UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Form 6-K

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16

UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the month of February, 2015

Commission File Number: 001-35783

 

 

Alamos Gold Inc.

(Translation of registrant’s name into English)

 

 

130 Adelaide Street West, Suite 2200

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

M5H 3P5

(Address of principal executive office)

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F  ¨            Form 40-F  x

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):  ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether by furnishing the information contained in this Form, the registrant is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Yes  ¨             No  x

If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-            .

 

 

 


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

EXHIBIT
NO.

  

DESCRIPTION

99.1    Press Release dated February 19, 2015.
99.2    Annual Audited Consolidated Financial Statements as at and for the Years Ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.
99.3    Management’s Discussion and Analysis for the Year Ended December 31, 2014 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2013.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

    Alamos Gold Inc.
Date: February 19, 2015     By:  

/s/ James Porter

    Name:   

James Porter

    Title:  

Chief Financial Officer



Exhibit 99.1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

LOGO

 

 

ALAMOS GOLD INC.

130 Adelaide Street West, Suite 2200

Toronto, Ontario M5H 3P5

Telephone: (416) 368-9932 or 1 (866) 788-8801

 

 

  All amounts are in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated.

 

LOGO

Alamos Reports Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2014 Results

 

Toronto, Ontario (February 19, 2015) – Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX: AGI; NYSE:AGI) (“Alamos” or the “Company”) today reported its financial results for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2014 and reviewed its operating, exploration and development activities.

 

“We produced 140,500 ounces of gold in 2014 at total cash costs of $703 per ounce. Despite lower production from the mill in 2014, our operating costs remained at the low end of our full year guidance, driven by another strong performance from our open pit, heap leach operation,” said John A. McCluskey, President and Chief Executive Officer.

 

“We are working through a lower grade, higher strip sequence of the open pit in 2015, though we expect higher grades and a lower strip ratio in 2016 to drive costs lower. Further, we expect our strong development pipeline to start delivering low cost production growth in the latter part of 2016. With approximately $360 million in cash and no debt, our development pipeline remains fully funded,” Mr. McCluskey added.

 

Fourth Quarter 2014 Highlights

 

Financial Performance

 

•    Sold 38,400 ounces of gold at an average realized gold price of $1,200 per ounce for quarterly revenues of $46.1 million

 

•    Reported strong operating cash flow, with cash from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital of $11.8 million ($0.09 per share), and $15.8 million ($0.12 per share) after changes in non-cash working capital.

 

•    Realized a quarterly loss of $3.4 million ($0.03 per share) compared to loss of $5.3 million ($0.04 per share) in the fourth quarter of 2013. The loss was driven by a $2.7 million non-cash charge related to available-for-sale securities, and a $2.7 million unrealized foreign exchange loss

 

•    Reported cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $358.1 million as at December 31, 2014

 

Operational Performance

 

•    Produced 42,500 ounces of gold at a total cash cost of $748 per ounce of gold sold, and at an all-in sustaining cost of $996 per ounce of gold sold, in line with the Company’s annual guidance

 

•    Achieved record average quarterly crusher throughput of 18,300 tonnes per day (“tpd”) in the fourth quarter, above the annual budgeted rate of 17,700 tpd

 

•    Mined and stacked ore on the leach pad grading 0.90 g/t Au, 6% above annual budgeted grades, resulting in 47,700 contained ounces stacked on the leach pad in the fourth quarter


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

    Continued development and mining activities at San Carlos and commenced processing of high grade ore through the modified mill circuit. Grades milled averaged 8.02 g/t Au during the quarter, above the average reserve grade for the underground San Carlos deposit

Full Year 2014 Highlights

Financial Performance

 

    Sold 134,600 ounces of gold at an average realized price of $1,263 per ounce for revenues of $169.9 million

 

    Realized a loss of $2.1 million ($0.02 per share) compared to earnings of $38.8 million ($0.30 per share) in 2013. Full-year earnings were impacted by a $4.7 million ($0.04 per share) foreign exchange loss, in addition to a $2.7 million ($0.02 per share) non-cash charge related to available-for-sale securities

 

    Generated cash from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital of $50.9 million ($0.40 per basic share) compared to $113.3 million ($0.89 per basic share) in 2013

 

    Paid a total of $25.5 million in dividends to shareholders ($0.20 per basic share) and $3.2 million to buy back 351,502 shares pursuant to a normal course issuer bid. The Company has returned a total of $102 million in dividends and share buybacks to shareholders over the past four years

Operational Performance

 

    Produced 140,500 ounces of gold at total cash costs (including royalties) of $703 per ounce of gold sold, at the low end of the Company’s full year guidance range of $700 to $740 per ounce

 

    Achieved average crusher throughput of 17,200 tpd, below the Company’s annual guidance of 17,700 tpd, due to lower mill throughput in 2014

 

    Mined and stacked ore on the leach pad grading 0.98 g/t Au for the year, 15% above annual budgeted grades

 

    Commenced underground development and mining at San Carlos, and completed upgrades to the mill circuit

 

    Commenced development of the El Victor and San Carlos open pits which are expected to provide approximately 25% of open pit material in 2015

 

    Executed agreements to acquire the surface rights to the La Yaqui and Cerro Pelon satellite deposits

 

    Entered into agreements to acquire water concessions sufficient for all future mining activities at the Esperanza Gold Project, representing a significant milestone towards preparation of the project permit applications

Subsequent to year-end

 

    Released 2015 production guidance of 150,000 to 170,000 ounces of gold at total cash costs of $865 per ounce and all-in sustaining costs of $1,100 per ounce

 

    Commenced exploration drilling at the La Yaqui satellite deposit

 

2 | ALAMOS GOLD INC


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

    

Q4

2014

    

Q4

2013

     YTD 2014      YTD 2013  

Ounces produced

     42,500         39,000         140,500         190,000   

Ounces sold

     38,400         42,198         134,600         198,198   

Operating Revenues (000)

   $ 46,062       $ 53,831       $ 169,938       $ 282,187   

(Loss) Earnings before income taxes (000)

   ($ 3,203    $ 6,627       $ 2,339       $ 79,504   

(Loss) Earnings (000)

   ($ 3,367    ($ 5,274    ($ 2,126    $ 38,792   

(Loss) Earnings per share (basic)

   ($ 0.03    ($ 0.04    ($ 0.02    $ 0.30   

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital (000)

   $ 11,820       $ 12,737       $ 50,876       $ 113,279   

Cash flow from operating activities (000)

   $ 15,820       $ 15,086       $ 32,757       $ 86,627   

Cash and short-term investments (000) (2)

         $ 358,085       $ 417,455   

Realized gold price per ounce

   $ 1,200       $ 1,276       $ 1,263       $ 1,424   

Average London PM Fix gold price per ounce

   $ 1,201       $ 1,276       $ 1,266       $ 1,411   

Total cash cost per ounce (1)

   $ 748       $ 624       $ 703       $ 496   

All-in sustaining cost per ounce (1)

   $ 996       $ 921       $ 1,022       $ 772   

All-in cost per ounce (1)

   $ 1,309       $ 1,215       $ 1,311       $ 967   

 

(1)  “Total cash cost per ounce”, “All-in sustaining cost per ounce” and “All-in cost per ounce” are non-GAAP measures. Refer to the “Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures” disclosure at the end of this press release for a description and calculation of these measures.
(2)  Cash and short-term investments are shown as at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2014 Financial Results

The Company’s operating margins in the fourth quarter of 2014 were negatively impacted by a weaker gold price. The Company generated $11.8 million ($0.09 per share) cash from operating activities (before changes in non-cash working capital). Cash provided by operating activities of $15.8 million in the fourth quarter increased slightly relative to the same period of 2013 as a result of lower corporate administration and exploration costs, offset by lower gold prices. For the full year 2014, cash provided by operating activities decreased significantly due to lower production and a weaker gold price environment.

Earnings before income taxes of $2.3 million or $0.02 per share for the year compared to earnings of $79.5 million or $0.62 per basic share in 2013. On an after-tax basis, the Company recorded a loss in 2014 of $2.1 million or $0.02 per share compared to earnings of $38.8 million in 2013 as a result of lower gold sales and higher cash operating costs.

Capital expenditures in 2014 totaled $58.1 million. Sustaining capital spending in Mexico totaled $17.1 million in 2014, including $7.2 million on leach pad interlift liners and expansion of the ponds, $3.3 million of construction spending, $2.5 million for component changes, and $1.5 million on replacing the agglomerators. Sustaining capital of $17.1 million for the year was higher than the Company’s guidance of $13.2 million as a result of additional spending on the leach pad and agglomerators designed to benefit future mine operations. The Company expects 2015 sustaining capital to decrease to approximately $12.5 million.

 

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TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

In addition, development spending in Mexico totaled $38.9 million in 2014. This included $34.8 million at Mulatos focused on focused on underground development of the San Carlos deposit, waste removal at El Victor, and modifications to the mill circuit. In addition, construction of the bridge over the Mulatos River was completed before the onset of the rainy season in July, allowing for year-round access to San Carlos. The Company also invested $4.1 million at the Esperanza Gold Project advancing the EIA baseline study work. Capital expenditures in Turkey and Toronto were minimal in 2014.

Key financial highlights for the three months and years ended 2014 and 2013 are presented at the end of this release in Table 1. The unaudited interim consolidated statements of financial position, comprehensive income, and cash flows for the three months and years ended 2014 and 2013 are presented at the end of this release in Table 2.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2014 Operating Results

In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Mulatos mine (“Mulatos”) produced 42,500 ounces of gold, bringing full year production to 140,500 ounces. Open pit, heap leach operations at Mulatos continue to meet expectations and remain the driver of the operation contributing strong production in the fourth quarter, and over 90% of production in 2014. Grades stacked were above budget for both the quarter and full year and helped offset lower than planned mill production.

Gold production for the 2014 year declined 26% from 2013 levels primarily due to lower mill throughput as the Company transitioned through three distinct sources of high grade mill feed. In the first quarter of 2014, the Company experienced a negative grade reconciliation from the Escondida high grade open pit. In the second and third quarters of the year, the Company mined the underground Escondida Deep deposit and processed less tonnes at lower grades than budgeted. In the fourth quarter of the year, mill throughput was lower than anticipated as mill upgrades were undertaken. The components required to upgrade the mill were received and installed in mid-November and the mill operated at targeted throughput rates through the end of December; however, recoveries were below expectations of 75%. Two factors have contributed to the lower recoveries: the current grind size of the San Carlos ore is larger than required to achieve design recoveries, and concentrate processing has been limited by capacity constraints at the intensive leach reactor (“ILR”). To address grind size, the Company will install a vertical grinding mill to complement the existing circuit. The Company expects that the new grinding mill will be installed and operational by the end of the second quarter, at a capital cost of approximately $1 million. Additionally, a second ILR is expected to be installed and operational by the end of March to alleviate the bottleneck in concentrate processing capacity. The current mill configuration is achieving recoveries of approximately 60%, with recoveries expected to improve to 75% with the installation of the vertical grinding mill.

Development of the San Carlos high grade underground deposit continued to be a primary focus during the fourth quarter. The Company advanced approximately 267 metres during the fourth quarter, with total development to date of 950 metres. The Company has developed three primary headings and commenced mining the first stope in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Total crusher throughput in the fourth quarter of 2014 averaged a record for Mulatos of 18,300 tpd, above the annual budgeted rate of 17,700 tpd. For the full year 2014, crusher throughput averaged 17,200 tpd. During the fourth quarter of 2014, mill throughput averaged 430 tpd. Mill

 

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TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

throughput was below expectations in the fourth quarter reflecting the above mentioned delays in the receipt of certain critical components and slower than anticipated commissioning.

The recovery ratio in the fourth quarter was 74% and averaged 65% for 2014. This was below the Company’s annual budget of 75% reflecting a lower than budgeted contribution of higher recovery mill production and lower than expected recoveries from the mill and leach pad in the fourth quarter. While the recovery ratio from the leach pad rebounded in the fourth quarter, it was lower than anticipated as the Company was unable to recover all of the deferred production from the third quarter by the end of 2014. As a result, some of the deferred production will be recovered in the first quarter of 2015 as solution inventory is drawn down to normal levels.

Cash operating costs of $639 per ounce of gold sold in 2014 were at the low end of the Company’s annual guidance range of $630 to $670 per ounce, and 50% higher than $426 per ounce reported in 2013. This increase is attributable to lower grades stacked on the leach pad, a higher cost per tonne of ore mined, as well as a lower proportion of high grade mill production which has a lower cost profile than open pit heap leach production. Including royalties, total cash costs were $703 per ounce of gold sold in 2014.

Key operational metrics and production statistics for the fourth quarter and full year 2014 compared to the same periods of 2013 are presented in Table 3 at the end of this press release.

Turkey Developments

The Company is awaiting a ruling from the Turkish High Administrative Court on the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization (the “Ministry”) and the Company’s appeal of the Çanakkale Administrative Court’s cancellation of the Ministry’s EIA approval in relation to the KirazlI main project due to the lack of cumulative impact assessment (“CIA”). The appeal decision remains pending, but is expected to be finalized within two to three months. In order to address the CIA requirements and concerns of the Court, the Company has prepared and submitted a CIA assessment for the KirazlI project, which has been approved by the Ministry and submitted to the High Court.

In January 2015, the Çanakkale Administrative Court in Turkey granted an injunction order against the Ministry’s approval of the EIA for the Company’s AğI DağI project. Similar to KirazlI, the basis for the injunction related to a lack of a CIA. The Ministry is expected to defend any challenges against its approval of the EIA. In parallel, the Company has completed a CIA for AğI DağI which has been submitted to the Ministry. With development of KirazlI planned first, the Company does not expect the injunction to impact the development timeline for AğI DağI.

Obtaining forestry and operating permits are the next steps in the permitting process. The Company remains confident that these permits will be granted. However, legal challenges have increased uncertainty of the expected timing for receipt of these permits. The Company expects first gold production from KirazlI within 18 months of receipt of the outstanding permits.

In 2014, total development expenditures in Turkey were $1.7 million, which was capitalized. Given the delay in receipt of key permits, the Company reduced its headcount early in 2014

 

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TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

and curtailed spending in Turkey. A full development budget for KirazlI and AğI DağI will be re-initiated once the required permits are received.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2014 Exploration Update

Total exploration expenditures in 2014 were $21.2 million primarily focused at Mulatos where exploration spending totaled $15.7 million. This included $10.9 million of drilling at San Carlos and Puerta del Aire which was capitalized. An additional $4.9 million spent at East Estrella, Escondida Deep, Realito and administration costs were expensed.

Mulatos

In 2014, exploration focused mainly on areas immediately adjacent to active mining. Three types of drilling were undertaken; tightly-spaced infill drilling to support underground mining, mineral reserve and resource drilling, and exploration drilling. Up to nine drill rigs, including two underground drill rigs were active at Mulatos during the year.

San Carlos remained the highest priority for exploration with approximately 16,484 metres (“m”) drilled during the fourth quarter and a total of 48,956m drilled during 2014. Approximately 40% of this meterage was tight-infill drilling to support underground mining operations and planning. The remainder was drilled as part of the ongoing exploration program to upgrade existing mineral resources and to extend the strike and dip of existing mineral resources.

During the year 5,457m of tight-infill drilling was undertaken at Escondida Deep to assist with underground mining operations. Approximately 7,300m of Exploration drilling was also undertaken in the Escondida Deep—Gap zone with the objective of defining additional high-grade mineralization.

Drilling at Puerto del Aire was designed to upgrade inferred mineral resources immediately adjacent to the pit and to test the presence of a high-grade zone of mineralization in the north-eastern section of the deposit. A total of 9,977m was drilled during 2014. Logging, sampling and analysis has indicated the presence of at least one high-grade breccia unit in this section of the deposit. Further analysis and modelling of the zone is underway and a follow-up drill program is planned for 2015.

A total of 4,454m was drilled at East Estrella during the year with the objective of extending and upgrading existing mineral resources.

Esperanza

The Company capitalized $4.1 million at the Esperanza Gold Project in 2014. These development costs were primarily related to the collection of baseline study data to support resubmission of the EIA. The Company is currently completing preparatory work for a planned geotechnical and exploration drill program in the first half of 2015.

In addition, the Company has now acquired water concessions sufficient for all future mining activities at the Esperanza Gold Project.

 

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TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

Quartz Mountain

In 2014, the Company invested $1.1 million at the Quartz Mountain project, which was expensed. The expanded 8,000m drill program commenced in the fourth quarter of 2014 and is expected to continue to mid-year 2015. Drilling has the dual objective of validating the existing resource and testing the new geological model.

Outlook

The Company anticipates producing between 150,000 and 170,000 ounces of gold in 2015 at cash operating costs of approximately $800 per ounce of gold sold, excluding royalties. Including royalties, and assuming a $1,200 gold price, total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs are expected to be approximately $865 and $1,100 per ounce of gold sold, respectively.

The Company is expecting higher production in 2015 relative to 2014 primarily reflecting a full year of high grade mill production from the San Carlos underground deposit. Underground mining at San Carlos will be conducted in a higher grade portion of the ore body providing high grade mill feed of 9.5 g/t Au in 2015, above the current mineral reserve grade of 7.0 g/t Au. Combined with mill throughput in 2015 of 550 tpd being more than double the 2014 rate, the Company expects stronger high grade mill production. While the Company is in the process of optimizing the high grade mill, including installation of a vertical grinding mill and second ILR, both throughput and recoveries are expected to be below budgeted levels.

Higher mill production in 2015 is expected to be offset by lower grades stacked on the heap leach pad of 0.80 g/t Au. This is slightly below the 0.85 g/t Au budgeted in 2014 and well below the realized grade of 0.98 g/t Au as the Company once again benefited from a positive grade reconciliation compared to the block model.

Higher cash operating cost guidance for 2015 compared to 2014 is attributable to three factors: lower grade for the ore stacked on the leach pad of 0.80 g/t Au in 2015; a higher waste-to-ore ratio; and increased haul distances as the El Victor and San Carlos pits become meaningful contributors of open pit, heap leach production.

As part of the long term mine plan, the Company will be working through a higher waste-to-ore ratio and lower open pit grade portion of the deposit in 2015. The 2015 waste-to-ore ratio of 1.27:1 is up significantly from 2014 but is expected to decrease to the current remaining life-of-mine waste-to-ore ratio 1.04:1 in 2016. The heap leach grade of 0.80 g/t Au is also down from 2014 but is expected to improve in 2016 to approach the current mineral reserve grade of 0.93 g/t Au.

The Company expects to continue generating sufficient cash flow to fund its sustaining and development capital spending and exploration budget at Mulatos in 2015 at a $1,200 per ounce gold price. The Company continues to operate Mulatos in a manner designed to optimize long-term economics. Costs will rise in the near term though are expected to improve as grades increase and the waste-to-ore ratio normalizes to life-of-mine levels beyond 2015.

Development spending at Mulatos in 2015 will be focused on further underground development of San Carlos, pre-stripping of the El Victor and San Carlos open pits and exploration and development of Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui. Mulatos will be further bolstered by the development of the Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui satellite deposits, the latter of which is

 

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TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

expected to start contributing low cost production growth in the fourth quarter of 2016. With Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui averaging double the 2015 budgeted grade, these deposits are expected to both increase production and drive costs substantially lower.

The Company’s mineral reserve and resource update will be released at the end of the first quarter of 2015. The current focus of exploration at Mulatos is on continuing to delineate high-grade mineral reserves to provide mill feed beyond the current life of the San Carlos high-grade deposit.

Gold production from the first of the Company’s Turkish projects, KirazlI, is expected within 18 months of receipt of the outstanding forestry and operating permits. The Company continues to await a ruling from the Turkish High Administrative Court on the Ministry’s and the Company’s appeal of the Çanakkale Administrative Court’s cancellation of the Ministry’s EIA approval in relation to the KirazlI main project due to the lack of CIA. The appeal decision remains pending, but is expected to be finalized within two to three months. The Company remains confident that these permits will be granted. However, legal challenges have increased uncertainty of the expected timing for receipt of these permits.

Work in support of an EIA submission for the Esperanza Gold Project in 2015 is underway as well as completion of an internal feasibility study to further support development of the project. Drilling at the Quartz Mountain Property, focused on validating the existing mineral resources, commenced in the fourth quarter of 2014 and is expected to continue to the second quarter of 2015.

The Company’s financial position remains strong, with approximately $411.5 million in working capital and no debt. The Company is well positioned to pursue accretive opportunities and to deliver on its development project pipeline. However, the lower gold price environment further emphasizes the strategic importance of financial strength and flexibility and the Company is evaluating its capital allocation decisions accordingly.

Associated Documents

This press release should be read in conjunction with the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 and associated Management’s Discussion and Analysis (“MD&A”), which are available from the Company’s website, www.alamosgold.com, in the “Investors” section under “Reports and Financials”, and on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and EDGAR (www.sec.gov).

Reminder of Fourth Quarter and Year-End 2014 Results Conference Call

The Company’s senior management will host a conference call on Thursday, February 19, 2015 at 12:00 pm ET to discuss the fourth quarter and year-end 2014 financial results and update operating, exploration, and development activities.

Participants may join the conference call by dialling (416) 340-8527 or (877) 677-0837 for calls within Canada and the United States, or via webcast at www.alamosgold.com.

 

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TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

A playback will be available until March 5, 2015 by dialling (905) 694-9451 or (800) 408-3053 within Canada and the United States. The pass code is 2544182. The webcast will be archived at www.alamosgold.com.

About Alamos

Alamos is an established Canadian-based gold producer that owns and operates the Mulatos Mine in Mexico, and has exploration and development activities in Mexico, Turkey and the United States. The Company employs more than 500 people and is committed to the highest standards of sustainable development. Alamos has approximately $360 million in cash and cash equivalents, is debt-free, and unhedged to the price of gold. As of February 17, 2015, Alamos had 127,357,486 common shares outstanding (139,266,652 shares fully diluted), which are traded on the TSX and NYSE under the symbol “AGI”.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

 

Scott K. Parsons

Director, Investor Relations

(416) 368-9932 x 439

 

 

The TSX and NYSE have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note

No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This News Release includes certain “forward-looking statements”. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including without limitation statements regarding forecast gold production, gold grades, recoveries, waste-to-ore ratios, total cash costs, potential mineralization and reserves, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Alamos, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to mining and processing of mined ore, achieving projected recovery rates, anticipated production rates and mine life, operating efficiencies, costs and expenditures, changes in mineral resources and conversion of mineral resources to proven and probable reserves, and other information that is based on forecasts of future operational or financial results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management.

Exploration results that include geophysics, sampling, and drill results on wide spacings may not be indicative of the occurrence of a mineral deposit. Such results do not provide assurance that further work will establish sufficient grade, continuity, metallurgical characteristics and economic potential to be classed as a category of mineral resource. A mineral resource that is classified as “inferred” or “indicated” has a great amount of uncertainty as to its existence and economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that any or part of an “indicated mineral resource” or “inferred mineral resource” will ever be upgraded to a higher category of resource. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into proven and probable reserves.

Any statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as “expects” or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “estimates” or “intends”, or stating that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be “forward-looking statements.” Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

 

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TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Alamos’ expectations include, among others, risks related to international operations, the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations and changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined as well as future prices of gold and silver, as well as those factors discussed in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Alamos’ Annual Information Form. Although Alamos has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause 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, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Note to U.S. Investors

Alamos prepares its disclosure in accordance with the requirements of securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of U.S. securities laws. Terms relating to mineral resources in this presentation are defined in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects under the guidelines set out in the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum Standards on Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) permits mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. Alamos may use certain terms, such as “measured mineral resources”, “indicated mineral resources”, “inferred mineral resources” and “probable mineral reserves” that the SEC does not recognize (these terms may be used in this presentation and are included in the public filings of Alamos, which have been filed with the SEC and the securities commissions or similar authorities in Canada).

Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures

Note that for purposes of this section, GAAP refers to IFRS. The Company believes that investors use certain non-GAAP and additional GAAP measures as indicators to assess gold mining companies. They are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared with GAAP. Non-GAAP and additional GAAP measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

(i) Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital

“Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital” is a non-GAAP performance measure that could provide an indication of the Company’s ability to generate cash flows from operations, and is calculated by adding back the change in non-cash working capital to “Cash provided by (used in) operating activities” as presented on the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows.

The following table reconciles the non-GAAP measure to the consolidated statements of cash flows.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

Cash flow from operating activities – IFRS (000)

   $ 15,820       $ 15,087       $ 32,757       $ 86,627   

Changes in non-cash working capital (000)

     4,000         2,350         (18,119      (26,652
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital (000)

$ 11,820    $ 12,737    $ 50,876    $ 113,279   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(ii) Mining cost per tonne of ore

“Mining cost per tonne of ore” and “Cost per tonne of ore” are non-GAAP performance measures that could provide an indication of the mining and processing efficiency and effectiveness of the mine. These measures are calculated by dividing the relevant mining and processing costs and total costs by the tonnes of ore processed in the period. “Cost per tonne of ore” is usually affected by operating efficiencies and waste-to-ore ratios in the period. The following table reconciles the non-GAAP measure to the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

 

10 | ALAMOS GOLD INC


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

Mining and processing costs – IFRS (000)

   $ 26,575       $ 23,903       $ 85,942       $ 84,521   

Inventory adjustments and period costs (000)

     3,763         (2,725      15,399         (1,804
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cost (000)

$ 30,338    $ 21,178    $ 101,340    $ 82,717   

Tonnes Ore stacked / milled (000)

  1,686.4      1,649.4      6,294.4      6,518.3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cost per tonne of ore

$ 17.99    $ 12.84    $ 16.10    $ 12.69   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(iii) Cash operating costs per ounce and total cash costs per ounce

“Cash operating costs per ounce” and “total cash costs per ounce” as used in this analysis are non-GAAP terms typically used by gold mining companies to assess the level of gross margin available to the Company by subtracting these costs from the unit price realized during the period. These non-GAAP terms are also used to assess the ability of a mining company to generate cash flow from operations. There may be some variation in the method of computation of “cash operating costs per ounce” as determined by the Company compared with other mining companies. In this context, “cash operating costs per ounce” reflects the cash operating costs allocated from in-process and dore inventory associated with ounces of gold sold in the period. “Cash operating costs per ounce” may vary from one period to another due to operating efficiencies, waste-to-ore ratios, grade of ore processed and gold recovery rates in the period. “Total cash costs per ounce” includes “cash operating costs per ounce” plus applicable royalties. Cash operating costs per ounce and total cash costs per ounce are exclusive of exploration costs.

