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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

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Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

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☑    ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021

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or

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☐    TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the transition period from                      to                     

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Commission File Number: 001-39649

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GATOS SILVER, INC.

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(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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925 W Georgia Street, Suite 910

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6C 3L2

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

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(604) 424-0984

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☑

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☐ No ☑

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☐ No ☑

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☑

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

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If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐ No  ☑

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As of June 30, 2022, the aggregate market value of voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was $115,071,927 based on the closing price of the registrant’s common stock on the New York Stock Exchange.

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As of February 23, 2023, the number of shares of Registrant’s common stock outstanding was 69,162,223.

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

None

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EXPLANATORY NOTE

On January 25, 2022, we (meaning Gatos Silver, Inc., which is also referred to herein as “our”, “us”, “Gatos Silver” or the “Company”) announced that, during our mineral resource and mineral reserve update process for the Los Gatos Joint Venture (“LGJV”), we concluded that there were errors in the technical report for the Cerro Los Gatos Mine (“CLG”) with an effective date of July 1, 2020, as well as indications that there may be an overestimation in the resource model. At that time, we announced that we were focused on producing a new LOM plan (capitalized terms not otherwise defined are defined in the Glossary of Technical Terms) and that we were working with independent engineering consultants to prepare new mineral resource and reserve estimates, including a new resource model, that would form the basis of a new technical report which was expected to be delivered in the second half of 2022. We also announced that the Company’s financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021 may be affected by the ongoing analysis of the aforementioned mineral resource and mineral reserve matters and that we would be unable to timely file our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 because we required additional time to prepare a new LOM plan, mineral reserve estimate and financial statements, and to assess the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting to ensure adequate recognition and disclosure of the information required to be included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K.

On March 18, 2022, we confirmed that we would delay the filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and the CEO and CFO certifications contained in therein (collectively, the “Required Documents”), beyond the prescribed deadline of March 31, 2022. In the interim, we applied to the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities for a management cease trade order, which provides a mechanism restricting the CEO and CFO from trading in the Company’s securities while allowing the stock to continue trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the “TSX”). The management cease trade order was granted on April 1, 2022, and subsequently further management cease trade orders were granted (together, the “MCTO”). We have satisfied the provisions of the alternative information guidelines in accordance with Canadian securities regulatory instrument, National Policy 12-203 – Management Cease Trade Orders, by issuing bi-weekly status reports in the form of news releases and we intend to continue to do so until the situation is rectified.

On October 3, 2022, we announced an updated mineral reserve estimate, mineral resource estimate and LOM plan including the details relating thereto.

On October 13, 2022, we received a notice that the New York Stock Exchange’s Listings Operations Committee had agreed to provide the Company with an additional trading period through April 15, 2023, subject to reassessment on an ongoing basis, to complete and file the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We were advised that NYSE Regulation would closely monitor the Company’s progress with the milestones and timing submitted to NYSE Regulation, and failure to achieve these interim milestones could result in accelerated trading suspension prior to the end of the April 15, 2023, trading period and, in addition, if the Company did not file its required SEC filings by April 15, 2023, the NYSE would initiate suspension and delisting procedures. On October 14, 2022, we received notice from the TSX approving an extension to file our annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, until January 31, 2023, an extension to file our interim financial statements for the periods ended March 31, 2022, and June 30, 2022, until February 28, 2023 and an extension for holding the Company’s annual shareholders’ meeting until March 31, 2023. On January 23, 2023, the TSX approved our request to extend the timeline to file our annual financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as its interim financial statements for the periods March 31, 2022, June 30, 2022, and September 30, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

On November 14, 2022, we announced that we had filed an independent technical report summary prepared in accordance with subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K on the EDGAR section of the Securities and Exchange Commission website and a corresponding independent technical report prepared in accordance National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects in Canada under the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com (collectively, the “2022 Technical Reports”).

On November 14, 2022 we also announced the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP (“EY”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, effective immediately. On that date, we announced that EY will be auditing and reporting on the Company’s consolidated financial statements for the financial years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2022, including review of the Company’s quarterly unaudited interim financial information for 2022 and that all delayed filings, including the 2021 audit and the reviews of the first three quarters of 2022, were expected be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2023.

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The appointment of EY followed the resignation of KPMG LLP (“KPMG”) as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm on September 28, 2022. See “Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure.”

