UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
OR
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ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the fiscal year ended
OR
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TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the transition period from ____________ to ____________
OR
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SHELL COMPANY PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
Date of event requiring this shell company report _____________
For the transition period from ___________ to ____________
Commission file number
STARCORE INTERNATIONAL MINES LTD.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)
(Jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
(Address of principal executive offices)
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act.
Title of Class |
Name of each exchange on which registered |
Not Applicable |
Not Applicable |
Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act.
(Title of Class)
Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act.
Not Applicable
(Title of Class)
Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. ☐ Yes ☒
If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. ☐ Yes ☐ No
Note – Checking the box above will not relieve any registrant required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 from their obligations under those Sections.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or an emerging growth company. See definition of “large accelerated filer” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer |
☐ |
Accelerated filer |
☐ |
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☒ |
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:
U.S. GAAP ☐
by the International Accounting Standards Board
If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow:
☐ ITEM 17 ☐ ITEM 18
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the
Securities Act. |
☐YES ☒ NO |
If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in
Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). |
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Auditor Firm Id: |
[ |
Auditor Name: |
[ |
Auditor Location: |
[ |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Material Modifications to the rights of Security Holders and Use of Proceeds |
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Purchase of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers |
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68 |
CURRENCY AND MEASUREMENT
All currency amounts in this Annual Report are stated in Canadian Dollars unless otherwise indicated.
Approximate conversion of metric units into imperial equivalents is as follows:
Metric Units |
Multiply by |
Imperial Units |
hectares |
2.471 |
= acres |
meters |
3.281 |
= feet |
kilometers |
3281 |
= feet |
kilometers |
0.621 |
= miles |
grams |
0.032 |
= ounces (troy) |
tonnes |
1.102 |
= tons (short) (2,000 lbs) |
grams/tonne |
0.029 |
= ounces (troy)/ton |
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, some information presented in this Annual Report constitutes forward-looking statements. When used in this Annual Report, the words “estimate”, “project”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “expect”, “predict”, “may”, “should”, the negative thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of our Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, lack of commercially exploitable mineral reserves, future prices of precious metals and minerals, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 7, below. Although our Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause actual results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, prospective investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this Annual Report speak only as to the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States, we do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
As used in this Annual Report, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” mean Starcore International Mines Ltd. and all of our wholly owned subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated.
STATUS AS AN EMERGING GROWTH COMPANY
Our Company is an "emerging growth company" as defined in section 3(a) of the Exchange Act, and we will continue to qualify as an "emerging growth company" until the earliest to occur of: (a) the last day of the fiscal year during which our Company has total annual gross revenues of US$1,000,000,000 (as such amount is indexed for inflation every 5 years by the SEC) or more; (b) the last day of our Company's fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of common equity securities pursuant to an effective Registration Statement under the Securities Act; (c) the date on which our Company has, during the previous 3-year period, issued more than US$1,000,000,000 in non-convertible debt; or (d) the date on which our Company is deemed to be a "large accelerated filer", as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b–2. Therefore, we expect to continue to be an emerging growth company for the foreseeable future.
1
Generally, a company that registers any class of its securities under section 12 of the Exchange Act is required to include in the second and all subsequent annual reports filed by it under the Exchange Act, a management report on internal control over financial reporting and, subject to an exemption available to companies that meet the definition of a “smaller reporting company” in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2, an auditor attestation report on management’s assessment of internal controls over financial reporting. However, for so long as we continue to qualify as an emerging growth company, we will be exempt from the requirement to include an auditor attestation report in our annual reports filed under the Exchange Act, even if we do not qualify as a “smaller reporting company”. In addition, auditors of an emerging growth company are exempt from the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board requiring mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor's report in which the auditor would be required to provide additional information about the audit and the financial statements of the registrant company (auditor discussion and analysis).
As a reporting issuer under the securities legislation of the Canadian provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta, we are required to comply with all new or revised accounting standards that apply to Canadian public companies. Pursuant to Section 107(b) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (commonly referred to as the “JOBS Act”), an emerging growth company may elect to utilize an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards for public companies until such standards apply to private companies. We have elected to utilize this extended transition period. However, while we have elected to utilize this extended transition period, our audited consolidated financial statements as of April 30, 2018 reflect the adoption of all required accounting standards for Canadian public companies.
2
PART I
FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND ACCOUNTING PRINCIPLES
The financial statements and summaries of financial information contained in this document are reported in Canadian dollars (“$”) unless otherwise stated. All such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (the “IASB”).
In May 2016, our Board of Directors resolved to change our financial year end from July 31 to April 30, with the result that our transition financial year ended on April 30, 2016 covered a period of nine months. Our financial statements for the year ended April 30, 2022 have been reported on by
Item 1 |
Identity of Directors, Senior Management and Advisers |
Not Applicable for Annual Reports
Item 2 |
Offer Statistics and Expected Timetable |
Not Applicable for Annual Reports
3
Item 3 |
Key Information |
A.Selected Financial Data
The following tables summarize selected financial data for our Company for the year ended April 30, 2022 and the past four years before that. As indicated elsewhere in this Annual Report, in May 2016, our Board of Directors resolved to change our financial year end from July 31 to April 30. The information in the tables for the years ended April 30, 2022, April 30, 2021, April 30, 2020, April 30, 2019 and April 30, 2018 was extracted from the detailed audited financial statements and related notes included in this Annual Report and should be read in conjunction with those financial statements and the other information appearing under the heading “Item 5 – Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” beginning at page 40, below.
Selected Financial Data
(Stated in thousands of Canadian Dollars)
IFRS as issued by the IASB |
At April 30, 2018 |
|
At April 30, 2019 |
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At April 30, 2020 |
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At April 30, 2021 |
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At April 30, 2022 |
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|||||
Total Revenues |
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27,807 |
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32,795 |
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24,820 |
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26,799 |
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25,679 |
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Earnings from Mining Operations |
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(4,928 |
) |
|
36 |
|
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1,984 |
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6,402 |
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5,306 |
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Earnings for the Year |
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(12,000 |
) |
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(11,804 |
) |
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(3,629 |
) |
|
2,892 |
|
|
2,405 |
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Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share |
|
(0.24 |
) |
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(0.24 |
) |
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(0.07 |
) |
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0.06 |
|
|
0.05 |
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Total Assets |
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64,451 |
|
|
57,005 |
|
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54,413 |
|
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46,471 |
|
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52,041 |
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Total Liabilities |
|
15,383 |
|
|
17,969 |
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|
17,109 |
|
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10,191 |
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11,987 |
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Net Assets |
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49,068 |
|
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39,036 |
|
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37,304 |
|
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36,280 |
|
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40,054 |
|
Share Capital |
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50,725 |
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50,725 |
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50,725 |
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50,725 |
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50,725 |
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Common Stock |
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49,646,851 |
|
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49,646,851 |
|
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49,646,851 |
|
|
49,646,851 |
|
|
49,646,851 |
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Cash Dividends per Common Share |
NIL |
|
NIL |
|
NIL |
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NIL |
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NIL |
|
Disclosure of Exchange Rate History
On July 22, 2022 the noon rate of exchange as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board, for the conversion of United States dollars into Canadian dollars was US$1.00 = $1.2861.
The following table sets forth the high and low rates of exchange for the Canadian dollar, expressed as Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar, for each month during the previous six months:
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Exchange Rate U.S. Dollars into Canadian Dollars |
|
||||
Month Ended |
High |
|
Low |
|
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June 30, 2022 |
|
1.2433 |
|
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1.2356 |
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May 31, 2022 |
|
1.2089 |
|
|
1.2059 |
|
April 30, 2022 |
|
1.2322 |
|
|
1.2266 |
|
March 31, 2022 |
|
1.2628 |
|
|
1.2540 |
|
February 28, 2022 |
|
1.2702 |
|
|
1.2587 |
|
January 31, 2022 |
|
1.2874 |
|
|
1.2740 |
|
4
The following table sets forth the average rates of exchange for the Canadian dollar, expressed as Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar, during the year ended April 30, 2022 and during each of the preceding four financial years ended April 30, calculated by using the average of the exchange rates on the last day of each month during the period:
Year Ended |
Average Exchange Rate U.S. Dollars into Canadian Dollars |
|
|
April 30, 2022 |
1.2548 |
|
|
April 30, 2021 |
|
1.3088 |
|
April 30, 2020 |
|
1.3359 |
|
April 30, 2019 |
|
1.3179 |
|
April 30, 2018 |
|
1.2774 |
|
B.Capitalization and Indebtedness
Not Applicable for Annual Reports
C.Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds
Not Applicable
D.Risk Factors
An investment in our common stock involves a number of very significant risks. You should carefully consider the following risks and uncertainties in addition to other information in this Annual Report in evaluating our Company and our business before purchasing shares of our Company’s common stock. Our business, operating results and financial condition could be seriously harmed due to any of the following risks. The risks described below are not the only ones facing our Company. Additional risks not presently known to us may also impair our business operations. You could lose all or part of your investment due to any of these risks.
Risks Associated with our Mining Operations
Our operations are subject to risk. Our Company’s ability to generate sufficient cash flows to continue operations is dependent on many factors and cannot be assured.
During the year ended April 30, 2022, the cash flow generated from operating, investing and financing activities resulted in a net cash inflow of $4,205,000 (2021 - $2,651,000) bringing the Company’s cash balance to $8,818,000 (2021 – 4,392,000) with a working capital of $9,135,000 (2021- $5,829,000) and an accumulated deficit of $24,205,000 (2021 - $26,610,000).The ability of the Company to generate sufficient cash flows to continue operations is dependent upon many factors including, but not limited to, sufficient ore grade, ore production at the San Martin mine, control of mine production costs, administrative costs and tax costs and upon the market price of metals. Cash flows may also be affected by the ability of the Company to reduce capital expenditures, including mine development.
