Our roundup of Canadian small-caps of between $100-million and $2.5-billion in market capitalization making news and on the move today.
Katanga Mining Ltd (KAT-T) announced that the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) are in the area around the operations of its 75-per-cent-owned subsidiary, Kamoto Copper Company, or KCC. “This follows a growing presence of illegal artisanal miners throughout industrial mining concessions in the Kolwezi area, which led to the tragic incident at KCC on June 27, 2019,” the company stated.
It also stated that KCC "has communicated its expectations to the FARDC to exercise restraint and operate in accordance with Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (the Voluntary Principles) and international human rights standards. This includes the principles relating to the use of proportionate force and [the] provision of medical aid."
KCC also stated that it "will continue to engage with all the relevant stakeholders to collaborate on identifying and implementing a long-term, sustainable solution to illegal mining in the DRC."
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AutoCanada Inc. (ACQ-T) announced that it has appointed Mike Borys as its chief financial officer, effective Aug. 12. He joins AutoCanada from PTW Energy Services.
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People Corp. (PEO-X) announced that it has amended and increased its bank credit facility to $125-million “in committed credit availability” from $93-million, with an option to increase it to a total of $175 million. “In addition, the facility’s term has been extended to June 1, 2022, the number of lenders in the syndicate has been increased, and improvements in other terms have been achieved, including lower borrowing costs and greater flexibility,” the company stated.
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Carmanah Technologies Corp. (CMH-T) announced an agreement to take the company private for $7.35 per share in cash, a premium of 7.5 per cent to Carmanah’s closing share price of $6.84 on May 6, the final trading day prior to the announcement disclosing the proposal.
The agreement is with CMH Acquisition Corp. — an entity controlled by two of the current directors of the company that together own 32.7 per cent of the company, James Meekison and Terry Holland — JDM Investment Holdings Inc. and TMH Capital Limited Partnership. CMH Acquisition will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares in the capital of Carmanah.
“We are pleased to have entered into definitive agreements that will result in the privatization of the company,” said John Simmons, CEO. “The transaction, should it receive all required approvals, provides fair value for our shareholders and will allow the company to continue its development in a much more efficient and private company structure.”
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Martello Technologies Group Inc. (MTLO-X), whose co-chairman is recently departed Canopy Growth Corp. CEO Bruce Linton, issued a statement on its recent stock market activity. The stock has doubled in two trading days, closing at 41 cents on Thursday.
Martello stated Mr. Linton "has been an integral part of Martello's success since 2013, moving into the role of co-Chairman in 2017.
According to Martello, Mr. Linton stated on Thursday that he would like to help the company "both define and execute their strategy on acquisitions, because it is a very thoughtful and solid company that essentially allows all of the business applications in offices to work the way they should and avoid problems for users and the IT team. As companies are distributing and globalizing, this should be an even bigger problem that Martello can solve, and so I would like to spend some time with that."
According to Martello, “the market has viewed these comments positively, recognizing the value that this additional focus can bring.” The company said in a release on Thursday that it’s “unaware of any material change in the company’s operations that would account for the recent increase in market activity.”