder shall be irrevocable during the term of this Agreement, shall be deemed to be coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable proxy and shall revoke any and all prior proxies granted by the Shareholder with respect to the Subject Shares. The power of attorney granted by the Shareholder herein is a durable power of attorney and shall survive the bankruptcy of Shareholder. The proxy and power of attorney granted hereunder shall terminate upon the termination of this Agreement; and

 

 

(j)

without limiting the generality of Section 5.2, no later than ten business days prior to the date of the Company Meeting: (i) with respect to any Subject Securities that are registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in accordance with the instructions set out in the Circular of the Company and with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently with such delivery, a duly executed proxy or proxies directing the holder of such proxy or proxies to vote such Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) in favour of the Arrangement; and (ii) with respect to any Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) that are beneficially owned by the Shareholder but not registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver a duly executed voting instruction form to the intermediary through which the Shareholder holds its beneficial interest in the Shareholder’s Subject Securities, with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently, instructing that the Shareholder’s Subject Securities be voted at the Company Meeting in favour of the Arrangement. Such proxy or proxies shall name those individuals as may be designated by the Company in the Circular of the Company and such proxy or proxies or voting instructions shall be revoked upon the earlier of: (i) the written consent of the Purchaser or (ii) upon the termination of this Agreement.

 

4

 

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

5

 

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

6

 

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) as contemplated herein. None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

7

 

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

     
    Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile: (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com
     
 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

     
  Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8
     
 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

     
  And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

     
  Attention: J. Craig Walker
  Facsimile:   (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

   

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

10

 

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

11

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

   

Hecla Mining Company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

 

 

 

  Jamie Haggarty
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Jamie Haggarty
 

(Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)

   
   
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Director
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:     
     
     
     
     
     
  Telephone:         
     
  Facsimile:   
   
  114,270
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  180,000
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  0
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  45,046
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

                              

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

EX-99.10 10 ex_108644.htm EXHIBIT 10 ex_108644.htm

Exhibit 10

 

 

VOTING AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Blair Schultz

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware

(the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

at any Company Meeting of securityholders called to vote upon the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting) with respect to the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement is sought, the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum and shall vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) in favour of the approval of the Arrangement and any other matter necessary for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(b)

at any Meeting of securityholders of the Company or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval of all or some of the securityholders of the Company is sought (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting), the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing quorum and shall, unless otherwise directed by the Purchaser in writing, vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) against (1) any Acquisition Proposal, (2) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement which could reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Shareholder under this Agreement and (3) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement that could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, delay, discourage, adversely affect or inhibit the timely consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or change in any manner the voting rights of any class of shares of the Company (including any amendments to the notice or article or articles of the Company);

 

2

 

 

 

(c)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(d)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

 

  (e) the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly (i) sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, or (ii) grant any proxies or power of attorney, deposit any of its Subject Securities (to which voting rights attach) into any voting trust or enter into any voting arrangement, whether by proxy, voting agreement or otherwise, with respect to its Subject Securities, other than pursuant to this Agreement;

 

3

 

 

 

(f)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(g)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b);

 

 

(h)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have;

 

 

(i)

solely in the event of a failure by the Shareholder to act in accordance with Shareholder’s obligations as to voting pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) and (b) above, the Shareholder hereby appoints the Purchaser and any designee of Purchaser, and each of them individually, its proxies and attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to vote during the term of this Agreement with respect to the Subject Shares in accordance with Sections 2.1(a) and (b). This proxy and power of attorney is given solely to secure the performance of the duties of Shareholder under this Agreement. The Shareholder shall take such further action or execute such forms of proxy, voting instructions or similar instruments as may be necessary to effectuate the intent of this proxy. This proxy and power of attorney granted by the Shareholder shall be irrevocable during the term of this Agreement, shall be deemed to be coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable proxy and shall revoke any and all prior proxies granted by the Shareholder with respect to the Subject Shares. The power of attorney granted by the Shareholder herein is a durable power of attorney and shall survive the bankruptcy of Shareholder. The proxy and power of attorney granted hereunder shall terminate upon the termination of this Agreement; and

 

 

