BHLL Bunker Hill Mining Corporation (QB)

RISK FACTORS

You should carefully consider the risks described below together with all other information included in our public filings before making an investment decision with regard to our securities. The statements contained in or incorporated into this Prospectus that are not historic facts are forward- looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in or implied by forward- looking statements. While the risks described below are the ones we believe are most important for you to consider, these risks are not the only ones that we face. If any of the following events described in these risk factors actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be harmed. In that case, the trading price of our Common Shares could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

General Risk Factors

Our ability to operate as a going concern is in doubt.

The audit opinion and notes that accompany our Financial Statements, disclose a going concern qualification to our ability to continue in business. The accompanying Financial Statements have been prepared under the assumption that we will continue as a going concern. We are an exploration stage company and we have incurred losses since our inception. The Company has incurred losses since inception resulting in an accumulated deficit of $61,979,184 and further losses are anticipated in the development of its business.

We currently have no historical recurring source of revenue and our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on our ability to raise capital to fund our future exploration and working capital requirements or our ability to profitably execute our business plan. Our plans for the long-term return to and continuation as a going concern include financing our future operations through sales of our Common Share and/or debt and the eventual profitable exploitation of our Mine. Additionally, the volatility in capital markets and general economic conditions in the U.S. and elsewhere can pose significant challenges to raising the required funds. These factors raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Our consolidated financial statements do not give effect to any adjustments required to realize our assets and discharge our liabilities in other than the normal course of business and at amounts different from those reflected in the accompanying Financial Statements.

We will require significant additional capital to fund our business plan.

We will be required to expend significant funds to determine whether proven and probable mineral reserves exist at our properties, to continue exploration and, if warranted, to develop our existing properties, and to identify and acquire additional properties to diversify our property portfolio. We anticipate that we will be required to make substantial capital expenditures for the continued exploration and, if warranted, development of our Mine. We have spent and will be required to continue to expend significant amounts of capital for drilling, geological, and geochemical analysis, assaying, and feasibility studies with regard to the results of our exploration at our Mine. We may not benefit from some of these investments if we are unable to identify commercially exploitable mineral reserves.

Our ability to obtain necessary funding for these purposes, in turn, depends upon a number of factors, including the status of the national and worldwide economy and the price of metals. Capital markets worldwide were adversely affected by substantial losses by financial institutions, caused by investments in asset-backed securities and remnants from those losses continue to impact the ability for us to raise capital. We may not be successful in obtaining the required financing or, if we can obtain such financing, such financing may not be on terms that are favorable to us.

Our inability to access sufficient capital for our operations could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or prospects. Sales of substantial amounts of securities may have a highly dilutive effect on our ownership or share structure. Sales of a large number of shares of our Common Shares in the public markets, or the potential for such sales, could decrease the trading price of the Common Shares and could impair our ability to raise capital through future sales of Common Shares. We have not yet commenced commercial production at any of our properties and, therefore, have not generated positive cash flows to date and have no reasonable prospects of doing so unless successful commercial production can be achieved at our Mine. We expect to continue to incur negative investing and operating cash flows until such time as we enter into successful commercial production. This will require us to deploy our working capital to fund such negative cash flow and to seek additional sources of financing. There is no assurance that any such financing sources will be available or sufficient to meet our requirements. There is no assurance that we will be able to continue to raise equity capital or to secure additional debt financing, or that we will not continue to incur losses.

We have a limited operating history on which to base an evaluation of our business and prospects.

Since our inception, we have had no revenue from operations. We have no history of producing products from the Bunker Hill property. The Mine is a historic, past producing mine with very little recent exploration work. Advancing our Mine into the development stage will require significant capital and time, and successful commercial production from the Mine will be subject to completing feasibility studies, permitting and re-commissioning of the Mine, constructing processing plants, and other related works and infrastructure. As a result, we are subject to all of the risks associated with developing and establishing new mining operations and business enterprises including:

The costs, timing, and complexities of exploration, development, and construction activities may be increased by the location of our properties and demand by other mineral exploration and mining companies. It is common in exploration programs to experience unexpected problems and delays during drill programs and, if commenced, development, construction, and mine start-up. In addition, our management and workforce will need to be expanded, and sufficient housing and other support systems for our workforce will have to be established. This could result in delays in the commencement of mineral production and increased costs of production. Accordingly, our activities may not result in profitable mining operations and we may not succeed in establishing mining operations or profitably producing metals at any of our current or future properties, including our Mine.