The following table reconciles these non-GAAP measure to the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

Mining and processing costs – IFRS (000)

   $ 26,575       $ 23,903       $ 85,942       $ 84,521   

Divided by: Gold ounces sold

     38,400         42,198         134,600         198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Cash operating costs per ounce

$ 692    $ 566    $ 639    $ 426   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Mining and processing costs – IFRS (000)

$ 26,575    $ 23,903    $ 85,942    $ 84,521   

Royalties – IFRS (000)

  2,166      2,459      8,744      13,829   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Cash costs (000)

$ 28,741    $ 26,362    $ 94,686    $ 98,350   

Divided by: Gold ounces sold

  38,400      42,198      134,600      198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Cash costs per ounce

$ 748    $ 624    $ 703    $ 496   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(iv) All-in sustaining cost per ounce

Effective 2013, in conjunction with a non-GAAP initiative being undertaken by the gold mining industry, the Company is adopting an “all-in sustaining cost per ounce” non-GAAP performance measure. The Company believes the measure more fully defines the total costs associated with producing gold; however, this performance measure has no standardized meaning. Accordingly, there may be some variation in the method of computation of “all-in sustaining cost per ounce” as determined by the Company compared with other mining companies. In this context, “all-in sustaining cost per ounce” reflects total mining and processing costs, corporate and administrative costs, exploration costs, sustaining capital, and other operating costs. Sustaining capital expenditures are expenditures that do not increase annual gold ounce production at a mine site and excludes all expenditures at the Company’s development projects as well as certain expenditures at the Company’s operating sites that are deemed expansionary in nature.

 

11 | ALAMOS GOLD INC


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

The following table reconciles these non-GAAP measures to the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

Mining and processing costs (000)

   $ 26,575       $ 23,903       $ 85,942       $ 84,521   

Royalties (000)

     2,166         2,459         8,744         13,829   

Corporate and administration (000) (1)

     2,240         4,060         12,977         19,964   

Share-based compensation (000)

     117         (740      1,136         3,204   

Exploration costs (000) (2)

     929         3,849         10,272         11,379   

Reclamation cost accretion (000)

     346         214         1,387         902   

Sustaining capital expenditures (000)

     5,865         5,106         17,080         19,118   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 38,238    $ 38,851    $ 137,538    $ 152,917   

Divided by: Gold ounces sold

  38,400      42,198      134,600      198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

All-in sustaining cost per ounce

$ 996    $ 921    $ 1,022    $ 772   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)  Excludes corporate and administration costs incurred at the Company’s development projects
(2)  Excludes exploration associated with the Company’s development projects

(v) All-in cost

Effective 2013, in conjunction with a non-GAAP initiative being undertaken by the gold mining industry, the Company is adopting an “all-in cost per ounce” non-GAAP performance measure; however, this performance measure has no standardized meaning. Accordingly, there may be some variation in the method of computation of “all-in cost per ounce” as determined by the Company compared with other mining companies. In this context, “all-in cost per ounce” reflects total all-in sustaining cash costs, plus capital, operating, and exploration costs associated with the Company’s development projects.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

All-in sustaining cost (above)

   $ 38,238       $ 38,851       $ 137,538       $ 152,917   

Add: Development and expansion capital (000)

     9,278         10,782         30,252         33,025   

Add: Other development and exploration (000)

     2,067         1,030         6,389         3,758   

Add: Development project corporate and administration (000)

     695         590         2,264         1,975   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  50,278      51,253      176,443      191,675   

Divided by: Gold ounces sold

  38,400      42,198      134,600      198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

All-in cost per ounce

$ 1,309    $ 1,215    $ 1,311    $ 967   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(vi) Other additional GAAP measures

Additional GAAP measures that are presented on the face of the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income and are not meant to be a substitute for other subtotals or totals presented in accordance with IFRS, but rather should be evaluated in conjunction with such IFRS measures. The following additional GAAP measures are used and are intended to provide an indication of the Company’s mine and operating performance:

 

    Mine operating costs – represents the total of mining and processing, royalties, and amortization expense

 

    Earnings from mine operations – represents the amount of revenues in excess of mining and processing, royalties, and amortization expense.

 

    Earnings from operations – represents the amount of earnings before net finance income/expense, foreign exchange gain/loss, other income/loss, and income tax expense

 

12 | ALAMOS GOLD INC


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

Table 1: Financial Highlights

 

     Q4 2014     Q4 2013     YTD 2014     YTD 2013     YTD 2012  

Cash provided by operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital (000)(1) (2)

   $ 11,820      $ 12,730      $ 50,876      $ 113,279      $ 178,534   

Changes in non-cash working capital

   $ 4,000      $ 2,357        ($18,119     ($26,652   $ 4,890   

Cash provided by operating activities (000)

   $ 15,820      $ 15,087      $ 32,757      $ 86,627      $ 183,424   

(Loss) Earnings before income taxes (000)

     ($3,203   $ 6,627      $ 2,339      $ 79,504      $ 166,925   

(Loss) Earnings (000)

     ($3,367     ($5,274     ($2,126   $ 38,792      $ 117,956   

(Loss) Earnings per share

          

- basic

     ($0.03     ($0.04     ($0.02   $ 0.30      $ 0.98   

- diluted

     ($0.03     ($0.04     ($0.02   $ 0.30      $ 0.98   

Comprehensive income (000)

     ($1,909     ($6,078     ($1,874   $ 38,763      $ 117,972   

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding

          

- basic

     127,357,000        127,709,000        127,388,000        127,340,000        119,861,000   

- diluted

     127,357,000        127,757,000        127,389,000        127,480,000        120,904,000   

Assets (000) (3)

       $ 879,511      $ 898,028      $ 753,856   

 

(1)  A non-GAAP measure calculated as cash provided by operating activities as presented on the consolidated statements of cash flows and adding back changes in non-cash working capital.
(2)  Refer to “Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures” disclosure in this press release for a description and calculation of this measure.
(3)  Assets are shown as at December 31, 2014, December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012.

 

13 | ALAMOS GOLD INC


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

Table 2: Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Financial Position, Comprehensive Income, and Cash Flows

ALAMOS GOLD INC.

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(Unaudited - stated in thousands of United States dollars)

 

     December 31,     December 31,  
     2014     2013  

A S S E T S

    

Current Assets

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 353,293      $ 409,663   

Short-term investments

     4,792        7,792   

Available-for-sale securities

     2,201        1,896   

Other financial assets

     —          442   

Amounts receivable

     8,950        11,200   

Income taxes receivable

     15,534        —     

Advances and prepaid expenses

     4,750        9,068   

Inventory

     55,358        37,972   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Assets

  444,878      478,033   

Non-Current Assets

Other non-current assets

  5,861      2,696   

Exploration and evaluation assets

  220,132      214,387   

Mineral property, plant and equipment

  208,640      202,912   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Assets

$ 879,511    $ 898,028   

L I A B I L I T I E S

Current Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$ 33,389    $ 23,487   

Income taxes payable

  —        1,783   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

  33,389      25,270   

Non-Current Liabilities

Deferred income taxes

  39,815      38,715   

Decommissioning liability

  22,302      21,406   

Other liabilities

  671      690   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

  96,177      86,081   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

E Q U I T Y

Share capital

$ 509,068    $ 510,473   

Warrants

  21,667      21,667   

Contributed surplus

  26,202      24,236   

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  (841   (1,093

Retained earnings

  227,238      256,664   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Equity

  783,334      811,947   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities and Equity

$ 879,511    $ 898,028   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

14 | ALAMOS GOLD INC


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

ALAMOS GOLD INC.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(Unaudited - stated in thousands of United States dollars, except per share amounts)

 

     For the three-month
periods ended
    For the year ended  
     December 31,
2014
    December 31,
2013
    December 31,
2014
    December 31,
2013
 

OPERATING REVENUES

   $ 46,062      $ 53,831      $ 169,938      $ 282,187   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

MINE OPERATING COSTS

Mining and processing

  26,575      23,903      85,942      84,521   

Royalties

  2,166      2,459      8,744      13,829   

Amortization

  11,139      11,247      42,970      56,488   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  39,880      37,609      137,656      154,838   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EARNINGS FROM MINE OPERATIONS

  6,182      16,222      32,282      127,349   

EXPENSES

Exploration

  1,277      3,282      6,158      7,559   

Corporate and administrative

  2,935      4,650      15,241      21,939   

Share-based compensation

  117      (740   1,136      3,204   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  4,329      7,192      22,535      32,702   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EARNINGS FROM OPERATIONS

  1,853      9,030      9,747      94,647   

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES)

Finance income

  550      797      2,839      3,131   

Financing expense

  (346   (224   (1,393   (912

Foreign exchange loss

  (2,661   (917   (4,700   (8,312

Other loss

  (2,599   (2,059   (4,154   (9,050
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(LOSS) EARNINGS BEFORE INCOME TAXES FOR THE PERIOD

  (3,203   6,627      2,339      79,504   

INCOME TAXES

Current tax expense

  (1,494   (5,751   (3,365   (40,362

Deferred tax recovery (expense)

  1,330      (6,150   (1,100   (350
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(LOSS) EARNINGS FOR THE PERIOD

$ (3,367 $ (5,274 $ (2,126 $ 38,792   

Other comprehensive income (loss) to be reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods:

- Unrealized loss on securities

  (1,002   (804   (2,208   (2,697

- Unrealized loss on derivative contracts

  (225   —        (225   —     

- Impairment of available-for-sale securities

  2,661      —        2,661      —     

- Reclassification of realized losses (gains) on available-for-sale securities included in earnings

  24      —        24      2,668   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS) FOR THE PERIOD

$ (1,909 $ (6,078 $ (1,874 $ 38,763   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(LOSS) EARNINGS PER SHARE

– basic

$ (0.03 $ (0.04 $ (0.02 $ 0.30   

– diluted

$ (0.03 $ (0.04 $ (0.02 $ 0.30   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding

- basic

  127,357,000      127,709,000      127,388,000      127,340,000   

- diluted

  127,357,000      127,757,000      127,389,000      127,480,000   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

15 | ALAMOS GOLD INC


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

ALAMOS GOLD INC.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Unaudited - stated in thousands of United States dollars)

 

    

For the three-month

periods ended

    For the years ended  
     December 31,
2014
    December 31,
2013
    December 31,
2014
    December 31,
2013
 

CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN):

        

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

        

(Loss) Earnings for the period

   $ (3,367   $ (5,274   $ (2,126   $ 38,792   

Adjustments for items not involving cash:

        

Amortization

     11,139        11,247        42,970        56,488   

Financing expense

     346        224        1,393        912   

Unrealized foreign exchange loss (gain)

     2,047        900        3,244        5,938   

Deferred tax (recovery) expense

     (1,330     6,150        1,100        350   

Share-based compensation

     117        (740     1,136        3,204   

Loss on sale of securities

     —          —          —          6,840   

Impairment of securities

     2,661        —          2,661        —     

Other

     207        230        498        755   

Changes in non-cash working capital:

        

Fair value of forward contracts

     225        —          225        —     

Amounts receivable

     (3,923     (5,855     (27,508     (21,356

Inventory

     (1,093     1,928        (17,758     (2,797

Advances and prepaid expenses

     2,385        4,770        5,368        (4,311

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities, and income taxes payable

     6,406        1,507        21,554        1,812   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  15,820      15,087      32,757      86,627   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

(Purchases) sales of securities

  (1,578   —        (1,754   111,116   

Short-term investments (net)

  (4,792   (4,104   3,000      39,862   

Contractor advances

  50      (385   (1,050   (1,440

Proceeds on sale of equipment

  577      —        843      —     

Acquisition of Esperanza

  —        —        —        (44,663

Acquisition of Orsa

  —        —        —        (3,403

Exploration and evaluation assets

  (1,545   (5,920   (5,745   (21,437

Mineral property, plant and equipment

  (15,494   (11,575   (52,341   (38,295
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (22,782   (21,984   (57,047   41,740   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

Common shares issued

  —        —        —        4,883   

Shares repurchased and cancelled

  —        —        (3,234   (2,624

Dividends paid

  (12,736   (12,770   (25,471   (25,519
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (12,736   (12,770   (28,705   (23,260
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

  (2,176   (640   (3,375   (1,500
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

  (21,874   (20,307   (56,370   103,607   

Cash and cash equivalents—beginning of the period

  375,167      429,970      409,663      306,056   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS—END OF PERIOD

$ 353,293    $ 409,663    $ 353,293    $ 409,663   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

16 | ALAMOS GOLD INC


TRADING SYMBOL:   TSX:AGI      NYSE:AGI

 

Table 3: Production Summary & Statistics (1)

 

Production summary  

Q1

2014

   

Q2

2014

   

Q3

2014

   

Q4

2014

   

YTD

2014

   

YTD

2013

 

Ounces produced (1)

    37,000        33,000        28,000        42,500        140,500        190,000   

Crushed ore stacked on leach pad (tonnes) (2)

    1,483,500        1,580,200        1,495,000        1,647,000        6,205,700        6,329,000   

Grade (g/t Au)

    1.03        0.93        1.08        0.90        0.98        1.07   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Contained ounces stacked

  49,100      47,300      51,900      47,700      196,000      218,500   

Crushed ore milled (tonnes)

  30,100      6,800      12,500      39,300      88,700      189,300   

Grade (g/t Au)

  3.28      8.65      8.47      8.02      6.52      6.84   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Contained ounces milled

  3,200      1,900      3,400      10,100      18,600      41,600   

Ratio of total ounces produced to contained ounces stacked and milled

  71   67   51   74   65   73

Total ore mined (tonnes) (3)

  1,748,000      2,105,000      1,713,000      1,730,000      7,296,000      7,029,000   

Waste mined (tonnes)

  950,000      1,580,000      1,004,000      1,054,000      4,588,000      3,385,000   
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total mined (tonnes)

  2,698,000      3,685,000      2,717,000      2,784,000      11,884,000      10,414,000   

Waste-to-ore ratio

  0.54      0.75      0.59      0.61      0.63      0.48   

Ore crushed per day (tonnes) – combined

  16,800      17,400      16,400      18,300      17,200      17,900   

 

(1)  Reported gold production for Q4 2014 and YTD 2014 is subject to final refinery settlement and may be adjusted.
(2)  Excludes mill tailings stacked on the heap leach pad during the period.
(3)  Includes ore stockpiled during the period.

 

17 | ALAMOS GOLD INC



Exhibit 99.2

LOGO ALAMOS GOLD INC.

 

 

2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

December 31, 2014 and 2013

(Based on International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) and stated in thousands of United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

INDEX

Management’s responsibility for financial reporting

Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consolidated Financial Statements

 

    Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

 

    Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

 

    Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity

 

    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

 

    Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements


LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY FOR FINANCIAL REPORTING

The consolidated financial statements of Alamos Gold Inc. have been prepared by, and are the responsibility of the Company’s management.

The consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and reflect management’s best estimates and judgments based on information currently available. In the opinion of management, the accounting practices utilized are appropriate in the circumstances and the consolidated financial statements fairly reflect the financial position and financial performance the Company within reasonable limits of materiality.

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Management has developed and maintains a system of internal controls to obtain reasonable assurance that the Company’s assets are safeguarded, transactions are authorized, and financial information is reliable. All internal control systems have inherent limitations, including the possibility of circumvention and overriding of controls, and therefore, can provide only reasonable assurance as to financial statement reliability and the safeguarding of assets.

Management has a process in place to evaluate internal control over financial reporting based on criteria established by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) set forth in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013). Based on this assessment, Management has concluded that, as at December 31, 2014, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective.

The Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring management fulfills its responsibilities. The Audit Committee meets with the Company’s management and external auditors to discuss the results of the audits and to review the consolidated financial statements prior to the Audit Committee’s submission to the Board of Directors for approval. The Audit Committee also reviews the quarterly financial statements and recommends them for approval to the Board of Directors, reviews with management the Company’s systems of internal control, and approves the scope of the external auditors’ audit and non-audit work. The Audit Committee is composed entirely of directors not involved in the daily operations of the Company who are thus considered to be free from any relationship that could interfere with their exercise of independent judgment as a Committee member.

The consolidated financial statements and the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, Chartered Accountants and their reports outline the scope of their examination and gives their opinion on the consolidated financial statements and the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

February 17, 2015

“John A. McCluskey”

John A. McCluskey

President and Chief Executive Officer

“James R. Porter”

James R. Porter, CPA, CA

 

2 | Alamos Gold Inc.


LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

3 | Alamos Gold Inc.


LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Alamos Gold Inc.

We have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Alamos Gold Inc., which comprise the consolidated statements of financial position as at December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the years then ended, and a summary of significant accounting policies and other explanatory information.

Management’s responsibility for the consolidated financial statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, and for such internal control as management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditors’ responsibility

Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards and the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we comply with ethical requirements and plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditors’ judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditors consider internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances. An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements, evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained in our audits is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Opinion

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Alamos Gold Inc. as at December 31, 2014 and 2013, and its financial performance and its cash flows for the years then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.

Other matter

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), Alamos Gold Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) and our report dated February 17, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion on Alamos Gold Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

“Ernst & Young LLP”
Toronto, Canada Chartered Professional Accountants
February 17, 2015 Licensed Public Accountants

 

4 | Alamos Gold Inc.


LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

The Board of Directors and Shareholders of Alamos Gold Inc.

We have audited Alamos Gold Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the “COSO criteria”). Alamos Gold Inc.’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying report, Management’s Responsibility for Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

In our opinion, Alamos Gold Inc. maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2014, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards and the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), the consolidated statements of financial position of Alamos Gold Inc. as of December 31, 2014 and 2013, and the consolidated statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the years then ended and our report dated February 17, 2015 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

 

“Ernst & Young LLP”
Toronto, Canada Chartered Professional Accountants
February 17, 2015 Licensed Public Accountants

 

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ALAMOS GOLD INC.

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(Stated in thousands of United States dollars)

 

     December 31,     December 31,  
     2014     2013  

A S S E T S

    

Current Assets

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 353,293      $ 409,663   

Short-term investments

     4,792        7,792   

Available-for-sale securities (note 5)

     2,201        1,896   

Other financial assets (note 5)

     —          442   

Amounts receivable (note 6)

     8,950        11,200   

Income taxes receivable

     15,534        —     

Advances and prepaid expenses (note 7)

     4,750        9,068   

Inventory (note 8)

     55,358        37,972   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Assets

  444,878      478,033   

Non-Current Assets

Other non-current assets (note 8)

  5,861      2,696   

Exploration and evaluation assets (note 9)

  220,132      214,387   

Mineral property, plant and equipment (note 10)

  208,640      202,912   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Assets

$ 879,511    $ 898,028   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

L I A B I L I T I E S

Current Liabilities

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities (note 11)

$ 33,389    $ 23,487   

Income taxes payable

  —        1,783   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

  33,389      25,270   

Non-Current Liabilities

Deferred income taxes (note 15)

  39,815      38,715   

Decommissioning liability (note 13)

  22,302      21,406   

Other liabilities

  671      690   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

  96,177      86,081   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

E Q U I T Y

Share capital (note 14)

$ 509,068    $ 510,473   

Warrants (note 4)

  21,667      21,667   

Contributed surplus

  26,202      24,236   

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

  (841   (1,093

Retained earnings

  227,238      256,664   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Equity

  783,334      811,947   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Liabilities and Equity

$ 879,511    $ 898,028   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments and Contingencies (note 18)

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

On behalf of the Board

 

“John A. McCluskey” “David Fleck”
John A. McCluskey David Fleck
President and Chief Executive Officer Director

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

ALAMOS GOLD INC.

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

(Stated in thousands of United States dollars, except per share amounts)

 

     2014     2013  

OPERATING REVENUES

   $ 169,938      $ 282,187   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

MINE OPERATING COSTS

Mining and processing

  85,942      84,521   

Royalties (note 18)

  8,744      13,829   

Amortization

  42,970      56,488   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  137,656      154,838   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

EARNINGS FROM MINE OPERATIONS

  32,282      127,349   

EXPENSES

Exploration

  6,158      7,559   

Corporate and administrative

  15,241      21,939   

Share-based compensation (notes 14d, 14e and 14f)

  1,136      3,204   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  22,535      32,702   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

EARNINGS FROM OPERATIONS

  9,747      94,647   

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES)

Finance income

  2,839      3,131   

Financing expense

  (1,393   (912

Foreign exchange loss

  (4,700   (8,312

Other loss (note 16)

  (4,154   (9,050
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

EARNINGS BEFORE INCOME TAXES

  2,339      79,504   

INCOME TAXES (note 15)

Current tax expense

  (3,365   (40,362

Deferred tax expense

  (1,100   (350
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

(LOSS)/EARNINGS

($ 2,126 $ 38,792   

Other comprehensive income (loss) to be reclassified to profit or loss in subsequent periods:

- Unrealized loss on securities

  (2,208   (2,697

- Unrealized loss on derivative contracts

  (225   —     

- Impairment of available-for-sale securities

  2,661      —     

- Reclassification of realized losses on available-for-sale securities included in earnings

  24      2,668   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME/(LOSS)

($ 1,874 $ 38,763   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

(LOSS)/EARNINGS PER SHARE (note 14g)

– basic

($ 0.02 $ 0.30   

– diluted

($ 0.02 $ 0.30   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding

- basic

  127,388,000      127,340,000   

- diluted

  127,389,000      127,480,000   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

ALAMOS GOLD INC.

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity

For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

(Stated in thousands of United States dollars)

 

     Number of
shares
outstanding
    Share
capital
    Warrants      Contributed
surplus
    Accumulated
other
comprehensive
loss
    Retained
earnings
    Total
Equity
 

Balance at January 1, 2013

     120,871,408      $ 393,752      $ —         $ 22,606      ($ 1,064   $ 245,178      $ 660,472   

Share-based compensation

     —          —          —           3,540        —          —          3,540   

Shares issued in purchase agreements (note 14b)

     6,584,380        110,765        —           —          —          —          110,765   

Shares repurchased and cancelled (note 14c)

     (211,300     (837     —           —          —          (1,787     (2,624

Shares issued on exercise of options

     464,500        6,793        —           (1,910     —          —          4,883   

Dividends

     —          —          —           —          —          (25,519     (25,519

Warrants issued (note 4a)

     —          —          21,667         —          —          —          21,667   

Earnings

     —          —          —           —          —          38,792        38,792   

Other comprehensive income (tax impact; nil)

     —          —          —           —          (29     —          (29
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2013

  127,708,988    $ 510,473    $ 21,667    $ 24,236    ($ 1,093 $ 256,664    $ 811,947   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
     Number of
shares
outstanding
    Share
capital
    Warrants      Contributed
surplus
    Accumulated
other
comprehensive
loss
    Retained
earnings
    Total
Equity
 

Balance at January 1, 2014

     127,708,988      $ 510,473      $ 21,667       $ 24,236      ($ 1,093   $ 256,664      $ 811,947   

Share-based compensation

     —          —          —           1,966        —          —          1,966   

Shares repurchased and cancelled (note 14c)

     (351,502     (1,405     —           —          —          (1,829     (3,234

Dividends

     —          —          —           —          —          (25,471     (25,471

(Loss)/Earnings

     —          —          —           —          —          (2,126     (2,126

Other comprehensive income (tax impact; nil)

     —          —          —           —          252        —          252   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Balance at December 31, 2014

  127,357,486    $ 509,068    $ 21,667    $ 26,202    ($ 841 $ 227,238    $ 783,334   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

ALAMOS GOLD INC.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

For the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013

(Stated in thousands of United States dollars)

 

     2014     2013  

CASH PROVIDED BY (USED IN):

    

OPERATING ACTIVITIES

    

(Loss)/Earnings

   ($ 2,126   $ 38,792   

Adjustments for items not involving cash:

    

Amortization

     42,970        56,488   

Financing expense

     1,393        912   

Unrealized foreign exchange loss

     3,244        5,938   

Deferred tax expense

     1,100        350   

Share-based compensation

     1,136        3,204   

Loss on sale of securities

     —          6,840   

Impairment of securities

     2,661        —     

Other

     498        755   

Changes in non-cash working capital:

    

Fair value of forward contracts

     225        —     

Amounts receivable

     (27,508     (21,356

Inventory

     (17,758     (2,797

Advances and prepaid expenses

     5,368        (4,311

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities, and income taxes payable

     21,554        1,812   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  32,757      86,627   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

INVESTING ACTIVITIES

(Purchases)/sales of securities

  (1,754   111,116   

Short-term investments (net)

  3,000      39,862   

Contractor advances

  (1,050   (1,440

Proceeds on sale of equipment

  843      —     

Acquisition of Esperanza

  —        (44,663

Acquisition of Orsa

  —        (3,403

Exploration and evaluation assets

  (5,745   (21,437

Mineral property, plant and equipment

  (52,341   (38,295
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (57,047   41,740   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

FINANCING ACTIVITIES

Common shares issued

  —        4,883   

Shares repurchased and cancelled

  (3,234   (2,624

Dividends paid

  (25,471   (25,519
  

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (28,705   (23,260
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

  (3,375   (1,500
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

  (56,370   103,607   

Cash and cash equivalents—beginning of year

  409,663      306,056   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS—END OF YEAR

$ 353,293    $ 409,663   
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Supplemental information:

Interest paid

  —        —     

Interest received

$ 2,751    $ 3,147   

Income taxes paid

  —      $ 35,500   

The accompanying notes form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

ALAMOS GOLD INC.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

December 31, 2014 and 2013

(Stated in United States dollars, unless otherwise indicated)

1. NATURE OF OPERATIONS

 

Alamos Gold Inc., a resident Canadian company, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively the “Company”) are engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and extraction of precious metals. The Company owns and operates the Mulatos mine and holds the mineral rights to the Salamandra group of concessions in the State of Sonora, Mexico, which includes several known satellite gold occurrences. In addition, the Company owns the AğI DağI, KirazlI and Çamyurt gold development projects in Turkey. In 2013, the Company acquired the Esperanza Gold Project in the state of Morelos, Mexico, as well as an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Quartz Mountain Gold Project in Oregon, USA.

2. BASIS OF PREPARATION

 

Statement of Compliance

These consolidated financial statements, including comparative figures, have been prepared using accounting policies in compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and interpretations of the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (“IFRIC”).

The consolidated financial statements were authorized for issue by the Board of Directors on February 17, 2015.

Use of estimates and judgments

The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and revenue and expenses. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the judgments about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and further periods if the review affects both current and future periods. Areas which require management to make material estimates and significant assumptions in determining amounts recorded include: recoverable mineral reserves, inventory, share-based payments, decommissioning liabilities, and units-of-production amortization.