(j)

without limiting the generality of Section 5.2, no later than ten business days prior to the date of the Company Meeting: (i) with respect to any Subject Securities that are registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in accordance with the instructions set out in the Circular of the Company and with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently with such delivery, a duly executed proxy or proxies directing the holder of such proxy or proxies to vote such Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) in favour of the Arrangement; and (ii) with respect to any Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) that are beneficially owned by the Shareholder but not registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver a duly executed voting instruction form to the intermediary through which the Shareholder holds its beneficial interest in the Shareholder’s Subject Securities, with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently, instructing that the Shareholder’s Subject Securities be voted at the Company Meeting in favour of the Arrangement. Such proxy or proxies shall name those individuals as may be designated by the Company in the Circular of the Company and such proxy or proxies or voting instructions shall be revoked upon the earlier of: (i) the written consent of the Purchaser or (ii) upon the termination of this Agreement.

 

4

 

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

5

 

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

6

 

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) as contemplated herein. None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

7

 

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

     
    Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile:  (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com
     
  with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
     
  Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8
     
 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

     
 

And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:

     
 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

  Attention: J. Craig Walker
  Facsimile: (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

10

 

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

11

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

 

   

Hecla Mining Company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

 

 

 

 

  Blair Schultz    
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Blair Schultz
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
   
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Director
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:     
     
     
     
     
     
  Telephone:       
     
  Facsimile:       
   
  564,333
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  480,000
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  0
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  45,046
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

                          

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

 

EX-99.11 11 ex_108645.htm EXHIBIT 11 ex_108645.htm

Exhibit 11

 

VOTING AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Barry Dahl

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

at any Company Meeting of securityholders called to vote upon the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting) with respect to the Arrangement Agreement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement is sought, the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing a quorum and shall vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) in favour of the approval of the Arrangement and any other matter necessary for the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(b)

at any Meeting of securityholders of the Company or at any adjournment or postponement thereof or in any other circumstances upon which a vote, consent or other approval of all or some of the securityholders of the Company is sought (including by written consent in lieu of a Company Meeting), the Shareholder shall cause its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) to be counted as present for purposes of establishing quorum and shall, unless otherwise directed by the Purchaser in writing, vote (or cause to be voted) its Subject Securities (which have the right to vote at such meeting) against (1) any Acquisition Proposal, (2) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement which could reasonably be expected to result in a breach of any covenant, representation or warranty or any other obligation or agreement of the Shareholder under this Agreement and (3) any action, proposal, transaction or agreement that could reasonably be expected to impede, interfere with, delay, discourage, adversely affect or inhibit the timely consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement or change in any manner the voting rights of any class of shares of the Company (including any amendments to the notice or article or articles of the Company);

 

2

 

 

 

(c)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(d)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

 

 

(e)

the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly (i) sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement, or (ii) grant any proxies or power of attorney, deposit any of its Subject Securities (to which voting rights attach) into any voting trust or enter into any voting arrangement, whether by proxy, voting agreement or otherwise, with respect to its Subject Securities, other than pursuant to this Agreement;

 

3

 

 

 

(f)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(g)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b);

 

 

(h)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have;

 

 

(i)

solely in the event of a failure by the Shareholder to act in accordance with Shareholder’s obligations as to voting pursuant to Sections 2.1(a) and (b) above, the Shareholder hereby appoints the Purchaser and any designee of Purchaser, and each of them individually, its proxies and attorneys-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, to vote during the term of this Agreement with respect to the Subject Shares in accordance with Sections 2.1(a) and (b). This proxy and power of attorney is given solely to secure the performance of the duties of Shareholder under this Agreement. The Shareholder shall take such further action or execute such forms of proxy, voting instructions or similar instruments as may be necessary to effectuate the intent of this proxy. This proxy and power of attorney granted by the Shareholder shall be irrevocable during the term of this Agreement, shall be deemed to be coupled with an interest sufficient in law to support an irrevocable proxy and shall revoke any and all prior proxies granted by the Shareholder with respect to the Subject Shares. The power of attorney granted by the Shareholder herein is a durable power of attorney and shall survive the bankruptcy of Shareholder. The proxy and power of attorney granted hereunder shall terminate upon the termination of this Agreement; and

