Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

12 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Consolidation

These consolidated financial statements include the accounts of two wholly owned subsidiaries: (1) Northern Alberta Oil Ltd. (“Northern”) from the date of acquisition, being June 7, 2005, incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta), Canada; and (2) Deep Well Oil & Gas (Alberta) Ltd., incorporated under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta), Canada on September 15, 2005. All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid instruments with a maturity of three months or less at the time of issuance to be cash equivalents.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

The Company determines allowances for doubtful accounts based on aging of specific accounts. Accounts receivable are stated at the historical carrying amounts net of allowances for doubtful accounts and include only the amounts the Company deems to be collectable. The allowance for bad debts was $nil and $nil at September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

Crude oil and natural gas properties

The Company follows the full cost method of accounting for oil sands properties pursuant to SEC Regulation S-X Rule 4-10. The full cost method of accounting for oil and gas operations requires that all costs associated with the exploration for and development of oil and gas reserves be capitalized on a country by country basis. Such costs include lease acquisition costs, geological and geophysical expenses, carrying charges on non-producing properties, costs of drilling both productive and non-productive wells, production equipment and overhead charges directly related to acquisition, exploration and development activities.

Under the full cost method, oil and gas properties are subject to the ceiling test performed quarterly. A ceiling test write-down is recognized in net earnings if the carrying amount of a cost centre exceeds the “cost centre ceiling”. The carrying amount of the cost centre includes the capitalized costs of proved oil and natural gas properties, net of accumulated depletion and deferred income taxes. The cost centre ceiling is the sum of (A) present value of the estimated future net cash flows from proved oil and natural gas reserves using a 10 percent per year discount factor, (B) the costs of unproved properties not being amortized, and (C) the lower of cost or fair value of unproved properties included in the costs being amortized; less (D) related income tax effects. During the 2020 fiscal year, no ceiling test write-downs were recorded for the Company’s oil and gas properties.

Costs associated with unproved properties are excluded from the depletion calculation until it is determined that proved reserves are attributable or impairment has occurred. The Company’s unproved properties are assessed annually for impairment. Costs that have been impaired are included in the costs subject to depletion within the full cost pool.

Property and Equipment

Property and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation expense is computed using the declining balance method over the estimated useful life of the asset. Only half of the depreciation rate is taken in the year of acquisition. The following is a summary of the depreciation rates used in computing depreciation expense:

	%
Software		100
Computer equipment		55
Portable work camp		30
Vehicles		30
Road Mats		30
Wellhead		25
Office furniture and equipment		20
Oilfield Equipment		20
Tanks		10

Expenditures for major repairs and renewals that extend the useful life of the asset are capitalized. Minor repair expenditures are charged to expense as incurred. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the greater of five years or the remaining life of the lease agreement.

Depreciation, Depletion and Amortization - Capitalized costs within each country are depleted and depreciated on the unit-of-production method based on the estimated gross proved reserves as determined by independent petroleum engineers. Depletion and depreciation is calculated using the capitalized costs, including estimated asset retirement costs, plus the estimated future costs to be incurred in developing proved reserves, net of estimated salvage value.

Costs of acquiring and evaluating unproved properties and major development projects are initially excluded from the depletion and depreciation calculation until it is determined whether or not proved reserves can be assigned to such properties. Costs of unproved properties and major development projects are transferred to depletable costs based on the percentage of reserves assigned to each project over the expected total reserves when the project was initiated. These costs are assessed periodically to ascertain whether impairment has occurred. Since there was no production in the last two fiscal years no depletion has been booked in either year.

Asset Retirement Obligations

The Company accounts for asset retirement obligations by recording the fair value of the estimated future cost of the Company’s plugging and abandonment obligations. The asset retirement obligation is recorded when there is a legal obligation associated with the retirement of a tangible long-lived asset and the fair value of the liability can reasonably be estimated. Upon initial recognition of an asset retirement obligation, the Company increases the carrying amount of the long-lived asset by the same amount as the liability. Over time, the liabilities are accreted for the change in their present value through charges to oil and gas production and well operations costs. The initial capitalized costs are depleted over the useful lives of the related assets through charges to depreciation, depletion, and amortization. If the fair value of the estimated asset retirement obligation changes, an adjustment is recorded to both the asset retirement obligation and the asset retirement cost.

Revisions in estimated liabilities can result from revisions of estimated inflation rates, escalating retirement costs, and changes in the estimated timing of settling asset retirement obligations. As of September 30, 2020, and 2019, asset retirement obligations amount to $515,394 and $500,392, respectively. The Company has posted bonds, where required, with the Government of Alberta based on the amount the government estimates the cost of abandonment and reclamation to be.

Foreign Currency Translation

The functional currency of the Company is the US dollar, but the functional currency of the Company’s Canadian subsidiaries is the Canadian dollar. Consequently, monetary assets and liabilities are remeasured into United States dollars at the exchange rate on the balance sheet date and non-monetary items are remeasured at the rate of exchange in effect when the assets are acquired, or obligations incurred. Revenues and expenses are remeasured at the average exchange rate prevailing during the period. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses have not been material and therefore are included in results of operations and not separately reported as a component of comprehensive income.

