CUSIP# 678046 10 3
NYSE Amex: BQI
CALGARY,
Dec. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ - Oilsands
Quest Inc. (NYSE Amex:BQI) ("Oilsands Quest," "OQI" or "the
Company") has filed its Form 10-Q Quarterly Report for the quarter
ended October 31, 2011 with the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission. The full document
is available online at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com; the
Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A) is presented
below.
Management's Discussion and Analysis
The following discussion addresses material changes in our
results of operations and capital resources and uses for the three
and six months ended October 31,
2011, compared to the three and six months ended
October 31, 2010, and our financial
condition and liquidity since April 30,
2011. We presume that readers have read or have access
to our 2011 Annual Report on Form 10-K/A, which includes disclosure
regarding critical accounting policies and estimates as part of
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operation. Unless otherwise stated, all dollar
amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars. All future payments in
Canadian dollars have been converted to U.S. dollars using an
exchange rate of $1.00 U.S. =
$0.9935 CDN, which was the
October 31, 2011 exchange rate.
Overview
Recent Events
On November 29, 2011, we requested
and obtained an Order from the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench (the "Court")
providing creditor protection under the Companies' Creditors
Arrangement Act (Canada) ("CCAA").
While under CCAA protection, we will continue with the day to day
company operations.
In November 2011, we received
approval to extend the termination date of OQI's remaining permits
at Wallace Creek and Raven Ridge by two years from the original
expiration date.
Three Months Ended October 31,
2011
- On July 18, 2011, we commenced a
Rights Offering under which the existing shareholders were given
the right to purchase shares in the Company. This Rights
Offering process was terminated on September
12, 2011 as the negotiation of a material transaction had
reached an advanced stage and would have significantly changed the
use of proceeds described in the rights offering prospectus. As
well, it was apparent by that time that the Rights Offering would
not achieve the full $60 million
subscription.
- On September 25, 2011, the
Company entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent with a third
party to sell its Wallace Creek assets for total consideration of
$60 million, which included
$40 million cash at closing and a
$20 million contingent payment
subject to certain future events. On November 28, 2011, negotiations with the third
party to conclude the sale of the Wallace Creek assets were
terminated, due to the failure of the third party to meet the
conditions of the Letter of Intent.
- As planned, we relinquished the licenses in Saskatchewan and the southernmost permits at
Raven Ridge in Alberta as we did
not view these areas as being prospective for future
development. All of our activities in Saskatchewan will now be focused on the
development of the Axe Lake leases.
- During the quarter, exploration permits in Pasquia Hills
expired. We continue to hold one permit in the Pasquia Hills area
near Hudson Bay,
Saskatchewan.
- On October 17, 2011, the Company
entered into a securities purchase agreement to sell up to
$12 million of redeemable preferred
shares. This agreement automatically terminated when the
Company filed for CCAA protection.
Six Months Ended October 31,
2011
- On May 17, 2011 we provided new
resource estimates for Wallace Creek following the 2011 winter
drilling program.
- On June 27, 2011, we received an
extension of our permits at Wallace Creek until March 31, 2013.
- We provided an operational update at the TD Unconventional Oil
Conference in Calgary on
July 6, 2011.
- On July 15, 2011 we received
approval from the Government of Saskatchewan to convert portions of the Axe
Lake permits to 15-year leases. The two key leases, OSA00001 and
OSA00002 will be governed under the terms of the Petroleum and
Natural Gas Regulations, 1969 and will expire on March 31, 2027.
CCAA Proceedings, Going Concern Risk, and NYSE Trading
Suspension
CCAA Process and Proceedings
On November 29, 2011, Oilsands
Quest Inc. and certain subsidiaries, requested and obtained an
order from the Alberta Court of
Queen's Bench (the "Court") providing creditor protection under the
Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (Canada) ("CCAA"). While under CCAA protection,
the Company will continue with its day to day operations. CCAA
protection stays creditors and others from enforcing rights against
the Company and affords Oilsands Quest the opportunity to
restructure its financial affairs. The initial order is in effect
until December 21, 2011, and may be
further extended as required and approved by the Court.