 

 

(j)

without limiting the generality of Section 5.2, no later than ten business days prior to the date of the Company Meeting: (i) with respect to any Subject Securities that are registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in accordance with the instructions set out in the Circular of the Company and with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently with such delivery, a duly executed proxy or proxies directing the holder of such proxy or proxies to vote such Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) in favour of the Arrangement; and (ii) with respect to any Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) that are beneficially owned by the Shareholder but not registered in the name of the Shareholder, the Shareholder shall deliver a duly executed voting instruction form to the intermediary through which the Shareholder holds its beneficial interest in the Shareholder’s Subject Securities, with a copy to the Purchaser concurrently, instructing that the Shareholder’s Subject Securities be voted at the Company Meeting in favour of the Arrangement. Such proxy or proxies shall name those individuals as may be designated by the Company in the Circular of the Company and such proxy or proxies or voting instructions shall be revoked upon the earlier of: (i) the written consent of the Purchaser or (ii) upon the termination of this Agreement.

 

4

 

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

5

 

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

6

 

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote) as contemplated herein. None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

7

 

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

 

Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile: (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8

 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

 

And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

 

Attention:

J. Craig Walker

  Facsimile:  (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

10

 

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

11

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

   

Hecla Mining Company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]


 

 

  Barry Dahl
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Barry Dahl
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
 

-------------------

  (Place of Residency)
   
 

Barry Dahl

  (Print Name and Title)
       
  Address:  -------------------  
     
    -------------------
     
     
     
  Telephone: ------------------- 
     
  Facsimile: ------------------- 
       
 

195,725

  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  207,167
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  79,753
 

(Number of RSUs Held)

   
  0
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  66,848
  (Number of PSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO VOTING AGREEMENT]

EX-99.12 12 ex_108646.htm EXHIBIT 12 ex_108646.htm

Exhibit 12

 

SUPPORT AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Brian Morris

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

2

 

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

 

 

(c)

the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(d)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(e)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b) provided that nothing in this Agreement shall oblige the Shareholder to provide to the Purchaser any proxy, voting instructions, power of attorney or similar instrument regarding the voting of the Subject Securities in favour of the resolutions approving the Arrangement Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement at the Company Meeting or any other meeting of securityholders of the Company at which such matters are considered; and

 

 

(f)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have.

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

3

 

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

4

 

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote). None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

5

 

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

6

 

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

7

 

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

 

Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile: (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com

     

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8

 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

 

And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

 

Attention:

J. Craig Walker

  Facsimile:   (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

10

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

   

Hecla mining company

       
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]


 

 

  Brian Morris 
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Brian W. Morris
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
  -------------------
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Brian Morris, SVP, Exploration
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:   -------------------
     
    ------------------- 
     
     
     
  Telephone: -------------------
     
  Facsimile: -------------------
       
  20,772
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  337,000
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  54,475
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  52,424
  (Number of PSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)
   

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]

EX-99.13 13 ex_108649.htm EXHIBIT 13 ex_108649.htm

Exhibit 13

 

SUPPORT AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Charles Oliver

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

2

 

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

 

 

(c)

the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(d)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(e)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b) provided that nothing in this Agreement shall oblige the Shareholder to provide to the Purchaser any proxy, voting instructions, power of attorney or similar instrument regarding the voting of the Subject Securities in favour of the resolutions approving the Arrangement Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement at the Company Meeting or any other meeting of securityholders of the Company at which such matters are considered; and

 

 

(f)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have.

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

3

 

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

4

 

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote). None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

5

 

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

6

 

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

7

 

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

 

Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile:  (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8

 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

 

And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

 

Attention:

J. Craig Walker

  Facsimile: (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

     

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

10

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

   

Hecla mining company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]


 

 

  Charles Oliver
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Charles Oliver
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
   
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Director
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:  
       
       
       
       
       
  Telephone:  
       
 

Facsimile: 

 
       
   
  42,300
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  100,000
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  0
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  45,046
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]

EX-99.14 14 ex_108650.htm EXHIBIT 14 ex_108650.htm

Exhibit 14

 

SUPPORT AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

John Antwi

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

2

 

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

 

 

(c)

the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(d)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(e)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b) provided that nothing in this Agreement shall oblige the Shareholder to provide to the Purchaser any proxy, voting instructions, power of attorney or similar instrument regarding the voting of the Subject Securities in favour of the resolutions approving the Arrangement Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement at the Company Meeting or any other meeting of securityholders of the Company at which such matters are considered; and

 

 

(f)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have.