Notice Regarding Mineral Disclosure

Mineral Reserves and Resources

We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) and applicable Canadian securities laws, and as a result, we have separately reported our mineral reserves and mineral resources according to the standards applicable to those requirements. U.S. reporting requirements are governed by subpart 1300 of Regulation S-K (“S-K 1300”), as issued by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Canadian reporting requirements for disclosure of mineral properties are governed by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”), as adopted from the definitions provided by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. Both sets of reporting standards have similar goals in terms of conveying an appropriate level of consistency and confidence in the disclosures being reported, but the standards embody slightly different approaches and definitions. All disclosure of mineral resources and mineral reserves in this report is reported in accordance with S-K 1300. See Item 1A. Risk Factors; Risks Related to Our Operations Mineral reserve and mineral resource calculations at the CLG and at other deposits in the LGD are only estimates and actual production results and future estimates may vary significantly from the current estimates.”

The estimation of measured resources and indicated resources involve greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic feasibility than the estimation of proven and probable reserves, and therefore investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of measured or indicated resources will ever be converted into reserves reported pursuant to S-K 1300. The estimation of inferred resources involves far greater uncertainty as to their existence and economic viability than the estimation of other categories of resources, and therefore it cannot be assumed that all or any part of inferred resources will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Therefore, investors are cautioned not to assume that all or any part of inferred resources exist, or that they can be mined legally or economically. Definitions of technical terms are included below for reference.

Technical Report Summaries and Qualified Persons

The technical information concerning our mineral projects in this Form 10-K have been reviewed and approved by Tony Scott P. Geo, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Technical Services. The technical information herein that relates to the CLG and Esther 2022 Mineral Resource was based upon information set out in the Los Gatos Technical Report prepared by or under the supervision of Ronald Turner, MAusIMM(CP), an employee of Golder Associates. The technical information that relates to the 2022 Mineral Reserve, the 2022 LOM plan and other economic analyses was based upon information set out in the Los Gatos Technical Report was based upon information prepared by or under the supervision of Paul Gauthier, P.Eng. an employee of Golder Associates. Mr. Scott, Mr. Turner and Mr. Gauthier are each a “qualified person” under S-K 1300 and have reviewed the contents of this Form 10-K. For a description of the key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate mineral reserves and mineral resources included in this Form 10-K, as well as data verification procedures and a general discussion of the extent to which the estimates may be affected by any known environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, sociopolitical, marketing or other relevant factors, please review the Los Gatos Technical Report which is included as an exhibit to this Report.

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Glossary of Technical Terms

Certain terms and abbreviations used in this Report are defined below:

“Ag” means the chemical symbol for the element silver.

“AISC” means all-in sustaining cost.

“Au” means the chemical symbol for the element gold.

“By-Product” is a secondary metal or mineral product recovered in the milling process. For the CLG operation, silver is the primary metal product by value and zinc, lead and gold are by-products.

“Concentrate” is the product of physical concentration processes, such as flotation or gravity concentration, which involves separating ore minerals from unwanted waste rock. Concentrates require subsequent processing (such as smelting or leaching) to break down or dissolve the ore minerals and obtain the desired elements, usually metals.

“Dilution” is an estimate of the amount of waste or low-grade mineralized rock which will be mined with the ore as part of normal mining practices in extracting an orebody.

“Feasibility Study” is a comprehensive study of a mineral deposit in which all geological, engineering, legal, operating, economic, social, environmental and other relevant factors are considered in sufficient detail that it could reasonably serve as the basis for a final decision by a financial institution to finance the development of the deposit for mineral production.

“Grade” means the concentration of each ore metal in a rock sample, usually given as weight percent. Where extremely low concentrations are involved, the concentration may be given in grams per tonne (g/t), the grade of an ore deposit is calculated, often using sophisticated statistical procedures, as an average of the grades of a very large number of samples collected from the deposit.

“g/t” means grams per tonne.

“Hectare” is a metric unit of area equal to 10,000 square meters (2.471 acres).

“indicated mineral resources” or “indicated resources” is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of adequate geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with an indicated mineral resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors in sufficient detail to support mine planning and evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Because an indicated mineral resource has a lower level of confidence than the level of confidence of a measured mineral resource, an indicated mineral resource may only be converted to a probable mineral reserve.