We have a history of losses and expect to continue to incur losses in the future.

We have incurred losses since inception, have had negative cash flow from operating activities, and expect to continue to incur losses in the future. We have incurred the following losses from operations during each of the following periods:

We expect to continue to incur losses unless and until such time as the Mine enters into commercial production and generates sufficient revenues to fund continuing operations. We recognize that if we are unable to generate significant revenues from mining operations and dispositions of our properties, we will not be able to earn profits or continue operations. At this early stage of our operation, we also expect to face the risks, uncertainties, expenses, and difficulties frequently encountered by smaller reporting companies. We cannot be sure that we will be successful in addressing these risks and uncertainties and our failure to do so could have a materially adverse effect on our financial condition.

COVID-19.

The Company’s operations could be significantly adversely affected by the effects of a widespread global outbreak of a contagious disease, including the recent outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”), which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 12, 2020. The Company cannot accurately predict the impact COVID-19 will have on its operations and the ability of others to meet their obligations with the Company, including uncertainties relating to the ultimate geographic spread of the virus, the severity of the disease, the duration of the outbreak, and the length of travel and quarantine restrictions imposed by governments of affected countries. In addition, a significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could further affect the Company’s operations and ability to finance its operations.

Risks Related to Mining and Exploration

The Mine is in the exploration stage. There is no assurance that we can establish the existence of any mineral reserve on Mine or any other properties we may acquire in commercially exploitable quantities. Unless and until we do so, we cannot earn any revenues from these properties and if we do not do so we will lose all of the funds that we expend on exploration. If we do not discover any mineral reserve in a commercially exploitable quantity, the exploration component of our business could fail.

We have not established that any of our mineral properties contain any mineral reserve according to recognized reserve guidelines, nor can there be any assurance that we will be able to do so.

A mineral reserve is defined by the SEC in its Industry Guide 7 as that part of a mineral deposit that could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination. In general, the probability of any individual prospect having a “reserve” that meets the requirements of the SEC’s Industry Guide 7 is small, and our mineral properties may not contain any “reserves” and any funds that we spend on exploration could be lost. Even if we do eventually discover a mineral reserve on one or more of our properties, there can be no assurance that they can be developed into producing mines and that we can extract those minerals. Both mineral exploration and development involve a high degree of risk, and few mineral properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines.

The commercial viability of an established mineral deposit will depend on a number of factors including, by way of example, the size, grade, and other attributes of the mineral deposit, the proximity of the mineral deposit to infrastructure such as processing facilities, roads, rail, power, and a point for shipping, government regulation, and market prices. Most of these factors will be beyond our control, and any of them could increase costs and make extraction of any identified mineral deposit unprofitable.

The nature of mineral exploration and production activities involves a high degree of risk and the possibility of uninsured losses.

Exploration for and the production of minerals is highly speculative and involves much greater risk than many other businesses. Most exploration programs do not result in the discovery of mineralization, and any mineralization discovered may not be of sufficient quantity or quality to be profitably mined. Our operations are, and any future development or mining operations we may conduct will be, subject to all of the operating hazards and risks normally incidental to exploring for and development of mineral properties, such as, but not limited to:

Any of these risks can materially and adversely affect, among other things, the development of properties, production quantities and rates, costs and expenditures, potential revenues, and production dates. If we determine that capitalized costs associated with any of our mineral interests are not likely to be recovered, we would incur a write-down of our investment in these interests. All of these factors may result in losses in relation to amounts spent that are not recoverable, or that result in additional expenses.

Commodity price volatility could have dramatic effects on the results of operations and our ability to execute our business plan.

The price of commodities varies on a daily basis. Our future revenues, if any, will likely be derived from the extraction and sale of base and precious metals. The price of those commodities has fluctuated widely, particularly in recent years, and is affected by numerous factors beyond our control including economic and political trends, expectations of inflation, currency exchange fluctuations, interest rates, global and regional consumptive patterns, speculative activities and increased production due to new extraction developments and improved extraction and production methods. The effect of these factors on the price of base and precious metals, and therefore the economic viability of our business, could negatively affect our ability to secure financing or our results of operations.