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

3

 

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3     
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

4

 

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote). None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

5

 

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

6

 

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

7

 

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

 

Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile: (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com

     

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8

 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

 

And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

 

Attention:

J. Craig Walker

  Facsimile: (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

     

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

10

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

   

Hecla mining company

     
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

       

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]


 

 

  John Antwi 
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ John Antwi
  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
  -----------------------
  (Place of Residency)
   
  John Antwi, Senior Vice President
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:  -----------------------
     
    ----------------------- 
     
    -----------------------
     
  Telephone: ----------------------- 
       
  Facsimile:  
       
  26,364  
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  300,000
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  45,718
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  31,385
  (Number of PSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]

EX-99.15 15 ex_108651.htm EXHIBIT 15 ex_108651.htm

Exhibit 15

 

SUPPORT AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Mark Daniel

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

2

 

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

 

 

(c)

the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(d)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(e)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b) provided that nothing in this Agreement shall oblige the Shareholder to provide to the Purchaser any proxy, voting instructions, power of attorney or similar instrument regarding the voting of the Subject Securities in favour of the resolutions approving the Arrangement Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement at the Company Meeting or any other meeting of securityholders of the Company at which such matters are considered; and

 

 

(f)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have.

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

3

 

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

4

 

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote). None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

5

 

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

6

 

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

7

 

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

 

Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile:  (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8

 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

 

And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

 

Attention:

J. Craig Walker

  Facsimile: (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

    

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

10

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

   

Hecla mining company

       
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]

 


 

 

  Mark Daniel
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
  /s/ Mark Daniel
 

(Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)

   
   
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Director
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:  
       
       
       
       
       
  Telephone:   
       
  Facsimile:   
       
  36,983
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  33,333
  (Number of Options Held)
   
  0
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
 

45,046

  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]

 

EX-99.16 16 ex_108652.htm EXHIBIT 16 ex_108652.htm

Exhibit 16

 

SUPPORT AGREEMENT

 

THIS AGREEMENT is made as of the 16 day of March, 2018.

 

BETWEEN:

 

Michael Doolin

 

(the “Shareholder”)

 

- and

 

Hecla Mining Company, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Purchaser”)

 

WHEREAS:

 

A.

the Shareholder is the registered and/or beneficial owner of that number of issued and outstanding common shares, incentive stock options, restricted share units, deferred share units and/or share purchase warrants in the capital of Klondex Mines Ltd. (the “Company”), a corporation existing under the laws of British Columbia, set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement;

 

B.

the Purchaser, 1156291 B.C. Unlimited Liability Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Purchaser, and the Company have entered into an arrangement agreement concurrently with the entering into of this Agreement (the “Arrangement Agreement”) and propose, subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, to consummate an arrangement as set forth in the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Arrangement”); and

 

C.

the Shareholder acknowledges that the Purchaser would not enter into the Arrangement Agreement but for the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder.

 

NOW THEREFORE this Agreement witnesses that, in consideration of the premises and the covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

Article 1
INTERPRETATION

 

Section 1.1     Definitions

 

All terms used in this Agreement that are not defined herein and that are defined in the Arrangement Agreement shall have the respective meanings ascribed to them in the Arrangement Agreement.

