Oil and gas investments that make sense

PanAm Limited Partnership investments are available to Accredited Investors only.

Definition of Accredited Investor in Canada

Subsection 1.1 of National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus and Registration Exemptions defines an “accredited investor” as follows:

“Accredited Investor” means:

  • a Canadian financial institution, or a Schedule III bank,
  • the Business Development Bank of Canada incorporated under the Business Development Bank of Canada Act (Canada),
  • a subsidiary of any person referred to in paragraphs (a) or (b), if the person owns all of the voting securities of the subsidiary, except the voting securities required by law to be owned by directors of that subsidiary,
  • a person registered under the securities legislation of a jurisdiction of Canada as an adviser or dealer, other than a person registered solely as a limited market dealer under one or both of the Securities Act (Ontario) or the Securities Act (Newfoundland and Labrador),
  • an individual registered or formerly registered under the securities legislation of a jurisdiction of Canada as a representative of a person referred to in paragraph (d),
  • the Government of Canada or a jurisdiction of Canada, or any crown corporation, agency or wholly owned entity of the Government of Canada or a jurisdiction of Canada,
  • a municipality, public board or commission in Canada and a metropolitan community, school board, the Comité de gestion de la taxe scolaire de l’île de Montréal or an intermunicipal management board in Québec,
  • any national, federal, state, provincial, territorial or municipal government of or in any foreign jurisdiction, or any agency of that government,
  • a pension fund that is regulated by the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canada), a pension commission or similar regulatory authority jurisdiction of Canada,
  • an individual who, either alone or with a spouse, beneficially owns financial assets having an aggregate realizable value that before taxes, but net of any related liabilities, exceeds $1,000,000,
  • an individual whose net income before taxes exceeded $200,000 in each of the 2 most recent calendar years or whose net income before taxes combined with that of a spouse exceeded $300,000 in each of the 2 most recent calendar years and who, in either case, reasonably expects to exceed that net income level in the current calendar year,
  • an individual who, either alone or with a spouse, has net assets of at least $5,000,000,
  • a person, other than an individual or investment fund, that has net assets of at least $5,000,000 as shown on its most recently prepared financial statements,
  • an investment fund that distributes or has distributed its securities only to
    (i)  a person that is or was an accredited investor at the time of the distribution,
    (ii) a person that acquires or acquired securities in the circumstances referred to in sections 2.10 [Minimum amount investment], or 2.19 [Additional investment in investment funds], or
    (iii) a person described in paragraph (i) or (ii) that acquires or acquired securities under section 2.18 [Investment fund reinvestment],

  • an investment fund that distributes or has distributed securities under a prospectus in a jurisdiction of Canada for which the regulator or, in Québec, the securities regulatory authority, has issued a receipt,
  • (p)   a trust company or trust corporation registered or authorized to carry on business under the Trust and Loan Companies Act (Canada) or under comparable legislation in a jurisdiction of Canada or a foreign jurisdiction, acting on behalf of a fully managed account managed by the trust company or trust corporation, as the case may be,
  • a person acting on behalf of a fully managed account managed by that person, if that person
    (i) is registered or authorized to carry on business as an adviser or the equivalent under the securities legislation of a jurisdiction of Canada or a foreign jurisdiction, and
    (ii) in Ontario, is purchasing a security that is not a security of an investment fund,

  • a registered charity under the Income Tax Act (Canada) that, in regard to the trade, has obtained advice from an eligibility adviser or an adviser registered under the securities legislation of the jurisdiction of the registered charity to give advice on the securities being traded,
  • an entity organized in a foreign jurisdiction that is analogous to any of the entities referred to in paragraphs (a) to (d) or paragraph (i) in form and function,
  • a person in respect of which all of the owners of interests, direct, indirect or beneficial, except the voting securities required by law to be owned by directors, are persons that are accredited investors,
  • an investment fund that is advised by a person registered as an adviser or a person that is exempt from registration as an adviser, or
  • (v)   a person that is recognized or designated by the securities regulatory authority or, except in Ontario and Québec, the regulator as an accredited investor;

Subsection 3.5 of the Companion Policy to National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus and Registration Exemptions provides clarification as to how individuals determine whether they meet the income or net asset requirements of an “accredited investor”.

3.5 Accredited investor

(1) Individual qualification – financial tests

An individual is an “accredited investor” for the purposes of NI 45-106 if he or she satisfies, either alone or with a spouse, any of the financial asset test in paragraph (j), the net income test in paragraph (k) or the net asset test in paragraph (l) of the “accredited investor” definition in section 1.1 of NI 45-106.