Estimates of mineralized material and resources are subject to evaluation uncertainties that could result in project failure.

Our exploration and future mining operations, if any, are and would be faced with risks associated with being able to accurately predict the quantity and quality of mineralized material and resources/reserves within the earth using statistical sampling techniques. Estimates of any mineralized material or resource/reserve on any of our properties would be made using samples obtained from appropriately placed trenches, test pits, underground workings, and intelligently designed drilling. There is an inherent variability of assays between check and duplicate samples taken adjacent to each other and between sampling points that cannot be reasonably eliminated. Additionally, there also may be unknown geologic details that have not been identified or correctly appreciated at the current level of accumulated knowledge about our properties. This could result in uncertainties that cannot be reasonably eliminated from the process of estimating mineralized material and resources/reserves. If these estimates were to prove to be unreliable, we could implement an exploitation plan that may not lead to commercially viable operations in the future.

Any material changes in mineral resource/reserve estimates and grades of mineralization will affect the economic viability of placing a property into production and a property’s return on capital.

As we have not completed feasibility studies on our Mine and have not commenced actual production, mineralization resource estimates may require adjustments or downward revisions. In addition, the grade of ore ultimately mined, if any, may differ from that indicated by future feasibility studies and drill results. Minerals recovered in small scale tests may not be duplicated in large scale tests under on-site conditions or in production scale.

Our exploration activities on our properties may not be commercially successful, which could lead us to abandon our plans to develop our properties and our investments in exploration.

Our long-term success depends on our ability to identify mineral deposits on our Mine and other properties we may acquire, if any, that we can then develop into commercially viable mining operations. Mineral exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many risks, and is frequently non-productive. These risks include unusual or unexpected geologic formations, and the inability to obtain suitable or adequate machinery, equipment, or labor. The success of commodity exploration is determined in part by the following factors:

Substantial expenditures are required to establish proven and probable reserves through drilling and analysis, to develop metallurgical processes to extract metal, and to develop the mining and processing facilities and infrastructure at any site chosen for mining. Whether a mineral deposit will be commercially viable depends on a number of factors that include, without limitation, the particular attributes of the deposit, such as size, grade, and proximity to infrastructure; commodity prices, which can fluctuate widely; and government regulations, including, without limitation, regulations relating to prices, taxes, royalties, land tenure, land use, importing and exporting of minerals, and environmental protection. We may invest significant capital and resources in exploration activities and may abandon such investments if we are unable to identify commercially exploitable mineral reserves. The decision to abandon a project may have an adverse effect on the market value of our securities and the ability to raise future financing.

We are subject to significant governmental regulations that affect our operations and costs of conducting our business and may not be able to obtain all required permits and licenses to place our properties into production.

Our current and future operations, including exploration and, if warranted, development of the Mine, do and will require permits from governmental authorities and will be governed by laws and regulations, including:

Companies engaged in exploration activities often experience increased costs and delays in production and other schedules as a result of the need to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and permits. Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations, and permits may result in enforcement actions, including the forfeiture of mineral claims or other mineral tenures, orders issued by regulatory or judicial authorities requiring operations to cease or be curtailed, and may include corrective measures requiring capital expenditures, installation of additional equipment, or costly remedial actions. We cannot predict if all permits that we may require for continued exploration, development, or construction of mining facilities and conduct of mining operations will be obtainable on reasonable terms, if at all. Costs related to applying for and obtaining permits and licenses may be prohibitive and could delay our planned exploration and development activities. We may be required to compensate those suffering loss or damage by reason of our mineral exploration or our mining activities, if any, and may have civil or criminal fines or penalties imposed for violations of, or our failure to comply with, such laws, regulations, and permits.

Existing and possible future laws, regulations, and permits governing operations and activities of exploration companies, or more stringent implementation of such laws, regulations and permits, could have a material adverse impact on our business and cause increases in capital expenditures or require abandonment or delays in exploration. Our Mine is located in Northern Idaho and has numerous clearly defined regulations with respect to permitting mines, which could potentially impact the total time to market for the project.