 

For the purposes of this Agreement:

 

Subject DSUs” means that number of Company DSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company DSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

 

 

 

Subject Options” means that number of Options set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Options owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject RSUs” means that number of Company RSUs set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company RSUs owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction;

 

Subject Securities” means, collectively, the Shareholder’s Subject Shares, Subject Options, Subject RSUs, Subject DSUs and Subject Warrants;

 

Subject Shares” means that number of Company Shares set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Shares owned legally or beneficially, either directly or indirectly, by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction, either directly or indirectly, and shall further include any Company Shares issued upon the exercise by the Shareholder of Company Options, Company Warrants, Company RSUs or otherwise acquired by the Shareholder after the date hereof; and

 

Subject Warrants” means that number of Company Warrants set forth on the Shareholder’s signature page attached to this Agreement, being all of the Company Warrants owned legally or beneficially by the Shareholder or over which the Shareholder exercises control or direction.

 

Article 2
COVENANTS

 

Section 2.1     General Covenants of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby covenants and agrees in favour of the Purchaser that, from the date hereof until the termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 4, except as permitted by this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not, directly or indirectly, through any officer, director, employee, representative, agent or otherwise, and shall not permit any such person to:

 

 

(i)

solicit, assist, initiate, knowingly encourage or otherwise facilitate (including by way of furnishing or providing copies of, access to, or disclosure of, any confidential information, properties, facilities, books or records of the Company or entering into any form of agreement, arrangement or understanding) any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(ii)

enter into or otherwise engage or participate in any substantive discussions or negotiations with any person (other than the Purchaser and its affiliates) regarding any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes or may reasonably be expected to constitute or lead to, an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(iii)

withdraw, amend, modify or qualify, or publicly propose or state an intention to withdraw, amend, modify or qualify support for the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement;

 

2

 

 

 

(iv)

accept, approve, endorse or recommend, or publicly propose to accept, approve, endorse or recommend any publicly disclosed Acquisition Proposal; or

 

 

(v)

accept or enter into or publicly propose to accept or enter into any agreement, understanding or arrangement in respect of an Acquisition Proposal;

 

 

(b)

the Shareholder will immediately cease and cause to be terminated any existing solicitation, discussion or negotiation commenced prior to the date of this Agreement with any person (other than the Purchaser) by such Shareholder or, if applicable, any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents with respect to any potential Acquisition Proposal, whether or not initiated by the Shareholder or any of its officers, directors, employees, representatives or agents;

 

 

(c)

the Shareholder agrees not to directly or indirectly sell, transfer, assign, grant a participation interest in, option, pledge, hypothecate, grant a security interest in or otherwise convey or encumber (each, a “Transfer”), or enter into any agreement, option or other arrangement with respect to the Transfer of, any of its Subject Securities to any person, other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement;

 

 

(d)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall not take any other action of any kind, directly or indirectly, which would reasonably be expected to reduce the success of, or delay or interfere with the completion of the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, unless otherwise directed in writing by the Purchaser;

 

 

(e)

subject to Section 5.1, the Shareholder shall as a holder of Subject Securities cooperate with the Company and the Purchaser to successfully complete the Arrangement and the other transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement and this Agreement and to oppose any of the matters listed in Section 2.1(b) provided that nothing in this Agreement shall oblige the Shareholder to provide to the Purchaser any proxy, voting instructions, power of attorney or similar instrument regarding the voting of the Subject Securities in favour of the resolutions approving the Arrangement Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement at the Company Meeting or any other meeting of securityholders of the Company at which such matters are considered; and

 

 

(f)

the Shareholder shall not exercise any rights of appraisal or rights of dissent from the Arrangement or the transactions contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement that the Shareholder may have.

 

Section 2.2     Co-operation/Alternative Transaction

 

If the Purchaser and the Company conclude after the date of this Agreement that it is necessary or desirable to proceed with a form of transaction other than pursuant to the Arrangement Agreement (including, without limitation, a take-over bid) whereby the Purchaser and/or its affiliates would effectively acquire all the Subject Shares on economic terms and other terms and conditions having consequences to the Shareholder that are substantially equivalent to or better than those contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement (any such transaction is referred to as an “Alternative Transaction”), the Shareholder agrees to (as applicable) support the completion of the Alternative Transaction in the same manner as this Agreement provides with respect to the Arrangement, including, in the case of a take-over bid, by causing all of the Shareholder’s Subject Shares to be validly tendered in acceptance of such take-over bid together with the letter of transmittal and, if applicable, notice of guaranteed delivery, and any other documents required in accordance with such take-over bid, and will not withdraw the Shareholder’s Subject Shares from such take-over bid except as expressly otherwise provided in this Agreement.