Exploration, development and mining involve a high degree of risk.
Our operations will be subject to all the hazards and risks normally encountered in the exploration, development and production of gold and other base or precious metals, including, without limitation, unusual and unexpected geologic formations, seismic activity, rock bursts, pit-wall failures, cave-ins, flooding and other conditions involved in the drilling and removal of material, any of which could result in damage to, or destruction of, mines and other producing facilities, damage to life or property, environmental damage and legal liability. Milling operations are subject to various hazards, including, without limitation, equipment failure and failure of retaining dams around tailings disposal areas, which may result in environmental pollution and legal liability.
5
Mining risks.
The business of mining involves many risks and hazards, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, labour force disruptions, the unavailability of materials and equipment, unusual or unexpected rock formations, pit slope failures, changes in the regulatory environment, weather conditions, cave-ins, rock bursts, water conditions and gold bullion losses. Such occurrences could result in damage to, or destruction of, mineral properties or production facilities, personal injury or death, environmental damage, delays in mining, monetary losses and possible legal liability. As a result, we may incur significant costs that could have a material adverse effect upon our financial performance, liquidity and results of operations.
Mine development is subject to a number of risks.
Our ability to sustain or increase our present levels of gold production is dependent upon the successful development of new producing mines and/or identification of additional reserves at existing mining operations. If we are unable to develop new ore bodies, we will not be able to sustain present production levels. Reduced production could have a material and adverse impact on future cash flows, results of operations and financial condition. Many factors are involved in the determination of the economic viability of a deposit, including the achievement of satisfactory mineral reserve estimates, the level of estimated metallurgical recoveries, capital and operating cost estimates and the estimate of future gold prices. Capital and operating cost estimates are based upon many factors, including anticipated tonnage and grades of ore to be mined and processed, the configuration of the ore body, ground and mining conditions, expected recovery rates of the gold from the ore, and anticipated environmental and regulatory compliance costs. Each of these factors involves uncertainties and as a result, we cannot give any assurance that our exploration and development activities will result in economically viable deposits. If a deposit is developed, actual operating results may differ from those anticipated.
We may be adversely affected by fluctuations in gold prices.
The value and price of our securities, our financial results, and our exploration, development and mining activities may be significantly adversely affected by declines in the price of gold and other precious metals. Gold prices fluctuate widely and are affected by numerous factors beyond our control such as interest rates, exchange rates, inflation or deflation, fluctuation in the value of the United States dollar and foreign currencies, global and regional supply and demand, and the political and economic conditions of gold producing countries throughout the world. The price for gold fluctuates in response to many factors beyond anyone’s ability to predict. The prices used in making the resource estimates are disclosed and differ from daily prices quoted in the news media. The percentage change in the price of a metal cannot be directly related to the estimated resource quantities, which are affected by a number of additional factors. For example, a 10 percent change in price may have little impact on the estimated resource quantities and affect only the resultant positive cash flow, or it may result in a significant change in the amount of resources. Because mining occurs over a number of years, it may be prudent to continue mining for some periods during which cash flows are temporarily negative for a variety of reasons including a belief that the low price is temporary and/or the greater expense incurred is in closing a property permanently.
Mineralized material calculations and life-of-mine plans using significantly lower gold and precious metal prices could result in material write-downs of our investments in mining properties and increased amortization, reclamation and closure charges.
In addition to adversely affecting our mineralized material estimates and our financial condition, declining metal prices can impact operations by requiring a reassessment of the commercial feasibility of a particular project. Even if the project is ultimately determined to be economically viable, the need to conduct such a reassessment may cause substantial delays in development or may interrupt operations, if any, until the reassessment can be completed.
Further, if revenue from gold sales declines, we may experience liquidity difficulties. This may reduce our ability to invest in exploration and development and making necessary capital expenditures, which would materially and adversely affect future production, earnings and our financial position.
6
Our estimates of future production may not be achieved.
We prepare internal estimates of future gold production for our operations. We cannot give any assurance that we will achieve our production estimates. Our failure to achieve our production estimates could have a material and adverse effect on any or all of our future cash flows, results of operations and financial condition. These production estimates are dependent on, among other things, the accuracy of mineral reserve estimates, the accuracy of assumptions regarding ore grades and recovery rates, ground conditions and physical characteristics of ores, such as hardness and the presence or absence of particular metallurgical characteristics, and the accuracy of estimated rates and costs of mining and processing.
Our actual production may vary from our estimates for a variety of reasons, including: actual ore mined varying from estimates of grade, tonnage, dilution and metallurgical and other characteristics; short-term operating factors such as the need for sequential development of ore bodies and the processing of new or different ore grades from those planned; mine failures, slope failures or equipment failures; reduced metallurgical recovery rates, industrial accidents; natural phenomena such as inclement weather conditions, floods, droughts, rock slides and earthquakes; encountering unusual or unexpected geological conditions; changes in power costs and potential power shortages; shortages of principal supplies needed for operation, including explosives, fuels, chemical reagents, water, equipment parts and lubricants; labour shortages or strikes; civil disobedience and protests; and restrictions or regulations imposed by government agencies or other changes in the regulatory environments. Such occurrences could result in damage to mineral properties, interruptions in production, injury or death to persons, damage to our property or others, monetary losses and legal liabilities. These factors may cause a mineral deposit that has been mined profitably in the past to become unprofitable, forcing us to cease production. Each of these factors also applies to our sites not yet in production and to operations that are to be expanded. In these cases, we do not have the benefit of actual experience in verifying its estimates, and there is a greater likelihood that actual production results will vary from the estimates.
Mineral reserves and resources estimates are subject to inherent uncertainty.
The figures presented for both mineral reserves and mineral resources herein are only estimates. The estimating of mineral reserves and mineral resources is a subjective process and the accuracy of reserve and resource estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data and the assumptions used and judgements made in interpreting engineering and geological information. There is significant uncertainty in any reserve or resource estimate, and the actual deposits encountered and the economic viability of mining a deposit may differ materially from our estimates. Estimated mineral reserves or mineral resources may have to be recalculated based on changes in gold prices, further exploration or development activity, actual production experience, other changes in the assumptions made in the estimation process, or changes in the estimation methodology. This could materially and adversely affect estimates of the volume or grade of mineralization, estimated recovery rates or other important factors that influence reserve or resource estimates. Market price fluctuations for gold, increased production costs or reduced recovery rates, or other factors may render our present proven and probable mineral reserves uneconomical or unprofitable to develop at a particular site or sites. A reduction in estimated reserves could require material write-downs in our investment in the affected mining properties and increased amortization, reclamation and closure charges.
We compete with other companies for mining claims and mining assets.
We compete with other mining companies and individuals for mining claims and leases on exploration properties and the acquisition of gold mining assets. Some of the companies with which we compete have significantly greater financial, management and technical resources than we do, and may use these resources to their advantage when competing with us for such opportunities. We cannot give any assurance that we will continue to be able to compete successfully with our competitors in acquiring attractive mineral properties and assets.
7
Our San Martin Mine is our primary source of operational cash flow. Accordingly, our ability to continue our operations, and our financial position, will be materially and adversely affected if we are limited by insufficient quantities of mineral reserves and resources, which is dependent on the success of our continuing exploration efforts.
Specifically, continued operations at the Mine are dependent on our ability to discover new mineral resources and to convert them into reserves in sufficient quantities to replace current production. However, mineral exploration is highly speculative in nature. Our exploration efforts involve many risks, and success in exploration is dependent upon a number of factors including, but not limited to, quality of management, quality and availability of geological expertise and availability of exploration capital. We cannot give any assurance that our exploration efforts will result in the discovery of additional mineral resources and their conversion into reserves. We cannot give any assurance that our exploration programs will be able to extend the life of our San Martin Mine, or result in the discovery of new producing mines.
We may have future capital requirements.
As of April 30, 2022, we had cash of approximately $8,818,000 (2021- $4,392,000) and working capital of approximately $9,135,000 (2021- $5,829,000). We intend to use our future cash flows to fund exploration and development work and for general corporate purposes. Capital expenditures and funds for exploration in financial year 2023 are expected to total approximately $4.8 millions. The primary expenditures are planned to be mine development and equipment purchases and replacement which are anticipated to be funded out of the mine’s cash flow. We may have further capital requirements to the extent we decide to develop other properties or to take advantage of opportunities for acquisitions, joint ventures or other business opportunities that may be presented to us. In addition, we may incur major unanticipated liabilities or expenses. Failure to make required capital expenditures may impact our financial results.
We may be required to obtain additional financing in the future to fund future exploration and development activities or acquisitions of additional properties or other interests that may be appropriate to enhance our financial or operating interests. We have historically raised capital through equity financing and in the future we may raise capital through equity or additional debt financing, joint ventures, production sharing arrangements or other means. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain necessary financing in a timely manner or on acceptable terms, if at all.
We may require further loans in the future.
Although we repaid all outstanding debt in 2020 (US$1,000,000 due on April 25, 2020 and Cdn$3,000,000 due June 18, 2020 (see press release of June 10, 2020), we may need to arrange additional loans in the future which may require scheduled payments. Our mining operations may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service such future indebtedness should we incur such debt, and we may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations, which actions may not be successful.
Our ability to meet the repayment obligations on future indebtedness depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to, among other factors, prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. We may not be able to maintain a level of cash flow from our operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal and the interest on our indebtedness.
Government regulation may adversely affect our business and planned operations.
We believe we currently comply with existing environmental and mining laws and regulations and that our proposed exploration programs will also meet those standards. Our mineral exploration and development activities, if any, are subject to various laws governing prospecting, mining, development, production, taxes, labor standards and occupational health, mine safety, toxic substances, land use, water use, land claims of local people and other matters. We can provide no assurance that new rules and regulations will not be enacted or that existing rules and regulations will not be applied in a manner which could limit or curtail our exploration, production or development activities. Amendments to current laws and regulations governing operations and
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activities of exploration, development mining and milling or more stringent implementation thereof could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial condition and cause increases in operating and exploration expenses, capital expenditures or production costs or reduction in levels of production or require abandonment or delays in development of new mining properties.