Under the terms of the initial order, Ernst & Young Inc. was
named as the court-appointed monitor ("Monitor") under CCAA. The
Monitor will monitor the Company's property, business and financial
affairs and report to the Court from time to time on the Company's
financial and operational position and any other matters that may
be relevant to the CCAA proceeding. In addition, the Monitor may
advise the Company on the development of a comprehensive
restructuring plan and, to the extent required, assist the Company
with a restructuring.
While under CCAA protection, the Board of Directors maintains
its usual role and management of the Company remains responsible
for the day to day operations. The Board of Directors and
management, with advice from the Monitor, will be responsible for
determining whether a given plan for restructuring the Company's
affairs is feasible. Stakeholders whose rights would be
compromised by the plan will have an opportunity to vote on the
plan. Before a plan is implemented it must be approved by the
requisite number and value of affected stakeholders contemplated by
law and approved by the Court.
CCAA protection enables the Company to continue with its day to
day operations until the CCAA status changes. The implications of
this process for Oilsands Quest shareholders will not be known
until the end of the restructuring process. If the affected
stakeholders do not approve a plan in the manner contemplated by
law, Oilsands Quest will likely be placed into receivership or
bankruptcy. If by December 21, 2011,
Oilsands Quest has not obtained an extension of the initial order
or filed a plan, creditors and others will no longer be stayed from
enforcing their rights.
In connection with the CCAA, the Company has granted a charge
against its assets and any proceeds from any sales thereof, as
follows and in the following priority:
- First, an administration charge, in an amount not to exceed
CAD$1 million, in favour of the
Monitor and its counsel and counsel to the Company , to secure
payment of professional fees and disbursements before and after the
commencement of the CCAA proceedings; and
- Second, a directors' and officers' charge, in an amount not to
exceed CAD$1 million, in favour of
the directors and officer of the Company as security for the
Company's obligation to indemnify them against obligations and
liabilities that they may incur as directors and officers after the
commencement of the CCAA proceedings.
While the Company's assets on its balance sheet are in excess of
its liabilities, the majority of the asset value is in long term,
heavy oil production reserves that will require substantial further
investment to bring on to production.
Background to CCAA Proceedings
On August 17, 2010 the Company
announced that it had initiated a process to explore strategic
alternatives for enhancing shareholder value. The strategic
alternative process was overseen by a special committee of OQI's
Board of Directors ("Special Committee") with advice from TD
Securities Inc. which was engaged as a financial advisor to assist
with this process. The Special Committee considered all
alternatives to increase shareholder value, including strategic
financing opportunities, asset divestitures, joint ventures and/or
a corporate sale, merger or other business combination. The
Company had many initial expressions of interest and exploratory
conversations and signed confidentiality agreements with a number
of entities who carried out detailed due diligence.
The formal strategic alternative process did not result in any
proposals to the Company, and the process was concluded in June,
2011 upon the recommendation of the Special Committee.
The Company then proceeded to attempt to raise the funds
required to advance the development of the Company's assets and on
July 18, 2011, the Company commenced
a Rights Offering under which the existing shareholders were given
the right to purchase shares in the Company. This Rights
Offering process was terminated, on the basis of the factors
described below, on September 12,
2011, and the Company has, to date, been unable to raise the
funds required to advance the development of the Company's
assets. The decision to cancel the Rights Offering was based
on two factors: first, the negotiation of a material transaction
had reached an advanced stage - a transaction that would, if
consummated, significantly change the use of proceeds described in
the Rights Offering prospectus; and second, it had become apparent
that the Company would not achieve a full $60 million subscription through the Rights
Offering, perhaps at least partially due to weak market
conditions.
On September 25, 2011, the Company
entered into a non-binding Letter of Intent with a third party to
sell its Wallace Creek assets for total consideration of
$60 million, which included
$40 million cash at closing and a
$20 million contingent payment
subject to certain future events. The sale of the Wallace
Creek property would have provided the Company with the financial
resources to focus on moving its largest and most advanced asset,
Axe Lake, toward commercial development.
Completion of the transaction was subject to a number of terms
and conditions, including negotiation of a definitive agreement,
board approvals, due diligence, financing and approval by the
Company's shareholders. On November 28,
2011, negotiations for the sale of the Wallace Creek assets
were terminated as the potential purchaser could not complete the
conditions outlined above within the time frames agreed to in the
Letter of Intent.