Judgments made by management in the application of IFRS that have a significant effect on the financial statements and estimates with a significant risk of material adjustment in the current and following fiscal years include: impairment of tangible and intangible assets, determination of functional currency, capitalized exploration, amortization methods and recovery of deferred tax assets.

 

  i. Impairment:

The Company assesses its mineral property, plant and equipment and exploration and evaluation assets annually to determine whether any indication of impairment exists. Where an indicator of impairment exists, a formal estimate of the recoverable amount is made, which is considered to be the higher of the fair value less costs to sell and value in use. These assessments

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

require the use of estimates and assumptions such as long-term commodity prices, discount rates, future capital requirements, exploration potential and operating performance.

 

  ii. Recoverable mineral reserves:

Mineral reserves are estimates of the amount of ore that can be economically and legally extracted from the Company’s mining properties. The Company estimates its recoverable mineral reserves based on information compiled by appropriately qualified persons relating to the geological data on the size of the ore body, and requires complex geological judgments to interpret the data. The estimation of recoverable mineral reserves is based upon factors such as estimates of, commodity prices, production costs, future capital requirements, and foreign exchange rates, along with geological assumptions and judgments made in estimating the size and grade of the ore body, and metallurgical assumptions made in estimating recovery of the ore body. Changes in the reserve or resource estimates may impact the carrying value of exploration and evaluation assets, mineral property, plant and equipment, decommissioning liabilities, and amortization expense.

 

  iii. Units-of-production (“UOP”) amortization:

The Company uses estimated proven and probable mineral reserves as the basis for determining the amortization of certain mineral property, plant and equipment. This results in an amortization charge proportional to the depletion of the anticipated remaining mine life. These calculations require the use of estimates and assumptions, including the amount of proven and probable mineral reserves.

 

  iv. Inventory (note 8):

The Company accounts for its ore stockpiles and in-process precious metals inventory using a process flow for applicable costs appropriate to the physical transformation of ore through the mining, crushing, leaching and gold recovery process. The Company estimates the expected ultimate recovery based on laboratory tests and ongoing analysis of leach pad kinetics in order to estimate the recoverable metals from the leach pad at the end of each accounting period. If the Company determines at any time that the ultimate recovery should be adjusted downward, then the Company will adjust the average carrying value of a unit of metal content in the in-process inventory and adjust upward on a prospective basis the unit cost of subsequent production. Should an upward adjustment in the average carrying value of a unit of metal result in the carrying value exceeding the realizable value of the metal, the Company would write down the carrying value to the realizable value.

 

  v. Share-based payments (note 14):

The computed amount of share based compensation is not based on historical cost, but is derived based on subjective assumptions input into an option pricing model. The model requires that management make forecasts as to future events, including estimates of: the average future hold period of issued stock options or stock appreciation rights before exercise, expiry or cancellation; future volatility of the Company’s share price in the expected hold period (using historical volatility as a reference); and the appropriate risk-free rate of interest. Share-based compensation incorporates an expected forfeiture rate. The expected forfeiture rate is estimated based on historical forfeiture rates and expectations of future forfeiture rates, and is adjusted if the actual forfeiture rate differs from the expected rate.

The resulting value calculated is not necessarily the value that the holder of the instrument could receive in an arm’s length transaction, given that there is no market for these instruments and they are not transferable. It is management’s view that the value derived is highly subjective and dependent upon the input assumptions made.

 

  vi. Decommissioning liabilities (note 13):

The Company is required to determine the expected value of the estimated costs of decommissioning liabilities and to recognize this value as a liability when reasonably determinable. Key assumptions in determining the amount of the liability are: total undiscounted cash outflows, expected timing of payment of the cash outflows and appropriate inflation and discount rates to

 

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apply to the timing of cash outflows. Because the liability is recorded on a discounted basis, it is increased over the passage of time with an offsetting charge to financing expense in the Statement of Comprehensive Income. The Company calculated its estimated mine site closure costs based on a mine closure and reclamation plan prepared by management and reviewed by an independent third party. The majority of the expenditures associated with reclamation and mine closure will be incurred at the end of the mine life, expected to be in approximately 7 years based on expected proven and probable mineral reserves and the current rate of production.

 

  vii. Recovery of deferred tax assets (note 15):

Judgment is required in determining whether deferred tax assets are recognized on the statement of financial position. Deferred tax assets require management to assess the likelihood that the Company will generate taxable income in future periods in order to utilize recognized deferred tax assets. Estimates of future taxable income are based on forecasted cash flows and the application of existing tax laws in each jurisdiction.

Functional and presentation currency

These consolidated financial statements are presented in United States dollars (“USD”), which is the functional currency of the Company and all its subsidiaries.

Basis of measurement

These consolidated financial statements have been prepared on a historical cost basis, except for certain derivative and available-for-sale financial instruments which are measured at fair value. The Company prepares its consolidated financial statements, except for cash flow information, using the accrual basis of accounting.

3. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Summarized below are those policies considered significant to the Company. All accounting policies have been applied consistently to all periods presented in these consolidated financial statements, unless otherwise indicated.

Basis of consolidation

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the Company and the entities controlled by the Company (its subsidiaries). The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated financial statements from the date that control commences until the date that control ceases. All inter-company balances and transactions have been eliminated.

 

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   LOGO    2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

The consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of the parent company, Alamos Gold Inc., and its subsidiaries as listed below:

 

    

Country of Incorporation

   Equity Interest  
          2014     2013  

Alamos Gold Inc.

   Canada      —          —     

0975828 B.C. LTD.

   Canada      100     100

Esperanza Resources Corporation

   Mexico      100     100

Orsa Ventures Corp.

   Canada      100     100

Esperanza Resources (Cayman)

   Cayman Islands      100     100

Esperanza Exploration (BVI) Inc.

   British Virgin Islands      100     100

Minas de Oro Nacional, S.A. de C.V.

   Mexico      100     100

Operason S.A. de C.V.

   Mexico      100     100

Sonora Gerencial S.A. de C.V.

   Mexico      100     100

Esperanza Silver de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

   Mexico      100     100

Servicios Mineros Tetlama S.A. de C.V.

   Mexico      100     100

Esperanza Silver Peru SAC

   Peru      100     100

Kuzey Biga Madencilik Sanayi Ticaret AS

   Turkey      100     100

Dogu Biga Madencilik Sanayi Ticaret AS

   Turkey      100     100

Alamos Eurasia Madencilik AS

   Turkey      100     100

Esperanza Services Inc.

   USA      100     100

Quartz Mountain Gold Ltd.

   USA      100     100

Foreign currency transactions

Transactions in foreign currencies are converted to the Company’s functional currency at exchange rates prevailing at the dates of the transactions. Monetary assets and liabilities of the Company which are denominated in foreign currencies are translated into the Company’s functional currency at the exchange rate prevailing at the date of the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position. Non-monetary assets and liabilities are translated at historical exchange rates prevailing at each transaction date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities that are stated at fair value are translated using the historical rate on the date that the fair value was determined. Revenues and expenses are translated at exchange rates prevailing on the date of the transactions, with the exception of inventory transfers and amortization which are translated at historical exchange rates. All exchange gains and losses are included in the determination of earnings.

Revenue recognition

Revenue is earned from the sale of gold and is recognized when dore or refined metal is delivered to a purchaser pursuant to a purchase agreement that fixes the quantity and price of the metal for each delivery. Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable.

Costs incurred or premium income related to forward sales or option contracts are recognized in revenue when the related contract is settled. Changes in the fair value of outstanding forward sales or option contracts are recognized in earnings.

Inventory

Inventory which includes dore, gold-in-process, ore in stockpiles, and parts and supplies, is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value.

 

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  i. Dore represents a bar containing predominantly gold by value which is generally refined off-site to return saleable metals. Dore inventory is valued at the lower of average cost to produce the dore and net realizable value.

 

  ii. In-process inventory represents costs that are incurred in the process of converting mineralized ores into partially refined precious metals, or dore. Ore represents material that, at the time of extraction, is expected to be processed into a saleable form. The recovery of gold from ore is achieved through both heap leaching and milling processes. Under the heap leaching process, ore is crushed and placed on leach pads where it is treated with a chemical solution, which dissolves the gold contained in the ore. The resulting “pregnant” solution is further processed in a plant where the gold is recovered. Under the milling process, ore is crushed finer than the leaching process prior to gravity separation. The ore separated through the gravity circuit is then accumulated into a concentrate solution. The concentrate is then leached in a intensive leach reactor followed by processing in the plant.

 

       Cost of in-process inventory includes operating costs incurred to that stage of the process plus amortization of mineral property, plant and equipment relating to that stage of the process. Costs capitalized to in-process inventory include direct and indirect materials and consumables; direct labour; repairs and maintenance; utilities; amortization of mineral property, plant and equipment; and local mine administrative expenses. Costs are removed from in-process inventory and transferred to dore inventory as ounces are produced based on the average cost per recoverable ounce on the leach pad. Costs are recorded in mining and processing costs on the sale of refined gold. In addition, the impact of inventory movement is reflected through mining and processing costs in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income. Recoverable gold on the leach pads is estimated based on the quantities of ore placed on the leach pads (based on measured tonnes added to the leach pads), the grade of ore placed on the leach pads (based on assay data) and a recovery percentage (based on estimated ultimate recovery assumptions). The nature of the leaching process inherently limits the ability to precisely monitor inventory levels; as a result, estimates are refined based on actual results over time. The ultimate recovery of gold from leach pads will not be known until the leaching process is concluded at the end of the mine life.

 

  iii. Stockpile inventory represents unprocessed ore that has been mined and is available for further processing. The unprocessed ore stockpile is measured by estimating the number of tonnes added and removed from the stockpile, the number of contained ounces (based on assay data) and estimated metallurgical recovery rates (based on the expected processing method). Stockpile ore tonnages are verified by periodic surveys. Costs are allocated to the stockpile based on the current mining cost per tonne incurred up to the point of stockpiling the ore, including applicable overhead, depletion, depreciation and amortization relating to mining operations, and are removed at the average cost per ounce. As the unprocessed ore stockpile will not be further processed within one year of the date of these consolidated financial statements, the net carrying amount related to the stockpile has been classified as non-current assets in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

 

  iv. Parts and supplies inventory is valued at the lower of average cost and net realizable value. Provisions are recorded to reflect present intentions for the use of slow moving and obsolete parts and supplies inventory.

Mineral property, plant and equipment

 

  i. Mineral property acquisition and mine development costs:

The Company may hold interests in mineral property in various forms, including prospecting licenses, exploration and exploitation concessions, mineral leases and surface rights. The Company capitalizes payments made in the process of acquiring legal title to these properties.

Property acquisition and mine development costs are recorded at cost. Mine development costs incurred to expand operating capacity, develop new ore bodies or develop mine areas in advance of current production are capitalized. Mine development costs related to current period production are recorded in inventory. Pre-production expenditures incurred prior to the mine

 

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being substantially complete and ready for its intended use are capitalized. Interest on financing attributable to mine development is capitalized to mine development costs while construction and development activities at the property are in progress.

Each project is assessed to determine the point of commencement of production at the mine. Various relevant criteria are considered to assess when the mine is substantially complete and ready for its intended use and moved into the production stage. Some of the criteria considered include, but are not limited to, the completion of a reasonable period of testing of mine plant and equipment; the ability to produce minerals in saleable form; and the ability to sustain ongoing production of minerals. When a project commences production, the capitalization of certain mine construction costs ceases and costs are either capitalized to inventory or expensed, except for capitalizable costs related to property, plant and equipment additions or improvements, open pit stripping activities that provide a future benefit or underground mine development.

When the property is placed into production, those capitalized costs are included in the calculation of the amortization of mine development costs. Property acquisition and mine development costs are amortized by the units-of-production method based on estimated proven and probable recoverable mineral reserves. Estimates of residual values, useful lives and methods of amortization are reviewed each reporting period, and adjusted prospectively if appropriate.

 

  ii. Exploration and evaluation expenditures:

Exploration and evaluation expenditures, including drilling and related costs, are capitalized if management determines that probable future economic benefits will be generated as a result of the expenditures, as evidenced by a positive economic analysis of the project. Exploration and evaluation expenditures on properties prior to the establishment of a positive economic analysis are charged to operations as incurred. Drilling costs incurred during the production phase for operational ore control are charged to inventory as incurred. Management assesses whether probable economic benefit exists by conducting an economic analysis. A positive economic analysis includes either internal or external third party economic evaluation using modelling techniques, such as a discounted cash flow or preliminary economic assessment, such that mineral resources within the meaning of Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101 are defined on the property.

Exploration expenditures are initially capitalized as exploration and evaluation expenditures and are subsequently reclassified to mine development costs upon determining that the technical feasibility and commercial viability of extracting a mineral resource are demonstrable. The demonstration of the technical feasibility and commercial viability is the point at which management determines that it will develop the project. This typically includes, but is not limited to, the completion of an economic feasibility study; the establishment of mineral reserves; and the receipt of the applicable construction and operating permits for the project. Upon demonstrating the technical feasibility and commercial viability of establishing a mineral reserve, the Company performs an impairment test, based on the recoverable amount, prior to reclassification of exploration and evaluation expenditures to mine development costs in accordance with IFRS 6. In addition, the carrying values of exploration and evaluation expenditures are reviewed periodically, when impairment factors exist, for possible impairment, based on the recoverable amount.

 

  iii. Mining plant and equipment:

Plant and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated amortization and accumulated impairment losses. Cost includes all expenditures that are directly attributable to the acquisition of the asset. Borrowing costs on qualifying assets are capitalized until the asset is capable of carrying out its intended use. Plant and equipment is amortized on a units-of-production basis over estimated recoverable proven and probable reserves, or on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the asset, whichever period is lower.

 

  iv. Subsequent costs:

The cost of replacing part of an item within mineral property, plant and equipment is recognized when the cost is incurred and it is probable that the future economic benefits will flow to the Company, and the costs can be measured reliably. The carrying amount of the part that has been replaced is expensed. Routine repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred.

 

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  v. Impairment:

The carrying values of mineral property, plant and equipment are reviewed for indications of impairment at each reporting date. When impairment indicators exist, then the asset’s recoverable amount is estimated. The carrying values of exploration and evaluation expenditures are reviewed periodically, when impairment factors exist, for possible impairment, based on the recoverable amount in accordance with IFRS 6. Further, prior to reclassification of exploration and evaluation expenditures to mine development costs, the Company performs an impairment test, based on the recoverable amount.

If it is determined that the estimated recoverable amount is less than the carrying value of an asset, or its cash-generating unit (“CGU”), then a write-down is made with a charge to operations. For the purpose of impairment testing, assets that cannot be tested individually are grouped together into the smallest group of assets that generates cash inflows that are largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets (the CGU). Impairment losses recognized in respect of CGU’s are allocated on a pro rata basis to the assets in the unit.

The recoverable amount of an asset or cash-generating unit is the greater of its value-in-use and its fair value less costs to sell. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash flows of a mine or development property are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset. Estimated future cash flows include estimates of recoverable ounces of gold based on proven and probable mineral reserves. To the extent that economic value exists beyond the proven and probable mineral reserves of a mine or development property, this value is included as part of the estimated future cash flows. Estimated future cash flows also involve estimates regarding gold prices, production levels, capital, reclamation costs and income taxes. Cash flows are subject to risks and uncertainties and changes in the estimates of the cash flows could affect the recoverability of long-lived assets.

 

  vi. Reversal of impairment:

An impairment loss is reversed if there is indication that there has been a change in the estimates used to determine the recoverable amount. An impairment loss is reversed only to the extent that the asset’s carrying amount does not exceed the carrying amount that would have been determined, net of amortization, if no impairment loss had been recognized.

Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents, which include cash and highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less at the date of acquisition, are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value.

Short-term investments

Short-term investments, which represent highly liquid investments with original maturities of greater than three months at acquisition, are recorded at cost, which approximates fair value.

Income taxes

Income tax expense consists of current and deferred tax expense. Income tax expense is recognized in earnings except to the extent it relates to items recognized directly in equity or in other comprehensive income.

Current tax expense is the expected tax payable on the taxable income for the year, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted at period end, adjusted for amendments to tax payable with regards to previous years.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized in respect of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for taxation purposes. The following temporary differences do not result in deferred tax assets or liabilities:

 

    the initial recognition of assets or liabilities, not arising in a business combination, that does not affect accounting or taxable profit;

 

    goodwill; and

 

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    taxable temporary differences associated with investments in subsidiaries, where the timing of the reversal of the temporary differences can be controlled by the parent and it is probable that the temporary difference will not reverse in the foreseeable future.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the enacted or substantively enacted tax rates expected to apply when the asset is realized or the liability settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that substantive enactment occurs except to the extent it relates to items recognized directly in equity or in other comprehensive income.

A deferred tax asset is recognized to the extent that it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which the asset can be utilized. To the extent that the Company does not consider it probable that a deferred tax asset will be recovered, the deferred tax asset is reduced to its recoverable amount.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a legally enforceable right to set off tax assets against tax liabilities and when they relate to the same taxable entity and income taxes levied by the same taxation authority and the Company intends to settle its tax assets and liabilities on a net basis.

Uncertain Tax Positions

Uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation of complex tax regulations, changes in tax laws, and the amount and timing of future taxable income. Given the wide range of international business relationships and the long-term nature and complexity of existing contractual agreements, differences arising between the actual results and the assumptions made, or future changes to such assumptions, could necessitate future adjustments to tax income and expense already recorded. The Company establishes provisions, based on reasonable estimates, for possible consequences of audits by the tax authorities of the respective countries in which it operates. The amount of such provisions is based on various factors, such as experience of previous tax audits and differing interpretations of tax regulations by the taxable entity and the responsible tax authority. Such differences of interpretation may arise on a wide variety of issues depending on the conditions prevailing in the respective subsidiary’s domicile. As the Company assesses the probability for litigation and subsequent cash outflow with respect to taxes as remote, no contingent liability has been recognized.

Share-based payments

The Company grants stock options to buy common shares of the Company through its stock option plan as described in note 14. The Company accounts for share-based payments using the fair value method. Under this method, compensation expense is measured at fair value on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, and is recognized as an expense or capitalized, depending on the nature of the grant, with a corresponding increase in equity, over the period that the employees earn the options. The amount recognized is adjusted to reflect the number of share options expected to vest.

In addition, the Company grants stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted share units (“RSUs”) and deferred share units (“DSUs”) as described in note 14. The fair value of the amount payable to employees or directors in respect of SARs, RSUs and DSUs, which are settled in cash, is determined using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, and is recognized as an expense with a corresponding increase in liabilities, over the period that the employees or directors unconditionally become entitled to payment. The liability is remeasured using the option pricing model at each reporting date, and at the intrinsic value on the settlement date. Any changes in the fair value of the liability are recognized as an expense in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Decommissioning liabilities

The Company’s mining and exploration activities are subject to various government laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment. These laws and regulations are continually changing and are generally becoming more restrictive. The Company has made, and will continue to make expenditures to comply with such laws and regulations. The Company recognizes liabilities for statutory, contractual, constructive or legal obligations associated with the retirement of property, plant and equipment when those obligations result from the acquisition, construction, development or normal

 

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operation of the assets. Decommissioning costs expected to be incurred in the future are estimated by the Company’s management based on the information available to them. Actual decommissioning costs could be materially different from the current estimates. Any change in cost estimates, discount rates, or other assumptions should additional information become available would be accounted for on a prospective basis. The Company’s estimates are reviewed annually for changes in planned operations, regulatory requirements, discount rates, effects of inflation and changes in estimates.

The net present value of the future rehabilitation cost estimates arising from decommissioning of property, plant and equipment is recognized in the period in which it is incurred with an offsetting amount being recognized as an increase in the carrying amount of the corresponding mining asset. This asset is amortized on a UOP basis over the estimated life of the mine while the corresponding liability accretes to its undiscounted value by the end of the mine’s life.

Provisions

Provisions are recorded when a present legal or constructive obligation exists as a result of past events where it is probable that an outflow of resources embodying economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and a reliable estimate of the amount of the obligation can be made. The amount recognized as a provision is the best estimate of the consideration required to settle the present obligation at the statement of financial position date, taking into account the risks and uncertainties surrounding the obligation. Provisions are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and risks specific to the liability.

Financial instruments

The Company’s financial instruments consist primarily of monetary assets and liabilities, the fair value of which approximate their carrying value due to the short-term nature of these instruments.

The Company may enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to manage the Company’s exposure to fluctuations in the Canadian and United States dollar and Mexican peso foreign exchange rates. The Company may also enter into forward gold sale transactions (note 5). These forward contracts are marked-to-market and recognized in the consolidated statement of comprehensive income at their fair value.

Financial assets

Financial assets are classified into one of four categories:

 

    fair value through profit or loss (“FVTPL”);

 

    held-to-maturity (“HTM”);

 

    available-for-sale (“AFS”); and,

 

    loans and receivables.

The classification is determined at initial recognition and depends on the nature and purpose of the financial asset.

 

  (i) FVTPL financial assets:

Financial assets are classified as FVTPL when the financial asset is held for trading or it is designated as FVTPL upon initial recognition. A financial asset is classified as held for trading if:

 

    it has been acquired principally for the purpose of selling in the near future;

 

    it is a part of an identified portfolio of financial instruments that the Company manages and has an actual pattern of short-term profit-taking; or

 

    it is a derivative that is not designated and effective as a hedging instrument.

 

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Financial assets at fair value through profit or loss are measured at fair value, and changes therein are recognized in earnings. The Company has classified its cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments and share purchase warrants held in third party companies as FVTPL financial assets, which are included in other financial assets on the statement of financial position.

 

  (ii) HTM investments:

If the Company has the positive intent and ability to hold debt securities to maturity, then such financial assets are classified as held-to-maturity. HTM investments are recognized on a trade-date basis and are initially measured at fair value, including transaction costs. The Company does not currently have any assets classified as HTM investments.

 

  (iii) AFS financial assets:

Non-derivative financial assets, including investments in securities, are classified as AFS and are stated at fair value. Subsequent to initial recognition, they are measured at fair value and changes therein, other than impairment losses and foreign exchange differences are recognized in other comprehensive income and presented within equity in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).

Impairment losses, interest calculated using the effective interest method and foreign exchange gains and losses on monetary assets, are recognized directly in earnings rather than equity. When an investment is derecognized or is determined to be impaired, the cumulative gain or loss previously recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) is included in earnings for the period.

The fair value of AFS monetary assets denominated in a foreign currency is translated at the spot foreign exchange rate at the date of the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position. The change in fair value attributable to translation differences on the amortized cost of the asset is recognized in earnings, while other changes are recognized in equity.

 

  (iv) Loans and receivables:

Trade and other receivables that have fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market are classified as loans and receivables. Loans and receivables are initially recognized at the transaction value plus any directly attributable transaction costs. Subsequently, loans and receivables are measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method, less any impairment losses. The impairment loss of receivables is based on a review of all outstanding amounts at period end. Bad debts are written off during the year in which they are identified.

 

  (v) Impairment:

A financial asset, other than those classified as FVTPL, is assessed at each reporting period date for indicators of impairment. A financial asset is impaired if objective evidence indicates that a loss event has occurred after the initial recognition of the asset, and that the loss event had a negative effect on the estimated future cash flows of that asset that can be estimated reliably.

Objective evidence that financial assets (including equity securities) are impaired can include default or delinquency by a debtor, restructuring of an amount due to the Company on terms that the Company would not consider otherwise, indications that a debtor or issuer will enter bankruptcy, or the disappearance of an active market for a security. In addition, for an investment in an equity security, a significant or prolonged decline in its fair value below its cost is objective evidence of impairment.

Impairment losses on AFS investment securities are recognized by transferring the cumulative loss that has been recognized in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), and presented in unrealized gains/losses on available-for-sale financial assets in equity, to earnings. The cumulative loss that is removed from accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and recognized in earnings is the difference between the acquisition cost, net of any principal repayment and amortization, and the current fair value, less any impairment loss previously recognized in earnings.

 

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  (vi) Determination of fair value:

The Company has determined the estimated fair values of its financial instruments based on appropriate valuation methodologies; however, considerable judgment is required to develop these estimates. The Company classifies fair value measurements using a fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used in making the measurements of the fair value of financial assets and liabilities.

 

    Level 1. Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

 

    Level 2. Inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly (i.e. as prices) or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices); and

 

    Level 3. Inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs).

The Company has determined that AFS instruments, other financial assets and financial liabilities fall within level 1 of the fair value hierarchy, and all other financial instruments (including derivative contracts) outstanding as at the date of the statement of financial position fall within level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. See note 5.

Financial liabilities

Other financial liabilities are initially measured at fair value, net of transaction costs, and are subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method, with interest expense recognized on an effective yield basis. The Company has classified accounts payable and accrued liabilities, dividends payable, and property acquisition liabilities as other financial liabilities.

Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the net earnings available to common shareholders divided by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year. The diluted earnings per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the year, plus the effects of the dilutive common share equivalents. This method requires that the dilutive effect of outstanding options and warrants issued be calculated using the treasury stock method. This method assumes that all common share equivalents have been exercised at the beginning of the year (or at the time of issuance, if later), and that the funds obtained thereby were used to purchase common shares of the Company at the average trading price of common shares during the year.

Comprehensive income (loss)

Comprehensive income (loss) is the change in the Company’s net assets that results from transactions, events and circumstances from sources other than the Company’s shareholders and includes items that are not included in net profit such as unrealized gains or losses on available-for-sale investments and gains or losses on certain derivative instruments. The Company’s comprehensive income (loss), and components of other comprehensive income are presented, net of tax, in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive income (loss) and the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity.

Accounting Policies in effect January 1, 2014

(i) IFRIC 21 – Levies (“IFRIC 21”) In May 2013, the IFRS Interpretations Committee (IRFIC), with the approval of the IASB, issued IFRIC 21 – Levies. IFRIC 21 provides guidance on when to recognize a liability to pay a levy imposed by government that is accounted for in accordance with IAS 37 – Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets. IFRIC 21 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2014, and is to be applied retrospectively. The adoption of IFRIC 21 had no impact on the financial statements of the Company.

(ii) IAS 32 – Offsetting of financial instruments (“IAS 32”) The amendments to IAS 32, Financial Instruments: Presentation, clarify the criteria that should be considered in determining whether an entity has a legally enforceable right of set off in respect of its financial instruments. Amendments to IAS 32 are applicable to annual periods

 

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beginning on or after January 1, 2014, with retrospective application required. There was no material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements upon adoption of these amendments.

