Oil and Gas Properties

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Extractive Industries [Abstract]

OIL AND GAS PROPERTIES

3. OIL AND GAS PROPERTIES

The Company’s oil sands acreage as of September 30, 2019, covers 19,610 gross acres (13,442 net acres) of land under seven oil sands leases. The lease expiration dates of the Company’s oil sands leases are as follows:

1. Out of 20,242 gross acres (13,284 net acres) under five oil sands leases that were set to expiry on July 10, 2018, 14,549 gross acres (8,571 net acres) were granted continuation under the Alberta Oil Sands Tenure regulations and have no set expiry date. In November 2017, the Company’s joint venture partner and operator of two of the five oil sands leases, submitted two continuation applications to the Alberta Oil Sands Tenure division to apply to continue 7,591 gross acres (1,898 net acres) and in January 2018, approval was received from Alberta Energy to continue 6,958 gross acres (1,740 net acres). In June 2018, the Company as operator of three of these five oil sands leases, submitted three continuation applications to the Alberta Oil Sands Tenure division to apply to continue another 7,591 gross acres (6,832 net acres) where resources were identified and in July 2018 and April 2019, approval was received from Alberta Energy to continue 7,591 gross acres (6,832 net acres). Of these five oil sands leases that were set to expiry on July 10, 2018, a total of 5,693 gross acres (4,713 net acres) expired without being continued. These expired lands were primarily areas where the Company determined that there was no or limited exploitable resources. These continued leases are now held by the Company for perpetuity, subject to yearly escalating rental payments until they are deemed to be producing leases;

2. 19,610 gross acres (17,649 net acres) under the three most northern oil sands leases were set to expire on August 19, 2019. In August 2019, the Company submitted one continuation application to the Alberta Oil Sands Tenure division to apply to continue 1,898 acres (1,708 net acres) of the 19,610 gross acres (17,649 net acres) on one of the northern most leases and subsequently in early October 2019 approval was received from Alberta Energy to continue 1,898 gross acres (1,708 net acres) past the expiry date of the lease. On August 19, 2019, 17,712 gross acres (15,941 net acres) expired without being continued. These expired lands were primarily areas where the Company determined that there was no or limited exploitable resources; and

3. 3,163 gross acres (3,163 net acres) under one oil sands lease are set to expire on April 9, 2024. It is the Company’s opinion that they have already met the governmental requirements for this lease, and they will be applying to continue this lease into perpetuity.

Lease Rental Commitments

The Company has acquired interests in certain oil sands properties located in North Central Alberta, Canada. The lease terms include certain commitments related to oil sands properties that require the payments of yearly rents. As required by the Oil Sands Tenure Regulation of the Mines and Minerals Act of Alberta continued oil sands leases past their expiry dates are subject to escalating rental payments in respect of each term year of a continued lease that is designated as non-producing less any eligible research costs, exploration costs and development costs that are incurred in the term year of a continued lease. Escalating rent is payable at the end of each term year, while annual rent for leases are due at the beginning of each term year. Lessees of continued oil sands leases may reduce or eliminate their escalating rent obligations by conducting exploration or development work, or research, on the non-producing lease. As of September 30, 2019, excluding any eligible research, exploration and or development costs that may be used to reduce the Company’s yearly escalating future rents, the following table sets out the estimated net payments due under this commitment, which could be as high:

	(USD $)		(Cdn $)
2020	$	23,796	$	31,514
2021	$	22,782	$	30,170
2022	$	29,623	$	39,230
2023	$	31,188	$	41,303
2024	$	26,898	$	35,621
Subsequent	$	144,465	$	191,318

The Company follows the full cost method of accounting for costs of oil properties. Under this method, oil and gas properties, for which no proved reserves have been assigned, must be assessed at least annually to ascertain whether or not a write down should occur. Unproven properties are assessed annually, or more frequently as economic events indicate, for potential write down.

Estimates of expected future cash flows represent management’s best estimate based on reasonable and supportable assumptions. Proven oil properties are reviewed for any write down on a field-by-field basis. No write downs were recognized for the period ended September 30, 2019.

Capitalized costs of proven oil properties will be depleted using the unit-of-production method when the property is placed in production.

Many of the Company’s oil activities are conducted jointly with others. The accounts reflect only the Company’s proportionate interest in such activities.

Farmout Agreement

On July 31, 2013, the Company entered into a Farmout agreement (the “Farmout Agreement”) with an additional joint venture partner (the “Farmee”) to fund the Company’s share of the Alberta Energy Regulator (“AER”) approved joint Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage Demonstration project (“SAGD Project”) at the Company’s Sawn Lake heavy oil reservoir in North Central Alberta, Canada. In accordance with the Farmout Agreement the Farmee has agreed to provide up to $40,000,000 in funding for the Farmee’s share and the Company’s share of the capital costs and operating expenses for the SAGD Project, in return for a net 25% working interest in 12 sections (now 11 sections) where the Company had a working interest of 50% (before the execution of the Farmout Agreement). The Farmee will also provide funding to cover monthly operating expenses of the Company, of which the first such monthly payment began in respect of the month of August 2013 and shall not to exceed $30,000 per month.