Government approvals and permits are currently, and may in the future be, required in connection with our operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain these permits in a timely manner.
Our Operations in Mexico are subject to Mexican Foreign Investment and Income Tax Laws
Under the Foreign Investment Law of Mexico, there is no limitation on foreign capital participation in mining operations; however, the applicable laws may change in a way which may adversely impact the Company and its ability to repatriate profits. Under Mexican Income Tax Law, dividends are subject to a withholding tax.
The VAT (IVA) is an indirect tax levied on the value added to goods and services, and it is imposed on carry out activities within Mexican territory.
In Mexico, the corporate tax rate is 30%, , a special mining royalty of 7.5% on the profits derived from the sale of minerals, and, an extraordinary mining royalty of 0.5% on the gross income derived from the sale of gold, silver and platinum. These may have a material impact on the Company’s future earnings and cash flows, and possibly on future capital investment decisions.
Our operations are subject to environmental risks.
All phases of our operations, if any, will be subject to federal, state and local environmental regulation. These regulations mandate, among other things, the maintenance of air and water quality standards and land reclamation. They also set forth limitations on the generation, transportation, storage and disposal of solid and hazardous waste. Environmental legislation is evolving in a manner which will require stricter standards and enforcement, increased fines and penalties for non-compliance, more stringent environmental assessments of proposed projects and a heightened degree of responsibility for companies and their officers, directors and employees. We cannot be certain that future changes in environmental regulation, if any, will not adversely affect our operations, if any. Environmental hazards may exist on properties we hold that are unknown to us and that have been caused by previous or existing owners or operators of the properties.
Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and permitting requirements may result in enforcement actions thereunder, including orders issued by regulatory or judicial authorities causing operations to cease or be curtailed, and may include corrective measures requiring capital expenditures, installation of additional equipment, or remedial actions. Parties engaged in mining operations or in the exploration or development of mineral properties may be required to compensate those suffering loss or damage by reason of the mining activities and may have civil or criminal fines or penalties imposed for violations of applicable laws or regulations.
We do not insure against all risks.
Our insurance will not cover all the potential risks associated with a mining company’s operations. We may also be unable to maintain insurance to cover these risks at economically feasible premiums. Insurance coverage may not continue to be available or may not be adequate to cover any resulting liability. Moreover, we expect that insurance against risks such as environmental pollution or other hazards as a result of exploration and production may be prohibitively expensive to obtain for a company of our size and financial means. We might also become subject to liability for pollution or other hazards which we may not be insured against or which we may elect not to insure against because of premium costs or other reasons. Losses from these events may cause us to incur significant costs that could have a material adverse effect upon our financial condition and results of operations.
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Our directors and officers may have conflicts of interest.
Each of our directors and officers has served and continue to serve as officers and/or directors of other companies engaged in natural resource exploration and development and related industries. Consequently, there is a possibility that our directors and/or officers may be in a position of conflict now or in the future. For example, a conflict of interest might arise where one of our directors or officers becomes aware of a corporate opportunity that would be of interest not only to our Company, but also to another mining company of which he is also a director or officer; or it is foreseeable that our Company could become involved in a mineral property option or joint venture agreement in respect of a mineral exploration or mine development project in which such a company holds an interest. For a description of the directorships and/or offices held by our directors and officers in other companies engaged in natural resource exploration and development and related industries, please see “Item 6 - Directors, Senior Management and Employees - A. Directors and Senior Management – Director Interlocks.”
Title to our properties may be subject to challenge.
Acquisition of title to mineral properties in all jurisdictions is a very detailed and time-consuming process. We have acquired substantially all of our mineral properties through acquisitions. Although we have investigated title to all of our mineral properties, we cannot give any assurance that title to such properties will not be challenged or impugned. The properties may have been acquired in error from parties who did not possess transferable title, may be subject to prior unregistered agreements or transfers, and title may be affected by undetected defects or aboriginal, indigenous peoples or native land claims.
In Mexico, the site of the San Martin Mine, all mineral resources are owned by the state. Title to minerals can be held separately from title to the surface. Mining rights take precedence over surface rights. Rights to explore for and to extract minerals are granted by the state through issuance of mining concessions.
Mining operations are subject to reclamation costs, estimates of which may be uncertain.
In accordance with existing accounting standards, we have recognized a liability for future site closure and mine reclamation costs based on our estimate of the costs necessary to comply with existing reclamation standards. Site closure and mine reclamation costs for operating properties are reviewed annually. There can be no assurance that our reclamation and closure liabilities will be sufficient to cover all reclamation and closure costs. The costs of performing the decommissioning and reclamation must be funded by the Company’s operations. These costs can be significant and are subject to change. We cannot predict what level of decommissioning and reclamation may be required in the future by regulators. If we are required to comply with significant additional regulations or if the actual cost of future decommissioning and reclamation is significantly higher than current estimates, this could have an adverse impact on our future cash flows, earnings, results of operations and financial condition.
We have an obligation to reclaim our properties after the minerals have been mined from the site, and have estimated the costs necessary to comply with existing reclamation standards. Rehabilitation provisions have been created based on the Company’s internal estimates. Assumptions, based on the current economic environment, have been made which management believes are a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the future liability. These estimates take into account any material changes to the assumptions that occur when reviewed regularly by management. Estimates are reviewed annually and are based on current regulatory requirements. Significant changes in estimates of contamination, restoration standards and techniques will result in changes to provisions from period to period. Actual rehabilitation costs will ultimately depend on future market prices for the rehabilitation costs, which will reflect the market condition at the time the rehabilitation costs are actually incurred. The final cost of the currently recognized rehabilitation provision may be higher or lower than currently provided for.
The inflation rate applied to estimated future rehabilitation and closure costs is 3.0% and the discount rate currently applied in the calculation of the net present value of the provision is 8.0%.
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We may be subject to unforeseen litigation.
All industries, including the mining industry, are subject to legal claims, with and without merit. Although we are not currently involved in any legal proceedings, and are not aware of any threatened or pending legal proceedings, there is no guarantee that we will not become subject to such proceedings in the future. There can be no guarantee of the outcome of any such claim. In addition, defense and settlement costs for any legal proceeding can be substantial, even with respect to claims that have no merit. Due to the inherent uncertainty of the litigation process, there can be no assurance that the resolution of any particular legal proceeding will not have a material effect on our financial position or results of operations.
Estimates and assumptions employed in the preparation of financial statements.
The preparation of our Company’s consolidated financial statements requires us to use estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as well as revenues and expenses. Our accounting policies and our critical accounting estimates and judgements are described in notes 3 and 4 respectively in our April 30, 2022 audited annual financial statements.
Our accounting policies relating to mineral property and deferred exploration costs, asset retirement obligations, stock-based compensation and future amortization and depletion of mining interest, plant and equipment are critical accounting policies that are subject to estimates and assumptions. If these estimates or assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we could be required to change the recorded value of our assets and liabilities, which may reduce our earnings and working capital.
We record mineral property acquisition costs and mine development costs at cost. In accordance with IFRS, we capitalize preproduction expenditures net of revenues received, until the commencement of commercial production. A significant portion of our mining interest, plant and equipment will be depreciated and amortized on a unit-of-production basis. Under the unit-of-production method, the calculation of depreciation, depletion and amortization of mining interest, plant and equipment is based on the amount of proven and probable reserves and a portion of resources expected to be converted to reserves. If these estimates of reserves prove to be inaccurate, or if we revise our mining plan for a location, due to reductions in the price of gold or otherwise, to reduce the amount of reserves expected to be recovered, we could be required to write-down the recorded value of our mining interest, plant and equipment, or to increase the amount of future depreciation, depletion and amortization expense, both of which would reduce our earnings and net assets.
In addition, IFRS requires us to consider at the end of each accounting period whether or not there has been an impairment of the capitalized mining interest, plant and equipment. For producing properties, this assessment is based on expected future cash flows to be generated from the location. For non-producing properties, this assessment is based on whether factors that may indicate the need for a write-down are present. If we determine there has been an impairment because our prior estimates of future cash flows have proven to be inaccurate, due to reductions in the price of gold, increases in the costs of production, reductions in the amount of reserves expected to be recovered or otherwise, or because we have determined that the deferred costs of non-producing properties may not be recovered based on current economics or permitting considerations, we would be required to write-down the recorded value of our mining interest, plant and equipment, which would reduce our earnings and net assets.
Our operations are subject to risks associated with currency fluctuations.
Currency fluctuations may affect the costs that we incur at our operations. Gold is sold throughout the world based principally on a U.S. dollar price, but the majority of our operating expenses are incurred in non-U.S. dollar currencies. The appreciation of non-U.S. dollar currencies in those countries where we have mining operations against the U.S. dollar would increase the costs of gold production at such mining operations which could materially and adversely affect our earnings and financial condition.
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Our foreign investments and operations may be subject to political and other risks.
We conduct mining, development or exploration activities primarily in Mexico and exploration activities in the United States. Our foreign mining investments are subject to the risks normally associated with the conduct of business in foreign countries. The occurrence of one or more of these risks could have a material and adverse effect on our earnings or the viability of its affected foreign operations, which could have a material and adverse effect on our future cash flows, results of operations and financial condition.
Such risks may include, among others, labour disputes, invalidation of governmental orders and permits, corruption, uncertain political and economic environments, war, civil disturbances and terrorist actions, criminal and gang related activity, illegal mining and protests, arbitrary changes in laws or policies of particular countries, foreign taxation, delays in obtaining or the inability to obtain necessary governmental permits, opposition to mining from environmental or other non-governmental organizations, limitations on foreign ownership, limitations on the repatriation of earnings, limitations on gold exports and increased financing costs. These risks may limit or disrupt our projects, restrict the movement of funds or result in the deprivation of contract rights or the taking of property by nationalization or expropriation without fair compensation.