Future accounting policy changes issued but not yet in effect

The following are new pronouncements approved by the IASB. The following new standards and interpretations are not yet effective and have not been applied in preparing these financial statements, however, they may impact future periods.

(i) IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (Revised) was issued by the IASB in October 2010. It incorporates revised requirements for the classification and measurement of financial liabilities, and carrying over the existing derecognition requirements from IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement. The revised financial liability provisions maintain the existing amortised cost measurement basis for most liabilities. New requirements apply where an entity chooses to measure a liability at fair value through profit or loss – in these cases, the portion of the change in fair value related to changes in the entity’s own credit risk is presented in other comprehensive income rather than within profit or loss. On July 24, 2014, the IASB issued the final version of IFRS 9 with an effective adoption date of January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The impact of IFRS 9 on the Company’s financial instruments has not yet been determined.

(ii) IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“IFRS 15”) was issued in May 2014, which covers principles for reporting about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. IFRS 15 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2017. The Company has commenced a review process to determine the impact of adopting this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

(iii) IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment (IAS 16) and IAS 38, Intangibles (IAS 38) were issued in May 2014 and prohibit the use of revenue-based depreciation methods for property, plant and equipment and limits the use of revenue-based amortization for intangible assets. These amendments are effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2016 and are to be applied prospectively. The Company does not expect that the adoption of these amendments will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

4. ACQUISITIONS

 

a) Esperanza Resources Corporation

On August 30, 2013, the Company completed the acquisition of Esperanza Resources Corporation (“Esperanza”), which owns 100% of the Esperanza Gold Project (formerly referred to as the Cerro Jumil gold project) located in Morelos State, Mexico.

The transaction did not meet the definition of a business combination, and was therefore accounted for as an acquisition of an asset.

The Company paid a total of CAD$69.4 million (US$65.8 million) cash and issued an aggregate of 7.2 million share purchase warrants in total consideration for acquiring Esperanza. The share purchase warrants have a strike price of CAD$29.48 and a term of five years, expiring August 30, 2018. The share purchase warrants were recorded at fair value on acquisition, with fair value determined by the Black-Scholes option pricing methodology. The key assumptions used in the Black-Scholes model for the share purchase warrants include the following: share price at time of grant—CAD$17.19; risk-free rate – 2.0%; expected dividend yield – 1.16%; expected stock price volatility – 40%; expected life – 5 years. In addition, a third party has a 3% Net Smelter Return Royalty on production from the Esperanza gold project.

The total purchase price of $88.1 million, which includes transaction costs of $0.6 million, was allocated to the assets acquired based on relative fair values, with the exception of all financial assets acquired, which were recorded at fair value on the date of acquisition.

 

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     ($000)  

Assets acquired and liabilities assumed

  

Cash

     21,762   

Available-for-sale investments

     3,025   

Other current assets less current liabilities

     574   

Equipment

     509   

Exploration and evaluation assets

     62,222   
  

 

 

 
$ 88,092   
  

 

 

 
     ($000)  

Consideration paid

  

Cash

     65,778   

Issuance of warrants

     21,667   

Transaction costs

     647   
  

 

 

 
$ 88,092   
  

 

 

 

b) Orsa Ventures

On September 13, 2013, the Company completed the acquisition of Orsa Ventures Corporation (“Orsa”), which owns the right to earn a 100% interest in the Quartz Mountain Property in Oregon as well as other assets in Oregon and Nevada.

The transaction did not meet the definition of a business combination, and was therefore accounted for as an acquisition of an asset.

The Company paid CAD$3.5 million (US$3.4 million) cash in consideration for acquiring Orsa. The total purchase price was $3.5 million, including transaction costs of $0.1 million. The purchase price was allocated to exploration and evaluation assets, as Orsa did not have any other significant assets or liabilities.

As part of the acquisition of Orsa, the Company inherited an option agreement which is fully described in note 18 c).

5. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS AND RISK MANAGEMENT

 

a) Financial Assets and Liabilities

The carrying value of the Company’s financial instruments is classified into the following categories:

 

     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 
     ($000)      ($000)  

Fair value through profit or loss (“FVTPL”)(1)

     358,085         417,455   

Derivative instruments designated as FVTPL(2)

     —           442   

Available-for-sale securities(3)

     2,201         1,896   

Loans and receivables(4)

     24,484         11,200   

Derivative contracts designated as FVTPL(5)

     —           —     

Derivative contracts designated as effective hedges (6)

     (225      —     

Other financial liabilities (7)

     (33,266      (25,449

 

(1)  Includes cash of $209.3 million (December 31, 2013—$238.0 million), cash equivalents of $143.9 million (December 31, 2013 – $171.7 million) and short-term investments of $4.8 million (December 31, 2013 – $7.8 million).

 

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(2)  Includes the Company’s investment in the warrants of a publicly traded company. During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company disposed of the warrants resulting in a $0.4 million gain recorded in other income (December 31, 2013—$0.6 million loss).
(3)  Includes the Company’s investment in the common shares of publicly traded entities.
(4)  Includes amounts receivable (note 6) and income tax receivable.
(5)  Includes the Company’s foreign currency forward contracts and gold forward contracts which, for accounting purposes, are not designated as effective hedges. These are classified within accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet.
(6)  Includes the Company’s foreign currency collar contracts which are designated as effective hedges for accounting purposes.
(7)  Includes all other accounts payable and accrued liabilities, income taxes payable, and certain other liabilities.

For all financial assets and liabilities listed above, fair value equals carrying value as at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

b) Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company may utilize financial instruments to manage the risks associated with fluctuations in the market price of gold and foreign exchange rates. As at December 31, 2014, the Company had outstanding gold forward contracts to deliver 1,000 ounces of gold for delivery in January 2015. The mark-to-market loss associated with these contracts as at December 31, 2014 was nominal (December 31, 2013 – nil).

At December 31, 2014, the Company had an outstanding contract to deliver $5 million Canadian dollars (“CAD”) in exchange for a fixed amount of USD on March 30, 2015, at a rate of CAD:USD rate 1.16:1. The mark-to-market gain associated with these contracts as at December 31, 2014 was nominal (December 31, 2013 – nominal).

The Company has entered into foreign exchange collar contracts to hedge a portion of its Mexican peso denominated operating expenditures. The Company has entered into contracts totaling $24 million as at December 31, 2014, with scheduled expiries monthly throughout 2015. The mark-to-market loss associated with these contracts as at December 31, 2014 was $0.2 million. The transactions have been designated as effective hedges, with changes in fair value recorded in other comprehensive income (loss).

c) Risk Management

The Company’s activities expose it to a variety of financial risks: market risk (including commodity price, foreign exchange and interest rate risk), credit risk and liquidity risk. The Company’s risk management program focuses on the unpredictability of financial markets and seeks to minimize potential adverse effects on the Company’s financial performance. The Company may use derivative financial instruments to hedge certain risk exposures. The Company does not purchase derivative financial instruments for speculative investment purposes.

Financial risk management is the responsibility of the corporate finance function. The Company’s corporate finance function identifies, evaluates and, where appropriate, mitigates financial risks. Material risks are monitored and are regularly discussed with the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.

i. Commodity Price Risk

The Company is exposed to commodity price risk associated with the volatility in the market price of gold. Gold prices are affected by factors beyond the Company’s control, including investment and physical demand, central bank purchases and sales, producer hedging activities, the relative exchange rate of the United States dollar with other major currencies and political and economic conditions. Worldwide gold production levels also affect gold prices, and the price of gold can be subject to high levels of short-term volatility due to speculative activities. The Company may enter into derivative financial instruments to manage the Company’s exposure to commodity price risk. However, at this time, the Company has elected not to actively manage its long-term exposure to commodity price risk through the use of derivative financial instruments.

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

ii. Foreign Exchange Risk

Certain of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities are denominated in Canadian dollars, Mexican pesos or Turkish Lira. In addition, the Company incurs certain operating costs denominated in Canadian dollars, Mexican pesos or Turkish Lira. Accordingly, the Company is exposed to financial gain or loss as a result of foreign exchange movements against the United States dollar, and the Company’s operating costs are affected by changes in foreign exchange rates in those currencies.

The Company has elected to hedge a portion of its exposure to fluctuations in the Canadian dollar by buying $5 million Canadian fixed rate forward contracts. At December 31, 2014, the Company had net Canadian-dollar denominated assets of approximately $1 million. At this level of exposure to fluctuations in the value of the Canadian dollar, a 10% increase/(decrease) in the value of the Canadian dollar compared to the United States dollar could result in a foreign exchange gain/(loss) of approximately $0.1 million.

In addition, corporate and administrative costs associated with the Company’s head office in Toronto are mainly denominated in Canadian dollars. A 10% increase/(decrease) in the value of the Canadian dollar compared to the United States dollar could increase/(decrease) the Company’s reported corporate and administrative costs by approximately $1 million annually.

The Company also has exposure to monetary assets and liabilities denominated in Mexican pesos. Significant cash balances, outstanding amounts receivable, accounts payable or tax liabilities denominated in Mexican pesos could expose the Company to a foreign exchange gain or loss. The Company partially offsets its balance sheet exposure to changes in the Mexican peso/United States dollar exchange rate by maintaining cash balances in Mexican pesos to offset a portion of its future tax liabilities and taxes payable balances that are denominated in Mexican pesos. As at December 31, 2014, the Company had net Mexican peso-denominated liability of approximately $11 million. A 10% increase (decrease) in the value of the Mexican peso compared to the United States dollar could result in a foreign exchange loss/(gain) of approximately $1.1 million.

In addition, transactional foreign exchange gains and losses may result from the Company’s inability to predict the exact timing of peso cash receipts and cash outflows. Mexican peso denominated transactional foreign exchange gains and losses can be significant, and can impact the Company’s stated operating costs (as reported in equivalent United States dollars). To mitigate the impact, the Company has elected to hedge a portion of its Mexican peso denominated operating costs by entering into foreign exchange collar contracts for aggregate purchases of $24 million. The collar contracts allow the Company to purchase pesos at a maximum rate of 14.2:1 MXN:USD, and participate up to 15.5:1 MXN:USD. A 10% increase/ (decrease) in the value of the Mexican peso compared to the United States dollar could increase/(decrease) the Company’s reported mining and processing costs and decrease/(increase) reported earnings before income taxes by approximately $2.5 million annually, including the impact of the hedged portion of the operating costs.

Finally, the Company has exposure to monetary assets and liabilities denominated in Turkish Lira. Cash balances, outstanding amounts receivable, accounts payable or tax liabilities denominated in Turkish Lira could expose the Company to a foreign exchange gain or loss. At December 31, 2014, the Company had net Turkish Lira-denominated assets of approximately $3.5 million. A 10% increase/(decrease) in the value of the Turkish Lira compared to the United States dollar could result in a foreign exchange gain/(loss) of approximately $0.4 million.

iii. Interest Rate Risk

The Company’s interest rate risk related to interest-bearing debt obligations is not material as the Company has no outstanding debt. As a result of the Company’s minimal exposure to fluctuations in market interest rates, the Company has elected not to enter into interest rate swaps or other active interest rate management programs at this time.

iv. Credit Risk

Credit risk arises from cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments held with banks and financial institutions, derivative financial instruments (including forward gold sales contracts) and amounts receivable. The maximum exposure to credit risk is equal to the carrying value of the related financial assets.

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

The objective of managing counter-party credit risk is to prevent losses in financial assets. The Company assesses the quality of its counter-parties, taking into account their creditworthiness and reputation, past experience and other factors. The Company only enters into forward gold sales contracts with large reputable financial institutions.

The carrying value of amounts receivable are reduced through the use of an allowance account (when applicable) and the amount of any allowance is recognized as a loss and included in operating expenses. When a receivable balance is considered uncollectible, it is written off against the allowance for amounts receivable. The majority of the Company’s receivable balances consist of Mexican and Turkish value-added tax recoverable claims. The Company is exposed to credit risk in the case that the subject country is unable to reimburse the recoverable taxes owed. As at December 31, 2014, the Company was owed $3.9 million and $0.2 million from the Mexican and Turkish governments, respectively.

v. Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk arises through the excess of financial obligations due over available financial assets at any point in time. The Company’s objective in managing liquidity risk is to maintain sufficient readily available cash reserves and credit in order to meet its liquidity requirements at any point in time. At December 31, 2014, the Company had cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $358 million, accounts payable and accrued liabilities of $33.4 million and no debt. The Company expects that planned construction and development projects at its current operations will be financed from existing cash balances and future operating cash flows. The total cost and planned timing of acquisitions and/or other development or construction projects is not currently determinable and it is not currently known whether the Company will require external financing in future periods.

6. AMOUNTS RECEIVABLE

 

 

     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 
     ($000)      ($000)  

Accounts receivable

     4,802         700   

Mexican value-added tax (1)

     3,906         5,059   

Turkish value-added tax

     242         5,441   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 8,950    $ 11,200   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

1)  As permitted by Mexican tax law, the Company offset $16.9 million of Mexican value-added tax receivables against its current taxes payable liability in 2014 (December 31, 2013—$19.0 million) which is not reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

7. ADVANCES AND PREPAID EXPENSES

 

 

     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 
     ($000)      ($000)  

Prepaid expenses

     2,659         1,622   

Deposits and advances

     2,091         2,392   

Withholding tax prepayment

     —           5,054   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 4,750    $ 9,068   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

8. INVENTORY

 

 

     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 
     ($000)      ($000)  

Precious metals dore and refined precious metals

     10,680         4,060   

In-process precious metals

     27,064         13,093   

Ore in stockpiles

     5,861         2,696   

Parts and supplies

     17,614         20,819   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
  61,219      40,668   

Less: Non-current portion

  (5,861   (2,696
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 55,358    $ 37,972   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The carrying value of inventory is calculated using weighted average cost. The amount of inventory charged to operations as mining and processing costs during the year ended December 31, 2014 was $87.3 million (December 31, 2013—$84.2 million). The amount of inventory charged to operations as amortization in the year ended December 31, 2014 was $31.4 million (December 31, 2013—$48.0 million).

9. EXPLORATION AND EVALUATION ASSETS

 

The Company classifies the AğI DağI, KirazlI, and Çamyurt Projects in Turkey, the Esperanza Gold Project in Mexico, and the Quartz Mountain Project in Oregon as exploration and evaluation assets. Exploration and evaluation assets are not subject to amortization.

The following is a continuity of the Company’s exploration and evaluation assets for the year ended December 31, 2014.

 

     Mexico      Turkey      United States      Total  
     ($000)      ($000)      ($000)      ($000)  

Cost as at January 1, 2013

     —         $ 127,015         —         $ 127,015   

Additions

     1,411         18,075         1,951         21,437   

Acquisitions (note 4)

     62,222         —           3,713         65,935   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cost as at December 31, 2013

$ 63,633    $ 145,090    $ 5,664    $ 214,387   

Additions

  4,054      1,691      —        5,745   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cost as at December 31, 2014

$ 67,687    $ 146,781    $ 5,664    $ 220,132   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

10. MINERAL PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

 

The Company owns 100% of the Salamandra group of concessions in Mexico. Included within the Salamandra group of concessions is the Mulatos mine which began operations in 2005.

 

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The majority of the Company’s property, plant and equipment in operations is amortized on a units-of-production basis over the remaining recoverable proven and probable mineral reserves. Certain mining and office equipment is amortized on a straight line basis over periods ranging from two to five years.

The following is a continuity of the Company’s mineral property, plant and equipment for the years ended December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

 

     Mining plant
and equipment
    Office and
computer
equipment
     Construction
in progress
     Subtotal     Mineral property
and deferred
development
     Total  
     ($000)     ($000)      ($000)      ($000)     ($000)      ($000)  

Cost as at January 1, 2014

   $ 230,856      $ 5,752       $ 3,031       $ 239,639      $ 179,452       $ 419,091   

Additions

     19,669        1,213         2,404         23,286        32,227         55,513   

Changes in decommissioning liability

     —          —           —           —          672         672   

Disposals

     (23,062     —           —           (23,062     —           (23,062
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cost as at December 31, 2014

$ 227,463    $ 6,965    $ 5,435    $ 239,863    $ 212,351    $ 452,214   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Accumulated amortization and impairment as at January 1, 2014

$ 125,275    $ 2,934    $ —      $ 128,209    $ 87,970    $ 216,179   

Amortization expense

  19,925      935      —        20,860      25,209      46,069   

Disposals

  (18,674   —        —        (18,674   —        (18,674
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Accumulated amortization and impairment as at December 31, 2014

$ 126,526    $ 3,869    $ —      $ 130,395    $ 113,179    $ 243,574   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net book value as at December 31, 2014

$ 100,937    $ 3,096    $ 5,435    $ 109,468    $ 99,172    $ 208,640   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 
     Mining plant
and equipment
    Office and
computer
equipment
     Construction
in progress
     Subtotal     Mineral property
and deferred
development
     Total  
     ($000)     ($000)      ($000)      ($000)     ($000)      ($000)  

Cost as at January 1, 2013

   $ 214,167      $ 3,846       $ 2,565       $ 220,578      $ 152,496       $ 373,074   

Additions

     16,689        1,906         466         19,061        19,235         38,296   

Changes in decommissioning liability

     —          —           —           —          7,721         7,721   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cost as at December 31, 2013

$ 230,856    $ 5,752    $ 3,031    $ 239,639    $ 179,452    $ 419,091   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Accumulated amortization and impairment as at January 1, 2013

$ 106,136    $ 1,825    $ —      $ 107,961    $ 57,398    $ 165,359   

Amortization expense

  19,139      1,109      —        20,248      30,572      50,820   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Accumulated amortization and impairment as at December 31, 2013

$ 125,275    $ 2,934    $ —      $ 128,209    $ 87,970    $ 216,179   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net book value as at December 31, 2013

$ 105,581    $ 2,818    $ 3,031    $ 111,430    $ 91,482    $ 202,912   
  

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

11. ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED LIABILITIES

 

 

     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 
     ($000)      ($000)  

Trade accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     29,577         20,029   

Royalties payable

     774         —     

Derivative liability

     225         —     

Share-based compensation liability (note 14(e, f))

     2,813         3,458   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 33,389    $ 23,487   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

12. DIVIDENDS

 

 

     Year ended      Year ended  
     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 
     ($000)      ($000)  

Declared and paid

     25,471         25,519   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 25,471    $ 25,519   

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding

  127,388,000      127,340,000   

Dividend per share

$ 0.20    $ 0.20   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

13. DECOMMISSIONING LIABILITY

 

A decommissioning liability is recognized in the period in which it is incurred, on a discounted cash flow basis, if a reasonable estimate can be made. The liability accretes to its full value over time through charges to earnings. In addition, the discounted value is added to the carrying amount of the Company’s mineral property, plant and equipment, and is amortized on a units-of-production basis over the life of the Mine.

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

A continuity of the decommissioning liability is as follows:

 

     Year ended      Year ended  
     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 
     ($000)      ($000)  

Obligations at beginning of year

     21,406         13,934   

Revisions in estimated cash flows and changes in assumptions

     672         7,721   

Payments made against the liability

     (1,169      (1,161

Accretion of discounted cash flows

     1,393         912   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Obligations at end of year

$ 22,302    $ 21,406   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Assumptions have been made, based on the current economic environment, which management believes are a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the future liability. These estimates are reviewed regularly to take into account any material changes to the assumptions. However, actual rehabilitation costs will ultimately depend upon future market prices for the necessary decommissioning works required which will reflect market conditions at the relevant time.

The assumptions used in the determination of the decommissioning liability are as follows as at:

 

     December 31, 2014     December 31, 2013  

Estimated cost ($000)

   $ 34,894      $ 38,014   

End of mine life

     2021        2022   

Discount rate

     5.8     6.5
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

14. SHARE CAPITAL

 

a) Authorized share capital of the Company consists of an unlimited number of fully paid common shares without par value.

 

     Number of Shares      Amount  
            ($000)  

Outstanding at January 1, 2013

     120,871,408       $ 393,752   

Shares issued in connection with share purchase agreements (b)

     6,584,380         110,765   

Shares repurchased and cancelled (c)

     (211,300      (837

Exercise of stock options

     464,500         4,883   

Transfer from contributed surplus to share capital for stock options exercised

     —           1,910   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2013

  127,708,988    $ 510,473   

Shares repurchased and cancelled (c)

  (351,502   (1,405
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2014

  127,357,486    $ 509,068   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

b) Share purchase agreements

On January 14, 2013, the Company announced an offer to acquire Aurizon Mines Ltd. (“Aurizon”) for approximately CAD$780 million in cash and shares (the “Offer”). In connection with the Offer, in January 2013, the Company issued 6,584,380 common shares pursuant to share purchase agreements entered into between Alamos and certain shareholders of Aurizon for the purchase of 23,507,283 common shares of Aurizon. On March 19, 2013, the Company terminated the Offer and Aurizon was subsequently acquired by Hecla Mining Corporation (“Hecla”).

c) Normal Course Issuer Bid

On April 25, 2013, the Company announced the intention to repurchase shares through a Normal Course Issuer Bid (“NCIB”). The NCIB commenced on April 30, 2013 and concluded on April 30, 2014. During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company repurchased and cancelled 351,502 common shares at a total purchase price of $3.2 million. Of the $3.2 million paid, $1.4 million was recognized as a reduction to share capital, with the remaining $1.8 million recognized as a charge to retained earnings.

d) Stock options

The Company has a stock option plan (the “Plan”), originally approved by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) on April 17, 2003, and amended and ratified on May 25, 2007, May 15, 2008, April 7, 2009, June 2, 2010 and May 31, 2012, which allows the Company to grant incentive stock options to officers of the Company. Under the Plan, the number of shares reserved for issuance cannot exceed 7% of the total number of shares which are outstanding on the date of grant. The exercise price, term (not to exceed ten years) and vesting provisions are authorized by the Board at the time of the grant. The plan is subject to shareholder approval and ratification every three years.

Stock options granted under the Plan are exercisable for a five-year period. Incentive stock options granted vest 1/3 on the first anniversary date, 1/3 on the second anniversary and 1/3 on the third anniversary date.

The following is a continuity of the changes in the number of stock options outstanding for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 

     Number      Weighted average
exercise price ($CAD)
 

Outstanding at January 1, 2013

     4,660,300       $ 14.40   

Granted

     857,200         15.10   

Exercised

     (464,500      10.88   

Forfeited

     (348,800      15.09   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2013

  4,704,200    $ 14.83   

Granted

  835,000      9.17   

Forfeited

  (797,900   13.56   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2014

  4,741,300    $ 14.04   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

There were no stock options exercised in the year ended December 31, 2014 (for the year ended December 31, 2013 – 464,500 exercised at an average exercise price of CAD$16.55).

For the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company granted 835,000 incentive stock options at an exercise price of CAD$9.17, compared to 857,200 stock options granted at an exercise prices of CAD$15.10 per share in the year ended December 31, 2013.

 

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LOGO 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

 

The fair value of stock options granted was estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, applying the following assumptions:

 

For options granted in the year ended:

   December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 

Weighted average share price at grant date

   $ 9.17       $ 15.10   

Risk-free rate

     1.05% – 1.44%         1.02%-1.43%   

Expected dividend yield

     2.3%         1.3%-1.4%   

Expected stock price volatility (based on historical volatility)

     43%         40%-50%   

Expected life, based on terms of the grants (months)

     30-60         30-60   

Weighted average per share fair value of stock options granted

   $ 2.57       $ 4.70   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Option pricing models require the input of highly subjective assumptions, particularly as to the expected price volatility of the stock. Changes in these assumptions can materially affect the fair value estimate, and therefore it is management’s view that the existing models may not provide a single reliable measure of the fair value of the Company’s stock option grants.

As at December 31, 2014, 3,347,400 stock options were exercisable. The remaining 1,393,900 outstanding stock options vest over the following three years.

Stock options outstanding and exercisable as at December 31, 2014:

 

     Outstanding      Exercisable  

Range of exercise prices ($CAD)

   Number of options      Weighted average
exercise price
($CAD)
     Weighted average
remaining
contractual life
(years)
     Number of options      Weighted average
exercise price
($CAD)
 

$8.01 - $10.00

     770,000         9.17         4.41         —           —     

$10.01 - $14.00

     100,000         13.04         0.13         100,000         13.04   

$14.01 - $15.00

     2,568,000         14.65         0.79         2,568,000         14.65   

$15.01 - $17.50

     1,303,300         15.80         2.92         679,400         15.98   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  4,741,300    $ 14.04      1.95      3,347,400    $ 14.87   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

e) Stock Appreciation Rights (“SARs”)

In 2011, the Company’s Board approved a cash-settled stock appreciation rights plan (“SARs Plan”) to grant incentive SARs to its directors, officers, employees and consultants. Under the SARs Plan, the number of units reserved for issuance cannot exceed 8% of the total number of common shares which are outstanding on the date of grant. The exercise price, term (not to exceed ten years) and vesting provisions are authorized by the Board at the time of the grant.

SARs granted to directors, officers, employees and certain consultants under the SARs Plan are exercisable for a five-year period. SARS granted vest 1/3 on the first anniversary date, 1/3 on the second anniversary and 1/3 on the third anniversary date.

