Capital Markets Open Program – How can we get risk capital back?

by | Mar 4, 2015

Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada

International Convention Trade Show & Investors Exchange March 3, 2015 

Chair Barbara Hendrickson, CEO Securities Partner BAX Securities Law

Capital Markets Open Program:  How can we get risk capital back?

The Capital Markets Open Program will focus on financing options available for exploration companies during a prolonged downturn in capital raising for the sector.  It will also highlight what is happening in other jurisdictions with respect to risk capital for mineral exploration.

Global issues impacting risk capital

8:45 – 10:00 am
Chair: Barbara Hendrickson, BAX Securities Law & Jim Borland, Strait Minerals
Speaker: Douglas Porter, BMO Capital Markets

The financial crisis has resulted in a decline in accessing risk capital. Beyond factors such as commodity prices, global economic conditions and investor demographic shift, what else is driving investors away from investing in risk capital?

USA and international exchanges:  Opportunities for accessing risk capital

10:30 am – 12 noon
Chair: Jim Borland, Strait Minerals
Speakers: Alexander Lehmann, London Stock Exchange Group & Cromwell Coulson, OTC Markets Group

Perspective from International exchanges on how other jurisdictions are coping with the capital raising challenges for junior issuers.

New exemptions: Will they bring risk capital back?

2:00 – 3:30 pm
Chair: Barbara Hendrickson, BAX Securities Law
Speakers: Oscar A Jofre, EquityCrowdfunding; Greg Gosson, Amec Foster Wheeler; Matthew McGarth, Optimize Capital Markets & John Steele, Pan Asia Mining Co. Ltd.

Discussions focused on new exemption that could be considered by junior issuers for raising capital: crowdfunding, crowdfunding – issuer’s perspective, and offering memorandum exemption, including discussion of NI 43-101 issues.

Flow-through shares: The good, the bad and the ugly

4:00 – 5:30 pm
Chair: Tom King, KPMG LLP
Speakers: James Lauer, Natural Resources Canada; Benjamin Cox, Oreninc & Norm Brownstein, PearTree Securities

Speakers on the impact of flow through and METC on capital flows, and exploration in Canada

  • Issues to consider before using flow-through
  • Trends in using flow-through shares
  • Type of investors who can get involved, and also compensate for some of the shortcomings of flow-through