Certain of our projects are located in Mexico and are subject to country risks that may affect our ability to complete development work on or to operate our projects.
The Company’s primary mineral activities are conducted in Mexico and will be exposed to various levels of political, economic and other risks and uncertainties. These risks include but are not limited to, hostage taking, illegal mining, fluctuations in currency exchange rates, high rates of inflation, excessive import duties and taxes on the importation of equipment, expropriation and nationalization, possible future restrictions on foreign exchange and repatriation, changes in taxation, labour and mining regulations and policies, and changing political conditions, currency controls, and government regulations that favour or require the awarding of contracts to local contractors or require foreign contractors to employ local citizens.
Changes, if any, in mining or investment policies, or shifts in political attitude in Mexico, may adversely affect the Company’s operations or profitability. Current activities and future operations may be affected in varying degrees by government regulations with respect to, but not limited to, restrictions on production, price controls, export controls, currency remittance, income taxes, expropriation of property, foreign investment, maintenance of claims, environmental legislation, land use, land claims of local people, water use and mine safety.
Failure to comply strictly with applicable laws, regulations and local practices relating to mineral right applications, and tenure, could result in loss, reduction or expropriation of entitlements, or the imposition of additional local or foreign parties as joint venture partners with carried or other interests.
Mexico continues to undergo violent internal struggles between the government and organized crime with drug-cartel relations and other unlawful activities. The violence has increased since 2011 with the number of kidnappings throughout Mexico rising and continuing to be of particular concern. Militarized crime has not diminished, with ongoing confrontations between Mexican security forces and drug cartels. Shootouts, attacks and illegal roadblock may occur without warning. The majority of crimes include homicides, kidnapping and extortion with the most dangerous regions centralized in specific regions of Mexico: Chihuahua, Colima, Coahuila, Durango, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Highway 45 between Leon and Irapuato, the area south of and including Highway 45D between Irapuato and Celaya, Michoacán, Morelos - the Lagunas de Zempoala National Park, Nayarit - the area within 20 km of the border with Sinaloa and Durango, City of Tepic, Nuevo León, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas. Travel advisories continue to prohibit intercity travel at night in numerous areas due to kidnappings, car jackings and highway robberies. Queretaro for the most part remains largely unaffected and no travel advisory or restrictions are currently in effect. However small incidents still occur and although the Company is vigilant in taking additional measures to increase security and protect both personnel and property, there is no absolute guarantee that such measures will provide an adequate level of protection for the Company. The occurrence of these various factors and uncertainties cannot be accurately predicted, and could have an adverse effect on the Company’s operations or future profitability.
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COVID-19 Uncertainties
Although COVID-19 restrictions and protocols have eased recently, the precise impacts of the global emergence of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the Company are currently unknown. The Company intends to conduct business as normal with modifications to personnel travel and work locations. In Mexico, there is uncertainty as to the continuing designation of mining operations as an essential service. The Company is also evaluating whether exploration work can continue at San Martin. Rules in all jurisdictions are changing rapidly and the Company will need to evaluate and evolve with measures as they are announced. Government restrictions on the movement of people and goods may cause operations, exploration work and analysis being done by the Company and its contractors to slow or cease temporarily or even permanently. Ceasing operations will have disastrous effects in all Company sectors, and may cause the Company to enact force majeure under one or more of its agreements. Such disruptions in work may cause severe negative impacts on the Company’s cash flow, on staffing and personnel, on actual or self-imposed deadlines and other adverse consequences and fiscal losses. In addition, the outbreak of COVID-19 has caused considerable disruption to the world economy and financial markets which could have a materially adverse impact on the ability of the Company to raise additional funding in the future and could negatively impact, among other factors, the Company’s share price.
There are risks associated with our acquisition strategy.
As part of our business strategy, the Company has made acquisitions in the past. The properties we acquired are primarily in the exploration stage. There is no assurance that a commercially viable mineral deposit exists on any of our other exploration properties and further exploration is required before we can evaluate whether any exist and, if so, whether it would be economically and legally feasible to develop or exploit those resources. Even if we complete our current exploration program and we are successful in identifying a mineral deposit, we would be required to spend substantial funds on further drilling and engineering studies before we could know whether that mineral deposit will constitute a reserve (a reserve is a commercially viable mineral deposit).
On March 26, 2018, the Company announced that it was narrowing its focus to production oriented assets in Mexico and was seeking the sale or joint venture of its non-core assets, comprised primarily of our exploration properties.
Although the Company has completed the sale of a number of its non-core assets in the year ended April 30, 2022, the Company cannot assure that it can complete any further sale or joint venture that it pursues, or is pursuing, on favourable terms, or that any of these business arrangements will ultimately benefit the Company. If not successful or if forced into “fire-sales” in disposing of its properties, these non-core assets acquired by the Company in prior years could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.
We are reliant on our current management team.
The success of our operations and activities is dependent to a significant extent on the efforts and abilities of our management including Robert Eadie, Chief Executive Officer, Pierre Alarie, President, Gary Arca, Chief Financial Officer and Salvador Garcia, Chief Operating Officer. Investors must be willing to rely to a significant extent on management’s discretion and judgment. We do not have in place formal programs for succession of management and training of management. We do not maintain key employee insurance on any of our employees. The loss of one or more of these key employees, if not replaced, could adversely affect our operations.
We compete for access to qualified employees and contractors.
At April 30, 2022, we employed or contracted the services of approximately 261 (244 in 2021), including staff at the minesite. We compete with other mining companies in connection with the recruitment and retention of qualified employees. At the present time, a sufficient supply of qualified workers is available for our operations. The continuation of such supply depends upon a number of factors, including, principally, the demand occasioned by other projects. There can be no assurance that we will continue to be able to retain or attract qualified employees. There is a risk that increased labour costs could have a material adverse effect on our operating costs.
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Dilution of Shareholders’ Interests as a Result of Issuances of Additional Shares
Depending on the outcome of the Company’s exploration programs and mining operations, the Company may issue additional shares to finance additional programs and mining operations or to acquire additional properties. In the event that the Company is required to issue additional shares or decides to enter into joint ventures with other parties in order to raise financing through the sale of equity securities, investors’ interests in the Company will be diluted and investors may suffer dilution in their net book value per share depending on the price at which such securities are sold.
Risks Related to Our Company
Our Articles of Incorporation indemnify our officers and directors against all costs, charges and expenses incurred by them.
Our Articles of Incorporation contain provisions limiting the liability of our officers and directors for their acts, receipts, negligence or defaults and for any other loss, damage or expense incurred by them which occurs during the execution of their duties as officers or directors of our Company, unless they failed to act honestly and in good faith with a view to the best interests of our Company. Such limitations on liability may reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors and may discourage or deter our shareholders from suing our officers and directors based upon breaches of their duties to our Company, though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have been of benefit to our Company and our shareholders.
Risks Relating to our Securities
The prior registration of our common stock under section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 was revoked pursuant to section 12(j) of that Act due to our failure to comply with our reporting obligations. We have re-registered under the Act and our registration statement became effective on October 11, 2016. If, in the future, we fail to comply with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the SEC could initiate proceedings to once again revoke our registration, and broker-dealers in the United States would thereafter be unable to effect transactions in our Company’s common shares.
Trading in our common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the OTCQB is limited and sporadic, making it difficult for our shareholders to sell their shares or liquidate their investments.
Our common shares are currently listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “SAM” and on the OTCQB under the symbol “SHVLF”. The trading price of our common shares has been and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations. Trading prices of our common shares may fluctuate in response to a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. In addition, the stock market in general, and the market for base metal companies has experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of such companies. These broad market and industry factors may adversely affect the market price of our shares, regardless of our operating performance. If you invest in our common shares, you could lose some or all of your investment.
In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class-action litigation has often been instituted. Such litigation, if instituted, could result in substantial costs and a diversion of management’s attention and resources.
We do not expect to declare or pay any dividends in the immediate future.
We do not anticipate paying any such dividends for the foreseeable future.
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U.S. investors may not be able to enforce their civil liabilities against us or our directors, controlling persons and officers.
It may be difficult to bring and enforce suits against us. Some of our directors and officers are residents of countries other than the United States. Consequently, it may be difficult for United States investors to effect service of process in the United States upon those directors or officers who are not residents of the United States, or to realize in the United States upon judgments of any court of the United States.
Trading of our stock may be restricted by the SEC’s “Penny Stock” regulations which may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our stock.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted regulations which generally define “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price (as defined) of less than US$5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than US$5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Although the company meets the net tangible asset exception to the definition of a penny stock, many brokers nonetheless maintain that any stock under $5.00 and not trading on a national securities exchange are still considered penny stocks. Therefore, our securities are covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors.” The term “accredited investor” refers generally to institutions with assets in excess of US$5,000,000 or individuals with a net worth in excess of US$1,000,000 (exclusive of the value of a principal residence; and either individually or jointly with the individual’s spouse) or annual income exceeding US$200,000 in each of the two most recent years or US$300,000 jointly with their spouse for those years.
The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer must also provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation.
In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction.
These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules discourage investor interest in, and limit the marketability of, our common stock.