SARs are cash-settled liabilities, which are remeasured at each reporting date and at the settlement date. Any changes in the fair value of the liability are recognized as an expense to share-based compensation in the Statements of Comprehensive Income. As at December 31, 2014, the SARs liability was $0.6 million compared to $2.4 million at December 31, 2013. The SARs liability is recorded in accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

 

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The following is a continuity of the changes in the number of SARs outstanding for the years period ended December 31, 2014 and 2013:

 

     Number      Weighted average
exercise price ($CAD)
 

Outstanding at January 1, 2013

     1,530,680       $ 17.55   

Granted

     943,800         14.91   

Exercised

     (4,300      15.49   

Forfeited

     (202,780      18.07   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2013

  2,267,400    $ 16.41   

Granted

  667,908      9.20   

Forfeited

  (877,751   16.12   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Outstanding at December 31, 2014

  2,057,557    $ 14.20   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The fair value of SARs granted were estimated using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following assumptions:

 

For SARS granted in the year ended:

   December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 

Weighted average share price at grant date

   $ 9.20       $ 14.91   

Risk-free rate

     1.02% - 1.52%         1.0% - 1.7%   

Expected dividend yield

     1.9% - 2.6%         1.2% - 1.6%   

Expected stock price volatility (based on historical volatility)

     41% - 44%         41% - 61%   

Expected life, based on terms of the grants (months)

     30-60         30-60   

Weighted average per share fair value of SARs granted

   $ 2.57       $ 4.88   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Stock appreciation rights outstanding and exercisable as at December 31, 2014:

 

     Outstanding      Exercisable  

Range of exercise prices ($CAD)

   Number of SARs      Weighted average
exercise price
($CAD)
     Weighted average
remaining
contractual life
(years)
     Number of SARs      Weighted average
exercise price
($CAD)
 

$7.00 - $10.00

     577,657         9.12         4.48         —           —     

$10.01 - $13.00

     207,500         12.47         3.43         59,165         12.75   

$13.01 - $16.00

     531,067         15.25         3.51         181,703         15.25   

$16.01 - $19.00

     448,000         17.07         2.38         342,661         17.10   

$19.01 - $22.00

     293,333         19.11         2.75         206,661         19.11   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  2,057,557    $ 14.20      3.42      790,190    $ 16.79   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

f) Restricted Share Units (“RSUs”) and Deferred Share Units (“DSUs”)

In 2013, the Company’s Board approved a cash-settled RSU plan available to its officers, employees and consultants, and a DSU plan available to its directors. Under the RSU plan, each RSU has a value equivalent to one common share of the Company. RSUs vest on December 31 of the year of the third anniversary of the grant and are settled in cash upon vesting. Additional RSUs are credited to reflect dividends paid on common shares over the vesting period. A liability for RSUs is measured at fair value on the grant date and is subsequently adjusted for changes in fair value. The liability is recognized on a

 

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straight-line basis over the vesting period, with a corresponding charge to share-based compensation expense. Compensation expense for RSUs incorporate an estimate for expected forfeitures.

During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company granted 423,798 RSUs. As at December 31, 2014, there are 682,536 RSUs outstanding, with a corresponding liability of $1.4 million, which is recorded in accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

Under the DSU plan, Directors can elect to receive a specified portion of their basic annual retainer in the form of DSUs, with the option to elect to receive 100% of such retainer in DSUs. Directors must receive fifty percent of their annual retainer in the form of DSUs until such time that the minimum share ownership requirements have been met. Each DSU has the same value as one common share of the Company. DSUs must be retained until the Director leaves the Board, at which time the cash value of the DSUs is paid out. Additional DSUs are credited to reflect dividends paid on common shares. The initial fair value of the liability is calculated as of the grant date and is recognized immediately. Subsequently, at each reporting date and on settlement, the liability is remeasured, with any change in fair value recorded as compensation expense in the period.

During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company granted 61,727 DSUs. As at December 31, 2014, there are 93,025 DSUs outstanding, with a corresponding liability of $0.7 million, which is recorded in accounts payable and accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Statements of Financial Position.

g) (Loss)/Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share amounts are calculated by dividing earnings for the period by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share is calculated based on the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, plus the effects of the dilutive common share equivalents.

 

     For the year ended  
     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 

(Loss)/Earnings (000)

   ($ 2,126    $ 38,792   

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding

     127,388,000         127,340,000   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Basic earnings (loss) per share

($ 0.02 $ 0.30   

Dilutive effect of stock options outstanding

  —        140,000   

Dilutive effect of share purchase warrants

  —        —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
  —        140,000   

Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding

  127,388,000      127,480,000   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Diluted (loss)/earnings per share

($ 0.02 $ 0.30   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

15. INCOME TAXES

 

a) Mexico Taxes

In December 2013, the Mexican Government approved a tax reform bill that enacted a new Income Tax Law (“MITL”), which increased the effective tax rate applicable to the Company’s Mexican operations effective January 1, 2014. The MITL increased the future corporate income tax rate to 30%, created a 10% withholding tax on dividends paid to non-resident shareholders (subject to any reduction by an Income Tax Treaty) and created a new Extraordinary Mining Tax equal to 0.5% of gross revenues from the sale of gold, silver, and platinum. In addition, the MITL requires taxpayers with mining concessions to pay a new 7.5% Special Mining Tax . The Special Mining Tax is generally applicable to earnings before income tax,

 

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depreciation, depletion, amortization, and interest. In calculating the Special Mining Tax there are generally no deductions related to development type costs but exploration and prospecting costs are deductible when incurred. The Extraordinary Mining Tax and Special Mining Tax are tax deductible for income tax purposes.

The Company recorded a non-cash charge of $9.8 million related to the deferred tax impacts of the above enacted tax changes in the year ended December 31, 2013.

In addition, the MITL eliminated the Single Rate Tax Law which was enacted by the Mexican government on September 28, 2007. The Single Rate Tax was payable each year to the extent that it exceeds income tax otherwise payable pursuant to the pre-existing Mexican income tax laws. For the year ended December 31, 2013, the application of the Single Rate Tax did not impact the Company’s tax expense.

b) Rate Reconciliation

The reconciliation of the expected tax expense at a combined statutory rate in Canada of 26.5% (2013 –26.5%) and provision in income tax expense is:

 

     December 31, 2014      December 31, 2013  
     ($000)      ($000)  

Earnings before income taxes

     2,339         79,504   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Expected tax expense at statutory income tax rate

  620      21,068   

(Decrease)/increase resulting from:

Difference in foreign tax rates

  482      3,590   

Non-deductible expenses

  1,008      850   

Non-taxable loss

  1,824      6,869   

Change in foreign exchange rates

  (60   (50

Inflation net deductible losses

  (774   (1,770

Adjustments for prior years

  399      —     

Mining royalties and withholding tax

  966      395   

Increase in Mexican deferred income tax rates

  —        9,760   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income tax expense

$ 4,465    $ 40,712   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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c) Deferred tax reconciliation

The following information summarizes the principal temporary differences and the related deferred tax effect:

 

December 31, 2014    Canada      Mexico     Turkey      United States      Total  
     ($000)      ($000)     ($000)      ($000)      ($000)  

Deferred tax assets

             

Asset retirement obligations

     —           7,860        —           —           7,860   

Other short-term

     —           840        —           —           840   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  —        8,700      —        —        8,700   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities

Inventory

  —        (540   —        —        (540

Mineral property, plant and equipment

  —        (47,975   —        —        (47,975
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  —        (48,515   —        —        (48,515
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Deferred tax liabilities

$  —      ($ 39,815 $  —      $  —      ($ 39,815
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
December 31, 2013    Canada      Mexico     Turkey      United States      Total  
     ($000)      ($000)     ($000)      ($000)      ($000)  

Deferred tax assets

             

Asset retirement obligations

     —           7,545        —           —           7,545   

Other short-term

     —           4,185        —           —           4,185   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ —      $ 11,730    $ —      $ —      $ 11,730   
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Deferred tax liabilities

Inventory

  —        (2,527   —        —        (2,527

Mineral property, plant and equipment

  —        (47,918   —        —        (47,918
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  —        (50,445   —        —        (50,445
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net deferred tax liabilities

$ —      ($ 38,715 $  —      $  —      ($ 38,715
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

d) Loss Carry-forwards and other tax attributes

Deferred tax assets are recognized for the carry-forward of unused tax losses and tax credits to the extent that it is probable that taxable profits will be available against which the unused tax losses / credits can be utilized. The Company has not recognized the benefit of tax loss carry-forwards and other tax attributes in Canada or Turkey as at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013. In addition, the Company has not recognized the benefit of tax loss carry-forwards and other tax attributes related to the Esperanza Gold Project in Mexico or the Quartz Mountain in the U.S. as at December 31, 2014.

Non-capital losses available in Canada to be utilized in subsequent years are approximately $35.5 million expiring between 2015 and 2034. Net capital losses available in Canada to be utilized in subsequent years are approximately $12.9 million which carryforward indefinitely.

Non-capital losses available in Turkey to be utilized in subsequent years are approximately $6.5 million expiring between 2015 and 2019. Non-capital losses available in Mexico to be utilized in subsequent years are approximately $23.3 million expiring between 2015 and 2024.

 

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e) Unrecognized deferred tax liabilities

The temporary differences associated with investments in subsidiaries, for which a deferred tax liability has not been recognized, aggregate $152 million as at December 31, 2014 (December 31, 2013—$206 million).

16. OTHER LOSS

 

 

     December 31,
2014
     December 31,
2013
 
     ($000)      ($000)  

Fair value adjustment on financial assets

     —           (610

Gain/(loss) on sale of securities(1)

     387         (6,840

Termination costs

     (1,050      (1,438

Impairment of securities(2)

     (2,661      —     

Other

     (830      (162
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
  (4,154   (9,050

 

1)  During the year ended December 31, 2013, the Company disposed of its position in the common shares of Hecla, which it acquired through the share purchase agreements described in note 14b. As a result, the Company received $87.0 million cash and 7,516,377 common shares of Hecla in exchange for the 26,507,283 common shares of Aurizon, for total consideration of $116.1 million. The Company recorded a loss of $0.5 million within Other loss and a cumulative $4.3 million foreign exchange loss on the Aurizon transaction on June 3, 2013. During the month of June, the Company sold the 7,516,377 common shares of Hecla for total proceeds of $22.8 million, and recorded a loss of $6.3 million in other loss.
2)  During the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company recorded an impairment charge of $2.7 million to write-down certain available-for-sale securities to fair value, with the accumulated loss transferred from accumulated other comprehensive income to other loss.

17. SEGMENTED REPORTING

 

The Company operates in one business segment (the exploration, mine development and extraction of precious metals, primarily gold) in three geographic areas: Canada, United State of America, Mexico and Turkey.

 

As at    December 31, 2014      December 31, 2013  
     Non-current
Assets
     Assets      Liabilities      Non-current
Assets
     Assets      Liabilities  
     ($000)      ($000)      ($000)      ($000)      ($000)      ($000)  

Mexico

     281,105         414,225         91,206         268,011         454,698         79,439   

Turkey

     147,073         151,013         401         145,598         153,769         1,742   

Canada

     791         308,514         4,348         713         283,753         4,896   

United States

     5,664         5,759         222         5,673         5,808         4   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

$ 434,633    $ 879,511    $ 96,177    $ 419,995    $ 898,028    $ 86,081   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

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     Year ended      Year ended  
     December 31, 2014      December 31, 2013  
     Revenues      Earnings (loss)      Revenues      Earnings (loss)  
     ($000)      ($000)      ($000)      ($000)  

Mexico

     169,938         15,720         282,187         76,343   

Turkey

     —           (2,374      —           (3,279

Canada

     —           (14,294      —           (34,252

United States

     —           (1,178      —           (20
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

$ 169,938    ($ 2,126 $ 282,187    $ 38,792   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

18. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

 

a) Royalty

Production from certain concessions within the Salamandra district, including the Mulatos Mine, is subject to a production royalty payable to Royal Gold at a rate of 5% of the value of gold and silver production, less certain deductible refining and transportation costs (the “Royal Gold royalty”). The Royal Gold royalty is calculated based on the daily average London PM Fix gold market prices, not actual prices realized by the Company. Production to a maximum of two million ounces of gold is subject to the Royal Gold royalty. As at December 31, 2014, the royalty was paid or accrued on approximately 1.3 million ounces of applicable gold production. Royalty expense related to the Royal Gold royalty was $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2014 (year ended December 31, 2013: $13.8 million). In addition, royalty expense includes the 0.5% Extraordinary Mining Duty, which totaled $0.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2014.

A third party has a 2% Net Smelter Return Royalty on production from the Company’s AğI DağI project. The Company has not recorded an accrual for this royalty at December 31, 2014 as the project is not in production. The Company is also subject to 2% state royalty on production in Turkey, subject to certain deductions.

In addition, a third party has a 3% Net Smelter Royalty on production from the Company’s Esperanza Gold Project. The Company has not recorded an accrual for this royalty at December 31, 2014, as the project is not in production.

b) Mulatos Town Relocation

The Company enters into temporary occupation agreements with the Ejido and non-Ejido members in Mexico and is also in negotiations with Ejido and non-Ejido members to relocate the existing community of Mulatos, and to acquire additional surface rights. Negotiations with the Ejido can be challenging and uncertain. There are financial and other considerations associated with the negotiating process, and failure to reach agreement could result in significant downtime and associated costs, or suspension of operations and loss of production.

The Company commenced the planned relocation of the town of Mulatos in 2007 and relocation contracts were signed with over half of the families residing in Mulatos at that time. Property owners and possessors were offered a comprehensive benefits package including compensation for their property at a premium to independent third-party valuations and/or relocation benefits. In certain cases, relocation benefits include deferred monthly payments. Since the start of the Mulatos relocation effort in 2007, the Company has invested approximately $7.5 million in property acquisition, relocation benefits, legal, and related costs. In addition, the Company has recognized a liability of $0.1 million representing the discounted value of expected future payments for relocation benefits to property owners and possessors that had signed contracts with the Company as at December 31, 2014. The discounted value of the liability was capitalized to mineral property, plant and equipment.

 

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During 2008, the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Minas de Oro Nacional SA de CV (“MON”), entered into a land purchase agreement with the Mulatos Ejido, the local landowners. In 2010, the Ejido filed with the Unitary Agrarian Court an action to nullify the 2008 Surface Rights Agreement. On June 13, 2012, the Agrarian Court resolved the judicial claim in favor of MON by dismissing the action and dicharging all of the defendants named in the lawsuit, including MON.

On March 1, 2014, MON entered into an amendment agreement with the Ejido (the “2014 Amendment Agreement”) to formally resolve all the remaining disputes between the parties relating to previous Surface Rights Agreements. In April 2014, certain Ejido members filed a lawsuit requesting access to the 2014 Amendment Agreement for the purposes of potentially challenging the land allocation approved by the March 1, 2014 Ejido meeting. The Company expects to obtain a positive resolution to claims challenging the 2014 Amendment Agreement. As part of the 2014 Amendment Agreement, the Company has accrued $2.8 million (based on current exchange rates), which will be paid upon positive resolution of the legal challenge to the 2014 Amendment Agreement.

Additional future property acquisition, relocation benefits, legal and related costs may be material. The Company cannot currently determine the expected timing, outcome of negotiations or costs associated with the relocation of the remaining property owners and possessors and potential land acquisitions.

c) Quartz Mountain Property – Option Agreement

As part of the acquisition of Orsa, the Company inherited an option agreement with Seabridge Gold Inc. (“Seabridge”) whereby Seabridge’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Seabridge Gold Corporation (“SGC”) granted the Company the exclusive option to earn a 100% interest in the Quartz Mountain Gold Property (“Quartz Mountain”) and all of SGC’s undivided 50% beneficial joint venture interest in the adjacent Angel’s Camp Gold Property (“Angel’s Camp”), together, the “Properties”. Both properties are located in Lake County, southern Oregon on the northern extension of the Basin and Range Province of Nevada. Both properties are subject to underlying royalties.

The principal terms under the Option Agreement remain wherein Orsa will:

 

    Pay SGC an additional CAD$2,000,000 cash or, at Seabridge’s election, issue the equivalent value of its common shares, eighteen (18) months following the Final Acceptance Date. The Company made this payment on October 23, 2013.

 

    Deliver to Seabridge a National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects compliant feasibility study (the “Feasibility Study”) in respect of the property no later than the date it makes the decision to bring a mine on the property into production.

 

    Pay SGC an additional CAD$3,000,000 in cash or, at Seabridge’s election, issue the equivalent value of its common shares, within five business days of the completion of the Feasibility Study.

 

    Within 10 business days of determining that a mine on the Properties has been permitted and bonded, give notice thereof to Seabridge. Within 30 days of the Company giving such notice, Seabridge must elect to receive a lump sum payment of CAD$15,000,000 or accept a two percent Net Smelter Returns Royalty in respect of the properties. If Seabridge has elected to receive the additional cash consideration of $15,000,000, the Company must make the payment on or before the 60th day after the Company has determined that the mine has been permitted and bonded.

 

    Upon completion of the above requirements, the Company will have exercised the options and will acquire all of SGC’s interests in Quartz Mountain and Angel’s Camp, and will assume all of its obligations under the underlying agreements relating to the properties.

 

    The Agreement provides that the Company may terminate its interest in either the Quartz Mountain or Angel’s Camp option separately, however termination of either option will not affect the consideration payable to exercise the remaining option.

 

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d) Contract Mining

In December 2013, the Company entered into a mining services agreement with Grupo Desarrollo Infraestructura S.A de C.V (“GDI”), expiring in December 2020, pursuant to which GDI will perform essentially all of the open-pit mining operations at Mulatos, at a cost of approximately $161 million over the term of the contract, based on current pricing. The contract includes a cost escalation formula every six months based on standard indices.

19. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Remuneration of key management (includes the Corporation’s directors and executive team)

 

Expense by nature:

   2014      2013  
     ($000)      ($000)  

Management salaries and benefits

     3,757         4,781   

Directors fees

     542         515   

Share based payments1 – Management

     4,289         6,656   

Share based payments1 – Directors

     582         633   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 9,170    $ 12,585   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

1) Represents grant date fair value of stock options, SARs, RSUs and DSUs granted during the year

These transactions are in the normal course of operations and all of the transactions are measured at the exchange amount of consideration established and agreed to by the parties.

20. MANAGEMENT OF CAPITAL

 

The Company defines capital that it manages as its shareholders equity. The Company’s objectives when managing capital are to safeguard the entity’s ability to continue as a going concern so that it can continue to provide returns for shareholders and benefits for other stakeholders. At December 31, 2014, total managed capital was $783.3 million (December 31, 2013—$811.9 million).

The Company’s capital structure reflects the requirements of a company focused on sustaining strong cash flows from its current mining operations and financing both internal and external growth opportunities and development projects. The Company faces lengthy development lead times as well as risks associated with increasing capital costs and project completion timing due to the availability of resources, permits and other factors beyond the Company’s control. The Company’s operations are also significantly affected by the volatility of the market price of gold.

The Company continually assesses its capital structure and makes adjustments to it with reference to changes in economic conditions and risk characteristics associated with its underlying assets. In order to maintain or adjust the capital structure, the Company may issue new shares, pay dividends, sell assets or enter into new debt arrangements.

 

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The Company manages its capital structure by performing the following:

 

    Maintaining a liquidity cushion in order to address any potential operational disruptions or industry downturns

 

    Preparing detailed budgets and cash flow forecasts for each of mining operations, exploration, development projects and corporate activities that are approved by the Board of Directors

 

    Regular internal reporting and Board of Directors’ meetings to review actual versus budgeted spending and cash flows

 

    Detailed project financial analysis to assess or determine new funding requirements

There were no changes in the Company’s approach to managing capital during the year.

21. RECLASSIFICATION

 

The comparative consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the presentation of the current year consolidated financial statements.

 

40 | Alamos Gold Inc.



Exhibit 99.3

LOGO     ALAMOS GOLD INC.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

This management’s discussion and analysis (“MD&A”) of the operating results and financial position of Alamos Gold Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) is for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to the year ended December 31, 2013. Together with the consolidated financial statements and related notes, the MD&A provides a detailed account and analysis of the Company’s financial and operating performance for the period. The Company’s functional and presentation currency is the United States dollar. This MD&A is current to February 17, 2015 and should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Annual Information Form and other public filings available at the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval—www.sedar.com (“SEDAR”) and at the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval—www.sec.gov (“EDGAR”). Management is responsible for the condensed interim consolidated financial statements referred to in this MD&A, and provides officers disclosure certifications filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and Canadian provincial securities commissions. The Audit Committee reviews the condensed interim consolidated financial statements and MD&A, and recommends approval to the Company’s Board of Directors.

The MD&A should be read in conjunction with the condensed interim consolidated financial statements of the Company and related notes, which have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”). Refer to Note 3 of the December 31, 2014 consolidated financial statements for disclosure of the Company’s significant accounting policies, which outlines matters we consider important for an understanding of our financial condition and results of operations as at, and for the year ending December 31, 2014.

Note to U.S. Investors

All references to mineral reserves and resources contained in this MD&A are determined in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”) of the Canadian Securities Administrators (“CSA”) and Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (“CIM”) standards. While the terms “mineral resource,” “measured mineral resource,” “indicated mineral resource,” and “inferred mineral resource” are recognized and required by Canadian regulations, they are not defined terms under SEC standards. As such, information contained in this MD&A concerning descriptions of mineralization and resources under Canadian standards may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the SEC. “Indicated mineral resource” and “inferred mineral resource” have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an “indicated mineral resource” or “inferred mineral resource” will ever be upgraded to a higher category of resource. Investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into proven and probable reserves.


Overview

Alamos Gold Inc. is a publicly-traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: AGI) and New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: AGI). The Company owns and operates the Mulatos mine (“Mulatos” or the “Mine”) located in the state of Sonora in northwest Mexico, as well as the AğI DağI, KirazlI and Çamyurt gold development projects, located in the Biga Peninsula of northwestern Turkey. In 2013, the Company acquired the Esperanza Gold Project in Mexico, and the Quartz Mountain Property in Oregon, U.S.A.

Mulatos (Mexico – producing)

The Mulatos mine is located within the 30,536 hectare Salamandra group of concessions in the state of Sonora in northwest Mexico. The Mulatos mine achieved commercial production in 2006 as an open pit, heap leach mining operation and has produced approximately 1.3 million ounces of gold to-date.

Based on December 31, 2013 proven and probable mineral reserves of 54.8 million tonnes grading 1.15 grams of gold per tonne of ore (“g/t Au”) for 2.0 million contained ounces of gold, the Mulatos mine had a remaining life of approximately eight years. In 2014, the Mulatos mine transitioned from open pit to both open pit and underground mining in order to access higher grade mineral reserves.

Esperanza (Mexico – development stage)

In 2013, the Company acquired the Esperanza Gold Project located in Morelos State, Mexico. The Esperanza Gold Project has measured and indicated mineral resources (reported at a 0.4 g/t Au cut-off) at December 31, 2013 of 46.7 million tonnes grading 0.82 g/t Au and 7.1 g/t Ag for approximately 1.2 million ounces of gold and 10.6 million ounces of silver.

In September 2011, the previous owners completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) on the Esperanza Gold Project outlining an initial six-year mine life with expected total production of 0.6 million ounces of gold at an average rate of 103,000 ounces per year at total cash operating costs of $499 per ounce (net of by-product credits). Applying a gold price assumption of $1,150 per ounce, the September 2011 PEA indicated that the Esperanza Gold Project has an after-tax internal rate of return of 26% and an after-tax 5% net present value of $122 million.

I DağI, KirazlI and Çamyurt (Turkey – development stage)

In early 2010, the Company acquired the 8,317 hectare AğI DağI and KirazlI gold development projects in Turkey, which contain established mineral resources and several highly prospective exploration targets. In June 2012, the Company published a positive preliminary feasibility study for the AğI DağI and KirazlI projects, showing total life of mine production of 1.5 million ounces of gold and 4.9 million ounces of silver, at an average rate of 166,000 ounces of gold per year and cash operating costs of $544 per ounce (net of by-product credits) over a nine-year mine life. In addition, in 2011 the Company discovered the Çamyurt project located approximately three kilometres (“km”) southeast of AğI DağI.

Measured and Indicated mineral resources at AğI DağI, KirazlI and Çamyurt (reported at a 0.2 g/t Au cut-off) at December 31, 2013 total 139.9 million tonnes grading 0.65 g/t Au and 5.36 g/t silver (“Ag”) for approximately 2.9 million ounces of gold and 24.1 million ounces of silver. Inferred mineral resources total an additional 23.9 million tonnes grading 0.52 g/t Au and 4.56 g/t Ag, for 0.4 million contained ounces of gold and 3.5 million contained ounces of silver.

 

2


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

Quartz Mountain (U.S.A. – exploration stage)

On September 13, 2013, the Company completed the acquisition of Orsa Ventures Corporation (“Orsa”), a junior exploration company focused on advancing its precious metal properties located in the Western United States. By acquiring Orsa, the Company obtained the right to earn a 100% interest in the Quartz Mountain Property in Oregon as well as other assets in Oregon and Nevada. The Quartz Mountain Property is located on the northern extension of the prolific Basin and Range Province of Nevada, and has an Inferred mineral resource (reported at a 0.21 g/t Au cut-off (oxide) and 0.58 g/t Au cut-off (sulphide)) at December 31, 2013 of 110.4 million tonnes grading 0.80 g/t Au for 2.85 million ounces of gold.

Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2014 Highlights

 

    

Q4

2014

    

Q4

2013

    

YTD

2014

    

YTD

2013

 

Ounces produced

     42,500         39,000         140,500         190,000   

Ounces sold

     38,400         42,198         134,600         198,198   

Operating Revenues (000)

   $ 46,062       $ 53,831       $ 169,938       $ 282,187   

(Loss) Earnings before income taxes (000)

   ($ 3,203    $ 6,627       $ 2,339       $ 79,504   

(Loss) Earnings (000)

   ($ 3,367    ($ 5,274    ($ 2,126    $ 38,792   

(Loss) Earnings per share (basic)

   ($ 0.03    ($ 0.04    ($ 0.02    $ 0.30   

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital (000)

   $ 11,820       $ 12,737       $ 50,876       $ 113,279   

Cash flow from operating activities (000)

   $ 15,820       $ 15,086       $ 32,757       $ 86,627   

Cash and short-term investments (000) (2)

         $ 358,085       $ 417,455   

Realized gold price per ounce

   $ 1,200       $ 1,276       $ 1,263       $ 1,424   

Average London PM Fix gold price per ounce

   $ 1,201       $ 1,276       $ 1,266       $ 1,411   

Total cash cost per ounce (1)

   $ 748       $ 624       $ 703       $ 496   

All-in sustaining cost per ounce (1)

   $ 996       $ 921       $ 1,022       $ 772   

All-in cost per ounce (1)

   $ 1,309       $ 1,215       $ 1,311       $ 967   

 

(1)  “Total cash cost per ounce”, “All-in sustaining cost per ounce” and “All-in cost per ounce” are non-GAAP measures. Refer to the “Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures” disclosure at the end of this MD&A for a description and calculation of these measures.
(2)  Cash and short-term investments are shown as at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013.