 

3

 

 

Section 2.3     Covenants of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby agrees to comply with its obligations under the Arrangement Agreement. The Purchaser hereby agrees and confirms to the Shareholder that it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Arrangement and cause the Consideration to be made available to pay for the Subject Securities in accordance with and subject to the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement and the Plan of Arrangement. The Purchaser hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder: (i) decrease the Consideration payable per Subject Security pursuant to the Arrangement; (ii) change the amount or form of Consideration payable pursuant to the Arrangement (other than to increase the total Consideration per Subject Security or to add additional Consideration); (iii) impose additional conditions to completion of the Arrangement; or (iv) otherwise substantively vary the Arrangement or any terms or conditions thereof in a manner that is materially adverse to shareholders of the Company.

 

Article 3
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

 

Section 3.1     Representations and Warranties of the Shareholder

 

The Shareholder hereby represents and warrants to and covenants with the Purchaser as follows, and acknowledges that the Purchaser is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement and the Arrangement Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Incorporation; Capacity; Authorization. Where the Shareholder is a corporation, it is a corporation duly incorporated and validly existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation; it has the requisite corporate power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder. Where the Shareholder is not a corporation, he, she or it has the power and capacity and has received all requisite approvals to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform his, her or its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Shareholder and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Shareholder in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and the general principles of equity.

 

 

(c)

Ownership of Shares and Other Securities. The Shareholder is the sole registered and/or beneficial owner of its Subject Securities. The Shareholder does not own or have any interest in any securities of the Company other than the Subject Securities. The Shareholder is and will be immediately prior to the Effective Date, the registered and/or beneficial owner of the Subject Securities, with good and marketable title thereto, free and clear of any and all Encumbrances.

 

4

 

 

 

(d)

No Breach. Neither the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Shareholder, the consummation by the Shareholder of the transactions contemplated hereby nor the compliance by the Shareholder with any of the provisions hereof will:

 

 

(i)

result in any breach of, or constitute a default (or an event which with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) (or give rise to any third party right of termination, cancellation, material modification, acceleration, purchase or right of first refusal) under any provision of the certificate of incorporation, articles, by-laws or any other constating document of the Shareholder, or under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of any note, loan agreement, bond, mortgage, indenture, contract, license, agreement, lease, permit or other instrument or obligation to which the Shareholder is a party or by which the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets (including the Subject Securities) may be bound,

 

 

(ii)

require on the part of the Shareholder any filing with (other than pursuant to the requirements of applicable securities legislation, which filings the Shareholder will undertake) or permit, authorization, consent or approval of, any Governmental Entity or any other person, or

 

 

(iii)

subject to compliance with any approval or Laws contemplated by the Arrangement Agreement, violate or conflict with any judgement, order, notice, decree, statute, law, ordinance, rule or regulation applicable to the Shareholder or any of its properties or assets,

 

in each case other than as would not be reasonably expected to have a materially adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(e)

No Proceedings. There is no private or governmental action, suit, proceeding, claim, arbitration or investigation pending before any Governmental Entity, or, to the knowledge of the Shareholder, threatened against the Shareholder or any of its properties that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There is no order of any Governmental Entity against the Shareholder that could prevent, enjoin, alter or materially delay any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, or that could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the Shareholder’s ability to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

 

(f)

No Agreements. No person has any agreement or option, or any right or privilege (whether by law, pre-emptive or contractual) capable of becoming an agreement or option, for the purchase, acquisition or transfer of any of the Subject Securities, or any interest therein or right thereto, except pursuant to this Agreement or the Arrangement Agreement.

 

 

(g)

Voting. The Shareholder has the sole and exclusive right to enter into this Agreement and to vote the Subject Securities (which have the right to vote). None of the Subject Securities is subject to any proxy, power of attorney, attorney-in-fact, voting trust, vote pooling or other agreement with respect to the right to vote, call meetings of shareholders or give consents or approvals of any kind.

