VANCOUVER, May 16, 2012 /CNW/ - OSI Geospatial Inc. (TSXV: OSI) ("OSI"
or the "Company") announced today a share consolidation to be completed
by way of a court approved Plan of Arrangement (the "Transaction").
The Transaction provides, among other things, that (i) each Class "B"
Series 2 Preference Shares (a "Preferred Share") held by a preferred
shareholder will be converted into common shares of the Company at a
conversion rate of 156.667 Common Shares per Preferred Share; and (ii),
all issued and outstanding common shares will be consolidated on a
250,000 to 1 basis and common shareholders holding less than one
post-consolidation common share will be paid $0.060 in cash,
representing a 33% premium on market, per pre-consolidation common
share held by them.
Due to the ongoing cost of being a public company and the severe
competitive disadvantage that the company faces as a result of the
information it provides its much larger competitors through its
disclosure record, the directors have determined that it is in the best
interest of the Company to cease to be a reporting issuer. To do that,
the Company must reduce the number of its shareholders to below 50 in
Canada, with no more than 15 in any one jurisdiction of Canada. After
considering all of its alternatives, the board of directors have
determined that the Transaction is the best alternative available to
the Company to achieve that goal.
Further details regarding the Transaction will be provided in a
management information circular dated May 16, 2012, which will be
mailed to shareholders of the Company in connection with the Company's
special shareholders' meeting (the "Meeting") to approve the
Transaction and filed on SEDAR. The Meeting will be held on June 21,
2012. The Transaction is expected to close shortly thereafter.
The Company's board of directors has unanimously approved the
Transaction and will recommend approval to the Company's shareholders
at the Meeting. The Transaction requires 66 2/3% approval by all
shareholders of OSI as well as a majority approval of the common
shareholders after excluding Insiders of the Company. Insiders include
Directors, Officers and Shareholders owning greater than 10% of the
Company. The Transaction is also subject to approval by the TSX Venture
Exchange and other regulatory agencies, in addition to Court approval
by the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
About OSI Geospatial Inc.
OSI Geospatial Inc. operates two distinct business units: Offshore
Systems Ltd. (based in Vancouver, British Columbia), a world-leading
naval fleet supplier of integrated navigation and tactical solutions;
and CHI Systems, Inc. (based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), a
leading-edge research, development, and systems integration supplier of
technology solutions for defense, aerospace, health, and bioscience
markets. OSI Geospatial systems and software are in use by military,
government, and commercial customers around the world. The Company is
publicly traded on the TSX Venture Exchange. For additional information
please visit www.osigeospatial.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking
statements under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements
are statements that relate to future, not past, events. In this
context, forward-looking statements often address expected future
business and financial performance, and often contain words such as
"anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", and "intend",
statements that an action or event "may", "might", "could", "should",
or "will" be taken or occur, or other similar expressions. All
statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein
including, without limitation, statements about the completion of the
Transaction and regulatory and court approvals, are forward looking
statements. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our
actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to
be materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Such factors include, among others, the following risks: the need for
additional financing; operational risks associated with mineral
exploration; fluctuations in commodity price and title matters or other
reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable
Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are made
based on management's beliefs, estimates and opinions on the date that
statements are made and the Company undertakes no obligation to update
forward-looking statements if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or
other circumstances should change, except as required by applicable
securities laws. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue
certainty to forward-looking statements.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as
that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange)
accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
<p> Jim Girard<br/> Chief Financial Officer and Secretary<br/> +1 778-373-4600<br/> +1 888 880 9797<br/> +1 778-373-0027 (FAX)<br/> <a href="mailto:invest@osigeospatial.com">invest@osigeospatial.com</a> </p>