Fourth Quarter 2014

Financial Performance

 

    Sold 38,400 ounces of gold at an average realized gold price of $1,200 per ounce for quarterly revenues of $46.1 million

 

    Reported strong operating cash flow, with cash from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital of $11.8 million ($0.09 per share), and $15.8 million ($0.12 per share) after changes in non-cash working capital

 

   

Realized a quarterly loss of $3.4 million ($0.03 per share) compared to loss of $5.3 million ($0.04 per share) in the fourth quarter of 2013. The loss was driven by a $2.7

 

3


 

million non-cash charge related to available-for-sale securities, and a $2.7 million unrealized foreign exchange loss

 

    Reported cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $358.1 million as at December 31, 2014

Operational Performance

 

    Produced 42,500 ounces of gold at a total cash cost of $748 per ounce of gold sold, and at an all-in sustaining cost of $996 per ounce of gold sold, in line with the Company’s annual guidance

 

    Achieved record average quarterly crusher throughput of 18,300 tonnes per day (“tpd”) in the fourth quarter, above the annual budgeted rate of 17,700 tpd

 

    Mined and stacked ore on the leach pad grading 0.90 g/t Au, 6% above annual budgeted grades, resulting in 47,700 contained ounces stacked on the leach pad in the fourth quarter

 

    Continued development and mining activities at San Carlos and commenced processing of high grade ore through the modified mill circuit. Grades milled averaged 8.02 g/t Au during the quarter, above the average reserve grade for the underground San Carlos deposit

Full Year 2014

Financial Performance:

 

    Sold 134,600 ounces of gold at an average realized price of $1,263 per ounce for revenues of $169.9 million

 

    Realized a loss of $2.1 million ($0.02 per share) compared to earnings of $38.8 million ($0.30 per share) in 2013. Full-year earnings were impacted by a $4.7 million ($0.04 per share) foreign exchange loss, in addition to a $2.7 million ($0.02 per share) non-cash charge related to available-for-sale securities

 

    Generated cash from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital of $50.9 million ($0.40 per basic share) compared to $113.3 million ($0.89 per basic share) in 2013

 

    Paid a total of $25.5 million in dividends to shareholders ($0.20 per basic share) and $3.2 million to buy back 351,502 shares pursuant to a normal course issuer bid. The Company has returned a total of $102 million in dividends and share buybacks to shareholders over the past four years

Operational Performance:

 

    Produced 140,500 ounces of gold at total cash costs (including royalties) of $703 per ounce of gold sold, at the low end of the Company’s full year guidance range of $700 to $740 per ounce

 

    Achieved average crusher throughput of 17,200 tpd, below the Company’s annual guidance of 17,700 tpd, due to lower mill throughput in 2014

 

    Mined and stacked ore on the leach pad grading 0.98 g/t Au for the year, 15% above annual budgeted grades

 

    Commenced underground development and mining at San Carlos, and completed upgrades to the mill circuit

 

    Commenced development of the El Victor and San Carlos open pits which are expected to provide approximately 25% of open pit material in 2015

 

4


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

    Executed agreements to acquire the surface rights to the La Yaqui and Cerro Pelon satellite deposits

 

    Entered into agreements to acquire water concessions sufficient for all future mining activities at the Esperanza Gold Project, representing a significant milestone towards preparation of the project permit applications

Subsequent to year-end:

 

    Released 2015 production guidance of 150,000 to 170,000 ounces of gold at total cash costs of $865 per ounce and all-in sustaining costs of $1,100 per ounce

 

    Commenced exploration drilling at the La Yaqui satellite deposit

Results of Operations

Gold production of 140,500 ounces in 2014 decreased 26% compared to 190,000 ounces in 2013. The table below outlines key production indicators for each quarter of 2014 and for the full year 2013.

 

Production summary   

Q1

2014

   

Q2

2014

   

Q3

2014

   

Q4

2014

   

YTD

2014

   

YTD

2013

 

Ounces produced (1)

     37,000        33,000        28,000        42,500        140,500        190,000   

Crushed ore stacked on leach pad (tonnes) (2)

     1,483,500        1,580,200        1,495,000        1,647,000        6,205,700        6,329,000   

Grade (g/t Au)

     1.03        0.93        1.08        0.90        0.98        1.07   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Contained ounces stacked

  49,100      47,300      51,900      47,700      196,000      218,500   

Crushed ore milled (tonnes)

  30,100      6,800      12,500      39,300      88,700      189,300   

Grade (g/t Au)

  3.28      8.65      8.47      8.02      6.52      6.84   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Contained ounces milled

  3,200      1,900      3,400      10,100      18,600      41,600   

Ratio of total ounces produced to contained ounces stacked and milled

  71   67   51   74   65   73

Total ore mined (tonnes) (3)

  1,748,000      2,105,000      1,713,000      1,730,000      7,296,000      7,029,000   

Waste mined (tonnes)

  950,000      1,580,000      1,004,000      1,054,000      4,588,000      3,385,000   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total mined (tonnes)

  2,698,000      3,685,000      2,717,000      2,784,000      11,884,000      10,414,000   

Waste-to-ore ratio

  0.54      0.75      0.59      0.61      0.63      0.48   

Ore crushed per day (tonnes) – combined

  16,800      17,400      16,400      18,300      17,200      17,900   

 

(1)  Reported gold production for Q4 2014 and YTD 2014 is subject to final refinery settlement and may be adjusted.
(2)  Excludes mill tailings stacked on the heap leach pad during the period.
(3)  Includes ore stockpiled during the period.

In the fourth quarter of 2014, the Mulatos mine (“Mulatos”) produced 42,500 ounces of gold, bringing full year production to 140,500 ounces. Open pit, heap leach operations at Mulatos continue to meet expectations and remain the driver of the operation contributing strong production in the fourth quarter, and over 90% of production in 2014. Grades stacked were above budget for both the quarter and full year and helped offset lower than planned mill production.

 

5


Gold production for the 2014 year declined 26% from 2013 levels primarily due to lower mill throughput as the Company transitioned through three distinct sources of high grade mill feed. In the first quarter of 2014, the Company experienced a negative grade reconciliation from the Escondida high grade open pit. In the second and third quarters of the year, the Company mined the underground Escondida Deep deposit and processed less tonnes at lower grades than budgeted. In the fourth quarter of the year, mill throughput was lower than anticipated as mill upgrades were undertaken. The components required to upgrade the mill were received and installed in mid-November and the mill operated at targeted throughput rates through the end of December; however, recoveries were below expectations of 75%. Two factors have contributed to the lower recoveries: the current grind size of the San Carlos ore is larger than required to achieve design recoveries, and concentrate processing has been limited by capacity constraints at the intensive leach reactor (“ILR”). To address grind size, the Company will install a vertical grinding mill to complement the existing circuit. The Company expects that the new grinding mill will be installed and operational by the end of the second quarter, at a capital cost of approximately $1 million. Additionally, a second ILR is expected to be installed and operational by the end of March to alleviate the bottleneck in concentrate processing capacity. The current mill configuration is achieving recoveries of approximately 60%, with recoveries expected to improve to 75% with the installation of the vertical grinding mill.

Development of the San Carlos high grade underground deposit continued to be a primary focus during the fourth quarter. The Company advanced approximately 267 metres during the fourth quarter, with total development to date of 950 metres. The Company has developed three primary headings and commenced mining the first stope in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Total crusher throughput in the fourth quarter of 2014 averaged a record for Mulatos of 18,300 tpd, above the annual budgeted rate of 17,700 tpd. For the full year 2014, crusher throughput averaged 17,200 tpd. During the fourth quarter of 2014, mill throughput averaged 430 tpd. Mill throughput was below expectations in the fourth quarter reflecting the above mentioned delays in the receipt of certain critical components and slower than anticipated commissioning.

The recovery ratio in the fourth quarter was 74% and averaged 65% for 2014. This was below the Company’s annual budget of 75% reflecting a lower than budgeted contribution of higher recovery mill production and lower than expected recoveries from the mill and leach pad in the fourth quarter. While the recovery ratio from the leach pad rebounded in the fourth quarter, it was lower than anticipated as the Company was unable to recover all of the deferred production from the third quarter by the end of 2014. As a result, some of the deferred production will be recovered in the first quarter of 2015 as solution inventory is drawn down to normal levels.

 

6


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

Operating Costs

The following table compares costs per tonne for each quarter of 2014 and the full 2014 and 2013 years:

 

Costs per tonne summary(2)   

Q1

2014

    

Q2

2014

    

Q3

2014

    

Q4

2014

    

YTD

2014

    

YTD

2013

 

Mining cost per tonne of material (ore and waste)

   $ 2.75       $ 3.29       $ 3.70       $ 4.35       $ 3.51       $ 2.37   

Waste-to-ore ratio

     0.54         0.75         0.59         0.61         0.63         0.48   

Mining cost per tonne of ore

   $ 4.25       $ 5.75       $ 5.87       $ 7.00       $ 5.72       $ 3.51   

Crushing/conveying cost per tonne of ore

   $ 2.55       $ 2.46       $ 2.67       $ 2.14       $ 2.45       $ 2.30   

Processing cost per tonne of ore

   $ 4.93       $ 4.39       $ 5.54       $ 5.90       $ 5.20       $ 4.55   

Mine administration cost per tonne of ore

   $ 2.40       $ 2.46       $ 3.11       $ 2.95       $ 2.73       $ 2.33   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cost per tonne of ore (1)

$ 14.13    $ 15.06    $ 17.19    $ 17.99    $ 16.10    $ 12.69   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)  Cost per tonne reflects total costs related to crushed ore stacked on the leach pad and crushed ore milled on a blended basis.
(2)  Refer to “Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures” disclosure at the end of this MD&A for a description and calculation of certain measures presented in this table.

Total cost per tonne of ore in the fourth quarter of 2014 of $17.99 increased significantly compared to the same period of 2013 as a result of higher mining and processing costs. Total cost per tonne of ore for the full-year 2014 of $16.10 increased 27% compared to 2013, resulting from higher mining and processing costs and a 31% increase in the waste-to-ore ratio.

Mining cost per tonne of material was $4.35 in the fourth quarter of 2014, and $3.51 for the full year 2014, a 48% increase compared to the full year 2013. Mining costs increased primarily as a result of the inclusion of higher cost per tonne underground mining costs and the transition from owner-operated to contractor mining, which results in contractor equipment depreciation costs being included in cash costs. Additionally, key input costs such as diesel and wages increased 8% year over year. In 2015, the Company anticipates mining cost per tonne of material to be consistent with costs experienced in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Mining cost per tonne of ore was $7.00 in the fourth quarter of 2014, and $5.72 for the full-year 2014, a 63% increase compared to $3.51 per tonne in 2013. This was attributable to the factors outlined above, in addition to a 31% increase in the waste-to-ore in 2014. Mining cost per tonne of ore is expected to increase in 2015 as the waste-to-ore ratio is expected to approximately double from 0.63 to 1.27 based on the block model.

Crushing and conveying cost per tonne of ore was $2.14 in the fourth quarter of 2014, and $2.45 for the full year 2014, an increase of 7% compared to 2013. Crushing and conveying costs increased in 2014 due to higher diesel prices and lower throughput, but were at their lowest levels in the fourth quarter as the Company was able to increase throughput to over 18,000 tonnes per day lowering the impact of fixed costs on a per-tonne basis. The Company anticipates crushing and conveying cost per tonne for 2015 to be consistent with 2014 levels.

Processing costs per tonne of ore were $5.90 in the fourth quarter of 2014, and $5.20 for the full year 2014, a 14% increase. Processing costs were higher in 2014 relative to 2013, particularly in the second half of the year, as a result of higher input costs. The Company increased consumption of cyanide in the second half of the year to mitigate dilution of gold-bearing solution caused by the third quarter rainy season. In addition, silver by-product credits were lower in 2014 than in the prior year as a result of lower silver prices. The Company anticipates processing cost per tonne for 2015 to be consistent with 2014 levels.

 

7


Mine administration costs per tonne of ore in 2014 were $2.73, higher than 2013 as lower throughput has the effect of increasing fixed costs on a per tonne basis. The Company anticipates mine administration cost per tonne for 2015 to be consistent with 2014 levels.

Cash operating costs of $639 per ounce of gold sold in 2014 were at the low end of the Company’s annual guidance range of $630 to $670 per ounce, and 50% higher than $426 per ounce reported in 2013. This increase is attributable to lower grades stacked on the leach pad, a higher cost per tonne of ore mined, as well as a lower proportion of high grade mill production which has a lower cost profile than open pit heap leach production.

Cash operating costs include total costs incurred in the period, in addition to inventory adjustments that recognize the allocation of costs to and from the Company’s in-process leach pad gold inventory in the period. The Company utilizes a gold process flow inventory model that allocates total costs incurred to mill processing or to the recoverable ounces stacked on the leach pad in that period, and charges each ounce of gold produced on an average cost basis. Accordingly, cash operating costs reflect not only the cash spent in a period, but also an adjustment to reflect the increase or decrease in the leach pad inventory.

A reconciliation of total costs to cash operating costs is presented below:

 

Cash operating cost reconciliation (1)    2014      2013  

Total cost per tonne of ore

   $ 16.10       $ 12.69   

Ore stacked/milled (tonnes)

     6,294,400         6,518,300   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cost

$ 101,340,000    $ 82,717,000   

Inventory adjustments to reflect ounces allocated to stockpile inventory

($ 3,165,000 ($ 1,446,000

Inventory adjustments to reflect additional ounces produced from (allocated to) leach pad inventory and other period costs

($ 12,233,000 $ 3,250,000   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Mining and processing costs allocated to ounces sold

$ 85,942,000    $ 84,521,000   

Ounces sold

  134,600      198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash operating cost per ounce sold

$ 639    $ 426   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)  Refer to “Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures” disclosure at the end of this MD&A for a description and calculation of certain measures presented in this table.

In 2014, the Company increased the number of ounces in leach pad inventory, as the number of estimated recoverable ounces stacked on the leach pad was higher than ounces produced in the year. Leach pad inventory, which incorporates both cash operating costs and amortization, increased to $27.1 million at December 31, 2014 from $13.1 million at December 31, 2013, reflecting higher costs and amortization per ounce in inventory.

 

8


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

Investments in Mineral Property, Plant and Equipment and Acquisitions

A summary of the cash invested in operating capital and development activities for the period ended December 31, 2014 are presented below:

 

    

YTD 2014

($000)

 

Sustaining Capital – Mulatos

  

Construction

     3,308   

Interlift liners, ponds, and leach pad

     7,241   

Agglomerators

     1,504   

Component changes

     2,486   

Other

     2,541   
  

 

 

 
  17,080   

Development – Mulatos

San Carlos/Victor

  10,875   

Escondida Deep

  1,418   

San Carlos bridge

  3,263   

Capitalized exploration

  10,842   

Land acquisitions

  3,203   

Other

  5,174   
  

 

 

 
  34,775   

Development – Esperanza

Development, capitalized exploration, and equipment

  4,054   

Development – Turkey

Development, capitalized exploration, and equipment

  1,729   

Head office – Toronto

IT infrastructure, software and furniture

  447   
  

 

 

 

Cash invested in mineral property, plant and equipment and exploration and evaluation assets

$ 58,085   
  

 

 

 

Sustaining Capital—Mexico

Sustaining capital in Mexico in 2014 included $7.2 million on leach pad interlift liners and expansion of the ponds, $3.3 million of construction spending, $2.5 million for component changes, and $1.5 million on replacing the agglomerators. Sustaining capital of $17.1 million for the year was higher than the Company’s guidance of $13.2 million as a result of additional spending on the leach pad and agglomerators designed to benefit future mine operations. The Company expects 2015 sustaining capital to decrease to approximately $12.5 million.

Development – Mexico

Development activities in Mexico in 2014 were focused on underground development of the San Carlos deposit, waste removal at El Victor, and modifications to the mill circuit. In addition, construction of the bridge over the Mulatos River was completed before the onset of the rainy season in July, allowing for year-round access to San Carlos.

Other significant development spending in 2014 included $10.9 million in capitalized exploration focused on San Carlos and Puerto del Aire. In addition, the Company invested $4.1 million at the Esperanza Gold Project advancing the EIA baseline study work. Capital expenditures in Turkey and Toronto were minimal in 2014.

Development spending at Mulatos in 2015 will be focused on further underground development of San Carlos, pre-stripping of the El Victor and San Carlos open pits and exploration and development of the Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui satellite deposits. Development spending at

 

9


Esperanza in 2015 of approximately $9.8 million (which includes $2.0 million of exploration spending) will be focused on ongoing baseline work required for the resubmission of an EIA report and an internal feasibility study to further support development of the project.

Development – Turkey

The AğI DağI and KirazlI gold projects are located on the Biga Peninsula of northwestern Turkey. AğI DağI is located approximately 50 km southeast of Çanakkale and KirazlI is located approximately 25 km northwest of AğI DağI . Çanakkale is the largest centre on the Biga Peninsula with a population of approximately 97,000. Infrastructure in close proximity to the project is excellent and well-serviced with paved roads, transmission lines, and electricity generating facilities.

In June 2012, the Company published a preliminary feasibility study summary of the AğI DağI and KirazlI projects, with annual combined gold production expected to peak at 237,000 ounces, and averaging 166,000 ounces per year over the nine year combined mine life. For further information with respect to the preliminary feasibility study, refer to the related technical report available at the Company’s website at www.alamosgold.com and on www.sedar.com under the Company’s profile. In conjunction with the preliminary feasibility study, the Company reported an initial inferred mineral resource estimate at Çamyurt of 640,000 ounces. The potential inclusion of the Çamyurt resource in a combined development scenario is expected to significantly enhance the overall economics of the Company’s Turkish projects.

In 2014, total development expenditures in Turkey were $1.7 million which was capitalized. Given the delay in receipt of key permits, the Company reduced its headcount early in 2014 and curtailed spending in Turkey.

The Company is awaiting a ruling from the Turkish High Administrative Court on the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization (the “Ministry”) and the Company’s appeal of the Çanakkale Administrative Court’s cancellation of the Ministry’s EIA approval in relation to the KirazlI main project due to the lack of cumulative impact assessment (“CIA”). The appeal decision remains pending, but is expected to be finalized within two to three months. In order to address the CIA requirements and concerns of the Court, the Company has prepared and submitted a CIA assessment for the KirazlI project, which has been approved by the Ministry and submitted to the High Court.

In January 2015, the Çanakkale Administrative Court in Turkey granted an injunction order against the Ministry’s approval of the EIA for the Company’s AğI DağI project. Similar to KirazlI, the basis for the injunction related to a lack of a CIA. The Ministry is expected to defend any challenges against its approval of the EIA. In parallel, the Company has completed a CIA for AğI DağI which has been submitted to the Ministry. With development of KirazlI planned first, the Company does not expect the injunction to impact the development timeline for AğI DağI.

Obtaining forestry and operating permits are the next steps in the permitting process. The Company remains confident that these permits will be granted. However, legal challenges have increased uncertainty of the expected timing for receipt of these permits. A full development budget for KirazlI and AğI DağI will be re-initiated once the required permits are received. The capital spending budget for these projects is not expected to differ materially from the June 2012 preliminary feasibility study. The Company is however in the process of evaluating the impact of updated capital costs, the recently approved new mining law, forestry fee increases, tax incentive availability changes and the devaluation of the Turkish Lira on the operating costs and overall economics of its projects. The Company expects first gold production from KirazlI within 18 months of receipt of the outstanding permits.

 

10


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

Exploration Summary

Total exploration expenditures in 2014 were $21.2 million primarily focused at Mulatos where exploration spending totaled $15.7 million. This included $10.9 million of drilling at San Carlos and Puerta del Aire which were capitalized. An additional $4.9 million spent at East Estrella, Escondida Deep, Realito and administration costs were expensed.

Exploration—Mulatos

In 2014, exploration focused mainly on areas immediately adjacent to active mining. Three types of drilling were undertaken; tightly-spaced infill drilling to support underground mining, mineral reserve and resource drilling, and exploration drilling. Up to nine drill rigs, including two underground drill rigs were active at Mulatos during the year.

San Carlos

San Carlos remained the highest priority for exploration with approximately 16,484 metres (“m”) drilled during the fourth quarter and a total of 48,956m drilled during 2014. Approximately 40% of this meterage was tight-infill drilling to support underground mining operations and planning. The remainder was drilled as part of the ongoing exploration program to upgrade existing mineral resources and to extend the strike and dip of existing mineral resources.

Escondida Deep—Gap

During the year, 5,457m of tight-infill drilling was undertaken at Escondida Deep to assist with underground mining operations. Approximately 7,300m of Exploration drilling was also undertaken in the Escondida Deep—Gap zone with the objective of defining additional high-grade mineralization.

Puerto del Aire

Drilling at Puerto del Aire was designed to upgrade inferred mineral resources immediately adjacent to the pit and to test the presence of a high-grade zone of mineralization in the north-eastern section of the deposit. A total of 9,977m was drilled during 2014. Logging, sampling and analysis has indicated the presence of at least one high-grade breccia unit in this section of the deposit. Further analysis and modelling of the zone is underway and a follow-up drill program is planned for 2015.

East Estrella

A total of 4,454m was drilled at East Estrella during the year with the objective of extending and upgrading existing mineral resources.

Exploration—Esperanza

The Company capitalized $4.1 million at the Esperanza Gold Project in 2014. These development costs were primarily related to the collection of baseline study data to support resubmission of the EIA. The Company is currently completing preparatory work for a planned geotechnical and exploration drill program in the first half of 2015.

In addition, the Company has now acquired water concessions sufficient for all future mining activities at the Esperanza Gold Project.

Exploration – Quartz Mountain

In 2014, the Company invested $1.1 million at the Quartz Mountain project, which was expensed. The expanded 8,000m drill program commenced in the fourth quarter of 2014 and is expected to continue to mid-year 2015. Drilling has the dual objective of validating the existing resource and testing the new geological model.

 

11


Financial Highlights

A summary of the Company’s financial results for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013 and 2012 is presented below:

 

    Q4 2014     Q4 2013     YTD 2014     YTD 2013     YTD 2012  

Cash provided by operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital (000)(1) (2)

  $ 11,820      $ 12,730      $ 50,876      $ 113,279      $ 178,534   

Changes in non-cash working capital

  $ 4,000      $ 2,357        ($18,119     ($26,652   $ 4,890   

Cash provided by operating activities (000)

  $ 15,820      $ 15,087      $ 32,757      $ 86,627      $ 183,424   

(Loss) Earnings before income taxes (000)

    ($3,203   $ 6,627      $ 2,339      $ 79,504      $ 166,925   

(Loss) Earnings (000)

    ($3,367     ($5,274     ($2,126   $ 38,792      $ 117,956   

(Loss) Earnings per share

         

- basic

    ($0.03     ($0.04     ($0.02   $ 0.30      $ 0.98   

- diluted

    ($0.03     ($0.04     ($0.02   $ 0.30      $ 0.98   

Comprehensive income (000)

    ($1,909     ($6,078     ($1,874   $ 38,763      $ 117,972   

Weighted average number of common shares outstanding

         

- basic

    127,357,000        127,709,000        127,388,000        127,340,000        119,861,000   

- diluted

    127,357,000        127,757,000        127,389,000        127,480,000        120,904,000   

Assets (000) (3)

      $ 879,511      $ 898,028      $ 753,856   

 

(1)  A non-GAAP measure calculated as cash provided by operating activities as presented on the consolidated statements of cash flows and adding back changes in non-cash working capital.
(2)  Refer to “Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures” disclosure at the end of this MD&A for a description and calculation of this measure.
(3)  Assets are shown as at December 31, 2014, December 31, 2013 and December 31, 2012.

The Company’s operating margins in the fourth quarter of 2014 were negatively impacted by a weaker gold price. The Company generated $11.8 million ($0.09 per share) cash from operating activities (before changes in non-cash working capital). Cash provided by operating activities of $15.8 million in the fourth quarter increased slightly relative to the same period of 2013 as a result of lower corporate administration and exploration costs, offset by lower gold prices. For the full year 2014, cash provided by operating activities decreased significantly due to lower production and a weaker gold price environment.

Earnings before income taxes of $2.3 million or $0.02 per share for the year compared to earnings of $79.5 million or $0.62 per basic share in 2013. On an after-tax basis, the Company recorded a loss in 2014 of $2.1 million or $0.02 per share compared to earnings of $38.8 million in 2013 as a result of lower gold sales and higher cash operating costs.

Gold Sales

Details of gold sales are presented below:

 

    

Q4

2014

    

Q4

2013

    

YTD

2014

    

YTD

2013

 

Gold sales (ounces)

     38,400         42,198         134,600         198,198   

Operating revenues (000)

   $ 46,062       $ 53,832       $ 169,938       $ 282,187   

Realized gold price per ounce

   $ 1,200       $ 1,276       $ 1,263       $ 1,424   

Average gold price for period (London PM Fix)

   $ 1,201       $ 1,276       $ 1,266       $ 1,411   

Operating revenues in the fourth quarter of 2014 of $46.1 million decreased 14% compared to $53.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2013 as a result of a 9% decrease in the number of ounces of gold sold and a 6% decline in the realized gold price per ounce. On a year-to-date basis, operating revenues decreased 40% in 2014 compared to 2013 as a result of the lower gold prices and a 32% decrease in number of ounces sold.

 

12


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

The Company generally enters into short-term forward sales contracts in order to match sales contracts with the next expected delivery date. The Company’s objective is to realize a gold sales price consistent with the average London PM Fix spot gold price. For the fourth quarter of 2014, the Company achieved a realized gold price per ounce of $1,200, consistent with the average London PM Fix gold price for the quarter, and for the year achieved a realized gold price per ounce of $1,263 per ounce. The Company did not have any significant derivative activity outstanding related to gold, and has not entered into any long-term hedges in 2015, therefore is leveraged to future changes in the price of gold.

Assessment of Gold Market

The market price of gold continues to exhibit significant volatility. The spot market gold price was approximately $1,210 per ounce on February 17, 2015. At this gold price, the Company realizes a mine operating cash margin (before taxes and corporate and administrative costs) in excess of $350 per ounce.

Operating Expenses and Operating Margins

Mine operating costs allocated to ounces sold are summarized in the following table for the periods indicated:

 

    

Q4

2014

    

Q4

2013

    

YTD

2014

    

YTD

2013

 

Gold production (ounces) (1)

     42,500         39,000         140,500         190,000   

Gold sales (ounces)

     38,400         42,198         134,600         198,198   

Cash operating costs (000)(2)

   $ 26,575       $ 23,903       $ 85,942       $ 84,521   

- Per ounce sold

   $ 692       $ 566       $ 639       $ 426   

Royalties (000)(3)

   $ 2,166       $ 2,459       $ 8,744       $ 13,829   

Total cash costs (000)(2)

   $ 28,741       $ 26,362       $ 94,686       $ 98,350   

- Per ounce sold

   $ 748       $ 624       $ 703       $ 496   

Corporate and administrative, share-based compensation, exploration, reclamation costs, sustaining capital expenditures (000)

   $ 9,497       $ 12,489       $ 42,852       $ 54,567   

All-in sustaining cost (000)(4)

   $ 38,238       $ 38,851       $ 137,538       $ 152,917   

- Per ounce sold

   $ 996       $ 921       $ 1,022       $ 772   

- Realized gold price per ounce

   $ 1,200       $ 1,276       $ 1,263       $ 1,424   

- Operating cash margin per ounce (5)

   $ 452       $ 652       $ 560       $ 928   

 

(1)  Reported gold production is subject to final refinery settlement.
(2)  “Cash operating costs” and “Total cash costs” are non-GAAP measures. Refer to “Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures” disclosure at the end of this MD&A for a description and calculation of these measures.
(3)  Royalties are included as of April 1, 2006 at 5.5% of net precious metals revenues (as determined in accordance with the royalty agreement with Royal Gold of 5%, and the 0.5% Extraordinary Mining tax in Mexico).
(4)  “All-in sustaining cost” is a non-GAAP measure that reflects total mining and processing cost, corporate and administrative costs, exploration costs, sustaining capital, and other operating costs. Refer to “Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures” disclosure at the end of this MD&A for a description and calculation of these measures.