“inferred mineral resources” or “inferred resources” is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of limited geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological uncertainty associated with an inferred mineral resource is too high to apply relevant technical and economic factors likely to influence the prospects of economic extraction in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability. Because an inferred mineral resource has the lowest level of geological confidence of all mineral resources, which prevents the application of the modifying factors in a manner useful for evaluation of economic viability, an inferred mineral resource may not be considered when assessing the economic viability of a mining project, and may not be converted to a mineral reserve.

“LOM” means life of mine.

“Los Gatos Technical Report” means the Technical Report titled “Mineral Resource and Reserve Update, Los Gatos Joint Venture, Chihuahua, Mexico,” prepared by Golder Associates, dated November 10, 2022 with an effective date of July 1, 2022, which was prepared in accordance with the requirements of S-K 1300 and NI 43-101.

“masl” is meters above sea level.

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“mineral reserves” or “reserves” the estimate of tonnage and grade or quality of indicated and measured mineral resources that, in the opinion of the qualified person, can be the basis of an economically viable project. More specifically, it is the economically mineable part of a measured or indicated mineral resource, which includes diluting materials and allowances for losses that may occur when the material is mined or extracted. Mineral reserves quantified herein are on a 100% basis unless otherwise stated.

“mineral resources” or “resources” a concentration or occurrence of material of economic interest in or on the Earth’s crust in such form, grade or quality, and quantity that there are reasonable prospects for economic extraction. A mineral resource is a reasonable estimate of mineralization, taking into account relevant factors such as cut-off grade, likely mining dimensions, location or continuity, that, with the assumed and justifiable technical and economic conditions, is likely to, in whole or in part, become economically extractable. It is not merely an inventory of all mineralization drilled or sampled.

“measured mineral resources” is that part of a mineral resource for which quantity and grade or quality are estimated on the basis of conclusive geological evidence and sampling. The level of geological certainty associated with a measured mineral resource is sufficient to allow a qualified person to apply modifying factors, as defined in this section, in sufficient detail to support detailed mine planning and final evaluation of the economic viability of the deposit. Because a measured mineral resource has a higher level of confidence than the level of confidence of either an indicated mineral resource or an inferred mineral resource, a measured mineral resource may be converted to a proven mineral reserve or to a probable mineral reserve.

“M&I” means Measured Mineral Resources and Indicated Mineral Resources.

“NI 43-101” means National Instrument 43-101 — Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects adopted by the Canadian Securities Administrators.

“NSR” means Net Smelter Return: the proceeds returned from the smelter and/or refinery to the mine owner less certain costs.

“oz” means a troy ounce.

“Pb” means the chemical symbol for the element lead.

“probable mineral reserve” means the economically mineable part of an indicated and, in some cases, a measured mineral resource.

“proven mineral reserve” means the economically mineable part of a measured mineral resource and can only result from conversion of a measured mineral resource.

“S-K 1300” means 17.C.F.R § 229.1300 through § 229.1305.

“tailings” is the material that remains after all economically and technically recovered metals have been removed from the ore during processing.

“tonne,” means a metric tonne, equivalent to 1,000 kg or 2,204.6 pounds. “tonne” is referenced under the “Grade” definition.

“Zn” means the chemical symbol for the element zinc.

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Cautionary Information about Forward-Looking Statements

This Report contains statements that constitute “forward looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of U.S. and Canadian securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are often identified by words such as “may,” “might,” “could,” “would,” “achieve,” “budget,” “scheduled,” “forecasts,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential” or “continue,” the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, the following:

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Where we express an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, our forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by those forward-looking statements.

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions concerning future events that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual future events or results may differ materially from these statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risks set forth under “Risk Factors Summary” below, which are discussed in further detail in “Item 1A—Risk Factors.” Such factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements included in this Report and those described from time to time in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These risks and uncertainties, as well as other risks of which we are not aware or which we currently do not believe to be material, may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. Undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligation to make any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this filing or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. Certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions, qualifications and procedures which are set out only in the Los Gatos Technical Report. For a complete description of assumptions, qualifications and procedures associated with such information, reference should be made to the full text of the Los Gatos Technical Report.

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Risk Factors Summary

We are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, including risks related to our business and industry; risks related to government regulations and international operations; risks related to the ownership of our common stock; and certain general risks, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. These risks include, but are not limited to, the following principal risks:

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For a more complete discussion of the material risk factors applicable to us, see “Item 1A—Risk Factors.”