Following the termination of the negotiations for the sale of
the Wallace Creek, the Company initiated the CCAA process in order
to preserve its liquidity and fund operations during the
restructuring process. CCAA will allow the Company to reassess its
business strategy with a view to developing a comprehensive
financial and business restructuring plan.
Going Concern Risk
To date the Company has not received any revenue from any of its
natural resource properties, none of its estimated bitumen
resources have been classified as proved reserves, and the
Company's exploration and development work is capital intensive.
The Company expects that significant additional exploration and
development activities will be necessary to establish proved
bitumen reserves, and to develop the infrastructure necessary to
facilitate production, from the reserves. As at October 31, 2011, the Company had negative
working capital of $5.6 million
(excluding restricted cash), including cash and cash equivalents of
$4.5 million, and a deficit
accumulated during the development phase of $721.7 million.
During the six months ended October 31,
2011, the Company expended $8.4
million on operating activities and $2.8 million on property and equipment.
Management anticipates that the Company will be able to fund its
activities at a reduced level through January 2012 with its cash and cash equivalents
as at October 31, 2011. Accordingly,
there is substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue
as a going concern and without additional working capital, OQI may
not be able to maintain operations beyond January 2012.
The CCAA provides the Company with a period of time to stabilize
its operations and financial condition and develop a plan. However,
it is not possible to predict the outcome of these proceedings and,
as such, the realization of assets and discharge of liabilities are
each subject to significant uncertainty. Further, it is not
possible to predict whether the actions taken in any plan will
result in sufficient improvements to the Company's financial
condition to allow it to continue as a going concern. If the going
concern basis is not appropriate, adjustments will be necessary to
the carrying amounts and/or classification of the Company's assets
and liabilities. Further, a comprehensive restructuring plan could
materially change the carrying amounts and classifications reported
in the consolidated financial statements.
NYSE Trading Suspension
On November 29, 2011, the NYSE
Amex ("NYSE") halted trading in the common shares of the Company
(symbol: BQI). The NYSE may proceed to delist the Company for
failure to meet the continued listing requirements of the NYSE as a
result of the Company proceeding under the CCAA. The Company's
common shares will remain suspended from trading until a delisting
occurs, or until the NYSE permits the resumption of trading. The
decision to either resume trading or to delist, and the timing of
such a determination, is at the discretion of the NYSE.
The Company does not currently have sufficient capital resources
to carry out the exploration and development plans described
above. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources" section
below.
Operations Summary
Axe Lake Area - Reservoir Development Activities
We received approval from the Government of Saskatchewan to convert portions of the Axe
Lake permits to 15-year leases. These leases, the first oil sands
leases in Saskatchewan, are one of
the key elements the Company needs in place to proceed to
development of a commercial oil sands production facility.
The two leases, OSA00001 and OSA00002, will give us the
certainty of land tenure we need to underpin commercial development
at Axe Lake and are governed under the terms of the Petroleum and
Natural Gas Regulations, 1969 ("1969 Regulations"). The
leases expire on March 31, 2027 and
may be continued beyond this date if they meet certain requirements
of the 1969 Regulations.
We continued the procurement of services and materials for the
planned steam-assisted gravity drainage ("SAGD") pilot. The
proposed pilot would consist of one pair of 100-meter-long
horizontal wells, with the upper well placed five meters below the
glacial till cap, or overburden, and is designed to make use of the
existing surface facilities. The SAGD pilot will demonstrate the
steam containment properties of the glacial till cap and provide
information essential for the front-end engineering design for the
commercial development. Further activity on the pilot project will
be dependent on securing additional financing.
Development of a commercial project remains subject to
financing, regulatory and other contingencies such as successful
reservoir tests, board of directors' approvals, and other risks
inherent in the oil sands industry (See "Risk Factors" section of
our Form 10-K/A for the year ended April 30,
2011 and see Item 1A "Risk Factors" in our Form 10-Q for the
three months ended October 31,
2011).
Exploration
After analysis of available drilling and seismic data, we
concluded that the lands in the south part of Raven Ridge on Permit
# 7006080098 are not prospective and relinquished this permit in
August 2011. Relinquishing this land
has no impact on the Company's current resource estimates or
development plans.