 

13


(5)  “Operating cash margin per ounce” is a non-GAAP measure that is calculated as the difference between the Company’s gold sales and mining and processing and royalty expenses (“total cash costs”) as reported in the Company’s financial statements.

Total cash costs in 2014 were $703 per ounce of gold sold, at the low end of the Company’s full year guidance range of $700 to $740 per ounce. Total cash costs per ounce in 2014 were 42% higher than in the same period of 2013 due to lower grades stacked on the leach pad, lower production from the high-grade mill, and higher mining and input costs.

All-in Sustaining Costs

In June 2013, the World Gold Council (“WGC”) published a guidance note on Non-GAAP metrics available to gold mining industry participants to use to report their costs in an effort to encourage improved understanding of the total costs associated with mining an ounce of gold. The Company began reporting “All-in sustaining costs” or “AISC” in 2013.

All-in sustaining cost per ounce is reported for the Company’s producing mine, the Mulatos mine in Mexico. Costs attributable to the Company’s development projects in Turkey, Mexico and the United States are not included within AISC.

AISC include cash costs, exploration, corporate and administrative, share based compensation, reclamation and sustaining capital costs, and were $996 and $1,022 per ounce of gold sold in the fourth quarter and full-year 2014 respectively. AISC for the full year were slightly above the Company’s annual guidance of $960 to $1,000 due to lower than budgeted production, which had the impact of increasing fixed costs, such as stock based compensation and corporate and administration costs, on a per ounce basis. AISC per ounce increased 32% in 2014 relative to 2013 due primarily to lower grades mined and milled in 2014 as well as higher overall input costs. The Company anticipates 2015 AISC to be $1,100 per ounce of gold sold.

Royalty

Production from certain mining concessions within the Salamandra District is subject to a sliding scale production royalty with Royal Gold Inc. (the “Royal Gold royalty”). At gold prices above $400 per ounce, this royalty is calculated at a rate of 5% of the value of gold and silver production, less certain deductible refining and transportation costs, and is included in royalty expense. The Royal Gold royalty is calculated based on the daily average London PM Fix gold market prices, not actual prices realized by the Company. With the achievement of commercial production on April 1, 2006, production to a maximum of two million ounces of gold is subject to the royalty. As at December 31, 2014, the royalty was paid or accrued on approximately 1.3 million ounces of applicable gold production. Royalty expense of $7.9 million decreased 43% from $13.8 million in 2013 due to lower gold prices. In addition, in 2014, royalty expense includes the 0.5% Extraordinary Mining Duty payable to the Mexican Government, which totaled $0.8 million for the year.

Amortization

Amortization expense of $319 per ounce in 2014 was approximately 12% higher than in 2013 as a result of higher amortization associated with high grade production from the Escondida open pit and Escondida Deep deposits. Capitalized costs associated with pre-stripping the open pit and underground development in order to access the deposit are amortized and charged to expense based on allocating these capitalized costs to the ounces ultimately produced. The Company experienced a negative grade and tonnes reconciliation for both the Escondida high grade and Escondida Deep zones in 2014, resulting in a decrease in the number of recoverable ounces in the amortization base, with the effect of increasing the amortization cost on a per

 

14


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

ounce basis. Amortization per ounce decreased to $290 per ounce in the fourth quarter of 2014 with the depletion of the Escondida Deep zone and commencement of production from the San Carlos high grade zone.

Exploration

The Company’s accounting policy for exploration costs provides that exploration expenditures be capitalized if management determines that probable future economic benefits will be generated as a result of the expenditures, as evidenced by a positive economic analysis of the project. Exploration and evaluation expenditures on properties prior to the establishment of a positive economic analysis are charged to operations as incurred.

Total exploration spending in 2014 was $21.2 million, of which $15 million was capitalized and $6.2 million was expensed. Exploration expenditures at San Carlos, Puerta del Aire and Esperanza were capitalized while exploration costs at Quartz Mountain, other regional targets and administration costs were expensed.

Corporate and Administrative

Corporate and administrative expenses of $15.2 million in 2014 were 31% lower than $21.9 million incurred in 2013, and consistent with budget. The Company remains focused on cost reduction measures that are expected to result in lower corporate and administrative costs in 2015.

Share-based Compensation

Share-based compensation expense, related to stock options and cash-settled stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), restricted share units (“RSUs”) and deferred share units (“DSUs”) was $1.1 million in 2014, a significant decrease from $3.2 million in 2013. The value of share-based compensation expense related to stock options is added to the contributed surplus account within shareholders’ equity, resulting in no net effect on total shareholders’ equity. In 2013, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a cash-settled RSU plan available to officers, employees and consultants, and a DSU plan available to its directors. SARs, RSUs, and DSUs are cash-settled liabilities, which are remeasured at each reporting date and at the settlement date. Any changes in the fair value of the liability are recognized as an expense to share-based compensation in the Statements of Comprehensive Income. All outstanding stock options, SARs and RSUs grants are subject to vesting provisions. The vesting provisions result in the calculated market value of stock option grants being charged to expense in accordance with the vesting terms of the option. DSUs are not subject to vesting terms, therefore the expense is recorded immediately.

Share-based compensation expense in 2014 is comprised of a $2.0 million expense related to the Company’s stock option plan, offset by a recovery related to the Company’s liability for outstanding SARs, RSUs and DSUs upon remeasurement of the liability. The Company’s outstanding liability for SARs, RSUs, and DSUs decreased from $3.8 million at December 31, 2013 to $2.7 million at December 31, 2014 as a result of a decrease in the Company’s share price over this period, offset by new grants during the year.

Finance Income

Finance income in 2014 was $2.8 million, slightly below the same period of 2013 due to lower cash balances. Interest rates on deposit accounts and short-term investments remain near historically low levels.

 

15


Financing Expense

Financing expense includes accretion of the Company’s decommissioning liability and property acquisition obligations. The expense for the current year was $1.4 million compared to $0.9 million in 2013 as a result of an increased liability.

Foreign Exchange Loss

The Company recognized a $4.7 million foreign exchange loss in 2014, compared to a $8.3 million foreign exchange loss in 2013. Throughout 2014, the Company’s operating currencies, the Mexican peso (“MXN”) Canadian dollar (“CAD”) and Turkish Lira (“TL”), all weakened relative to the USD.

The foreign exchange loss was comprised of a $0.5 million loss on the Company’s Canadian dollar-denominated net assets, a $3.9 million foreign exchange loss on revaluation of the Company’s MXN-denominated assets, and a $0.3 million foreign exchange loss on revaluation of the Company’s TL-denominated asset position. The Company classifies the foreign exchange gain or loss on revaluation of its Mexican and Turkish deferred tax liabilities within deferred tax expense rather than within foreign exchange gain or loss.

Income Taxes and Mexican Tax Reform

In December 2013, the Mexican President approved a tax reform bill that enacted a new Income Tax Law (“MITL”), which increased the effective tax rate applicable to the Company’s Mexican operations effective January 1, 2014. The MITL has increased the corporate income tax rate to 30%, creates a 10% withholding tax on dividends paid to non-resident shareholders (subject to any reduction by an Income Tax Treaty) and creates a new Extraordinary Mining Royalty equal to 0.5% of gross revenues from the sale of gold, silver, and platinum. In addition, the MITL requires taxpayers with mining concessions to pay a new 7.5% Special Mining Tax. The Special Mining Tax is generally applicable to earnings before income tax, depreciation, depletion, amortization, and interest. In calculating the Special Mining Tax there are no deductions related to development type costs but exploration and prospecting costs are deductible when incurred. The Extraordinary Mining Royalty and Special Mining Tax are tax deductible for income tax purposes. The Company implemented several tax planning strategies prior to January 1, 2014 to mitigate the impact of the MITL.

Tax expense in 2014 was $4.5 million compared to $40.7 million in 2013. The Company must calculate and provide for tax instalments on a monthly basis in Mexico. The Company satisfies its tax liability through periodic instalment payments, as well as by offsetting refundable value-added tax owed from the Mexican government against its tax payable liability. During 2014, the Company did not pay cash tax installments, as the Company offset tax installment payments against refundable value-added taxes. In addition, the Company has accrued amounts owing for the new 7.5% Special Mining Tax, which became effective January 1, 2014, and is paid annually. As at December 31, 2014, the Company had an income tax receivable of $15.5 million, as installment payments exceeded taxes payable for the year.

The statutory federal income tax rate in Mexico for 2014 is 30%. The 7.5% Special Mining Tax introduced under the MITL has increased the effective tax rate in Mexico substantially. The effective tax rate for the fourth quarter of 2014 (calculated as a percentage of earnings before income tax) was 5%. The effective tax rate results from a number of factors, many of which are difficult to forecast. In the fourth quarter of 2014, the effective tax rate was impacted by a significant devaluation in the peso resulting in foreign exchange gains recorded through tax expense. For the 2014 year, the consolidated effective tax rate was 191%, impacted by non-deductible expenses in Canada and Turkey.

 

16


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

The Company classifies the foreign exchange gain or loss on revaluation of its Mexican and Turkish deferred tax liabilities within deferred tax expense rather than within foreign exchange gain or loss. In 2014, the weakening of the Mexican peso relative to the US dollar resulted in a $0.6 million reduction in deferred tax expense. The Company expects the effective tax rate to continue to fluctuate in periods of significant change to Mexican peso and/or Turkish lira foreign exchange rates.

Summary of Quarterly Results

The following table summarizes quarterly results for the past eight quarters. Quarterly gold production has been adjusted to reflect final settlements, where applicable.

 

    

Q1

2013

    

Q2

2013

    

Q3

2013

    

Q4

2013

   

Q1

2014

    

Q2

2014

    

Q3

2014

   

Q4

2014

 

Gold production (ounces)

     55,000         53,000         43,000         39,000        37,000         33,000         28,000        42,500   

Gold sales (ounces)

     53,000         55,000         48,000         42,198        32,161         34,039         30,000        38,400   

Operating revenues ($000)

     86,272         78,273         63,811         53,832        41,511         43,843         38,523        46,062   

Earnings (loss) from operations ($000)

     41,717         29,195         14,704         9,033        5,541         3,935         (1,581     1,853   

Earnings (loss) ($000)

     25,989         8,828         9,249         (5,274     2,746         733         (2,238     (3,367

Earnings (loss) ($ per share) basic/diluted

   $ 0.21/$0.20       $ 0.07       $ 0.07         ($0.04   $ 0.02       $ 0.01         ($0.02     ($0.03

Operating revenues have trended lower over the past two years as a result of decreasing gold prices. Lower realized gold prices and gold sales have resulted in generally weaker financial results. Gold production in the first and fourth quarters is generally higher than in the third quarter of the year, which can be adversely affected by weather-related production issues. Seasonal conditions could continue to impact production and financial results in future periods if rainfall is significantly above or below seasonal averages. The reported loss for the fourth quarter of 2013 included a $9.8 million non-cash deferred tax charge associated with the Mexican tax reform, while the loss reported in the fourth quarter of 2014 included a $2.7 million non-cash charge associated with available-for-sale securities.

Financial and Other Instruments

The Company’s financial assets and liabilities consist of cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, amounts receivable, available-for-sale and held-for-trading securities, accounts payable and accrued liabilities and deferred tax liabilities, some of which are denominated in CAD, MXN and TL. The Company is exposed to financial gains or losses as a result of foreign exchange movements against the USD.

The Company’s cash and cash equivalents may be invested in short-term liquid deposits or investments that provide a revised rate of interest upon maturity. At December 31, 2014, the Company’s reported cash and cash equivalents were held in bank deposit accounts or 60-day to 90-day term deposits. The Company’s short-term investments are generally term deposits with an initial term-to-maturity on acquisition of greater than 90 days.

The majority of the Company’s cash balances are held in USD; however, the Company does maintain cash and cash equivalents denominated in CAD, MXN and TL. The Company may enter into derivative contracts in order to manage its exposures to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates to the CAD, MXN, or TL.

As at December 31, 2014, the Company had outstanding a contract to deliver $5 million CAD in exchange for a fixed amount of USD in March 2015, with a CAD:USD rate of 1.16:1. The mark-to-market loss associated with this contract as at December 31, 2014 was nominal. The

 

17


Company is exposed to monetary assets and liabilities denominated in CAD. The Company maintains CAD cash and investment balances, which are not fully offset by CAD-denominated liabilities. The weakening of the CAD in 2014 resulted in a foreign exchange loss of $0.5 million.

The Company also has exposure to monetary assets and liabilities denominated in MXN. Significant cash balances, outstanding amounts receivable, accounts payable or tax liabilities denominated in MXN expose the Company to foreign exchange gains or losses. The Company maintains cash balances in MXN in order to partially mitigate its balance sheet exposure to changes in the MXN/USD exchange rate resulting from its MXN-denominated taxes payable and deferred tax liability balances. In addition, in December 2014 the Company entered into foreign currency collar contracts to hedge a portion of its Mexican peso-demoninated operating costs in 2015. The Company has entered into contracts totaling $24 million as at December 31, 2014, with scheduled expiries monthly throughout 2015. The mark-to-market loss associated with these contracts as at December 31, 2014 was $0.2 million. For the year ended December 31, 2014, the Company’s net MXN-denominated asset position, excluding the deferred tax liability, resulted in a foreign exchange loss of $3.9 million.

At December 31, 2014 the Company’s TL-denominated net monetary assets mainly consisted of TL-denominated cash and short-term investments, in addition to value-added tax (“VAT”) receivables. This exposure contributed to a $0.3 million foreign exchange loss due to the weakening of the TL compared to the USD during the quarter.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At December 31, 2014, the Company had $358.1 million in cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments compared to $417.5 million at December 31, 2013. The decrease in total cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments of $59.4 million mainly reflects positive cash flows from operations of $32.8 million offset by capital spending of $58.1 million, dividend payments totaling $25.5 million and share repurchases of $3.2 million. The Company’s working capital surplus decreased to $411.5 million at December 31, 2014 from $452.8 million at December 31, 2013.

Despite substantially lower gold prices which are resulting in reduced profitability, cash flow and liquidity across the industry, the Company`s balance sheet remains strong with $358.1 million in cash, $411.5 million of working capital and continued positive cash flow from operations. The Company has an extensive pipeline of mining projects for development and has the balance sheet strength and corresponding financial flexibility to sequence these projects (once permitted) in a manner that maximizes risk adjusted returns. The Company paid $25.5 million in dividends during 2014, and has paid in excess of $102 million to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases in the past four years. The lower gold price environment emphasizes the strategic importance of financial strength and flexibility and the Company is evaluating its capital allocation decisions accordingly.

In 2015, the Company has capital spending commitments of $54.3 million and an exploration budget of $24.8 million. The Company expects that the Mulatos mine will generate sufficient operating cash flow to accommodate all planned capital and exploration spending in Mexico in 2015.

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with IFRS. In making the assessment, management used the criteria set forth in Internal Control – Integrated Framework

 

18


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

(2013), issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on a review of its internal control procedures at the end of the period covered by this MD&A, management believes its internal controls and procedures are appropriately designed and operating effectively as at December 31, 2014.

Ernst & Young LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, has audited the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, and has expressed their opinion in their report included with our annual consolidated financial statements.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no significant changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the three months ended December 31, 2014 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Disclosure Controls

Management is also responsible for the design and effectiveness of disclosure controls and procedures to provide reasonable assurance that material information related to the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to the Company’s certifying officers. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have each evaluated the design of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as at December 31, 2014 and have concluded that these are appropriately designed and operating effectively.

Limitations of Controls and Procedures

The Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, believe that internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be properly designed and effective can provide only reasonable assurance that the objectives of the control system are met.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements.

Commitments

The following table summarizes the Company’s contractual obligations at December 31, 2014:

Payments due by period ($000)

 

Contractual Obligations    Total      Less than
1 year
     2 – 3
years
     4 – 5
years
     More than
5 years
 

Operating lease

     260         260         —           —           —     

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

     33,389         33,389         —           —           —     

Decommissioning liability

     34,894         —           —           —           34,894   

Property acquisition obligations

     101         101         —           —           —     

Contract mining

     161,000         52,600         77,900         30,500         —     

Quartz Mountain option payments

     16,200         —           2,700         13,500         —     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 245,844    $ 86,350    $ 80,600    $ 44,000    $ 34,894   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

19


Contractual obligations exist with respect to royalties; however gold production subject to royalty cannot be ascertained with certainty and the royalty rate varies with the gold price. Based on the current gold price and rates of production, royalty expense is expected to be in the range of $2 to $3 million per quarter for 2015.

In December 2013, the Company entered into a mining services agreement with Grupo Desarrollo Infraestructura S.A. de C.V. (“GDI”), expiring in December 2020, pursuant to which GDI will perform essentially all of the open-pit mining operations at Mulatos, at a cost of approximately $161 million over the term of the contract, based on current pricing. The contract includes a cost escalation formula every six months based on standard indices.

As a result of the acquisition of Orsa, the Company inherited an option agreement with Seabridge whereby the Company can acquire a 100% interest in the Quartz Mountain Property through additional option payments of CAD$3 million on completion of a feasibility study on the project and an additional CAD$15 million (or 2% NSR) on final permitting and bonding of the project.

The Company has signed relocation contracts with certain property owners and possessors in the town of Mulatos. Additional future property acquisition, relocation benefits, legal and related costs may be material. The Company cannot currently determine the expected timing, outcome of negotiations or costs associated with the relocation of the remaining property owners and possessors and potential land acquisitions.

Outstanding Share Data

The table below describes the terms associated with the Company’s outstanding and diluted share capital:

 

     February 17, 2015  

Common shares

  

- Common shares outstanding

     127,357,486   

Stock options

  

- Average exercise price CAD $14.04; approximately 71% exercisable

     4,741,300   

Warrants

  

- Exercise price CAD $29.48

     7,167,866   

Total

     139,266,652   

Outlook

The Company anticipates producing between 150,000 and 170,000 ounces of gold in 2015 at cash operating costs of approximately $800 per ounce of gold sold, excluding royalties. Including royalties, and assuming a $1,200 gold price, total cash costs and all-in sustaining costs are expected to be approximately $865 and $1,100 per ounce of gold sold, respectively.

The Company is expecting higher production in 2015 relative to 2014 primarily reflecting a full year of high grade mill production from the San Carlos underground deposit. Underground mining at San Carlos will be conducted in a higher grade portion of the ore body providing high grade mill feed of 9.5 g/t Au in 2015, above the current mineral reserve grade of 7.0 g/t Au. Combined with the mill throughput in 2015 of 550 tpd being more than double the 2014 rate, the

 

20


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

Company expects stronger high grade mill production. While the Company is in the process of optimizing the high grade mill, including installation of a vertical grinding mill and second ILR, both throughput and recoveries are expected to be below budgeted levels.

Higher mill production in 2015 is expected to be offset by lower grades stacked on the heap leach pad of 0.80 g/t Au. This is slightly below the 0.85 g/t Au budgeted in 2014 and well below the realized grade of 0.98 g/t Au as the Company once again benefited from a positive grade reconciliation compared to the block model.

Higher cash operating costs for 2015 compared to 2014 is attributable to three factors: lower grade for the ore stacked on the leach pad of 0.80 g/t Au in 2015; a higher waste-to-ore ratio; and increased haul distances as the El Victor and San Carlos pits become meaningful contributors of open pit, heap leach production.

As part of the long term mine plan, the Company will be working through a higher waste-to-ore ratio and lower open pit grade portion of the deposit in 2015. The 2015 waste-to-ore ratio of 1.27:1 is up significantly from 2014 but is expected to decrease to the current remaining life of mine waste-to-ore ratio of 1.04:1 in 2016. The heap leach grade of 0.80 g/t Au is also down from 2014 but is expected to improve in 2016 to approach the current mineral reserve grade of 0.93 g/t Au.

The Company expects to continue generating sufficient cash flow to fund its sustaining and development capital spending and exploration budget at Mulatos in 2015 at a $1,200 per ounce gold price. The Company continues to operate Mulatos in a manner designed to optimize long-term economics. Costs will rise in the near term though are expected to improve as grades increase and the waste-to-ore ratio normalizes to life-of-mine levels beyond 2015.

Development spending at Mulatos in 2015 will be focused on further underground development of San Carlos, pre-stripping of the El Victor and San Carlos open pits and exploration and development of Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui. Mulatos will be further bolstered by the development of the Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui satellite deposits, the latter of which is expected to start contributing low cost production growth in the fourth quarter of 2016. With Cerro Pelon and La Yaqui averaging double the 2015 budgeted grade, these deposits are expected to both increase production and drive costs substantially lower.

The Company’s mineral reserve and resource update will be released at the end of the first quarter of 2015. The current focus of exploration at Mulatos is on continuing to delineate high-grade mineral reserves to provide mill feed beyond the current life of the San Carlos high-grade deposit.

 

21


Gold production from the first of the Company’s Turkish projects, KirazlI, is expected within 18 months of receipt of the outstanding forestry and operating permits. The Company continues to await a ruling from the Turkish High Administrative Court on the Ministry’s and the Company’s appeal of the Çanakkale Administrative Court’s cancellation of the Ministry’s EIA approval in relation to the KirazlI main project due to the lack of CIA. The appeal decision remains pending, but is expected to be finalized within two to three months. The Company remains confident that these permits will be granted. However, legal challenges have increased uncertainty of the expected timing for receipt of these permits.

Work in support of an EIA submission for the Esperanza Gold Project in 2015 is underway as well as completion of an internal feasibility study to further support development of the project. Drilling at the Quartz Mountain Property focused on validating the existing mineral resources commenced in the fourth quarter of 2014 and is expected to continue to the second quarter of 2015.

The Company’s financial position remains strong, with approximately $411.5 million in working capital and no debt. The Company is well positioned to pursue accretive opportunities and to deliver on its development project pipeline. However, the lower gold price environment further emphasizes the strategic importance of financial strength and flexibility and the Company is evaluating its capital allocation decisions accordingly.

Accounting Policies in effect January 1, 2014

(i) IFRIC 21 – Levies (“IFRIC 21”) In May 2013, the IFRS Interpretations Committee (IRFIC), with the approval of the IASB, issued IFRIC 21 – Levies. IFRIC 21 provides guidance on when to recognize a liability to pay a levy imposed by government that is accounted for in accordance with IAS 37 – Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets. IFRIC 21 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2014, and is to be applied retrospectively. The adoption of IFRIC 21 had no impact on the financial statements of the Company.

(ii) IAS 32 – Offsetting of financial instruments (“IAS 32”) The amendments to IAS 32, Financial Instruments: Presentation, clarify the criteria that should be considered in determining whether an entity has a legally enforceable right of set off in respect of its financial instruments. Amendments to IAS 32 are applicable to annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2014, with retrospective application required. There was no material impact on the Company’s unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements upon adoption of these amendments.

Future accounting policy changes not yet in effect

The following are new pronouncements approved by the IASB. The standards and interpretations are not yet effective and have not been applied in preparing these financial statements; however, they may impact future periods.

(i) IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (Revised) was issued by the IASB in October 2010. It incorporates revised requirements for the classification and measurement of financial liabilities, and carrying over the existing derecognition requirements from IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement. The revised financial liability provisions maintain the existing amortised cost measurement basis for most liabilities. New requirements apply where an entity chooses to measure a liability at fair value through profit or loss – in these cases, the portion of the change in fair value related to changes in the entity’s own credit risk is presented in other comprehensive income rather than within profit or loss. On July 24, 2014, the IASB issued the final version of IFRS 9 with an effective adoption date of January 1, 2018, with early adoption

 

22


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

permitted. The impact of IFRS 9 on the Company’s financial instruments has not yet been determined.

(ii) IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers (IFRS 15) was issued in May 2014, which covers principles for reporting about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. IFRS 15 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2017. The Company has commenced a review process to determine the impact of adopting this standard on its consolidated financial statements.

(iii) IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment (IAS 16) and IAS 38, Intangibles (IAS 38) was issued in May 2014 and prohibits the use of revenue-based depreciation methods for property, plant and equipment and limits the use of revenue-based amortization for intangible assets. These amendments are effective for annual periods beginning on or after January 1, 2016 and are to be applied prospectively. The Company does not expect that the adoption of these amendments will have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The preparation of financial statements under IFRS requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of policies and reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and revenue and expenses. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis of making the judgments about carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimate is revised if the revision affects only that period or in the period of the revision and further periods if the review affects both current and future periods. Accounts which require management to make material estimates and significant assumptions in determining amounts recorded include: recoverable reserves, inventory recoveries, share-based payments, decommissioning liabilities, units of production amortization, and provisions and contingencies.

Judgments made by management in the application of IFRS that have a significant effect on the financial statements and estimates with a significant risk of material adjustment in the current and following fiscal years include: impairment of tangible and intangible assets, determination of functional currency, amortization methods, uncertain tax positions and recovery of deferred tax assets.

(i) Impairment:

The Company assesses its mineral property, plant and equipment and exploration and evaluation assets annually to determine whether any indication of impairment exists. Where an indicator of impairment exists, a formal estimate of the recoverable amount is made, which is considered to be the higher of the fair value less costs to sell and value in use. These assessments require the use of estimates and assumptions such as long-term commodity prices, discount rates, future capital requirements, exploration potential and operating performance.

(ii) Recoverable mineral reserves:

Mineral reserves are estimates of the amount of ore that can be economically and legally extracted from the Company’s mining properties. The Company estimates its recoverable mineral reserves based on information compiled by appropriately qualified persons relating to

 

23


the geological data on the size, depth and shape of the ore body, and requires complex geological judgments to interpret the data. The estimation of recoverable mineral reserves is based upon factors such as estimates of, commodity prices, production costs, future capital requirements, and foreign exchange rates, along with geological assumptions and judgments made in estimating the size and grade of the ore body, and metallurgical assumptions made in estimating recovery of the ore body. Changes in the mineral reserve or resource estimates may impact the carrying value of exploration and evaluation assets, mineral property, plant and equipment, decommissioning liabilities, and amortization expense.