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PART I

Item 1.  Business

Our Company

We are a Canadian headquartered, Delaware incorporated precious metals exploration, development and production company with the objective of becoming a leading silver producer. We were formed on February 2, 2011, when our predecessor Precious Metals Opportunities LLC, which was formed in December 2009, converted to a Delaware corporation. On March 1, 2011, Los Gatos Ltd. Merged with and into us to form Sunshine Silver Mines Corporation. In 2014, we changed our name to Sunshine Silver Mining & Refining Corporation.

In conjunction with the initial public offering (“IPO”) completed on October 30, 2020, the Company effected a reorganization (the “Reorganization”) in which (i) the Company changed its name from Sunshine Silver Mining & Refining Corporation to Gatos Silver, Inc., (ii) Silver Opportunity Partners LLC, which held the Company’s interest in the Sunshine Complex in Idaho, comprised of the Sunshine Mine and the Sunshine Big Creek Refinery, became a wholly owned subsidiary of a newly created Delaware corporation named Silver Opportunity Partners Corporation (“SOP”), (iii) all equity interest in SOP was distributed to the Company’s shareholders, and (iv) each share of the Company’s common stock was split at a ratio of two-for-one (the “Reverse Split”). The Reverse Split did not have any effect on the stated par value of the Company’s common stock and the rights and privileges of the holders of shares of Common Stock were unaffected. All common stock and options outstanding immediately prior to the Reverse Split were appropriately adjusted by dividing the number of shares of common stock into which the options are exercisable or convertible by two and multiplying the exercise or conversion price thereof by two.

Our primary efforts are focused on the operation of the LGJV in Chihuahua, Mexico. The LGJV was formed on January 1, 2015 when we entered into the Unanimous Omnibus Partner Agreement with Dowa Metals and Mining Co., Ltd. (“Dowa”) to further explore, and potentially develop and operate mining properties within the LGD. The entities comprising the LGJV are Minera Plata Real S. de R.L. de C.V. (‘‘MPR’’), Operaciones San Jose de Plata S. de R.L. de C.V (“OSJ”). (collectively, the ‘‘LGJV Entities’’), following the merger of Servicios San Jose de Plata S. de R.L. de C.V. (“Servicios”) into MPR effective July 15, 2021. The LGJV Entities own mineral rights and certain surface associated with the LGD. The LGJV ownership is currently 70% Gatos Silver and 30% Dowa. On September 1, 2019, the LGJV commenced commercial production at CLG, which produces silver containing lead concentrate and zinc concentrate. The LGJV’s lead and zinc concentrates are sold to third-party customers. Pursuant to the Unanimous Omnibus Partner Agreement, Dowa has the right to purchase 100% of the zinc concentrate produced from the CLG, at rates negotiated in good faith based on industry pricing benchmarks, and agreed between Dowa and MPR. The Unanimous Omnibus Partner Agreement currently requires unanimous partner approval of all major operating decisions (such as annual budgets, the creation of security interests on property, and certain major expenditures).

In addition to our 70% interest in the LGD, we have 100% ownership of the Santa Valeria property, located in Chihuahua, Mexico, which comprises 1,543 hectares and could provide additional opportunities for resource growth.

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Our Principal Projects

We are currently focused on the production and continued development of the CLG and the further exploration and development of the LGD:

Prior to our initial acquisition of exploration concession rights in April 2006, very limited historical prospecting and exploration activities had been conducted in the LGD. We were able to acquire mineral concessions covering 103,087 hectares and, through our exploration, discovered a virgin silver region containing potential high-grade epithermal vein-style mineralization throughout the LGD concession package. In 2008, we negotiated surface access rights with local ranch owners and obtained the environmental permits for drilling and road construction necessary for the development of the CLG. Through 2015, we purchased all the surface lands required for the CLG development. Environmental baseline data collection began in May 2010 and was completed in 2016 and approved in 2017 to prepare for the development of future environmental studies required for the CLG. In 2014, we partnered with Dowa to finance and develop the CLG and pursue exploration in the LGD and, as noted above, entered into the Unanimous Omnibus Partner Agreement in early 2015.

We believe that we have strong support from the local community, with about 195 employees from the local community working across multiple areas involving the continued underground development, construction of the surface facilities and operation of the CLG. Over 99% of the approximate 845 employees at the CLG are from Mexico, highlighting our commitment to the local workforce.