These branches of the definition are designed to treat spouses as a single investing unit, so that either spouse qualifies as an “accredited investor” if the combined financial assets, net income, or net assets of both spouses exceed the $1,000,000, $300,000, or $5,000,000 thresholds, respectively.

For the purposes of the financial asset test in paragraph (j), “financial assets” are defined in NI 45-106 to mean cash, securities, or a contract of insurance, a deposit or an evidence of a deposit that is not a security for the purposes of securities legislation. These financial assets are generally liquid or relatively easy to liquidate. The value of a purchaser’s personal residence would not be included in a calculation of financial assets. By comparison, the net asset test under paragraph (l) involves a consideration of all of the purchaser’s total assets minus the purchaser’s total liabilities. Accordingly, for the purposes of the net asset test, the calculation of total assets would include the value of a purchaser’s personal residence and the calculation of total liabilities would include the amount of any liability (such as a mortgage) in respect of the purchaser’s personal residence.

If the combined net income of both spouses does not exceed $300 000, but the net income of one of the spouses exceeds $200 000, only the spouse whose net income exceeds $200 000 qualifies as an accredited investor.

(2) Bright-line standards – individuals

The monetary thresholds in the “accredited investor” definition are intended to create “brightline” standards. Investors who do not satisfy these monetary thresholds do not qualify as accredited investors under the applicable paragraph.

(3) Beneficial ownership of financial assets

Paragraph (j) of the “accredited investor” definition refers to an individual who, either alone or with a spouse, beneficially owns financial assets having an aggregate realizable value that, before taxes but net of any related liabilities, exceeds $1 000 000. As a general matter, it should not be difficult to determine whether financial assets are beneficially owned by an individual, an individual’s spouse, or both, in any particular instance. However, financial assets held in a trust or in other types of investment vehicles for the benefit of an individual may raise questions as to whether the individual beneficially owns the financial assets in the circumstances. The following factors are indicative of beneficial ownership of financial assets:

  • physical or constructive possession of evidence of ownership of the financial asset;
  • entitlement to receipt of any income generated by the financial asset;
  • risk of loss of the value of the financial asset; and
  • the ability to dispose of the financial asset or otherwise deal with it as the individual sees fit.

For example, securities held in a self-directed RRSP, for the sole benefit of an individual, are beneficially owned by that individual. In general, financial assets in a spousal RRSP would also be included for the purposes of the threshold test because paragraph (j) takes into account financial assets owned beneficially by a spouse. However, financial assets held in a group RRSP under which the individual would not have the ability to acquire the financial assets and deal with them directly would not meet these beneficial ownership requirements.

(4) Calculation of purchaser’s net assets

To calculate a purchaser’s net assets under paragraph (l) of the “accredited investor” definition, subtract the purchaser’s total liabilities from the purchaser’s total assets. The value attributed to assets should reasonably reflect their estimated fair value. Income tax should be considered a liability if the obligation to pay it is outstanding at the time of the distribution of, or trade in, the security.

(5) Financial statements

The minimum net asset threshold of $5,000,000 specified in paragraph (m) of the “accredited investor” definition must, in the case of a non-individual entity, be shown on the entity’s “most recently prepared financial statements”. The financial statements must be prepared in accordance with applicable generally accepted accounting principles.

(6) Time for assessing qualification

The financial tests prescribed in the accredited investor definition are to be applied only at the time of the distribution of, or trade in, the security. The person is not required to monitor the purchaser’s continuing qualification as an accredited investor after the distribution of, or trade in, the security is completed.

(7) Recognition or Designation as an Accredited Investor

Paragraph (v) of the “accredited investor” definition in NI 45-106 contemplates that a person may apply to be recognized or designated as an accredited investor by the securities regulatory authorities or regulators, except in Ontario and Québec, the regulators. The securities regulatory authorities or regulators have not adopted any specific criteria for granting accredited investor recognition or designation to applicants, as the securities regulatory authorities or regulators believe that the “accredited investor” definition generally covers all types of persons that do not require the protection of the prospectus requirement or the dealer registration requirement.

Accordingly, the securities regulatory authorities or regulators expect that applications for accredited investor recognition or designation will be utilized on a very limited basis. If a securities regulatory authority or regulator considers it appropriate in the circumstances, it may grant accredited investor recognition or designation to a person on terms and conditions, including a requirement that the person apply annually for renewal of accredited investor recognition or designation.