TORONTO, June 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wesdome Gold Mines Ltd. (TSX: WDO) (the “Company”) announces the results of the Company’s 2022 annual general meeting of shareholders (the “Meeting”) held by way of live webcast earlier today. A replay of the Meeting is available on the Company’s website.
A total of 102,829,083 common shares were represented at the Meeting, representing 72.17% of the total issued and outstanding common shares of the Company.
All matters presented for shareholder approval at the Meeting were approved, as follows:
| a) | Appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and authorizing the directors of fix their remuneration; | ||
| b) | Election of the directors of the Company for the ensuing year; and | ||
| c) | Approval of an advisory non-binding resolution accepting the approach to executive compensation disclosed in the Management Information Circular of the Corporation dated May 11, 2022. |
Election of Directors
The following seven individuals were elected as directors of the Company, until the next annual meeting of shareholders, as set out in the table below:
| Name of Nominee | Votes cast FOR | % of votes cast FOR | Votes cast WITHHELD | % of votes cast WITHHELD |
| Charles Main | 94,442,574 | 99.04% | 919,784 | 0.96% |
| Duncan Middlemiss | 95,274,094 | 99.91% | 88,264 | 0.09% |
| Nadine Miller | 94,328,525 | 98.92% | 1,033,833 | 1.08% |
| Warwick Morley-Jepson | 94,825,199 | 99.44% | 537,159 | 0.56% |
| Brian Skanderbeg | 95,184,523 | 99.81% | 177,835 | 0.19% |
| Edie Thome | 88,335,093 | 92.63% | 7,027,265 | 7.37% |
| Bill Washington | 93,988,116 | 98.56% | 1,374,242 | 1.44% |
Re-Appointment of Auditors
Based on proxies received and votes cast by show of hands during the Meeting, Grant Thornton LLP, Chartered Accountants, were appointed as independent auditors of the Company for the ensuing year and the directors are authorized to fix their remuneration, with the following results:
| Votes cast FOR | % of votes cast FOR | Votes cast WITHHELD | % of votes cast WITHHELD | |
| Appointment of Auditors | 100,653,394 | 97.91 | 2,151,508 | 2.09 |
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation
Based on proxies received and votes cast by ballot during the Meeting, the advisory non-binding resolution accepting the approach to executive compensation disclosed in the Management Information Circular of the Corporation dated May 11, 2022 was approved, with the following vote result:
| Votes cast FOR | % of votes cast FOR | Votes cast AGAINST | % of votes cast AGAINST | |
| Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation | 93,231,712 | 97.77 | 2,130,646 | 2.23 |
Please refer to the Company’s Report of Voting Results filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com for further details on the above matters.
2021 ESG REPORT
The Company is also pleased to announce that it has issued its third annual Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) Report, which provides an overview of the company’s ESG strategies, policies, risk management approach and commitments. The report also outlines year-over-year Company performance from 2018-2021 in material ESG areas.
Highlights from the report include:
- ESG Strategic planning session held across the Company and with the Board of Directors
- Site leadership in environment and sustainability added at both Eagle River and Kiena
- Formation of a Company-wide Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee
- Introduction of a new Health & Safety Incident Management System
- $109M in local procurement expenditures
- Further alignment with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, Metals & Mining Standard
COVID-19
The health and safety of our employees, contractors, vendors, and consultants is the Company’s top priority. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Wesdome has adopted all public health guidelines regarding safety measures and protocols at all of its mine operations and corporate office. These protocols are still in place at all sites despite the loosening of some provincial public health guidelines. In addition, our internal COVID-19 Taskforce continues to monitor developments and implement policies and programs intended to protect those who are engaged in business with the Company.
Through care and planning, to date the Company has successfully maintained operations; however, there can be no assurance that this will continue despite the Company’s best efforts, with the emergence of new, highly contagious variants such as Omicron. To date, the Company has been impacted by this most recent variant outbreak, with employees at both operations and corporate office becoming infected, which may negatively impact our ability to maintain projected timelines and objectives. Consequently, the Company’s actual future production and production guidance is subject to higher levels of risk than usual. The Company is continuing to monitor the situation closely and will provide updates as they become available.
ABOUT WESDOME
Wesdome is Canadian focused with two producing underground gold mines. The Company’s goal is to build Canada’s next intermediate gold producer, producing over 200,000 ounces from two mines in Ontario and Québec. The Eagle River Underground Mine in Wawa, Ontario is currently producing gold at a rate of 95,000 – 105,000 ounces per year. The Company is currently milling the final stockpile of ore from the Mishi Pit with 1,000 – 2,000 ounces expected. The recently re-started Kiena Complex in Val d’or, Quebec is a fully permitted underground mine and milling operation and the Kiena Mine is expected to produce 64,000 – 73,000 ounces in 2022. On a combined basis, 2022 guidance is 160,000 ounces – 180,000 ounces. Wesdome is actively exploring underground and on surface within the mine areas and more regionally at the Eagle River and Kiena Complex. The Company also retains meaningful exposure to the Moss Lake gold deposit, located 100 kilometres west of Thunder Bay, Ontario through its equity position in Goldshore Resources Inc. The Company has approximately 142.5 million shares issued and outstanding and trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol “WDO,” with a secondary listing on the OTCQX under the symbol “WDOFF.
| For further information, please contact: | ||
| Duncan Middlemiss | or | Lindsay Carpenter Dunlop |
| President and CEO | VP Investor Relations | |
| 416-360-3743 ext. 2029 | 416-360-3743 ext. 2025 | |
| duncan.middlemiss@wesdome.com | lindsay.dunlop@wesdome.com | |
| 220 Bay St, Suite 1200 | ||
| Toronto, ON, M5J 2W4 | ||
| Toll Free: 1-866-4-WDO-TSX | ||
| Phone: 416-360-3743, Fax: 416-360-7620 | ||
| Website: www.wesdome.com | ||
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