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Our primary areas of focus have been operating and developing the CLG, defining and expanding the mineral reserves and mineral resources associated with the CLG and exploring and delineating resources within the LGD. As of December 31, 2022, 1,879 exploration and definition drill holes have been completed in both CLG and the LGD, totaling 449,474 meters. In 2022, LGD exploration drilling was completed at Esther, Cascabel, Wall-e and El Valle targets and detailed mapping occurred and Wall-e and Cascabel. Definition and expansion drilling was completed around CLG both from surface and underground.

Our objectives at the CLG are to, among other things:

Our objectives at the LGD are to realize the district potential through, among other things:

For the years ended December 31,2022, 2021 and 2020, the LGJV achieved the following production from CLG:

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*Recoveries are reported for payable metals in the identified concentrate. Recoveries reported previously were based on total metal in both concentrates.

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Strategic Developments

Our business strategy is focused on creating value for stakeholders through the ownership and advancement of the CLG and the LGD and through the pursuit and the development of other attractive silver-focused projects. The following outlines key strategic developments since January 1, 2021:

On December 19, 2022, we entered into an amended and restated Credit Facility with BMO extending the maturity date and re-establishing a credit limit of $50 million, with an accordion feature.

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We also relocated our corporate office from Denver, Colorado to Vancouver, British Columbia providing improved access to experienced mining managerial talent and strengthened the executive management team including appointments of a Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, and Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Technical Services, all with extensive experience working for larger multinational companies. In 2022, the LGJV paid three dividends to its partners during 2022, totaling $55 million, of which the Company’s share was $29.3 million, net of withholding taxes and after initial priority dividend payments to Dowa.

We believe the following provide us with significant competitive advantages:

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Summary of Mineral Reserves and Mineral Resources

Below is a summary table of estimated mineral resources and reserves. Further information can be found in “Item 2. Properties.” The mineral resource estimates contained in the Los Gatos Technical Report have an effective date of July 1, 2022 and have not been updated since that time. The mineral reserve estimates contained in the Los Gatos Technical Report have an effective date of July 1, 2022 and exclude mineral reserves that have previously been mined prior to this date. From July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, approximately 525,000 tonnes of material were mined. This processed material included mineral reserve tonnes, and to a lesser extent mineral resource tonnes as well as mineralized material not included in the mineral resource.

Summary Mineral Reserves as of July 1, 2022

CLG Mineral Reserves Statement

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Summary Mineral Resources (Exclusive of Mineral Reserves) as of July 1, 2022

CLG Mineral Resource Estimate

Esther Mineral Resource Estimate

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prices used for the Mineral Resource are based on the three-year trailing prices from June 2019 to June 2020 and long-term analyst consensus estimates for the LOM. There is a portion of the Esther deposit that is oxidized and metallurgical test work is required to define processing recoveries.

Competition

There is aggressive competition within the mining and precious metals industry. We compete with other precious metals mining companies, as well as other mineral miners, in efforts to obtain financing to explore and develop projects. Many of these mining companies currently have greater resources than we do. In the future, we may compete with such companies to acquire additional properties.

In addition, we also encounter competition for the hiring of key personnel. The mining industry is currently facing a shortage of experienced mining professionals, particularly experienced mine construction and mine management personnel. This competition affects our operations. Larger regional companies can offer better employment terms than smaller companies such as us.

We also compete for the services of mine service companies, such as project coordinators and drilling companies. Potential suppliers may choose to provide better terms and scheduling to larger companies in the industry due to the scale and scope of their operations.

Environmental, Health and Safety Matters

We are subject to stringent and complex environmental laws, regulations and permits in the jurisdiction in which we operate. These requirements are a significant consideration for us as our operations involve, or may in the future involve, among other things, the removal, extraction and processing of natural resources, emission and discharge of materials into the environment, remediation of soil and groundwater contamination, workplace health and safety, reclamation and closure of waste impoundments and other properties, and handling, storage, transport and disposal of wastes and hazardous materials. Compliance with these laws, regulations and permits can require substantial capital or operating costs or otherwise delay, limit or prohibit our development or future operation of our properties. These laws, regulations and permits, and the enforcement and interpretation thereof, change frequently and generally have become more stringent over time. If we violate these environmental requirements, we may be subject to litigation, fines or other sanctions, including the revocation of permits and suspension of operations. Pursuant to such requirements, we also may be subject to inspections or reviews by governmental authorities.