Item 4 |
Information on our Company |
A. |
History and Development of our Company |
Our governing corporate legislation is the British Columbia Business Corporations Act (the “Act”). We incorporated under the former Company Act (British Columbia) on October 17, 1980, under the name Omnibus Resources Inc. On September 10, 1981, Omnibus Resources Inc. changed its name to Berle Oil Corporation. On May 31, 1983 Berle Oil Corporation changed its name to Berle Resources Ltd. On August 6, 1987 Berle Resources Ltd. changed its name to Eagle Pass Resources Ltd. On September 17, 1992 Eagle Pass Resources Ltd. changed its name to Starcore Resources Ltd. On February 2, 2004 Starcore Resources Ltd. changed its name to Starcore International Ventures Ltd. On February 1, 2008 Starcore International Ventures Ltd. changed its name to Starcore International Mines Ltd.
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Our principal place of business is located at Suite 750 – 580 Hornby Street, Box 113, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 3B6. Our telephone number at this address is: (604) 602-4935.
Our common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “SAM”, on the OTCQB under the symbol “SHVLF” and on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol “V4JA”.
B. |
Our Business Overview |
We are in the mineral resource business. The mineral resource business generally consists of three stages: exploration, development and production. We are a mineral resource company with projects in various stages. Mineral resource companies that are engaged in the extraction of a known mineral resource are in the production stage. We fall in this category with our principal property, the San Martin Mine in Queretaro, Mexico, where we are engaged in extracting and processing gold and silver. The San Martin Mine is our primary source of operating cash flows.
In prior years, we were also engaged in acquiring exploration assets in North America directly and through corporate acquisitions. Some of our projects are in the exploration stage because our exploration activities on the project lands have not yet identified mineral resources in commercially exploitable quantities.
Sierra Rosario: Sinaloa.
Located within the historically productive Sierra Madre Occident geological province in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, the Sierra Rosario property consists of two large mineral exploration concessions totaling 978.57 hectares. In February 2018, the Company sold this property for US$100,000 and an additional 1% NSR.
Private Placement
On June 18, 2018, the Company announced that it had completed a private placement of secured bonds in the aggregate principal amount of CDN$3 million (the “Bonds”). The Bonds bore interest at 8% per annum, payable on maturity, and matured on June 18, 2020. The Bonds were secured by a charge over all of the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ assets.
Following conditional acceptance from the Toronto Stock Exchange, the Company issued 3,000,000 warrants to the bond holders, each warrant entitling the bond holders to acquire one share of Starcore at a price of $0.20, expiring on June 18, 2021.
The Bonds were sold pursuant to exemptions from the prospectus requirement of Canadian securities legislation and were subject to a statutory four month hold period which expired on October 19, 2018. The Bonds were not and will not be listed on any market or exchange. The Bonds have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and were not offered or sold in the United States.
The proceeds from the sale of the Bonds were added to general working capital.
On June 10, 2020 the Company paid out the Bonds in the principal amount of Cdn$3 million, plus accrued interest of CAD$235,410, ahead of the Bonds’ June 18 , 2020, maturity date.
Salary Reductions
On May 16, 2019, the Company reported that Starcore management had agreed to take a 25% reduction in salary effective May 1, 2019. In April, 2022, the Board approved that management remuneration to the three executive officers be reinstated to their previous levels, and extended the management contracts to April 22, 2024. The Board thanked the executive officers for their voluntary reductions in their respective remuneration at a time when the Company was undergoing financial difficulties.
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43-101 Filing
On December 2, 2019, the Company filed a technical report authored by Erme Enriquez, C.P.G., B.Sc., M.Sc. entitled “Reserves and Resources in the San Martin Mine, Queretaro State, Mexico as of September 30, 2019” dated October 30, 2019 (the “Technical Report”).
Readers are cautioned that the SEC has adopted amendments to its disclosure rules to modernize the mineral property disclosure requirements for issuers whose securities are registered with the SEC under the Exchange Act, effective February 25, 2019 (the “SEC Modernization Rules”). The SEC Modernization Rules are embodied in new subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K (“S-K 1300”), and replace the historical property disclosure requirements for mining registrants that were formerly included in SEC Industry Guide 7.
The SEC Modernization Rules include the adoption of definitions of terms which, although they are “substantially similar” to the corresponding terms under the 2014 CIM Standards (as used in the Technical Report), are nevertheless subject to certain material differences. The Company is no longer permitted to include in its filings with the SEC for fiscal periods beginning on or after January 31, 2021, any technical disclosure that does not comply with the SEC Modernization Rules. Accordingly, on June, 2022, the Company, engaged Erme Enriquez to prepare an independent technical summary on the San Martin Mine (the “Technical Report Summary”), to support the disclosure of estimates of Total Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves as of April 30, 2022 in this annual report.
The Technical Report Summary conforms to S-K 1300 and Item 601(b)(96) Technical Report Summary, and Erme Enriquez C.P.G., BSc, MSc is a qualified person for the purposes of S-K 1300. Mr. Enriquez is independent of the Company.
Revenues: See Item 5(A) “Operating Results”
Principal Market
Gold and silver doré in the form of bullion that is produced from our San Martin Mine is shipped primarily to a refinery in Europe. We also have a contract and the ability to ship to a refinery in the United States of America to mitigate the potential impact of unrelated problems that could arise using a lone refinery such as strikes or other issues. The terms of the refinery contracts provide for payment of 99.9% of the gold and 99.5% of the silver content with treatment charges of $0.30 to $0.75/troy oz of doré and refining charges of US$1.00/troy oz of gold. Payment is due 5 – 20 business days following receipt of the bullion at the refinery and based on the spot price when settled.
The San Martin doré is a clean product with few impurities. There are numerous refineries around the world available to refine the doré.
We have not yet identified any commercially viable mineral deposit on any of our exploration properties, and metal prices are currently not economically attractive for one of our projects nearing the development stage. We expect that the principal markets for any of these other properties - should they be successful and be put into production - would consist of metals refineries and base metal traders and dealers.
Seasonality of our Business
The San Martin Mine operates year-round. In general, the mine does not operate on Sundays although at times overtime is required in the mine to meet production targets. The mine operates with 3 shifts, 8 hours each, six days a week. Administration personnel at the mine work Monday to Friday.
Exploration activities at all of our properties can be conducted year-round.
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Patents and Licenses; Industrial, Commercial and Financial Contracts; and New Manufacturing Processes
We are not dependent on any patented or licensed processes or technology, or on any industrial, commercial or financial contract, or on any new manufacturing processes.
Competitive Conditions
We compete with other mining companies for the acquisition of mineral interests and for the recruitment and retention of qualified employees. Some of our competitors have greater financial resources and technical facilities than our Company. While we compete with these other exploration companies in the effort to locate and acquire mineral resource properties, we will not compete with them for the removal or sales of mineral products from our properties if we should eventually discover the presence of them in quantities sufficient to make production economically feasible. Readily available markets exist worldwide for the sale of mineral products. Therefore, we will likely be able to sell any mineral products that we identify and produce.
Governmental Regulations
Various levels of governmental controls and regulations address, among other things, the environmental impact of mineral exploration and mineral processing operations, and establish requirements for decommissioning of mineral exploration properties after operations have ceased. With respect to the regulation of mineral exploration and processing, legislation and regulations in various jurisdictions establish performance standards, air and water quality emission standards, and other design or operational requirements for various aspects of the operations, including health and safety standards. Legislation and regulations also establish requirements for decommissioning, reclamation and rehabilitation of mineral exploration properties following the cessation of operations and may require that some former mineral properties be managed for long periods of time.
In North America, our production, processing and exploration activities are subject to various levels of federal and state laws and regulations in the countries where we have a presence. These laws and regulations relate to protection of the environment, including requirements for closure and reclamation of mineral exploration properties. In North America, these laws and regulations include the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the equivalents of these federal laws that have been adopted by the state of Nevada.
In addition, we are subject to Mexican mining laws and their laws protecting ecological balance and the environment.
18
C. Organizational Structure
The following table sets forth all of our material subsidiaries, their jurisdictions of incorporation and the percentage of voting securities beneficially owned or controlled by the Company.
Name of Subsidiary |
Jurisdiction of Incorporation |
Percentage Ownership |
Compañia Minera Peña de Bernal, S.A. de C.V.1 |
Mexico |
100%2 |
Creston Moly Corp. |
British Columbia |
100% |
American Consolidated Minerals Corp. |
British Columbia |
100% |
Cortez Gold Corp. |
British Columbia |
100% |
0993684 BC Ltd. |
British Columbia |
100% |
Tenajon Resources Corp. |
British Columbia |
100%3 |
Creston Mining Corporation |
Ontario |
100%3 |
Exploraciones Global S.A. de C.V. |
Mexico |
100%4 |
Arco Exploraciones S.A. de C.V. |
Mexico |
100%5 |
1. |
Bernal, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Starcore, holds the title to the San Martin Mine in Queretaro, Mexico. |
2. |
To comply with Mexican corporate legislation, one share of Bernal is held of record by Mr. Robert Eadie, the CEO of Starcore, for the benefit of Starcore. All economic benefits of this share ownership accrue to Starcore. |
3. |
Tenajon Resources Corp. and Creston Mining Corporation are wholly-owned by Creston Moly Corp., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Starcore. |
4. |
Exploraciones Global S.A. de C.V. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creston Mining Corp. (Ontario). It holds the 100% interest in the El Creston molybdenum property located in the State of Sonora, Mexico. To comply with Mexican corporate legislation, four shares of Exploraciones are held of record by Mr. Robert Eadie, the CEO of Starcore, for the benefit of Starcore. All economic benefits of this share ownership accrue to Starcore. |
5. |
Arco Exploraciones S.A. de C.V. is a wholly owned subsidiary of 0993684 BC Ltd. and is our leasing and projects company in Mexico. To comply with Mexican corporate legislation, one share of Arco is held of record by Mr. Robert Eadie, the CEO of Starcore, for the benefit of Starcore. All economic benefits of this share ownership accrue to Starcore. |
19
20
D. |
Property, Plant and Equipment |
a. |
San Martin Mine, Queretaro, Mexico: Compañia Minera Peña de Bernal, S.A. de C.V., a wholly owned Starcore subsidiary, holds the mining concessions covering 12,991.78 ha (2021) - 5,588.5782 ha (2020) at the San Martin Project in the State of Querétaro. The mining concessions include seven underground mining units and four units under exploration. Luismin (now “Goldcorp Mexico”) operated the mine from 1993 to January, 2007 when it was purchased by our Company. We have been mining at San Martin at a rate of approximately 250,000 tonnes per year. We expect to continue to operate the mine as we convert resources to reserves. Historically, the mine has typically maintained at least two years of reserves for operations. |
b. |
Our executive office is located at Suite 750 – 580 Hornby Street, Box 113, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 3B6. We lease a 2,264 square foot office, with total rent and common costs for this space being $107,724.84 per year from May 2020 to April 2022, increasing to $110,102.04 per year from May 2022 to April 2024, and $112,429.24 for the year May 2024 to April 2025. The lease expires on April 30, 2025. This office space accommodates all of our executive and administrative personnel and we believe that it is adequate for our current needs. Should we require additional space, we believe that such space can be secured on commercially reasonable terms. See Item 5(F) for office lease obligations. |
Mineral Properties
San Martin Mine, Queretaro, Mexico
Except for production statistics updated to April 30, 2022, the following description of the San Martin Mine has been extracted from the Technical Report Summary entitled “S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary San Martin Mine” (the “Technical Report Summary”) issued on June 28, 2022. The Technical Report Summary was prepared for Starcore in accordance with S-K 1300 by Erme Enriquez C.P.G., B.Sc, M.Sc., who is independent. The Technical Report is effective as at April 30, 2022.