On June 27, 2011, the Company
received approval from Alberta Energy to extend the Wallace Creek
permits for an additional 67 days to March
31, 2013. This extension will allow for two full seasons of
winter exploration programs.
During the quarter ended October 31,
2011, Saskatchewan Oil Shale Permit Nos. PS00222, PS00223,
PS00224, PS00225, PS00226, PS00237 and PS00238 expired and, as of
October 31, 2011, we hold one
remaining exploration permit in Pasquia Hills, SHP800001, totaling 83,769 acres around
Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan.
In September 2011, the Government
of Alberta announced changes to
the "Oil Sands Tenure Resolution, 2010" that would allow permit
holders to apply to extend permits with an expiry date between
December 1, 2010 and December 1, 2013 by two years.
In addition, the Government of Alberta has temporarily relaxed the drilling
requirements for continuing permits to leases from 12 wells per
section to 1 well per 3 sections.
In November 2011, the Company
applied for, and received, approval to extend all of its remaining
exploration permits in Wallace Creek and Raven Ridge by two years
from their original expiration date.
Environmental and Regulatory
The Company is in discussion with the Saskatchewan Ministry of
Energy and Resources ("SMER") to assess a re-abandonment issue
relating to the abandonment of early exploration core holes.
We have drilled 359 exploration core holes in Saskatchewan and during a review of our
development plans and well records, we determined that 229 of the
early-year wells were not abandoned to a standard that meets our
thermal development requirements or were not abandoned in
accordance with the regulatory requirements.
We have applied for waivers on 83 core holes, the majority of
which are located outside the current potential commercial
development area and the regulator has indicated that they are
willing to consider such waivers on a case by case basis. Our
waiver applications are based on the fact that these core holes
fall outside the current commercial development area and are
therefore located in areas that are not expected to be economically
recoverable. We have included approximately 146 core holes in
our management's best estimate of the re-abandonment costs as
described in our financial statements. The Company is currently
working with SMER to assess the waiver applications. As SMER
has indicated, it is possible that if the Company does not meet its
obligations to re-abandon these core holes, it could result in the
cancellation of the Axe Lake permits under the governing
regulations.
During the year ended April 30,
2011, we completed an 18 hole re-abandonment program.
We successfully re-abandoned 14 core holes and were only partially
successful in our attempt to re-abandon the other four core holes.
Those four core holes may still contain conduits which will require
the Company to undertake further monitoring should a SAGD project
be implemented within the vicinity of these core holes. The
re-abandonment of these four core holes occurred early in the
program, and we anticipate high success rates on the
re-abandonments still to come.
The remaining 128 core holes are comprised of a combination of
locations that are in or adjacent to the commercial development
area plus a portion of the core holes for which we are seeking
waivers. Our best estimate of the undiscounted/gross costs to
complete this program over the next four years is $25.8 million.
Corporate
On January 17, 2011, the Company
entered into an equity distribution agreement ("Agreement") with
Knight Capital Americas, L.P. ("KCA"), a subsidiary of Knight
Capital Group, Inc. Under the terms of the Agreement, the Company
may offer and sell shares of common stock by way of "at-the-market"
(ATM) distributions on NYSE, up to a maximum of US$20 million until January 18, 2012, through KCA as sales agent. The
shares are distributed at market prices prevailing at the time of
each sale and the timing, price and number of shares sold are at
our discretion. The number of shares sold on any given day is
expected to be relatively small compared to the total volume of
shares traded. As of October 31,
2011, 5,537,137 shares have been distributed under this
arrangement for gross proceeds of $3.1
million. Funds raised from the ATM program have been
used to finance general corporate purposes. Future sales under this
ATM are dependent upon our ability to retain our listing on the
NYSE.
On October 17, 2011 the Company
entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement ("SPA") with Socius CG
II, Ltd., a subsidiary of Socius Capital Group ("Socius").
The Company has the right, over a term of two years, to require
Socius, subject to the terms and conditions of the SPA, to purchase
up to $12 million of Series C
redeemable preferred shares (the "Preferred Shares"). The
Preferred Shares bear interest at an annual rate of 10%. The
Company may, at its sole discretion, submit a tranche notice to
Socius to purchase a certain dollar amount of the Company's
Preferred Shares at $10,000 per
share.