Permits and Approvals

We were issued the major government approvals required to construct and operate the CLG facilities during 2017. While there are multiple approvals from multiple levels of government, the key government approval for the project is the MIA (Environmental Impact Assessment), issued in July 2017 and valid until 2041. As the mine plan changes, it may be necessary to conduct environmental studies and collect and present to governmental authorities data pertaining to the potential impact that our current or future operations may have upon the environment. Since the original MIA approval was granted in 2017, we have successfully achieved three amendments to the MIA approval to reflect changes to the mine plan and facilities.

We have the approvals necessary to extract the mineral reserve as described in the Los Gatos Technical Report with the exception of the operation of the fluorine leach project which was submitted for assessment during 2022. While there is no certainty on when or if the amendment will be successful, the rejection of this project would not be expected to materially impact economics of the CLG operation.

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Hazardous Substances and Waste Management

We could be liable for environmental contamination at or from our or our predecessors’ currently or formerly owned or operated properties or third-party waste disposal sites. Certain environmental laws impose joint and several strict liability for releases of hazardous substances at such properties or sites, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct. A generator of waste can be held responsible for contamination resulting from the treatment or disposal of such waste at any off-site location (such as a landfill), regardless of whether the generator arranged for the treatment or disposal of the waste in compliance with applicable laws. Costs associated with liability for removal or remediation of contamination or damage to natural resources could be substantial and liability under these laws may attach without regard to whether the responsible party knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of the contaminants. In addition to potentially significant investigation and remediation costs, such matters can give rise to claims from governmental authorities and other third parties for fines or penalties, natural resource damages, personal injury and property damage.

Mine Health and Safety Laws

All of our current properties are located in Mexico and are subject to regulation by the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, and are subject to various legislation in Mexico, including the Mining Law, the Federal Law of Waters, the Federal Labor Law, the Federal Law of Firearms and Explosives, the General Law on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection and the Federal Law on Metrology Standards, as well as the accompanying regulations and regulatory authorities. Mining, environmental and labor authorities may inspect our operations on a regular basis and issue various citations and orders when they believe a violation has occurred under the relevant statute. Regulations and the results of inspections may have a significant effect on our operating costs.

At this time, it is not possible to predict the full effect that the new or proposed statutes, regulations and policies will have on our operating costs, but it may increase our costs and those of our competitors.

Other Environmental Laws

We are required to comply with numerous other environmental laws, regulations and permits in addition to those previously discussed. These additional requirements include, for example, various permits regulating road construction and drilling at the Mexican properties.

We endeavor to conduct our mining operations in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. However, because of extensive and comprehensive regulatory requirements, violations during mining operations occur from time to time in the industry.

Facilities and Employees

We own and lease land at our other exploration properties in Mexico and at the LGD through our ownership interest in the LGJV.

As of January 31, 2023, we had two full-time employees in the United States, twelve full time employees in Canada and eight full-time employees in Mexico, and the LGJV had approximately 839 employees in Mexico. The LGJV had approximately 597 unionized employees in December 2022. We believe that our employee relations are good and plan to continue to hire employees as our operations expand at the LGJV. The health and safety of our employees and the employees of the LGJV is our highest priority, consistent with our business culture and values. In addition to tracking common lagging indicators, such as injury performance, we focus on leading indicators such as high potential incidents and safety observations, as well as other proactive actions taken at site to ensure worker safety. We are committed to operating in accordance with high ethical standards and believe this is a key motivational factor for our employees. In 2022, we updated our Code of Conduct as well as other core compliance policies and conducted training and compliance certification with all our employees and the employees of our wholly-owned subsidiaries. We continue to emphasize employee development and training to empower employees both at the corporate level and at the LGJV level to enhance employees’ potential and benefit the business. We leverage both formal and informal programs to identify, foster, and retain top talent at both the corporate and the LGJV level.

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Available Information

Our internet address is www.gatossilver.com. We make available free of charge through our investor relations website, https://investor.gatossilver.com, copies of our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as soon as reasonably practicable after such documents are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The information contained on our website is not included as a part of, or incorporated by reference into, this Report.

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Item 1A.  Risk Factors

The following risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flows, and results of operations, and the trading price of our common stock could decline. These risk factors do not identify all risks that we face; our operations could also be affected by factors that are not presently known to us or that we currently consider to be immaterial to our operations. Due to risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, our past financial results may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. Refer also to the other information set forth in this this Report, including our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

Risks Related to Our Financial Condition

We have a history of negative operating cash flows and net losses and we may not sustain profitability.