The following table is a summary of mine production statistics for the San Martin mine for the years ended April 30, 2022 and 2021. Although the mine reduced operations to 627 tons per day, the continued strength of the US dollar has resulted in profitable operational results even with the recently declining mill head grade. Production for the year ended April 30, 2022 was 224,438 tonnes at an average head grade of 1.58 g/t gold and 22.99 g/t silver.
|
|
Unit of measure |
|
Actual results for period ended April 30, 2022 |
|
|
Actual results for period ended April 30, 2021 |
|
||
Mine production of gold in Doré |
|
ounces |
|
|
10,028 |
|
|
|
10,475 |
|
Mine production of silver in Doré |
|
ounces |
|
|
85,360 |
|
|
|
103,424 |
|
Total mine production – equivalent ounces |
|
ounces |
|
|
11,165 |
|
|
|
11,797 |
|
Silver to gold equivalency ratio |
|
|
|
|
75.04 |
|
|
|
78.28 |
|
Mine gold grade |
|
grams/tonne |
|
|
1.58 |
|
|
|
1.63 |
|
Mine silver grade |
|
grams/tonne |
|
|
22.99 |
|
|
|
24.7 |
|
Mine gold recovery |
|
percent |
|
|
88 |
|
|
|
88 |
|
Mine silver recovery |
|
percent |
|
|
51 |
|
|
|
57 |
|
Milled |
|
tonnes |
|
|
224,438 |
|
|
|
225,504 |
|
Mine development, preparation and exploration |
|
Meters |
|
|
7,474 |
|
|
|
7,426 |
|
Mine operating cash cost per tonne milled |
|
US dollars/tonne |
|
|
62 |
|
|
|
55 |
|
Mine operating cash cost per equivalent ounce |
|
US dollars/ounces |
|
|
1,239 |
|
|
|
1,056 |
|
Number of employees and contractors at minesite |
|
|
|
|
254 |
|
|
|
244 |
|
21
Property Description and Location
The San Martin mine is an underground gold-silver mining complex that has been in operation since 1993. It produces gold-silver by using the Merrill–Crowe Process technique for removing gold from the solution obtained by the cyanide leaching of gold and silver ores. The mine operates 365 days per year on a 24 hour per day schedule. Mining and ore processing operations are currently in production and the mine is considered a production stage property. The San Martin mine encompasses the San Jose, San Martin (SR), and Cuerpos 28 to 32 orebodies.
The San Martin mine is run by Compania Minera Bernal, SA de CV (CMPB) a wholly owned subsidiary of Starcore International Mines Ltd.
The San Martin mine is located 47 kilometres, in a straight line, northeast of Queretaro City, Queretaro State, on local road No.100 and about 250 kilometres NW of Mexico City, near the towns of Tequisquiapan and Ezequiel Montes. The San Martin Mine complex consists of 8 mining claims that cover 12,991.7805 hectares (2022) due to an application to reduce the surface area, application has since been withdrawn.
Location of the San Martin Mine, Queretaro State, Mexico
22
The following table summarizes the mining concessions comprising the San Martin Mine property.
No. on Map |
Concession Name |
Exp. |
Title |
Term of Concession
|
Hectares 2021 Annual Taxes (Pesos) |
|||
From |
To |
|
1st Sem |
2nd Sem |
||||
1 |
San Martin 2 |
321.1/6-72 |
191134 |
29/04/1991 |
28/04/2041 |
190.7972 |
$35,652 |
$35,652 |
2 |
San Martin |
321.1/6-71 |
191423 |
19/12/1991 |
18/12/2041 |
132.0818 |
$24,681 |
$24,681 |
3 |
La Trinidad |
6/1.3/276 |
204824 |
13/05/1997 |
13/05/2047 |
2,610.7224 |
$487,840 |
$487,840 |
4 |
San Martin Fracc. A. |
6/1.3/00409 |
215262 |
14/02/2002 |
13/02/2052 |
37.1099 |
$6,934 |
$6,934 |
5 |
San Martin Fracc. B. |
6/1.3/00411 |
215263 |
14/02/2002 |
13/02/2052 |
22.8901 |
$4,277 |
$4,277 |
6 |
San Martin Fracc. C.(1) |
6/1.3/00412 |
215264 |
14/02/2002 |
13/02/2052 |
3,182.5646 |
$594,694 |
$594,694 |
7 |
San Martin 3 |
6/1.3/00410 |
215301 |
14/02/2002 |
13/02/2052 |
60.0000 |
$11,212 |
$11,212 |
8 |
San Martín Cuatro.(1) |
065/15357 |
221844 |
02/04/2004 |
01/04/2054 |
6,755.6145 |
$1,262,391 |
$1,262,391 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
|
|
|
|
12,991.7805 |
$2,427,681.488 |
$2,427,681.48 |
San Martin Geology
The San Martín gold-silver district hosts classic, medium-grade gold-silver, epithermal vein deposits characterized by low sulphidation mineralization and adularia-sericite alteration. The San Martin veins are typical of most other epithermal silver-gold vein deposits in Mexico in that they are primarily hosted in the Upper Cretaceous black limestone and calcareous shales of the Soyatal-Mexcala Formation. Tertiary Lower Volcanic series of rhyolite flows, pyroclastics and epiclastics, overlain the sediments.
Mineralization at San Martín occurs in association with an epithermal low sulphidation, quartz-carbonate, fracture-filling vein hosted by a structure trending approximately N40°-60°E, dipping to the 50° to 90° to the southeast.
The San Martin structure has been known in distinct stages of exploration and has adopted several names, San José, San José II, San Martín, Cuerpo 28, Cuerpo 29, Cuerpo 30, Cuerpo 31, Cuerpo 32 and Cuerpo 33. The structure itself is offset by a series of faults of northeast trending that divides the oreshoots. The structure behaves vertical at the San José and San Martin areas (Tronco) and becomes flatter from Cuerpo 28 to 31 (Mantos), and mineralization follows the planes of the folded rocks.
23
The San Martin vein itself has been known underground traced for 2 km along trend, with widths between 1.5 to 10 metres and averages approximately 4.0 m. A secondary mineralized vein is located, both in the footwall and hangingwall, of the San Martin vein, on the western limb of the local fold that contains the mineralization. This structure is the Santa Elena and represents a good target for exploration to the NE and SE of San Martin.
Generalized Geological Map of the San Martin Property
Resources and Reserves
The mineral resource estimation for the San Martin Mine was completed following the requirements of Subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K (“Subpart 1300”) and align with Canada’s National Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”) for which original estimates were prepared. The modeling and estimation of the mineral resources were completed on June 10, 2022, under the supervision of Erme Enriquez, qualified person with respect to mineral resource estimations under S-K 1300. The effective date of the resource estimate is April 30, 2022.
The San Martin resources are classified in order of increasing geological and quantitative confidence in Proven and Probable, Inferred and Indicated categories in accordance with the “CIM Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves” (2014) and therefore NI 43-101, as is the Inferred Resources category.
In the years prior to mining by CMPB reserve and resource estimates were based on the assumptions and subject to rules defined by Luismin many years ago. In recent years, with the involvement of various professionals, it was recognized that mining methodology was changing due to factors such as:
|
• |
A greater percentage of production coming from narrow to wide steeply dipping vein structures. |
24
|
|
• |
Sub-horizontal Mantos mineralized structures that were somewhat narrower than historical Mantos. |
|
• |
Reopening and scavenging of the footwall mineralization in old stopes, where lower grade mineralization was not mined during times of lower gold prices. |
Based on the above mining changes and incorporating mining experience over the last 8 years some of the original Luismin assumptions have been modified to improve tonnage and grade estimation for reserves. The assumptions used in this estimate are:
|
• |
A gold price of $1750 per ounce. |
|
• |
A silver price of $22.00 per ounce. |
|
• |
First quarters of 2022 operating costs of US$69.30 per metric dry tonne. |
|
• |
Average metallurgical recoveries of 86% for gold and 55% for silver. |
|
• |
Using the above price and cost assumptions the resultant calculated cutoff grade is approximately 1.41 g/t Au equivalent. |
|
• |
Specific gravity of 2.6 g/cm3 has been applied to all calculated mineralized volumes. |
|
• |
Mining dilution is applied to in situ mineralized zones, and recovery factors are applied to these diluted blocks using the following factors: |
|
• |
Mining dilution of 20% of zero grade in horizontal mineralized zones (Mantos) mined by room and pillar. |
|
• |
Mining dilution of 20% of zero grade in steeply dipping mineralized zones mined by cut and fill. This dilution factor is modified by first applying a minimum 2-meter mining width to narrow zones. |
|
• |
Remnant pillars left in room and pillar stopes are typically 20% of the total tonnage, i.e., 80% extraction. This recovery factor has been applied to sub horizontal mineralized zones. |
In addition to these factors reserve grades are lowered to reflect mined grades in ore blocks that have sufficient historical production to establish that mined grades are similar than estimated from exploration data. The reserves and resources estimated in this report are based on data available up until April 30, 2022.