Accounting Method

The Company recognizes income and expenses based on the accrual method of accounting.

Dividend Policy

The Company has not yet adopted a policy regarding payment of dividends.

Financial, Concentration and Credit Risk

The Company’s consideration or related financial credit risk related to cash and cash equivalents depends on if funds are fully insured by either The Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (“CDIC”), or The Credit Union Deposit Guarantee Corporation (“CUDGC”) deposit insurance limit. As of the 2020 fiscal year end, the Company has approximately $1,922 funds that are in excess of deposit insurance limits, which may have financial credit risk. For the Company funds that are maintained in a financial institution which has its deposits fully guaranteed by CUDGC, there is no financial credit risk.

The Company is not directly subject to credit risk resulting from the concentration of its crude oil sales. For the year ended September 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, the Company recorded no oil sales.

Income Taxes

The Company utilizes the liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on the differences between financial reporting and the tax bases of the assets and liabilities, and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. An allowance against deferred tax assets is recorded when it is more likely than not that such tax benefits will not be realized.

Due to the uncertainty regarding the Company’s profitability, a valuation allowance has been recorded against the future tax benefits of its losses and no net benefit has been recorded in the consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition

The Company is in the business of exploring for, developing, producing, and selling crude oil. Crude oil revenue is recognized when the product is taken from the storage tanks on the lease and delivered to the purchaser and title transfers to the purchaser. Payment is generally received one to three months after the sale has occurred.

Occasionally the Company may sell specific leases, and the gain or loss associated with these transactions will be shown separately from the profit or loss from the operations or sales of oil products. Such gain or losses will be measured and recognized when all of the following have occurred: (1) there is persuasive evidence of an arrangement to sell; (2) the price of the sale is fixed or determinable; (3) the title to the lease has transferred; and (4) collection is reasonably assured.

Advertising and Market Development

The Company expenses advertising and market development costs as incurred.

Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per share amounts are computed based on the weighted average number of shares actually outstanding. Diluted net loss per share amounts are computed using the weighted average number of common shares and common equivalent shares outstanding as if shares had been issued on the exercise of the common share rights, unless the exercise becomes antidilutive and then the basic and diluted per share amounts are the same. There was no potentially dilutive securities excluded from the the diluted earnings per share calculation because their effect would be antidilutive.

Financial Instruments

Financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, long-term investments, investment in equity securities, accounts payable and accounts payable - related parties. The fair value of these financial instruments approximates their carrying value because of the short-term maturity of these items unless otherwise noted. The fair value of the investment in equity securities cannot be determined as the market value is not readily obtainable. The equity securities are reported using the cost method.

Environmental Requirements

The Company is subject to federal, provincial and local environmental laws and regulations. These laws generally provide for control of pollutants released into the environment and protection of the environment. Under these laws and regulations, the Company could be liable for clean-up costs, other environmental damages and fines or penalties related to the Company’s oilsands operations. When the responsibility to remediate is probable and the amount of associated costs can be reasonably estimated environmental remediation liabilities are recorded. At the report date, environmental requirements related to the oil properties acquired are unknown and therefore an estimate of any future cost cannot be made.

Share-Based Compensation

The Company accounts for stock options granted to directors, officers, employees and non-employees using the fair value method of accounting. The fair value of stock options for directors, officers, employees and their corporate entities are calculated at the date of grant and are expensed over the vesting period of the options on a straight-line basis. For non-employees, the fair value of the options is measured on the earlier of the date at which the counterparty performance is complete or the date at which the performance commitment is reached. The Company uses the Black-Scholes model to calculate the fair value of stock options issued, which requires certain assumptions to be made at the time the options are awarded, including the expected life of the option, the expected number of granted options that will vest and the expected future volatility of the stock. The Company reflects estimates of award forfeitures at the time of grant and revises in subsequent periods, if necessary, when forfeiture rates are expected to change.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” requiring lessees to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities for most leases classified as operating leases under previous U.S. GAAP. The guidance is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The Company will be required to use a modified retrospective approach for leases that exist or are entered into after the beginning of the earliest comparative period in the financial statements. This ASU does not apply to the Company’s oil sand leases. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements because the Company has no leases that the new accounting standard applies to.

Estimates and Assumptions

Management uses estimates and assumptions in preparing financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Those estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of the assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the reported revenues and expenses. Actual results could vary from the estimates that were used in preparing these consolidated financial statements.

Significant estimates by management include valuations of oil properties, valuation of accounts receivable, useful lives of long-lived assets, asset retirement obligations, valuation of share-based compensation, and the realizability of future income taxes.

Covid-19 Impact

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization assessed and characterized the novel coronavirus disease (“COVID-19”) as a pandemic. In an effort to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, several measures have been implemented in Canada and the rest of the world in response to the impact from COVID-19. The Company continues to operate its business at this time and continues to monitor the COVID-19 developments but since the duration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown at this time, it is not possible to reliably estimate the length of the outbreak, or the severity of its impact will have on the Company. The ongoing spread of COVID-19 and mitigation measures to prevent its spread, along with a decline in oil prices, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and its future ability to raise funds. The Company, if eligible, has or will apply for any financial relief available to the Company.