Our activities are subject to environmental laws and regulations that may increase our costs of doing business and restrict our operations.

Both mineral exploration and extraction require permits from various federal, state, and local governmental authorities and are governed by laws and regulations, including those with respect to prospecting, mine development, mineral production, transport, export, taxation, labor standards, occupational health, waste disposal, toxic substances, land use, environmental protection, mine safety and other matters. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain or maintain any of the permits required for the exploration of our mineral properties or for the construction and operation of a mine on our properties at economically viable costs. If we cannot accomplish these objectives, our business could fail. We believe that we are in compliance with all material laws and regulations that currently apply to our activities but there can be no assurance that we can continue to remain in compliance. Current laws and regulations could be amended, and we might not be able to comply with them, as amended. Further, there can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain or maintain all permits necessary for our future operations, or that we will be able to obtain them on reasonable terms. To the extent such approvals are required and are not obtained, we may be delayed or prohibited from proceeding with planned exploration or development of our mineral properties.

Environmental hazards unknown to us, which have been caused by previous or existing owners or operators of the properties, may exist on the properties in which we hold an interest. Many of our properties in which we have ownership rights are located within the Coeur d’Alene Mining District, which is currently the site of a Federal Superfund cleanup project. It is possible that environmental cleanup or other environmental restoration procedures could remain to be completed or mandated by law, causing unpredictable and unexpected liabilities to arise.

Regulations and pending legislation governing issues involving climate change could result in increased operating costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

A number of governments or governmental bodies have introduced or are contemplating legislative and/or regulatory changes in response to concerns about the potential impact of climate change. Legislation and increased regulation regarding climate change could impose significant costs on us, on our future venture partners, if any, and on our suppliers, including costs related to increased energy requirements, capital equipment, environmental monitoring and reporting, and other costs necessary to comply with such regulations. Any adopted future climate change regulations could also negatively impact our ability to compete with companies situated in areas not subject to such limitations. Given the emotional and political significance and uncertainty surrounding the impact of climate change and how it should be dealt with, we cannot predict how legislation and regulation will ultimately affect our financial condition, operating performance, and ability to compete. Furthermore, even without such regulation, increased awareness and any adverse publicity in the global marketplace about potential impacts on climate change by us or other companies in our industry could harm our reputation. The potential physical impacts of climate change on our operations are highly uncertain, could be particular to the geographic circumstances in areas in which we operate and may include changes in rainfall and storm patterns and intensities, water shortages, changing sea levels, and changing temperatures. These impacts may adversely impact the cost, production, and financial performance of our operations.

There are several governmental regulations that materially restrict mineral exploration. We will be subject to the federal regulations (environmental) and the laws of the State of Idaho as we carry out our exploration program. We may be required to obtain additional work permits, post bonds and perform remediation work for any physical disturbance to the land in order to comply with these laws. While our planned exploration program budgets for regulatory compliance, there is a risk that new regulations could increase our costs of doing business and prevent us from carrying out our exploration program.

Land reclamation requirements for our properties may be burdensome and expensive.

Although variable depending on location and the governing authority, land reclamation requirements are generally imposed on mineral exploration companies (as well as companies with mining operations) in order to minimize long term effects of land disturbance.

Reclamation may include requirements to:

In order to carry out reclamation obligations imposed on us in connection with our potential development activities, we must allocate financial resources that might otherwise be spent on further exploration and development programs. We plan to set up a provision for our reclamation obligations on our properties, as appropriate, but this provision may not be adequate. If we are required to carry out unanticipated reclamation work, our financial position could be adversely affected.

The silver exploration and mining industry is highly competitive.

The mining industry is intensely competitive in all of its phases. As a result of this competition, some of which is with large established mining companies with substantial capabilities and with greater financial and technical resources than ours, we may be unable to acquire additional properties, if any, or financing on terms we consider acceptable. We also compete with other mining companies in the recruitment and retention of qualified managerial and technical employees. If we are unable to successfully compete for qualified employees, our exploration and development programs may be slowed down or suspended. We compete with other companies that produce our planned commercial products for capital. If we are unable to raise sufficient capital, our exploration and development programs may be jeopardized or we may not be able to acquire, develop, or operate additional mining projects.

