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Critical accounting estimates and judgements
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2019
Critical Accounting Estimates And Judgements [Abstract]  
Critical accounting estimates and judgements [Text Block]

6. Critical accounting estimates and judgements

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company also makes estimates and assumptions concerning the future. The determination of estimates requires the exercise of judgement based on various assumptions and other factors such as historical experience and current and expected economic conditions. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Estimates and assumptions are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Critical accounting estimates and assumptions

Mineral reserves and resources - Royalties, streams and other assets

Royalty, stream and other interests comprise a large component of the Company's assets and as such, the mineral reserves and resources of the properties to which the interests relate have a significant effect on the Company's consolidated financial statements. These estimates are applied in determining the depletion of the Company's royalty, stream and other interests and assessing the recoverability of the carrying value of royalty, stream and other interests. For royalty, stream and other interests, the public disclosures of mineral reserves and resources that are released by the operators of the properties involve assessments of geological and geophysical studies and economic data and the reliance on a number of assumptions, including commodity prices and production costs. These assumptions are, by their very nature, subject to interpretation and uncertainty. The estimates of mineral reserves and resources may change based on additional knowledge gained subsequent to the initial assessment, adjusted by the Company's internal geological specialists, as deemed necessary. Changes in the estimates of mineral reserves and resources may materially affect the recorded amounts of depletion and the assessed recoverability of the carrying value of royalty, stream and other interests.

Mineral reserves and resources - Exploration and development projects

Mineral reserves are estimates of the amount of ore that can be economically and legally extracted from the Company's mining properties. The Company estimates its mineral reserve and mineral resources based on information compiled by Qualified Persons as defined by Canadian Securities Administrators National Instrument 43-101, Standards for Disclosure of Mineral Projects. Such information includes geological data on the size, depth and shape of the mineral deposit, and requires complex geological judgments to interpret the data. The estimation of recoverable reserves is based upon factors such as estimates of commodity prices, future capital requirements, and production costs along with geological assumptions and judgments made in estimating the size and grade that comprise the mineral reserves. Changes in the mineral reserve or mineral resource estimates may impact the carrying value of mineral properties and deferred development costs, property, plant and equipment, provision for site reclamation and closure, recognition of deferred income tax assets and depreciation and amortization charges. 

Impairment of royalty, stream and other interests

The assessment of the fair values of royalty, stream and other interests requires the use of estimates and assumptions for recoverable production, long-term commodity prices, discount rates, mineral reserve/resource conversion, net asset value multiples, foreign exchange rates, future capital expansion plans and the associated production implications. In addition, the Company may use other approaches in determining fair value which may include estimates related to (i) dollar value per ounce of mineral reserve/resource; (ii) cash-flow multiples; and (iii) market capitalization of comparable assets. Changes in any of the estimates used in determining the fair value of the royalty, stream and other interests could impact the impairment analysis.

Impairment of exploration and evaluation assets, mining interests and plant and equipment

The Company's accounting policy for exploration and evaluation expenditure results in certain items of expenditure being capitalized. This policy requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions as to future events and circumstances, in particular whether an economically viable extraction operation can be established. Any such estimates and assumptions may change as new information becomes available. If, after having capitalized the expenditure, a judgement is made that recovery of the expenditure is unlikely, the relevant capitalized amount will be written off to the consolidated statement of loss.

Development activities commence after project sanctioning by senior management. Judgement is applied by management in determining when a project has reached a stage at which economically recoverable reserves exist such that development may be sanctioned. In exercising this judgement, management is required to make certain estimates and assumptions similar to those described above for capitalized exploration and evaluation expenditure. Such estimates and assumptions may change as new information becomes available. If, after having started the development activity, a judgement is made that a development asset is impaired, the appropriate amount will be written off to the consolidated statement of loss.

The Company's recoverability of its recorded value of its exploration and evaluation assets, mining interests and plant and equipment is based on market conditions for metals, underlying mineral resources associated with the properties and future costs that may be required for ultimate realization through mining operations or by sale.

At each reporting date, the Company evaluates each mining property and project on results to date to determine the nature of exploration, other assessment and development work that is warranted in the future. If there is little prospect of future work on a property or project being carried out within a prolonged period from completion of previous activities, the deferred expenditures related to that property or project are written off or written down to the estimated amount recoverable unless there is persuasive evidence that an impairment allowance is not required.

The recoverable amounts of exploration and evaluation assets, mining interests and plant and equipment are determined using the higher of value in use or fair value less costs of disposal. Value in use consists of the net present value of future cash flows expected to be derived from the asset in its current condition based on observable data. The calculations use cash flow projections based on financial budgets approved by management. These cash flow projections are based on expected recoverable ore reserves, selling prices of metals and operating costs. Fair value less costs of disposal consists of the expected sale price (the amount that a market participant would pay for the asset) of the asset net of transaction costs. The Company may use other approaches in determining the fair value which may include estimates related to (i) dollar value per ounce of mineral reserve/resource; (ii) cash-flow multiples; (iii) market capitalization of comparable assets; and (iv) comparable sales transactions. Any changes in the quality and quantity of recoverable ore reserves, expected selling prices and operating costs could materially affect the estimated fair value of mining interests, which could result in material write-downs or write-offs in the future. 