(iii) Units-of-production (“UOP”) amortization:

Estimated recoverable proven and probable mineral reserves are used in determining the amortization of certain mineral property, plant and equipment. This results in an amortization charge proportional to the depletion of the anticipated remaining mine life. These calculations require the use of estimates and assumptions, including the amount of recoverable proven and probable reserves and estimates of future capital expenditures. Numerous UOP amortization methods are available to choose from; the Company has adopted a methodology based on estimated recoverable proven and probable mineral reserves over the life of mine.

(iv) Inventory:

The Company accounts for its in-process precious metals and ore in stockpiles inventory using a process flow for applicable costs appropriate to the physical transformation of ore through the mining, crushing, leaching and gold recovery process. The Company is required to estimate the ultimate recovery based on laboratory tests and ongoing analysis of leach pad kinetics in order to determine the recoverable metals from the leach pad at the end of each accounting period. If the Company determines at any time that the ultimate recovery should be adjusted downward, then the Company will adjust the average carrying value of a unit of metal content in the in-process inventory and adjust upward on a prospective basis the unit cost of subsequent production. Should an upward adjustment in the average carrying value of a unit of metal result in the carrying value exceeding the realizable value of the metal, the Company would write down the carrying value to the realizable value.

(v) Share based payments:

The Company follows accounting guidelines in determining the fair value of share-based compensation. The computed amount is not based on historical cost, but is derived based on subjective assumptions input into an option pricing model. The model requires that management make forecasts as to future events, including estimates of: the average future hold period of issued stock options or stock appreciation rights before exercise, expiry or cancellation; future volatility of the Company’s share price in the expected hold period (using historical volatility as a reference); and the appropriate risk-free rate of interest. Share-based compensation incorporates an expected forfeiture rate. The expected forfeiture rate is estimated based on historical forfeiture rates and expectations of future forfeiture rates, and is adjusted if the actual forfeiture rate differs from the expected rate.

The resulting value calculated is not necessarily the value that the holder of the instrument could receive in an arm’s length transaction, given that there is no market for these instruments and they are not transferable. It is management’s view that the value derived is highly subjective and dependent upon the input assumptions made.

(vi) Decommissioning liabilities:

 

24


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

The Company is required to determine the expected value of the estimated costs of decommissioning liabilities and to recognize this value as a liability when reasonably determinable. Key assumptions in determining the amount of the liability are: total undiscounted cash outflows, expected timing of payment of the cash outflows and appropriate inflation and discount rates to apply to the timing of cash outflows. Because the liability is recorded on a discounted basis, it is increased due to the passage of time with an offsetting charge to financing expense in the statement of comprehensive income. The Company calculated its estimated mine site closure costs based on a mine closure and reclamation plan prepared by management and reviewed by an independent third party. The majority of the expenditures associated with reclamation and mine closure will be incurred at the end of the mine life, expected to be approximately 7 years based on expected proven and probable mineral reserves and the current rate of production.

(vii) Provisions:

The Company records provisions which include various estimates, including the Company’s best estimate of the future costs associated with settlement of the obligation, and discount rates applied. Such estimates are necessarily calculated with reference to external sources, all of which are subject to annual review and change.

(viii) Recovery of deferred tax assets:

Judgment is required in determining whether deferred tax assets are recognized on the statement of financial position. Deferred tax assets require management to assess the likelihood that the Company will generate taxable income in future periods in order to utilize recognized deferred tax assets. Estimates of future taxable income are based on forecasted cash flows and the application of existing tax laws in each jurisdiction.

Risk Factors and Uncertainties

The financing, exploration, development and mining of any of the Company’s properties is subject to a number of factors including the price of gold, laws and regulations, political conditions, currency fluctuations, environmental regulations, hiring qualified people and obtaining necessary services in jurisdictions where the Company operates. The current trends relating to these factors are favorable but could change at any time and negatively affect the Company’s operations and business.

The following is a brief discussion of those distinctive or special characteristics of the Company’s operations and industry which may have a material impact on, or constitute risk factors in respect of the Company’s future financial performance.

(i) Industry

The Company is engaged in exploration, mine development and the mining and production of precious metals, primarily gold, and is exposed to a number of risks and uncertainties that are common to other companies in the same business. Unusual or unexpected formations, formation pressures, fires, power outages, labour disruptions, flooding, cave-ins, landslides and the inability to obtain suitable adequate machinery, equipment or labour are risks involved in the operation of mines and the conduct of exploration programs. The Company has relied on and may continue to rely upon consultants and others for mine operating and exploration expertise. Few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines. Substantial expenditures are required to establish ore reserves through drilling, to develop metallurgical processes to extract the metal from the ore and in the case of new properties, to develop the

 

25


mining and processing facilities and infrastructure at any site chosen for mining. Although substantial benefits may be derived from the discovery of a major mineral deposit, the Company may not be able to raise sufficient funds for development. The economics of developing mineral properties are affected by many factors including the cost of operations, variations in the grade of ore mined, fluctuations in metal markets, costs of mining and processing equipment and such other factors as government regulations, including regulations relating to royalties, allowable production, importing and exporting of minerals and environmental protection. Where expenditures on a property have not led to the discovery of mineral reserves, spent costs will not usually be recoverable.

(ii) Commodity Price

The value of the Company’s mineral resources and future operating profit and loss is affected by fluctuations in gold prices, over which the Company has no control. A reduction in the price of gold may prevent the Company’s properties from being economically mined or result in the write-off of assets whose value is impaired as a result of low gold prices. The price of gold may also have a significant influence on the market price of the Company’s common shares. The price of gold is affected by numerous factors beyond the Company’s control, such as the level of inflation, fluctuation of the United States dollar and foreign currencies, global and regional demand, sale of gold by central banks and the political and economic conditions of major gold producing countries throughout the world. The price of gold has increased significantly in the past several years. The current gold price is significantly above impairment levels. The Company has elected not to engage in significant forward selling. At the current rate of production, revenue will change by approximately $0.2 million with each $1 change in the price of gold.

(iii) Currency

The Company is subject to currency risks. Each of the Company’s subsidiaries have a United States dollar functional currency, which is subject to recent fluctuations against other currencies. The Company’s primary operations are located in Mexico and many of its expenditures and obligations are denominated in Mexican pesos. In addition, the Company has exploration and development activities ongoing in Turkey where the majority of its expenditures and obligations are in Turkish lira or Euros. The Company’s head office is in Canada where it maintains cash accounts in United States and Canadian dollars. As a result, the Company has monetary assets and liabilities and expenditures in United States dollars, Canadian dollars, Mexican pesos, Turkish lira and Euros. The Company’s results of operations are subject to foreign currency fluctuation risks and such fluctuations may adversely affect the financial position and operating results of the Company. The Company has undertaken to mitigate the impact of changes in the Mexican peso in 2015 by entering twelve monthly zero-cost collar contracts for aggregate purchases of $24 million throughout 2015, representing approximately 50% of the Company’s Mexican peso denominated operating costs. The collar contracts allow the Company to purchase pesos at no worse than 14.2:1 MXN:USD, and participate up to 15.5:1 MXN:USD or the Canadian dollar at this time.

A 10% change in the relative value of the Canadian dollar would impact corporate and administrative costs by approximately $1.0 million annually; a 10% change in the relative value of the Mexican peso would impact operating costs by approximately $2.5 million annually. A significant strengthening in the value of the Turkish lira compared to the United States dollar could adversely impact the economics associated with the Company’s development-stage assets in Turkey.

(iv) Business

 

26


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

The Company has limited financial resources which could affect its ability to carry out its business plan. The Company’s ability to secure fixed gold prices or future foreign exchange rates is affected by its creditworthiness. Because of its limited operating record, it may not be able to hedge future risk to the extent it feels is appropriate. The Company’s ability to obtain financing to explore for mineral deposits and to continue and complete the development of those properties it has classified as assets is not assured, nor is there assurance that the expenditure of funds will result in the discovery of an economic mineral deposit.

(v) Competitive

The Company’s business is intensely competitive, and the Company competes with other mining companies, many of which have greater resources and experience. Competition in the precious metals mining industry is primarily for mineral rich properties which can be developed and produced economically; the technical expertise to find, develop, and produce such properties; the labour to operate the properties; and the capital for the purpose of financing development of such properties. Many competitors not only explore for and mine precious metals, but conduct refining and marketing operations on a world-wide basis and some of these companies have much greater financial and technical resources than the Company. Such competition may result in the Company being unable to acquire desired properties, recruit or retain qualified employees or acquire the capital necessary to fund its operations and develop its properties. The Company’s inability to compete with other mining companies for these mineral deposits could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and business.

(vi) Country

The Company conducts exploration, mine development and mining and production activities in Sonora, Mexico. Mexico is a developing country and obtaining financing, finding or hiring qualified people or obtaining all necessary services for the Company’s operations in Mexico may be difficult. Mexico’s status as a developing country may make it more difficult for the Company to attract investors or obtain any required financing for its mining projects.

The Company owns development-stage assets in Turkey and is subject to risks associated with conducting exploration activities and planning mine development activities in Turkey, including risks with respect to staffing, financing, obtaining the required goods and services, permitting, community relations and environmental risks.

The Company strives to maintain good relations with the local communities in which it operates by providing employment opportunities and social services. The Company has entered into surface agreements with the Mulatos Ejido. In addition, the Company has entered into agreements with individual Ejido members for the surface rights to which they have been assigned. The transfers of title to these surface rights have been registered under Mexican law.

The Company is also in negotiations with Ejido and non-Ejido members, as a group and individually, to acquire additional surface rights. In addition, local residents could attempt to physically impede access to the mine or mining operations. Such actions could result in significant downtime and associated costs or suspension of operations and loss of production. With the assistance of experienced legal advisors and input and assistance from state and local government officials, the Company expects that it will be able to acquire its land-use requirements at a reasonable cost, however, there is no certainty that this will be the case.

In 2010, the Mulatos Ejido initiated a legal action with the Unitary Agrarian Court to nullify the 2008 land purchase agreement with the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary. In June 2013, the

 

27


Agrarian Unitary Court issued a judgement in favour of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, dismissing all claims made against it in this lawsuit. The Court also confirmed the validity of the 2008 land purchase agreement. An appeal of this decision was filed by the Mulatos Ejido in August 2013 with the Federal Courts, but the appeal was also dismissed by the Court, which once again found in favour of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, confirming and upholding the validity of the 2008 land purchase agreement.

The acquisition of the right to exploit mineral properties is a complex process. Although the Company has taken reasonable measures to acquire unencumbered rights to explore on and exploit its mineral reserves on the Salamandra group of concessions, there is no certainty that the claims are not subject to prior unregistered agreements or interests or to undetected or other claims or interests which could be material and adverse to the Company.

Effective January 1, 2014, Mexico enacted new tax laws which provide an additional layer of complexity and uncertainty in evaluating the financial benefit to be derived from current and future operations of the Company in Mexico.

(vii) Environmental

The operations of the Company are subject to environmental regulations which may change from time to time. In Mexico, the Company’s activities related to its Salamandra Concessions are subject to regulation by SEMARNAT, the environmental protection agency of Mexico. Regulations require that an environmental impact statement, known in Mexico as a Manifesto Impacto Ambiental, be prepared by a third-party contractor for submittal to SEMARNAT. Studies required to support the Manifesto Impacto Ambiental include a detailed analysis of the following areas: soil, water, vegetation, wildlife, cultural resources and socio-economic impacts. The Company must also provide proof of local community support for a project to gain final Manifesto Impacto Ambiental approval. Environmental legislation provides for restrictions and prohibitions on spills, releases or emissions of various substances produced in association with certain mining industry operations, such as seepage from tailings disposal areas, which would result in environmental pollution. A breach of such legislation may result in imposition of fines and penalties. In addition, certain types of operations require the submission and approval of environmental impact assessments. Environmental legislation is evolving in a manner which means stricter standards, and enforcement, fines and penalties for non-compliance are more stringent. Environmental assessments of proposed projects carry a heightened degree of responsibility for companies and directors, officers and employees. The cost of compliance with changes in governmental regulations has the potential to reduce the profitability of operations.

(viii) Legal

The Company’s mining, exploration and development activities are subject to extensive laws and regulations concerning, among other things, worker health and safety, employment standards, environmental protection, bribery and corruption, taxes, mine development, mine operation, mine closure and reclamation.

The Company requires permits and approvals from various regulatory authorities for many aspects of mine development, operation, closure and reclamation. In addition to meeting the requirements necessary to obtain such permits and approvals, they may be invalidated if the applicable regulatory authority is challenged legally that it did not lawfully issue such permits and approvals. The ability of the Company to obtain and maintain permits and approvals and to successfully develop and operate mines may be adversely affected by real or perceived impacts associated with its activities that affect the environment and human health and safety at its

 

28


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

development projects and operations and in the surrounding communities. The real or perceived impacts of the activities of other mining companies may also adversely affect our ability to obtain and maintain permits and approvals. The Company is uncertain whether all necessary permits will be maintained on acceptable terms or in a timely manner.

Future changes in applicable laws and regulations or changes in their enforcement or regulatory interpretation could negatively affect current or planned mining, exploration and developmental activities on the projects in which the Company is or may become involved. Any failure to comply with applicable laws and regulations or to obtain or maintain permits, even if inadvertent, could result in the interruption of mining, exploration and developmental operations or in material fines, penalties, clean-up costs, damages and the loss of key permits or approvals. While the Company has taken great care to ensure full compliance with its legal obligations, there can be no assurance that the Company has been or will be in full compliance with all of these laws and regulations, or with all permits and approvals that it is required to have. Environmental and regulatory review has also become a long, complex and uncertain process that can cause potentially significant delays. Substantially all of the Company’s assets are located outside of Canada, and are held indirectly through foreign affiliates. It may be difficult or impossible to enforce judgments obtained in Canadian courts predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of certain provinces against the portion of the Company’s assets located outside of Canada.

In order to maintain mining concessions in good standing under Turkish mining law introduced in 2010, concession holders must advance their projects efficiently, including by obtaining the necessary permits prior to stipulated deadlines. The Company has implemented plans to obtain all necessary permits prior to the relevant deadlines. While the Company is confident in its ability to meet all required deadlines or milestones so as to maintain its concessions in good standing, there is risk that the relevant Turkish permitting and licensing authorities will not respond in a timely manner. If these deadlines are not met, the Company believes that extensions to deadlines for obtaining the required approvals and permits could be negotiated so that the concessions would remain in good standing. However, there is no guarantee that the Company will be able to obtain the approvals and permits as planned or, if unable to meet such deadlines, that negotiations for an extension will be successful in order to maintain its concessions in good standing. If the concessions were to expire, this could have a material adverse impact on the Company and its ability to control and develop its Turkish projects.

The potential implications of further political volatility in Mexico or Turkey cannot be accurately predicted. The mineral interests of the Company and the ultimate ability to generate cash flow and profits from operations may be affected by political or economic stability. Associated risks include, but are not limited to: terrorism, corruption, military repression, extreme fluctuations in currency exchange rates and high rates of inflation. Changes in regulations or political attitudes are beyond the control of the Company and may materially adversely affect its business, financial condition and results of operations.

(ix) Estimates

The mineral reserves and resource estimates of the Company are estimates only and no assurance can be given that any particular level of recovery of minerals will in fact be realized or that an identified reserve or resource will ever qualify as a commercially mineable (or viable) deposit which can be legally and economically exploited. The Company relies on laboratory-based recovery models to project estimated ultimate recoveries by ore type at optimal crush sizes. Actual gold recoveries in a commercial heap leach operation may exceed or fall short of projected laboratory test results. In addition, the grade of mineralization ultimately mined may differ from that indicated by drilling results and such differences could be material. Production can be affected by such factors as permitting regulations and requirements, weather,

 

29


environmental factors, unforeseen technical difficulties, unusual or unexpected geological formations, inaccurate or incorrect geologic, metallurgical or engineering work, and work interruptions, among others. Short term factors, such as the need for orderly development of deposits or the processing of new or different grades or ore types, may have an adverse effect on mining operations or the results of operations. There can be no assurance that minerals recovered in small scale laboratory tests will be duplicated in large scale tests under on-site conditions or in production scale operations. Material changes in proven and probable reserves or resources, grades, waste-to-ore ratios or recovery rates may affect the economic viability of projects. The estimated proven and probable reserves and resources described herein should not be interpreted as assurances of mine life or of the profitability of future operations. Based on the expected 2015 rate of production and budgeted cash operating costs, a 1% change in the expected rate of recovery of gold would result in a $12 per ounce change in cash operating costs, and an approximate $2 million change in income and cash flow annually, before royalties and income taxes. A 1% change in cash cost per tonne of ore would result in a $7 per ounce change in cash cost, and approximately $1.1 change in income and cash flow annually, before royalties and tax charges.

(x) Dependence on Management

The Company is dependent on key personnel and the absence of any of these individuals could result in a significantly negative effect on the Company. The Company strongly depends on the business and technical expertise of its management and key personnel. There is little possibility that this dependence will decrease in the near term. As the Company’s operations expand, additional general management resources will be required, especially since the Company encounters risks that are inherent in doing business in several countries. The Company is dependent, in particular, on its Chief Executive Officer, John McCluskey and its Chief Operating Officer, Manley Guarducci. Key man life insurance is not in place on Messrs. McCluskey or Guarducci. If the services of the Company’s management and key personnel were lost, it could have a material adverse effect on future operations.

(xi) Acquisitions

The Company may from time to time explore opportunities to acquire other companies or execute other strategic initiatives developed by management. Acquisitions may involve a number of special risks, including failure to retain key personnel, unanticipated events or circumstances and legal liabilities, some or all of which could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, results of operations and financial position. The Company cannot be sure that any acquired businesses will achieve the anticipated revenues, income and synergies. Failure on the part of the Company to manage its acquisition strategy successfully could have a material adverse effect on its business, results of operations and financial position. The Company cannot be sure that it will be able to identify appropriate targets, profitably manage additional businesses or successfully integrate any acquired business into its operations. It is also possible that unanticipated factors could arise and there is no assurance that the anticipated financial or strategic objectives will be achieved, which could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and financial position.

Forward-Looking Statements

This MD&A contains “forward-looking information”, as such term is defined in applicable Canadian securities legislation and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, concerning Alamos’s future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management’s

 

30


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “expects”, “believes”, “anticipates”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “plans” and variations of such words and phrases, or by statements that certain actions, events or results “may”, “will”, “could”, “would” or “might”, “be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by management based on the business and markets in which Alamos operates, are inherently subject to significant operational, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Alamos cautions that forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Alamos’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such information, including, but not limited to, gold and silver price volatility; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and interest rates; the impact of any hedging activities; discrepancies between actual and estimated production, between actual and estimated reserves and resources or between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries; costs of production; capital expenditure requirements; the costs and timing of construction and development of new deposits; and the success of exploration and permitting activities. In addition, the factors described or referred to in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2013 which is available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com, should be reviewed in conjunction with the information found in this MD&A. Although Alamos has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there can be other factors that cause results, performance or achievements not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate or that management’s expectations or estimates of future developments, circumstances or results will materialize. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information in this MD&A is made as of the date of this interim report, and Alamos disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise such information, except as required by applicable law.

Cautionary non-GAAP Measures and Additional GAAP Measures

Note that for purposes of this section, GAAP refers to IFRS. The Company believes that investors use certain non-GAAP and additional GAAP measures as indicators to assess gold mining companies. They are intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared with GAAP. Non-GAAP and additional GAAP measures do not have a standardized meaning prescribed under IFRS and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

(i) Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital

“Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital” is a non-GAAP performance measure that could provide an indication of the Company’s ability to generate cash flows from operations, and is calculated by adding back the change in non-cash working capital to “Cash provided by (used in) operating activities” as presented on the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows.

 

31


The following table reconciles the non-GAAP measure to the consolidated statements of cash flows.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

Cash flow from operating activities – IFRS (000)

   $ 15,820       $ 15,087       $ 32,757       $ 86,627   

Changes in non-cash working capital (000)

     4,000         2,350         (18,119      (26,652
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Cash flow from operating activities before changes in non-cash working capital (000)

$ 11,820    $ 12,737    $ 50,876    $ 113,279   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(ii) Mining cost per tonne of ore

“Mining cost per tonne of ore” and “Cost per tonne of ore” are non-GAAP performance measures that could provide an indication of the mining and processing efficiency and effectiveness of the mine. These measures are calculated by dividing the relevant mining and processing costs and total costs by the tonnes of ore processed in the period. “Cost per tonne of ore” is usually affected by operating efficiencies and waste-to-ore ratios in the period. The following table reconciles the non-GAAP measure to the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

Mining and processing costs – IFRS (000)

   $ 26,575       $ 23,903       $ 85,942       $ 84,521   

Inventory adjustments and period costs (000)

     3,763         (2,725      15,399         (1,804
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cost (000)

$ 30,338    $ 21,178    $ 101,340    $ 82,717   

Tonnes Ore stacked / milled (000)

  1,686.4      1,649.4      6,294.4      6,518.3   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cost per tonne of ore

$ 17.99    $ 12.84    $ 16.10    $ 12.69   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(iii) Cash operating costs per ounce and total cash costs per ounce

“Cash operating costs per ounce” and “total cash costs per ounce” as used in this analysis are non-GAAP terms typically used by gold mining companies to assess the level of gross margin available to the Company by subtracting these costs from the unit price realized during the period. These non-GAAP terms are also used to assess the ability of a mining company to generate cash flow from operations. There may be some variation in the method of computation of “cash operating costs per ounce” as determined by the Company compared with other mining companies. In this context, “cash operating costs per ounce” reflects the cash operating costs allocated from in-process and dore inventory associated with ounces of gold sold in the period. “Cash operating costs per ounce” may vary from one period to another due to operating efficiencies, waste-to-ore ratios, grade of ore processed and gold recovery rates in the period. “Total cash costs per ounce” includes “cash operating costs per ounce” plus applicable royalties. Cash operating costs per ounce and total cash costs per ounce are exclusive of exploration costs.

 

32


MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION & ANALYSIS

(All amounts are expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise stated)

 

The following table reconciles these non-GAAP measure to the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

Mining and processing costs – IFRS (000)

   $ 26,575       $ 23,903       $ 85,942       $ 84,521   

Divided by: Gold ounces sold

     38,400         42,198         134,600         198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Cash operating costs per ounce

$ 692    $ 566    $ 639    $ 426   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Mining and processing costs – IFRS (000)

$ 26,575    $ 23,903    $ 85,942    $ 84,521   

Royalties – IFRS (000)

  2,166      2,459      8,744      13,829   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Cash costs (000)

$ 28,741    $ 26,362    $ 94,686    $ 98,350   

Divided by: Gold ounces sold

  38,400      42,198      134,600      198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Cash costs per ounce

$ 748    $ 624    $ 703    $ 496   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(iv) All-in sustaining cost per ounce

Effective 2013, in conjunction with a non-GAAP initiative being undertaken by the gold mining industry, the Company is adopting an “all-in sustaining cost per ounce” non-GAAP performance measure. The Company believes the measure more fully defines the total costs associated with producing gold; however, this performance measure has no standardized meaning. Accordingly, there may be some variation in the method of computation of “all-in sustaining cost per ounce” as determined by the Company compared with other mining companies. In this context, “all-in sustaining cost per ounce” reflects total mining and processing costs, corporate and administrative costs, exploration costs, sustaining capital, and other operating costs. Sustaining capital expenditures are expenditures that do not increase annual gold ounce production at a mine site and excludes all expenditures at the Company’s development projects as well as certain expenditures at the Company’s operating sites that are deemed expansionary in nature.

The following table reconciles these non-GAAP measures to the consolidated statements of comprehensive income.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

Mining and processing costs (000)

   $ 26,575       $ 23,903       $ 85,942       $ 84,521   

Royalties (000)

     2,166         2,459         8,744         13,829   

Corporate and administration (000) (1)

     2,240         4,060         12,977         19,964   

Share-based compensation (000)

     117         (740      1,136         3,204   

Exploration costs (000) (2)

     929         3,849         10,272         11,379   

Reclamation cost accretion (000)

     346         214         1,387         902   

Sustaining capital expenditures (000)

     5,865         5,106         17,080         19,118   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
$ 38,238    $ 38,851    $ 137,538    $ 152,917   

Divided by: Gold ounces sold

  38,400      42,198      134,600      198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

All-in sustaining cost per ounce

$ 996    $ 921    $ 1,022    $ 772   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)  Excludes corporate and administration costs incurred at the Company’s development projects.
(2)  Excludes exploration associated with the Company’s development projects.

(v) All-in cost

Effective 2013, in conjunction with a non-GAAP initiative being undertaken by the gold mining industry, the Company is adopting an “all-in cost per ounce” non-GAAP performance measure;

 

33


however, this performance measure has no standardized meaning. Accordingly, there may be some variation in the method of computation of “all-in cost per ounce” as determined by the Company compared with other mining companies. In this context, “all-in cost per ounce” reflects total all-in sustaining cash costs, plus capital, operating, and exploration costs associated with the Company’s development projects.

 

     Q4
2014
     Q4
2013
     YTD
2014
     YTD
2013
 

All-in sustaining cost (above)

   $ 38,238       $ 38,851       $ 137,538       $ 152,917   

Add: Development and expansion capital (000)

     9,278         10,782         30,252         33,025   

Add: Other development and exploration (000)

     2,067         1,030         6,389         3,758   

Add: Development project corporate and administration (000)

     695         590         2,264         1,975   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
  50,278      51,253      176,443      191,675   

Divided by: Gold ounces sold

  38,400      42,198      134,600      198,198   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

All-in cost per ounce

$ 1,309    $ 1,215    $ 1,311    $ 967   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(vi) Other additional GAAP measures

Additional GAAP measures that are presented on the face of the Company’s consolidated statements of comprehensive income and are not meant to be a substitute for other subtotals or totals presented in accordance with IFRS, but rather should be evaluated in conjunction with such IFRS measures. The following additional GAAP measures are used and are intended to provide an indication of the Company’s mine and operating performance:

 

    Mine operating costs – represents the total of mining and processing, royalties, and amortization expense

 

    Earnings from mine operations – represents the amount of revenues in excess of mining and processing, royalties, and amortization expense

 

    Earnings from operations – represents the amount of earnings before net finance income/expense, foreign exchange gain/loss, other income/loss, and income tax expense

 

34

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