The silver industry is highly competitive, and we are required to compete with other corporations and business entities, many of which have greater resources than ours. Such corporations and other business entities could outbid us for potential projects or produce minerals at lower costs, which would have a negative effect on our operations.

Silver prices are highly volatile. If a profitable silver market does not exist, we may have to cease operations.

Silver prices have been highly volatile and are affected by numerous international economic and political factors over which we have no control. Our long-term success is highly dependent upon the price of silver, as the economic feasibility of any ore body discovered on our current property, or on other properties we may acquire in the future, would, in large part, be determined by the prevailing market price of silver. If a profitable market does not exist, we may have to cease operations.

A shortage of equipment and supplies could adversely affect our ability to operate our business.

We are dependent on various supplies and equipment to carry out our mining exploration and, if warranted, development operations. Any shortage of such supplies, equipment, and parts could have a material adverse effect on our ability to carry out our operations and could therefore limit, or increase the cost of, production.

Joint ventures and other partnerships, including offtake arrangements, may expose us to risks.

We may enter into joint ventures, partnership arrangements, or offtake agreements, with other parties in relation to the exploration, development, and production of the properties in which we have an interest. Any failure of such other companies to meet their obligations to us or to third parties, or any disputes with respect to the parties’ respective rights and obligations, could have a material adverse effect on us, the development and production at our properties, including the Mine, and on future joint ventures, if any, or their properties, and therefore could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial performance, cash flows and the price of our Common Shares.

We may experience difficulty attracting and retaining qualified management to meet the needs of our anticipated growth, and the failure to manage our growth effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

We are dependent on a relatively small number of key employees, including our Chief Executive Officer (the “CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (the “CFO”). The loss of any officer could have an adverse effect on us. We have no life insurance on any individual, and we may be unable to hire a suitable replacement for them on favorable terms, should that become necessary.

Our results of operations could be affected by currency fluctuations.

Our properties are currently all located in the U.S. and while most costs associated with these properties are paid in U.S. dollars, a significant amount of our administrative expenses are payable in Canadian dollars. There can be significant swings in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar. There are no plans at this time to hedge against any exchange rate fluctuations in currencies.

Title to our properties may be subject to other claims that could affect our property rights and claims.

There are risks that title to our properties may be challenged or impugned. Our Mine is located in Northern Idaho and may be subject to prior unrecorded agreements or transfers and title may be affected by undetected defects.

We may be unable to secure surface access or purchase required surface rights.

Although we obtain the rights to some or all of the minerals in the ground subject to the mineral tenures that we acquire, or have the right to acquire, in some cases we may not acquire any rights to, or ownership of, the surface to the areas covered by such mineral tenures. In such cases, applicable mining laws usually provide for rights of access to the surface for the purpose of carrying on mining activities; however, the enforcement of such rights through the courts can be costly and time consuming. It is necessary to negotiate surface access or to purchase the surface rights if long-term access is required. There can be no guarantee that, despite having the right at law to access the surface and carry on mining activities, we will be able to negotiate satisfactory agreements with any such existing landowners/occupiers for such access or purchase of such surface rights, and therefore we may be unable to carry out planned mining activities. In addition, in circumstances where such access is denied, or no agreement can be reached, we may need to rely on the assistance of local officials or the courts in such jurisdiction the outcomes of which cannot be predicted with any certainty. Our inability to secure surface access or purchase required surface rights could materially and adversely affect our timing, cost, or overall ability to develop any mineral deposits we may locate.

Our properties and operations may be subject to litigation or other claims.

From time to time our properties or operations may be subject to disputes that may result in litigation or other legal claims. We may be required to take countermeasures or defend against these claims, which will divert resources and management time from operations. The costs of these claims or adverse filings may have a material effect on our business and results of operations.

There are amounts due and owing under the Company’s agreement with the EPA that have not been paid in accordance with the agreed upon payment schedule. In the event that the EPA or Placer Mining assert default under the terms of the agreement, we may lose our ability to exercise our right to purchase the Bunker Hill Mine, which would have a material adverse impact on the Company.