 

5

 

 

 

(h)

Consents. No consent, approval, order or authorization of, or declaration or filing with, any Governmental Entity or other person is required to be obtained by the Shareholder in connection with the execution, delivery or performance of this Agreement.

 

 

(i)

Legal Proceedings. To the knowledge of the Shareholder, there are no legal proceedings in progress or pending before any Governmental Entity or threatened against the Shareholder or any judgment, decree or order against the Shareholder that would adversely affect the title of the Shareholder to any of the Subject Securities.

 

Section 3.2     Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser

 

The Purchaser hereby represents and warrants and covenants to the Shareholder, acknowledging that the Shareholder is relying upon such representations, warranties and covenants in entering into this Agreement:

 

 

(a)

Capacity. The Purchaser validly subsists under the laws of the State of Delaware and has necessary requisite corporate power and capacity to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder.

 

 

(b)

Authorization. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Purchaser have been duly authorized and no other internal proceedings on its part are necessary to authorize this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereunder.

 

 

(c)

Enforceable. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Purchaser and constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency and other similar Laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, and to public policy and the general principles of equity.

 

Article 4
TERMINATION

 

Section 4.1     Termination

 

This Agreement may be terminated:

 

 

(a)

at any time upon the written agreement of the Purchaser and the Shareholder;

 

 

(b)

by the Shareholder if the Purchaser and the Company, without the prior written consent of the Shareholder, amend the terms of the Arrangement Agreement in a manner that reduces the amount of consideration payable in respect of the Subject Securities;

 

 

(c)

by the Purchaser or the Shareholder if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated in accordance with its terms;

 

 

(d)

by the Shareholder if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Purchaser under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Purchaser shall not have complied with its covenants to the Shareholder contained in this Agreement in all material respects; or

 

6

 

 

 

(e)

by the Purchaser if (i) any of the representations and warranties of the Shareholder under this Agreement shall not be true and correct in all material respects, or (ii) the Shareholder shall not have complied with its covenants to the Purchaser contained in this Agreement in all material respects.

 

Section 4.2     Effect of Termination

 

If this Agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article 4, the provisions of this Agreement will become void and no party shall have liability to any other party, except in respect of a breach of this Agreement which occurred prior to such termination and the Shareholder shall be entitled to withdraw any form of proxy or power of attorney or voting instruction which it may have given with respect of the Subject Securities or, if applicable, to withdraw any deposited Subject Securities to any take-over bid.

 

Article 5
GENERAL

 

Section 5.1     Fiduciary Obligations

 

The Purchaser agrees and acknowledges that the Shareholder is bound hereunder solely in his, her or its capacity as a shareholder of the Company and that the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or interpreted to bind the Shareholder or any of its directors, officers or principal shareholders in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict any party from properly fulfilling his or her fiduciary duties as a director or officer of the Company.

 

Section 5.2     Further Assurances

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser will, from time to time, execute and deliver all such further documents and instruments and do all such acts and things as the other party may reasonably require and at the requesting party’s cost to effectively carry out or better evidence or perfect the full intent and meaning of this Agreement.

 

Section 5.3     Disclosure

 

Each of the Shareholder and the Purchaser hereby consents to the disclosure of the substance of this Agreement in any press release or any circular relating to the Company Meeting and to the filing of this Agreement (a) as an exhibit to any filing by the Purchaser with the SEC of a Schedule 13D or report on Form 8-K relating to the Arrangement and (b) on SEDAR. The parties shall coordinate in the making and dissemination of any public announcement relating to the subject of this Agreement.

 

Except as set forth above or as required by applicable Laws or by any Governmental Entity, the Shareholder shall not make any public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement without the approval of the Purchaser, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed. The Shareholder agrees to consult with the Purchaser prior to issuing each public announcement or statement with respect to this Agreement, subject to the overriding obligations of Laws.

 

Section 5.4     Time

 

Time shall be of the essence in this Agreement.

 

7

 

 

Section 5.5     Governing Law

 

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and of Canada applicable therein.

 

Section 5.6     Entire Agreement

 

This Agreement, including the schedules hereto and the provisions of the Arrangement Agreement incorporated herein by reference, constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior agreement, representation or understanding with respect thereto.

