Cargojet to Implement Increased Foreign Ownership Levels
Mississauga, ON, February 26, 2020 - Cargojet Inc. (“Cargojet” or the “Corporation”) (TSX: CJT) announced today that it will seek shareholder approval at its 2020 annual and special meeting of shareholders to amend its articles of incorporation to increase the limits of foreign ownership and control of its voting shares to those permitted by amendments made to the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) in 2018. The amendments to its articles will be undertaken by way of a court supervised and shareholder approved statutory plan of arrangement.
Prior to the CTA amendments, no more than 25% of the voting interests of a Canadian air carrier could be owned or controlled by non-Canadians. The Government of Canada's stated purpose in implementing the CTA amendments is to attract more foreign investment and encourage growth in the aviation sector by increasing, from 25% to 49%, the permitted level of foreign ownership of Canadian air carriers. At the same time, the CTA amendments introduced two new limitations on voting ownership and control, by capping the voting rights of single non-Canadians and of the aggregate of non-Canadian air carriers at 25%.
Completion of the plan of arrangement is subject to shareholder approval and approval of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List). Full details regarding the plan of arrangement will be included in the management information circular which will be made available to Cargojet’s shareholders in connection with the shareholder meeting scheduled for March 30, 2020.
Cargojet is Canada’s leading provider of time sensitive premium overnight air cargo services and carries over 8,000,000 pounds of cargo weekly. Cargojet operates its network across North America each business night serving 15 major cities, and selected international destinations. Cargojet owns a fleet of 26 aircraft.
For further information, please contact:
Pauline Dhillon
Executive Vice President Marketing, Government & Public Relations
Tel: (905) 501 7373
pdhillon@cargojet.com
Notice on Forward Looking Statements:
Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking statements", including potential timing and benefits to amending the Corporation’s articles in accordance with the CTA amendments. Forward-looking statements look into the future and provide an opinion as to the effect of certain events and trends on the business. Forward-looking statements may include words such as "plans," "intends," "anticipates," "should," "estimates," "expects," "believes," "indicates," "targeting," "suggests" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and entail various risks and uncertainties. Reference should be made to the Corporation’s most recent Annual Information Form filed with the Canadian securities regulators, and it’s most recent Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto and related Management's Discussion and Analysis (MD&A), for a summary of major risks. Actual results may materially differ from expectations, if known and unknown risks or uncertainties affect our business, or if our estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate. In particular, failure to obtain the necessary shareholder, court and any regulatory approvals, or the failure to otherwise satisfy the conditions to the implementation of the proposed plan of arrangement and the resulting amendments to Cargojet’s articles, may result in the proposed plan of arrangement and amendments not being completed on the proposed terms, or at all. The forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this news release represent Cargojet’s expectations as of the date of this news release (or as of the date they are otherwise stated to be made) and are subject to change after such date. However, Cargojet disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities regulations.