Pursuant to the terms of the Company’s agreement with the EPA, the Company is required to make certain payments to the EPA on behalf of Placer Mining in the amount of $20,000,000 for cost recovery. The Company has made one payment of $1,000,000 but has not paid the other payments as they have become due. Failure to pay could be considered a default under the terms of the agreements with the EPA and the Lease and Option Agreement to purchase with Placer Mining. While the Company has been in discussions with the EPA related to the restructuring the required payments, there is no guarantee that such efforts will be successful. To date, the Company and the EPA have not come to terms on a restructuring of the payments required by the agreement. In the event the EPA or Placer Mining declares a default under the terms of the agreement, the Company could lose its right to purchase the Mine, which would have a material adverse impact on the business of the Company.

Mineral exploration and development is subject to extraordinary operating risks. We currently insure against these risks on a limited basis. In the event of a cave-in or similar occurrence, our liability may exceed our resources and insurance coverage, which would have an adverse impact on the Company.

Mineral exploration, development and production involve many risks. Our operations will be subject to all the hazards and risks inherent in the exploration for mineral resources and, if we discover a mineral resource in commercially exploitable quantity, our operations could be subject to all of the hazards and risks inherent in the development and production of resources, including liability for pollution, cave-ins or similar hazards against which we cannot insure or against which we may elect not to insure. Any such event could result in work stoppages and damage to property, including damage to the environment. As of the date hereof, the Company currently maintains commercial general liability insurance with general aggregate coverage of $5,000,000, and umbrella liability insurance with aggregate coverage of $1,000,000 against these operating hazards, in connection with its exploration program. The payment of any liabilities that arise from any such occurrence that would not otherwise be covered under the current insurance policies would have a material adverse impact on our Company.

Risks Related to the Common Shares

There is no material market for the Common Shares in the United States

As of the date of this Prospectus, there is no material market in the United States for the Common Shares. The Common Shares traded in the Over-the-Counter Market in the United States prior to 2012. In October 2012 the SEC issued against the Company as a result of alleged improper trading activity by a then principal shareholder of the Company. As a result, all market marking activity in the United States ceased and to this date no market maker in the United States has been willing to file with the Financial Institutions Regulatory Authority (FINRA) the paperwork necessary to permit market making to take place. While the Company intends to pursue the establishment of a market in the United States, there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so. The Common Shares are traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) although investors in the United States may find it more difficult to effect transactions on the CSE.

Our Common Share price may be volatile and as a result you could lose all or part of your investment.

In addition to volatility associated with equity securities in general, the value of your investment could decline due to the impact of any of the following factors upon the market price of the Common Shares:

Our Common Share price on the CSE has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations. Stock markets in general have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations, and the market prices of securities have been highly volatile. These fluctuations are often unrelated to operating performance and may adversely affect the market price of the Common Shares. As a result, you may be unable to sell any Common Shares you acquire at a desired price.

Potential future sales under Rule 144 may depress the market price for our Common Shares.

In general, under Rule 144, a person who has satisfied a minimum holding period of between 6 months and one-year and any other applicable requirements of Rule 144, may thereafter sell such shares publicly. A significant number of our currently issued and outstanding shares held by existing shareholders, including officers and directors and other principal shareholders are currently eligible for resale pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Rule 144. The possible future sale of our shares by our existing shareholders, pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of Rule 144, may have a depressive effect on the price of our Common Shares in the over-the-counter market.

Our Common Shares currently deemed a “penny stock”, which may make it more difficult for investors to sell their Common Shares.

The SEC has adopted regulations which generally define “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to certain exceptions. Our securities are covered by the penny stock rules, which impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers who sell to persons other than established customers and “accredited investors”. The term “accredited investor” refers generally to institutions with assets in excess of $5,000,000 or individuals with a net worth in excess of $1,000,000, exclusive of their principal residence, or annual income exceeding $200,000 or $300,000 jointly with their spouse. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from the rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document in a form prepared by the SEC which provides information about penny stocks and the nature and level of risks in the penny stock market. The broker-dealer also must provide the customer with current bid and offer quotations for the penny stock, the compensation of the broker-dealer and its salesperson in the transaction and monthly account statements showing the market value of each penny stock held in the customer’s account. The bid and offer quotations, and the broker-dealer and salesperson compensation information, must be given to the customer orally or in writing prior to effecting the transaction and must be given to the customer in writing before or with the customer’s confirmation. In addition, the penny stock rules require that prior to a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from these rules, the broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive the purchaser’s written agreement to the transaction. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the level of trading activity in the secondary market for the stock that is subject to these penny stock rules. Consequently, these penny stock rules may affect the ability of broker-dealers to trade our securities. We believe that the penny stock rules discourage investor interest in and limit the marketability of our Common Shares.