The mineral resources reported here are classified as Measured, Indicated and Inferred according to CIM Definition Standards.
25
Total Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resources at the San Martin mine, estimated by SIM, are about 1,481,770 tonnes at a grade of 1.78 g Au/t and 14 g Ag/t. Inferred and Indicated Mineral Resources are not known to the same degree of certainty as Mineral Reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. A summary of resources is in the following table.
Compañía Minera Peña de Bernal, SA de CV Mineral Reserve and Resources, San Martin Mine (as of April 30, 2022)
Category |
Tonnes |
Grade |
Total Contained oz |
|||
(g Au/t) |
(g Ag/t) |
(oz Au) |
(oz Ag) |
(oz Au Eq) |
||
San Martin |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Indicated |
134,871 |
1.51 |
9 |
6542 |
37,847 |
7,018 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Indicated |
134,871 |
1.51 |
9 |
6542 |
37,847 |
7,018 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
San Jose I and II |
||||||
Inferred |
93,220 |
1.15 |
5 |
3,455 |
16,303 |
3,660 |
San Martin |
||||||
Inferred |
1,131,706 |
1.81 |
12 |
65,831 |
426,610 |
71,194 |
Area 28 and 4700 |
||||||
Inferred |
121,974 |
2.34 |
42 |
9,171 |
162,985 |
11,220 |
Area 29 |
||||||
Inferred |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Inferred |
1,346,899 |
1.81 |
14 |
78,457 |
605,897 |
86,074 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Totals I + I |
1,481,770 |
1.78 |
14 |
84,999 |
643,744 |
93,092 |
|
• |
Mineral resources have been classified into inferred and indicated in accordance with § 229.1302(d)(1)(iii)(A) (Item 1302(d)(1)(iii)(A) of Regulation S-K). |
|
• |
Tonnage is expressed in tonnes; metal content is expressed in ounces. Totals may not add up due to rounding. |
|
• |
Reserve and resource cut-off grades are based on a 1.41 g/t gold equivalent. |
|
• |
Metallurgical Recoveries were 86% gold and 55% silver. |
|
• |
Mining Recoveries of 90% were applied. |
|
• |
Minimum mining widths were 2.0 meters. |
|
• |
Dilution factors is 20%. Dilution factors are calculated based on internal stope dilution calculations. |
|
• |
Gold equivalents are based on a 1:79.5 gold:silver ratio. Au Eq= gAu/t + (gAg/t ÷ 79.5) |
|
• |
Price assumptions are $1750 per ounce for gold and $22 per ounce for silver. |
|
• |
Mineral resources are estimated exclusive of and in addition to mineral reserves. |
|
• |
Resources were estimated by SIM and reviewed by Erme Enriquez CPG. |
Mineral reserve estimates in this Report are reported following the requirements of Subpart 1300. Accordingly mineral resources in the Measured and Indicated categories have been converted to Proven and Probable mineral reserves respectively, by applying applicable modifying factors and are planned to be mined out under the LOM plan within the period of our existing rights to mine, or within the time of assured renewal periods of rights to mine.
26
Total Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves at the San Martin mine as of April 30, 2022, estimated by Geology staff and reviewed by QP, are 1,348,433 tonnes at a grade of 1.74 g Au/t and 13 g Ag/t. This total includes Proven reserves of 144,331 tonnes grading 1.79 g/t Au and 14 g/t Ag along with Probable reserves of 1,204,102 tonnes grading 1.73 g/t Au and 13 g/t Ag. Mineral reserves are shown in the following table:
Compañía Minera Peña de Bernal, SA de CV
San Martin Mine Project
Historical Production 1993-April 30, 2022
Year |
Tonnes |
Grade |
Production |
|||
Au (g/t) |
Ag (g/t) |
Oz Au |
Oz Ag |
Oz Au Eq. |
||
1993 |
28,267 |
2.53 |
60 |
1,387 |
24,463 |
1,707 |
1994 |
134,118 |
3.19 |
35 |
13,179 |
81,605 |
14,298 |
1995 |
146,774 |
3.40 |
38 |
16,172 |
180,459 |
17,068 |
1996 |
187,691 |
3.40 |
44 |
19,553 |
155,160 |
21,620 |
1997 |
219,827 |
3.27 |
43 |
22,016 |
174,013 |
24,570 |
1998 |
224,279 |
3.45 |
50 |
23,680 |
210,680 |
27,539 |
1999 |
242,295 |
3.46 |
46 |
25,852 |
194,110 |
29,624 |
2000 |
284,490 |
3.61 |
54 |
31,209 |
245,310 |
35,571 |
2001 |
287,520 |
3.76 |
65 |
32,773 |
330,217 |
38,068 |
2002 |
268,451 |
4.26 |
71 |
35,634 |
370,406 |
41,124 |
2003 |
276,481 |
4.29 |
82 |
36,438 |
464,947 |
42,692 |
2004 |
272,734 |
4.47 |
83 |
36,935 |
458,681 |
44,377 |
2005 |
282,392 |
3.92 |
65 |
32,814 |
349,071 |
38,543 |
2006 |
278,914 |
2.82 |
52 |
22,004 |
235,806 |
26,529 |
2007 |
252,400 |
3.34 |
49 |
25,232 |
224,714 |
29,606 |
2008 |
266,600 |
2.50 |
33 |
18,733 |
159,877 |
21,367 |
2009 |
272,856 |
2.43 |
33 |
19,171 |
167,827 |
21,696 |
2010 |
275,290 |
2.03 |
30 |
15,492 |
163,489 |
18,156 |
2011 |
296,845 |
2.14 |
39 |
17,694 |
267,237 |
23,736 |
2012 |
309,796 |
2.09 |
25 |
16,197 |
160,678 |
19,213 |
2013 |
306,941 |
2.66 |
24 |
22,247 |
129,861 |
24,425 |
2014 |
311,210 |
2.35 |
22 |
20,062 |
112,010 |
21,755 |
2015 |
309,565 |
2.09 |
20 |
17,903 |
104,767 |
19,319 |
2016 |
286,278 |
1.94 |
16 |
14,606 |
68,463 |
15,547 |
2017 |
259,709 |
1.69 |
13 |
11,563 |
54,287 |
12,246 |
April 30 2018 |
99,067 |
1.59 |
36 |
4,410.96 |
64,459.38 |
5,218.98 |
April 30, 2019 |
314,347 |
1.62 |
39 |
13,651 |
224,544 |
16,393 |
April 30, 2020 |
229,830 |
1.85 |
30 |
11,752 |
121,825 |
13,112 |
April 30, 2021 |
225,504 |
1.63 |
24.7 |
10,475 |
103,424 |
11,797 |
April 30, 2022 |
224,438 |
1.58 |
23 |
10,028 |
85,360 |
11,165 |
TOTALS |
7,060,562 |
|
|
598,862.96 |
5,687,750.38 |
688,081.98 |
□ |
Resources are valid as of April 30, 2022 as defined by end of month April 2021 topography. |
□ |
Measured, Indicated and Inferred resource cut-off grades were 1.66 g/t gold equivalent at San Martín. |
□ |
Mineral resources are not mineral reserves and do not have demonstrated economic viability. There is no certainty that all or any part of the mineral resources estimated will be converted into mineral reserves. |
□ |
Metallurgical recoveries were 88% gold and 55% silver. |
□ |
Gold equivalents are based on a 1:79.50 gold: silver ratio. Au Eq= gAu/t + (gAg/t ÷ 79.50) |
□ |
Price assumptions are $1750 per ounce for gold and $22.00 per ounce for silver for resource cutoff calculations. |
□ |
Mineral resources are estimated exclusive of and in addition to mineral reserves. |
□ |
Resources are constrained by a conceptual underground mining using parameters summarized in section. |
□ |
Resources were estimated by Starcore and reviewed by Erme Enriquez CPG. |
□ |
Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. |
27
The Total Proven and Probable Mineral Reserves at the San Martin mine as of April 30, 2022 estimated by Starcore and reviewed by Erme Enriquez are 1,348,433 tonnes at a grade of 1.74 g Au/t and 13 g Ag/t.