The Company has not sold any Preferred Shares under the terms of
the SPA and the SPA automatically terminated when the Company filed
for CCAA protection.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following discussion of liquidity and capital resources
should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial
statements included in Part I, Item 1. "Financial Statements"
included in the 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2011 filed with the SEC on
December 9, 2011. The consolidated
financial statements have been prepared assuming that we will
continue as a going concern.
At October 31, 2011, the Company
held cash and cash equivalents totaling $4.5
million (April 30, 2011 -
$16.0 million).
In July 2011, the Company
commenced a $60 million rights
offering under which the existing shareholders were given the right
to purchase additional shares in the Company based on their
pro-rata share ownership. However, as described below, due to
a potential sale of the Wallace Creek assets that would have
impacted the Company's financial position and funding requirements,
the $60 million rights offering was
cancelled on September 12,
2011. Thereafter, the Company entered into a
non-binding letter of intent (the "Letter of Intent") for the sale
of the Wallace Creek assets with a third party on September 25, 2011. On November 28, 2011, the third party notified the
Company that they could not meet the terms of that Letter of Intent
and negotiations were terminated. This transaction would have
provided the Company with the capital required to complete the Axe
Lake pilot and prove its commercial recoverability. After
considering all available alternatives, on November 28, 2011 the Board of Directors of the
Company authorized the Company to file for creditor protection
under the CCAA. On November 29,
2011 the Company was granted an order from the Court
providing creditor protection under CCAA.
There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to
maintain its protection under the CCAA, implement a plan in the
manner contemplated by law, implement a transaction or
recapitalization or emerge as a solvent company. It is impossible
to predict with certainty the length of time that the Company may
spend in creditor protection under CCAA or whether a plan will be
approved. The continuation of CCAA could materially adversely
affect operations and relationships with creditors, customers,
vendors, service providers, employees, and regulators.
There is no assurance that Oilsands Quest can obtain
Debtor-in-Possession ("DIP") financing, if required, to satisfy its
obligations in the ordinary course. Based on the Company's
cash flow projections the Company has determined that additional
priority borrowings are not necessary from the date of its court
filing to December 31, 2011.
Therefore, the Company has not made arrangements for DIP financing
at this time. Although Oilsands Quest reserves its rights to apply
to the Court for such a DIP financing facility there is no
assurance that such facility could be attained, should such
financing be required to satisfy the Company's ongoing
obligations.
There can be no assurance that the initial period granted by the
Court, and any subsequent extensions thereof, will be sufficient to
present and finalize a plan. Should Oilsands Quest lose the
protection of the stay under the CCAA, creditors may immediately
enforce rights and remedies against Oilsands Quest and its
properties, which may lead to the liquidation of the Company's
assets.
There can be no assurance that the Company can raise sufficient
funds to carry out its exploration and development plans, meet its
future obligations and alleviate doubt about our ability to
continue as a going concern. The Company cannot be certain
that additional funds, even if available, will be on acceptable
terms. To the extent additional funds are raised by issuing equity
securities, or the Company undergoes a restructuring under the
CCAA, significant dilution may be experienced by our
shareholders.
Results of Operations
Net loss
Three months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three months ended October 31, 2010. The Company experienced a
net loss of $4.5 million or
$0.01 per share for the three months
ended October 31, 2011 as compared to
a net loss of $9.1 million or
$0.03 per share for the three months
ended October 31, 2010. The
decline in the net loss in the current period as compared to the
prior period is primarily due to the decrease in corporate costs,
mainly employee related costs and overall general and
administration costs, as part of the Company's cost reduction
initiatives over the past year. Employees' salaries decreased by
approximately $0.9 million as
compared to the same period last year due to workforce reductions
initiated in September 2010 following
the announcement of the review of strategic alternatives. The
decline in the net loss is also caused by a reduction in
exploration activity which was partially offset by an increase in
depreciation and accretion.