We have never paid dividends on our Common Shares.

We have not paid dividends on our Common Shares to date, and we do not expect to pay dividends for the foreseeable future. We intend to retain our initial earnings, if any, to finance our operations. Any future dividends on Common Shares will depend upon our earnings, our then-existing financial requirements, and other factors, and will be at the discretion of the Board.

FINRA has adopted sales practice requirements, which may also limit a shareholder’s ability to buy and sell our Common Shares.

In addition to the “penny stock” rules described above, FINRA has adopted rules that require that in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA believes that there is a high probability that speculative low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. FINRA requirements make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that their customers buy our Common Shares, which may limit your ability to buy and sell our stock and have an adverse effect on the market for our shares.

Investors’ interests in our Company will be diluted and investors may suffer dilution in their net book value per share of Common Shares if we issue additional employee/director/consultant options or if we sell additional Common Shares and/or warrants to finance our operations.

In order to further expand our operations and meet our objectives, any additional growth and/or expanded exploration activity will likely need to be financed through sale of and issuance of additional Common Shares, including, but not limited to, raising funds to explore the Mine. Furthermore, to finance any acquisition activity, should that activity be properly approved, and depending on the outcome of our exploration programs, we likely will also need to issue additional Common Shares to finance future acquisitions, growth, and/or additional exploration programs of any or all of our projects or to acquire additional properties. We will also in the future grant to some or all of our directors, officers, and key employees and/or consultants’ options to purchase Common Shares as non-cash incentives. The issuance of any equity securities could, and the issuance of any additional Common Shares will, cause our existing shareholders to experience dilution of their ownership interests.

If we issue additional Common Shares or decide to enter into joint ventures with other parties in order to raise financing through the sale of equity securities, investors’ interests in our company will be diluted and investors may suffer dilution in their net book value per share of Common Shares depending on the price at which such securities are sold.

The issuance of additional shares of Common Shares may negatively impact the trading price of our securities.

We have issued Common Shares in the past and will continue to issue Common Shares to finance our activities in the future. In addition, newly issued or outstanding options, warrants, and broker warrants to purchase Common Shares may be exercised, resulting in the issuance of additional Common Shares. Any such issuance of additional Common Shares would result in dilution to our shareholders, and even the perception that such an issuance may occur could have a negative impact on the trading price of the Common Shares.

We are subject to the continued listing criteria of the CSE, and our failure to satisfy these criteria may result in delisting of our Common Shares from the CSE.

Our Common Shares are currently listed for trading on the CSE. In order to maintain the listing on the CSE or any other securities exchange we may trade on, we must maintain certain financial and share distribution targets, including maintaining a minimum number of public shareholders. In addition to objective standards, these exchanges may delist the securities of any issuer if, in the exchange’s opinion, our financial condition and/or operating results appear unsatisfactory; if it appears that the extent of public distribution or the aggregate market value of the security has become so reduced as to make continued listing inadvisable; if we sell or dispose of our principal operating assets or cease to be an operating company; if we fail to comply with the listing requirements; or if any other event occurs or any condition exists which, in their opinion, makes continued listing on the exchange inadvisable.

If the CSE or any other exchange were to delist the Common Shares, investors may face material adverse consequences, including, but not limited to, a lack of trading market for the Common Shares, reduced liquidity, decreased analyst coverage, and/or an inability for us to obtain additional financing to fund our operations.

We face risks related to compliance with corporate governance laws and financial reporting standards.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as related new rules and regulations implemented by the SEC and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, require changes in the corporate governance practices and financial reporting standards for public companies. These laws, rules and regulations, including compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 relating to internal control over financial reporting, referred to as Section 404, materially increased our legal and financial compliance costs and made some activities more time-consuming and more burdensome.