 

Section 5.7     Amendments

 

This Agreement may not be modified, amended, altered or supplemented, except upon the execution and delivery of a written agreement executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

Section 5.8     Severability

 

If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any rule of law or public policy, all other conditions and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in a mutually acceptable manner in order that the terms of this Agreement remain as originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.

 

Section 5.9     Assignment

 

The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and enure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, provided that neither party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement without the prior written consent of the other party hereto, except that the Purchaser may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights, interests or obligations under this Agreement to an affiliate, without reducing its own obligations hereunder, without the consent of the Shareholder.

 

Section 5.10     Survival

 

If this Agreement is terminated, this Agreement shall become void and of no further force or effect without liability of any party (or any shareholder, director, officer, employee, agent, consultant or representative of such party) to any other party to this Agreement.

 

8

 

 

Section 5.11     Notices

 

Any notice, request, consent, agreement or approval which may or is required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sufficiently given or made if delivered, or sent by facsimile, in the case of:

 

 

(a)

the Purchaser, addressed as follows:

 

Hecla Mining Company
6500 North Mineral Drive
Suite 200
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815-9408

 

 

Attention:

David C. Sienko, Vice President – General Counsel

  Facsimile:  (208) 209-1278
  Email: DSienko@hecla-mining.com

 

with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
Suite 2200, HSBC Building
885 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V6C 3E8

 

Attention: Gordon Chambers

Facsimile: (604) 691-6120

Email: gchambers@casselsbrock.com

 

And a copy to (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

K&L Gates LLP

70 W. Madison St., Ste. 3100

Chicago, Illinois 60602-4207

 

Attention:

J. Craig Walker

  Facsimile: (312) 827-8179
  Email: craig.walker@klgates.com

     

 

(b)

the Shareholder, as set forth on the signature page to this Agreement.

 

or to such other address as the relevant person may from time to time advise by notice in writing given pursuant to this Section. The date of receipt of any such notice, request, consent, agreement or approval shall be deemed to be the date of delivery or sending thereof if sent or delivered during normal business hours on a business day at the place of receipt and, otherwise, on the next following business day.

 

Section 5.12     Specific Performance and other Equitable Rights

 

It is recognized and acknowledged that a breach by any party of any material obligations contained in this Agreement will cause the other party to sustain injury for which it would not have an adequate remedy at law for money damages. Accordingly, in the event of any such breach, any aggrieved party shall be entitled to the remedy of specific performance of such obligations and interlocutory, preliminary and permanent injunctive and other equitable relief in addition to any other remedy to which it may be entitled, at law or in equity.

 

Section 5.13     Expenses

 

Each of the parties shall pay its respective legal, financial advisory and accounting costs and expenses incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and all documents and instruments executed or prepared pursuant hereto and any other costs and expenses whatsoever and howsoever incurred.

 

9

 

 

Section 5.14     Counterparts

 

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts (including counterparts by facsimile) and all such counterparts taken together shall be deemed to constitute one and the same instrument. The parties shall be entitled to rely upon delivery of an executed facsimile or similar executed electronic copy of this Agreement, and such facsimile or similar executed electronic copy shall be legally effective to create a valid and binding agreement between the parties.

 

 

 

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

 

10

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

   

Hecla mining company

       
   

By:

/s/ Dean W.A. McDonald

     

Name: Dean McDonald

     

Title: Senior VP Exploration

       
       
       

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]


 

 

  Michael Doolin
  (Print Name of Shareholder)
   
 

/s/ Michael Doolin

  (Signature of Shareholder or Authorized Signatory)
   
   
  (Place of Residency)
   
  Chief Operating Officer
  (Print Name and Title)
   
  Address:  
       
       
       
       
       
  Telephone:  
       
  Facsimile:  
       
  86,093  
  (Number of Shares Held)
   
  248,000
 

(Number of Options Held)

   
  89,623
  (Number of RSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of DSUs Held)
   
  76,366
  (Number of PSUs Held)
   
  0
  (Number of Warrants Held)

 

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO SUPPORT AGREEMENT]