Six months ended October 31, 2011
as compared to six months ended October 31,
2010. The Company experienced a net loss of $10.3 million or $0.03 per share for the six months ended
October 31, 2011 as compared to a net
loss of $25.1 million or $0.08 per share for the six months ended
October 31, 2010. The decrease in the
net loss as compared to the same period last year is due to a
reduction in exploration activity, a reduction in cost revisions
related to asset retirement obligations and a reduction in
impairment loss recognized on property and equipment. During the
same period last year, the Company incurred $8.1 million of cost revisions related to asset
retirement obligations to re-abandon a certain number of wells in
the Axe Lake area and reclaim the airstrip, camp site, access roads
and reservoir test site at the Company's properties. In addition,
the Company recognized an impairment loss of $2.5 million on the Saskatchewan Oil Sands
Licenses during the same period last year. These licenses were
relinquished in August 2011 as they
had no future prospect of development.
The Company expects to continue to incur operating losses and
will continue to be dependent on additional sales of equity or debt
securities and/or property sales or joint ventures to fund its
activities in the future.
Exploration costs
Three months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three months ended October 31, 2010. Exploration costs for the
three months ended October 31, 2011
were $0.1 million (2010 -
$1.7 million).
Exploration expenditures in the three months ended October 31, 2011 decreased due to a reduction in
overall drilling and exploration activity compared to the same
period last year. The necessary capital resources are required in
order to pursue our reservoir development and exploration
activities in accordance to plan and to re-abandon the early
exploration core holes to maintain the Axe Lake leases.
Six months ended October 31, 2011
as compared to six months ended October 31,
2010. Exploration costs for the six months ended
October 31, 2011 were $0.7 million (2010 - $13.4
million). Exploration expenditures in the six months
ended October 31, 2011 include
$0.5 million of cost revisions
related to asset retirement obligations compared to $8.1 million incurred last year in relation to
the re-abandonment of a certain number of core holes at Axe Lake
and the reclamation of the airstrip, camp site, access roads and
reservoir test site at the Company's properties. In addition,
exploration expenditures decreased due to a reduction in overall
drilling and exploration activity compared to the same period last
year.
General and administrative
Corporate
Three months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three months ended October 31, 2010. General and
administrative expenses settled with cash for the three months
ended October 31, 2011 were
$3.1 million (2010 - $5.3 million). Expenditures in the three month
period ended October 31, 2011 consist
of salaries ($0.8 million), legal and
other professional fees ($1.0
million) and general office costs ($1.3 million). General and
administrative expenses in the three months ended October 31, 2010 consist of salaries
($2.4 million), legal and other
professional fees ($1.7 million) and
general office costs ($1.2
million). As a result of cost reduction efforts
initiated in September 2010 following
the announcement of a review of strategic alternatives, salaries
and other employee related costs decreased by $1.6 million compared to the same period last
year, of which approximately $0.7
million related to severance payments incurred because of
workforce terminations. Compared to last year, salary levels
decreased by $0.9 million over the 3
month period ended October 31, 2011.
The reduction in legal and professional fees for the three month
period ended October 31, 2011
compared to the same period last year is explained by a reduction
in professional fees associated with the formal process of the
strategic alternative review completed in June 2011. During the current period, the
downsizing activities in general office costs were partially offset
by the recognition of a $0.6 million
obligation under sublease contract incurred for the Calgary corporate office.
Six months ended October 31, 2011
as compared to six months ended October 31,
2010. General and administrative expenses settled with
cash for the six months ended October 31,
2011 were $7.2 million (2010 -
$9.1 million). Expenditures in
the six month period ended October 31,
2011 consist of salaries ($2.4
million), legal and other professional fees ($2.8 million) and general office costs
($2.0 million).
General and administrative expenses in the six months ended
October 31, 2010 consist of salaries
($3.9 million), legal and other
professional fees ($2.8 million) and
general office costs ($2.4 million).
Cost reduction efforts and downsizing initiatives implemented by
the Company this past year explained primarily the reduction in
salaries and general office costs incurred during the six month
ended October 31, 2011 compared to
the same period last year.
At October 31, 2011, there were 12
employees and no seasonal field employees, and at October 31, 2010, there were 32 employees
including 5 seasonal field employees.