Compañía Minera Peña de Bernal, SA de CV Mineral Reserve San Martin Mine (as of April 30, 2022) |
||||||
Category |
Tonnes |
Grade |
Total Contained oz |
|||
(g Au/t) |
(g Ag/t) |
(oz Au) |
(oz Ag) |
(oz Au Eq) |
||
Proven |
144,331 |
1.79 |
14 |
8,283 |
61,278 |
9,079 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Probable |
1,204,102 |
1.73 |
13 |
67,070 |
493,306 |
73,480 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Reserves |
1,348,433 |
1.74 |
13 |
75,353 |
554,584 |
82,559 |
|
• |
Mineral Reserves estimates have been classified in accordance with probable and proven mineral reserves in accordance with § 229.1302(e)(2) (Item 1302(e)(2) of Regulation S-K. |
|
• |
Reserve cut-off grades are based on a 1.41 g/t gold equivalent. |
|
• |
Metallurgical Recoveries were 88% gold and 55% silver. |
|
• |
Mining Recoveries of 90% were applied. |
|
• |
Minimum mining widths were 2.0 meters. |
|
• |
Dilution factors is 20%. Dilution factors are calculated based on internal stope dilution calculations. |
|
• |
Gold equivalents are based on a 1:79.5 gold - silver ratio. Au Eq= gAu/t + (gAg/t ÷ 79.5) |
|
• |
Price assumptions are $1750 per ounce for gold and $22 per ounce for silver. |
|
• |
Mineral resources are estimated exclusive of and in addition to mineral reserves. |
|
• |
Resources were estimated by SIM staff and reviewed by Erme Enriquez C.P.G. |
|
• |
Reserves are exclusive of the indicated and measured resources. |
|
• |
Tonnage is expressed in tonnes; metal content is expressed in ounces. Totals may not add up due to rounding. |
S-K 1300 Technical Report Summary San Martin Mine - see Exhibit 96.1
Exploration Update
This section has been prepared by Erme Enriquez, C.P.G, BSc, MSc, qualified person for the purposes of S-K 1300.
For the year ended April 30, 2022, the San Martin plant achieved 88 % recovery of gold and 57 % of silver from the 225,504 tonnes milled during the fiscal year. Head grades averaged 1.63 g/t gold and 24.7 g/t silver resulting in 11,797 equivalent gold ounces of production during the fiscal year. Equivalent gold ounce calculation is based on the actual daily average gold: silver ratio of 1 to 89.6 during the fiscal year.
For the period ended April 30, 2020, surface and underground exploration programs were conducted using both company and contractor drill rigs. Between May 1, 2021 until April 30, 2022, a total of 7,360.50 exploration meters were drilled using the company’s drill rigs.
The exploration highlights during the year at the San Martin mine include three positive drill holes in section 28 of the San Martin of the mine. There is a potential over 150,000 tonnes in the new discovery segment, which has been cut and thrown by multiple strong faults at the San Martin orebody. Three diamond drill holes have intercepted good values and there is still room to continue drilling following the extension of the oreshoot.
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Results are shown in the following table. The figure below shows the area with the new discovery.
Starcore International Mines LTD
Compania Minera Pena de Bernal, SA de CV
San Martin Mine
Highlight Drilling Results
HOle ID |
True Width (m) |
Assays |
||
Au g/t |
Ag g/t |
|||
DCSM21-434 |
1.3 |
1.61 |
8 |
|
3.8 |
1.13 |
18 |
||
DCSM21-436 |
2.8 |
1.13 |
18 |
|
2.55 |
|
2.00 |
8 |
|
DCSM21-438 |
4.75 |
1.11 |
8 |
The San Martin orebody shows the new extension of mineralization and exploration.
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In the 28 Area near surface a, a new 28 oreshoot of high grade has been drilled. From this high-grade pocket, it is contemplated to continue with explorations on the W edge of area 28, where today there is little exploration to continue finding economic zones of interest. Highlights of the drill holes are shown in the following table:
Starcore International Mines LTD
Compania Minera Pena de Bernal, SA de CV
Area 28 Oreshoot
Highlight Drilling Results
HOle ID |
True Width (m) |
Assays |
|
|
|
Au g/t |
Ag g/t |
DC2820 |
2.4 |
2.14 |
57 |
DC2820 |
2.95 |
2.42 |
21 |
DC2820 |
2.15 |
8.08 |
15 |
The 28 Area, 28 oreshoot extension drilled from underground. Drilling has discovered new ore in the area.
Other Mineral Properties
In addition to our principal property, the San Martin Mine, we have several other mineral interests in exploration properties, as summarized below, which we do not consider to be material to our operations at this time or have been sold or discontinued. These include three molybdenum-copper exploration projects that we acquired through our acquisition of Creston Moly Corp. (“Creston Moly”) from Deloitte Restructuring Inc., in its capacity as trustee in bankruptcy of Mercator Minerals Ltd., in February 2015 for a purchase price of Cdn$2 million – namely, the El Creston Project in Mexico, the Ajax Project in British Columbia and the Moly Brook Project in Newfoundland (abandoned in 2019).
Creston Moly, a British Columbia company, was formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercator Minerals, who acquired Creston Moly in 2011 in a cash-and-shares deal valuing Creston Moly at approximately Cdn$194 million.
|
o |
El Creston Project, Sonora, Mexico |
The El Creston molybdenum property is located in the State of Sonora, Mexico, 175 kilometres south of the US Border and 145 kilometers northeast of the city of Hermosillo. Creston Moly’s indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Exploraciones Global S.A. de C.V. (“Exploraciones Global”), is the registered holder of the El
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Creston property. Exploraciones Global purchased the claims comprising the El Creston property from the previous owners. The property is known to host several zones of porphyry-style molybdenum copper mineralization.
El Creston Project, Sonora, Mexico |
|||||||||
Tenure Number |
Claim Name |
Owner/ |
Underlying Royalty |
Tenure Type/ Type |
Area (ha) |
Issue Date/ Expiry Date |
Required Holding Expenses |
Property Surface Rights |
Ownership |
219813 |
Meztli |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
89 |
16/04/2003 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
4,529 hectares 100% Owned acquired through purchase from local landowners and Ejido. 573 hectares leased for 30 years with exclusive option to purchase |
Ejido and local landowners |
220332 |
Meztli 1 |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
8 |
16/07/2003 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
222321 |
Lorenia |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
138 |
25/06/2004 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
222700 |
Alma |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
359 |
13/08/2004 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
223111 |
Letty |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
391.5093 |
15/10/2004 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
225638 |
Meztli 2 |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
1455.9816 |
30/09/2005 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
229984 |
Meztli 6 |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
0.0032 |
04/07/2007 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
243807 |
Meztli 4 Reduc-cion |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
8465.044 |
05/12/2014 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
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El Creston Project, Sonora, Mexico |
|||||||||
Tenure Number |
Claim Name |
Owner/ |
Underlying Royalty |
Tenure Type/ Type |
Area (ha) |
Issue Date/ Expiry Date |
Required Holding Expenses |
Property Surface Rights |
Ownership |
231151 |
Meztli 3 |
Exploraciones Global/ |
3% NSR |
Concession/ |
457.0564 |
18/01/2008 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
234415 |
Teocuitla |
Exploraciones Global/ |
2% NSR |
Concession/ |
1,476.1874 |
26/06/2009 25/06/2059 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
234546 |
Teocuitla 2 |
Exploraciones Global/ |
2% NSR |
Concession/ |
925.9102 |
10/07/2009 09/07/2059 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
238172 |
Angel |
Exploraciones Global/ |
2% NSR |
Concession/ |
185.6715 |
09/08/2011 08/09/2061 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
240226 |
Tlaloc 2 |
Exploraciones Global/ |
2% NSR |
Concession/ |
500.00 |
27/04/2012 26/04/2062 |
Taxes to be paid semi-annually. Notice of Work form filed by May 30th |
Part of above |
As above |
In August, 2021, after conducting a six-month exploration plan which included more than 1600 samples taken in the outcrops of nine new discovered veins in certain claims beside the El Creston Meztli 4 claims in the northwest part of Starcore’s property, the Company announced it acquired 3087.7691 hectares, more commonly known as the Teocuitla claims in Opodepe, Sonora State, Mexico. The Company took an expanded view of El Creston, looking at the project in three different ways: one as a moly deposit; another as a property with gold showings; and thirdly, as a project with the potential for copper porphyry at depth. The initial results of the exploration program are outlined below:
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Table 1: Assay Results of the samples taken
from MEZTLI4 and TEOCUITLA Claims
# Targets |
Target |
Claim |
Recognized surface length (mt) |
Economic length (mt) Surface |
Economic width (mt) Surface |
Au g/t |
Ag g/t |
1 |
Mana System |
Meztli 4 |
2100 |
300 |
1.07 |
0.52 |
250 |
2 |
Karla System NW |
1815 |
280 |
0.53 |
3.52 |
13 |
|
3 |
Karla System SW |
480 |
190 |
0.61 |
1.53 |
64 |
|
4 |
El Guerigo Breccia |
1800 |
110 |
0.98 |
0.11 |
162 |
|
5 |
San Gerónimo |
Stockpile Samples |
0.40 |
214 |
|||
6 |
Midas Vein |
New claims acquired |
580 |
190 |
0.73 |
0.09 |
147 |
7 |
La Aurora – La Espinada Vein |
Stockpile Samples |
0.21 |
241 |
|||
8 |
La Última |
Old mining non visited |
|||||
9 |
El Oro |
Other claim |
500 |
70 |
0.53 |
10.30 |
5 |
Opodepe Project in Sonora, Mexico
A total of 3,289.6 m has been drilled in 25 short holes. The first stage of drilling focused on the upper part of the veins of the zone and has been considered as recognition drilling. However, in this year 2022, the drilling is focused on the zone of the veins which the geologists have considered as favorable zones to find economic reserves. These holes will be longer than the first stage including two new veins, MIDAS and El ORO, both in the Teocuitla concession recently acquired by Starcore. See Figure 3.
DRILLING HIGHLIGHTS
#1 – OPDS-21-001; 6.73 m @ |
4.79 g/t AuEq |
#7– OPDS-21-018; 1.91 m @ |
2.30 g/t AuEq |
#15 – OPDS-21-022; 2.19 m @ |
1.96 g/t AuEq |
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See Figure 4.
Fig. 3 MAP SHOWING THE EXPLORED VEINS AND THE TWO NEW VEINS
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Sierra Rosario: Sinaloa. |
Located within the historically productive Sierra Madre Occident geological province in the northern Mexican state of Sinaloa, the Sierra Rosario property consists of two large mineral exploration concessions totalling 978.57 hectares. On February 2018, the Company sold this property for US$100,000 and an additional 1% NSR.
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