Impairment of goodwill

The Company performs goodwill impairment tests on an annual basis as at December 31 of each year. In addition, the Company assesses for indicators of impairment at each reporting period date and, if an indicator of impairment is identified, goodwill is tested for impairment at that time. For the purpose of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to each CGU or group of CGUs expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination. When completing an impairment test, the Company calculates the estimated recoverable amount of CGU or group of CGUs, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions with respect to items such as future production levels, long-term commodity prices, foreign exchange rates, discount rates and exploration potential.

These estimates and assumptions are subject to risk and uncertainty. Therefore, there is a possibility that changes in circumstances will have an impact on these projections, which may impact the recoverable amount of the CGU or group of CGUs. Accordingly, it is possible that some or the entire carrying amount of the goodwill may be further impaired with the impact recognized in the consolidated statement of loss.

The Company performs annual impairment tests using the fair value less cost of disposal of the group of CGUs supporting the goodwill and using discounted cash flows with the most recent budgets and forecasts available, including information from external sources. The periods to be used for the projections are based on the expected production from the mines, the proven and probable mineral reserves and a portion of the resources. The discount rate to be used takes into consideration the different risk factors of the Company.

Provision for environmental rehabilitation

Provision for environmental rehabilitation is based on management best estimates and assumptions, which management believes are a reasonable basis upon which to estimate the future liability, based on the current economic environment. These estimates take into account any material changes to the assumptions that occur when reviewed regularly by management and are based on current regulatory requirements. Significant changes in estimates of discount rate, contamination, rehabilitation standards and techniques will result in changes to the provision from period to period. Actual reclamation and closure costs will ultimately depend on future market prices for the costs which will reflect the market condition at the time the costs are actually incurred. The final cost of the rehabilitation provision may be higher or lower than currently provided for.

Critical judgements in applying the Company's accounting policies

Business combinations

The assessment of whether an acquisition meets the definition of a business, or whether assets are acquired is an area of key judgement. The assumptions and estimates with respect to determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed, and of royalty, stream and other interests and exploration and evaluation properties in particular, generally requires a high degree of judgement. Changes in the judgements made could impact the amounts assigned to assets and liabilities.

Investee - significant influence

The assessment of whether the Company has a significant influence over an investee requires the use of judgements when assessing factors that could give rise to a significant influence. Factors which could lead to the conclusion of having a significant influence over an investee include, but are not limited to, ownership percentage; representation on the board of directors; participation in the policy-making process; material transactions between the investor and the investee; interchange of managerial personnel; provision of essential technical information; and potential voting rights.

Changes in the judgements used in determining if the Company has a significant influence over an investee would impact the accounting treatment of the investment in the investee. 

Impairment of investments in associates

The Company follows the guidance of IAS 28 Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures to assess whether there are impairment indicators which may lead to the recognition of an impairment loss with respect to its net investment in an associate. This determination requires significant judgement in evaluating if a decline in fair value is significant or prolonged, which triggers a formal impairment test. In making this judgement, the Company's management evaluates, among other factors, the duration and extent to which the fair value of an investment is less than its carrying amount, the volatility of the investment and the financial health and business outlook for the investee, including factors such as the current and expected status of the investee's exploration projects and changes in financing cash flows.

Impairment of exploration and evaluation assets and royalty, stream and other interests on exploration and evaluation properties

Assessment of impairment of exploration and evaluation assets (including exploration and evaluation assets under a farm-out agreement) and royalty, stream and other interests on exploration and evaluation properties requires the use of judgements when assessing whether there are any indicators that could give rise to the requirement to conduct a formal impairment test on the Company's exploration and evaluation assets and royalty, stream and other interests on exploration and evaluation properties. Factors which could trigger an impairment review include, but are not limited to, an expiry of the right to explore in the specific area during the period or will expire in the near future and is not expected to be renewed; substantive exploration and evaluation expenditures in a specific area, taking into consideration such expenditures to be incurred by a farmee, is neither budgeted nor planned; exploration for and evaluation of mineral resources in a specific area have not led to the discovery of commercially viable quantities of mineral resources and the Company has decided to discontinue such activities in the specific area; sufficient data exists to indicate that, although a development in a specific area is likely to proceed, the carrying amount of the assets is unlikely to be recovered in full from successful development or by sale; significant negative industry or economic trends; interruptions in exploration and evaluation activities by the Company or its farmee; and a significant drop in current or forecast commodity prices.

Changes in the judgements used in determining the fair value of the exploration and evaluation assets and royalty, stream and other interests on exploration and evaluation properties could impact the impairment analysis.

Impairment of development and producing royalty, stream and other interests and goodwill

Assessment of impairment of development and producing royalty, stream and other interests and goodwill requires the use of judgement when assessing whether there are any indicators that could give rise to the requirement to conduct a formal impairment test on the Company's development and producing royalty, stream and other interests or goodwill. Factors which could trigger an impairment review include, but are not limited to, a significant market value decline; net assets higher than the market capitalization; a significant reduction in mineral reserve and resources; significant negative industry or economic trends; interruptions in production activities; significantly lower production than expected; and a significant drop in current or forecast commodity prices.

Changes in the judgements used in determining the fair value of the producing royalty, stream and other interests or goodwill could impact the impairment analysis.

Deferred income tax assets

Management continually evaluates the likelihood that it is probable that its deferred tax assets will be realized. This requires management to assess whether it is probable that sufficient taxable income will exist in the future to utilize these losses within the carry-forward period. By its nature, this assessment requires significant judgement.