Stock-based compensation
Three and six months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three and six months ended October 31, 2010. Stock-based compensation
expense for the three months ended October
31, 2011 was $0.1 million
(2010 - recovery of $0.001 million)
and $0.1 million (2010 - $1.0 million) for the six months ended
October 31, 2011 and consists
of stock based compensation related to the issuance of
options to directors, officers and employees. The decrease
during the six month period compared to the same period in the
prior year results from fewer options remaining to vest including
options that forfeited due to the reduction in employee
headcount. A total of 1.6 million options were forfeited and
3.4 million options expired during the six months ended
October 31, 2011.
Foreign exchange (gain) loss
Three and six months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three and six months ended October 31, 2010. A foreign exchange gain of
$0.2 million (2010 - $0.1 million) during the three months ended
October 31, 2011 and $0.3 million (2010 - loss of $0.2 million) during the six months ended
October 31, 2011 resulted from
holding more U.S. funds in OQI during the current period compared
to the same period last year when the value of the U.S. dollar
appreciated against to the Canadian dollar.
Depreciation and accretion
Three and six months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three and six months ended October 31, 2010. Depreciation and
accretion expense for the three months ended October 31, 2011 was $1.3
million (2010 - $1.1 million)
and $2.6 million (2010 - $2.2 million) for the six months ended
October 31, 2011. Depreciation
expense relates to camp facilities, equipment and corporate assets
which are being depreciated over their useful lives of 3 to 5
years. Accretion expense relates to the asset retirement
obligation recognized on the re-abandonment of a certain number of
wells in the Axe Lake area and on the airstrip, camp site, access
roads and reservoir test sites which are being brought into income
over a period of 1 to 30 years. The increase during the three
and six month period ended October 31,
2011 compared to the same periods last year is due to the
additional accretion on asset retirement obligation resulting from
the re-abandonment of a certain number of wells in the Axe Lake
area that was identified in the year ended April 30, 2010.
Impairment
Three and six months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three and six months ended October 31, 2010. The impairment for the
three months ended October 31, 2011
was $0.04 million (2010 -
$0.2 million) and $0.04 million (2010 - $2.2
million) for the six months ended October 31, 2011. The impairment
recognized during the three and six months ended October 31, 2011 was due to the costs incurred
that were related to properties that are fully impaired. The
impairment for the six months ended on October 31, 2010 was recognized on the
Saskatchewan Oil Sands Licenses due to their high likelihood of
relinquishment. These licenses were relinquished in August 2011 as they had no future prospect of
development.
Interest and other income
Three and six months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three and six months ended October 31, 2010. Interest income for the
three months ended October 31, 2011
was $0.01 million (2010 -
$0.03 million) and $0.03 million (2010 - $0.04 million) for the six months ended
October 31, 2011. Interest
income is earned because the Company pre-funds its activities and
the resulting cash on hand is invested in short-term deposits.
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)
Three months ended October 31,
2011 as compared to three months ended October 31, 2010. The deferred income tax
benefit for the three months ended October
31, 2011 was $nil million (2010 - expense of $0.8 million) and $nil (2010 - $3.0 million) for the six months ended
October 31, 2011. During the
three and six months ended October 31,
2011, no deferred income tax benefit was recognized since a
full valuation allowance was taken on the taxable temporary
differences associated with property and equipment capitalized on
the balance sheet. At April 30, 2011,
the deferred tax benefit associated with the impairment on
undeveloped properties was recorded to the extent of the deferred
tax liability amount on the balance sheet derived from the excess
appreciated asset value over the tax basis of the Company's net
assets. Therefore, in addition to recording a full valuation
allowance on all non-capital losses incurred in accordance with the
Company's accounting policy, a valuation allowance is now taken on
taxable temporary differences associated with property and
equipment capitalized on the balance sheet. The deferred income tax
expense recognized in the three months ended October 31, 2010 resulted from asset retirement
liabilities that were settled during the period and triggered the
reversal of tax benefits previously recognized on asset retirement
obligations.
Previously, the Company recognized a full valuation allowance on
all non-capital losses and generated deferred tax benefits by
expensing all exploration costs for accounting purposes while
capitalizing these costs for income tax purposes. This
resulted in a higher tax basis for the Company's property and
equipment when compared to their carrying value.
Recently Issued Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted
There have been no recent accounting pronouncements or changes
in accounting pronouncements during the three months ended
October 31, 2011, as compared to the
recent accounting pronouncements described in the Company's Annual
Report on Form 10-K/A, that are of significance, or potential
significance to the Company.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company has no off-balance sheet arrangements that have or
are reasonably likely to have a current or further effect on its
financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or
expenses, results of operations liquidity, capital expenditures or
capital resources that are material to investors.
Notice of Non-Compliance
On September 12, 2011 Oilsands
Quest received notice from the staff of the NYSE that, based on
their review of the Company's Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended
April 30, 2011 and discussions and
correspondence with management, the Company is not in compliance
with certain of the NYSE's continued listing standards as set forth
in Part 10 of the NYSE's Company Guide. Specifically, the NYSE
noted that the Company is not in compliance with Section
1003(a)(iv) of the Company Guide because the Company has sustained
losses which are so substantial in relation to the Company's
overall operations or its existing financial resources, or its
financial condition has become so impaired that it appears
questionable, in the opinion of the NYSE, as to whether the Company
will be able to continue operations and/or meet its obligations as
they mature.
On October 12, 2011, the Company
submitted a plan explaining how the Company intends to return to
full compliance with the NYSE's listing requirements. The
Company believed that with the Socius financing and the Wallace
Creek asset sale pursuant to the Letter of Intent, Oilsands Quest
would have secured the necessary capital to move ahead with
operations and use the resulting reservoir production data to seek
a joint venture partner, strategic investor, or purchaser of the
asset or the Company.
Following the termination of negotiations on the Wallace Creek
sale, the NYSE halted trading in the common shares of the Company.
On December 2, 2011, the NYSE
requested that Company submit a revised plan by December 12, 2011. The NYSE may proceed to
delist the company for failure to meet the continued listing
requirements of the NYSE. The Company's common shares will
remain suspended from trading until a delisting occurs, or until
the NYSE permits the resumption of trading.
Cautionary statement about forward-looking statements
The following includes certain statements that may be deemed to
be "forward-looking statements." All statements, other than
statements of historical facts, included in this news release that
address activities, events or developments that our management
expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future
are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking
statements include discussion of such matters as:
- our ability to maintain protection under the Companies'
Creditors Arrangement Act (Canada)
("CCAA");
- risks and uncertainties associated with limitations on actions
against the Company and certain subsidiaries during creditor
protection proceedings;
- risks and uncertainties associated with potential delisting of
the Company's common shares from the NYSE;
- our ability to maintain sufficient cash to accomplish our
business objectives, including our ability to continue as a going
concern;
- the amount and nature of future capital, exploration and
development expenditures;
- the extent and timing of exploration and development
activities;
- business strategies and development of our business plan and
exploration programs;
- potential relinquishment of certain of our oil sands permits
and licenses;
- anticipated cost of our asset retirement obligations, including
the extent and timing of our core hole re-abandonment program;
and
- our ability to secure additional funds through the sale of
assets or the issuance of debt or equity.
Forward-looking statements are statements other than relating to
historical fact and are frequently characterized by words such as
"plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate",
"estimate", "potential", "prospective" and other similar words or
statements that certain events or conditions "may" "will" or
"could" occur. Forward-looking statements such as references to
Oilsands Quest's drilling program, geophysical programs, reservoir
field testing and analysis program, preliminary engineering and
economic assessment program for a first commercial project, and the
timing of such programs are based on the opinions and estimates of
management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to
a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could
cause actual events or results to differ materially from those
anticipated in the forward-looking statements, which include but
are not limited to the ability to raise additional capital, risks
associated with the Company's ability to implement its business
plan, its ability to successfully submit a timely plan to its
creditors and the court under the CCAA proceeding and to resolve
its liquidity difficulties, the possibility of delisting of its
securities from the NYSE Amex, risks inherent in the oil sands
industry, regulatory and economic risks, land tenure risks, lack of
infrastructure in the region in which the company's resources are
located and those factors listed under the caption "Risk Factors"
in the Company's 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") on December 9,
2011.
The Company is under no duty to update any of these
forward-looking statements after the date of this report. You
should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements.
About Oilsands Quest
Oilsands Quest Inc. (www.oilsandsquest.com) is exploring and
developing oil sands permits and leases, located in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and developing Saskatchewan's first commercial oil sands
discovery.
SOURCE Oilsands Quest Inc.