We have a history of negative operating cash flows and cumulative net losses. For the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, we reported a net loss of $43.4 million and $40.4 million, respectively, and negative operating cash flow of $21.5 million and $18.4 million, respectively.

We may not become profitable or sustain profitability. To remain profitable, we must succeed in generating significant revenues at the CLG, which will require us to be successful in a range of challenging activities and is subject to numerous risks, including the risk factors set forth in this “Risk Factors” section. In addition, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays, inflation and other unknown factors that may adversely affect our revenues, expenses and profitability. Our failure to achieve or sustain profitability would depress our market value, could impair our ability to execute our business plan, raise capital or continue our operations and could cause our shareholders to lose all or part of their investment.

We are currently dependent on the CLG and the LGD for our future operations. The LGD (other than the CLG) does not currently have proven or probable mineral reserves. We may not be able to extend the current CLG life of mine by adding proven or probable mineral reserves.

The LGD (other than the CLG) does not have identified proven and probable mineral reserves. Mineral exploration and development involve a high degree of risk that even a combination of careful evaluation, experience and knowledge cannot eliminate, and few properties that are explored are ultimately developed into producing mines. There is no assurance that our mineral exploration programs at the LGD will establish the presence of any additional proven or probable mineral reserves. The failure to establish additional proven or probable mineral reserves would severely restrict our ability to implement our strategies for long-term growth.

Deliveries under concentrate sales agreements may be suspended or cancelled by our customers in certain cases.

Under concentrate sales agreements, our customers may suspend or cancel delivery of our products in some cases, such as force majeure. Events of force majeure under these agreements generally include, among others, acts of God, strikes, fires, floods, wars, government actions or other events that are beyond the control of the parties involved. Any suspension or cancellation by our customers of deliveries under our sales contracts that are not replaced by deliveries under new contracts would reduce our cash flow and could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

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We do not currently intend to enter into hedging arrangements with respect to silver and other minerals and our hedging activities, or our decision not to hedge, with respect to our expenses could expose us to losses. We are also subject to risks relating to exchange rate fluctuations.

We do not currently intend to enter into hedging arrangements with respect to silver and other minerals. As such, we will not be protected from a decline in the price of silver and other minerals. This strategy may have a material adverse effect upon our financial performance, financial position and results of operations.

We report our financial statements in U.S. dollars. A portion of our costs and expenses are incurred in Mexican pesos and, to a lesser extent, Canadian dollars. As a result, any significant and sustained appreciation of these currencies against the U.S. dollar may materially increase our costs and expenses. Additionally, we are, and will be, exposed to the potentially adverse effects of fluctuations in input costs, and interest rates. We currently, however, do not have any hedging arrangements, and have not made a decision to do so in the future, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to do so on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we seek and are able to enter into hedging contracts, there is no assurance that such hedging program will be effective, and any hedging program would also prevent us from benefitting fully from applicable input cost or rate decreases. In addition, we may in the future experience losses if a counterparty fails to perform under a hedge arrangement.

We and/or the LGJV have historically had significant debt and may incur further debt in the future, which could adversely affect our and the LGJV’s financial health and limit our ability to obtain financing in the future and pursue certain business opportunities.

We have a Credit Facility providing for a revolving line of credit in the principal amount of $50 million and has an accordion feature, which allows for an increase in the total line of credit up to $75 million, subject to certain conditions. As of December 31, 2021, we had $13 million of outstanding indebtedness under the Credit Facility. The current balance outstanding under the Credit Facility is $9 million following a $4 million principal repayment in December 2022. The Credit Facility contains affirmative and negative covenants. If we are unable to comply with the requirements of the Credit Facility, the facility may be terminated or the credit available thereunder may be materially reduced, and we may not be able to obtain additional or alternate funding on satisfactory terms, if at all. In 2022, for example, we were required to revise our Credit Facility following our announcement on January 25, 2022 that there were reserve calculation errors and indications of an overestimation in the existing resource model for the CLG. See Note 11 — Debt in our consolidated financial statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information regarding our Credit Facility.

While the LGJV currently has no significant debt service obligations, the LGJV may in the future incur debt obligations and the above factors would apply to such debt. For more information, see “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Dowa Debt Agreements.”

The Company’s effective tax rate could be volatile and materially change as a result of changes in tax laws, mix of earnings and other factors.

We are subject to tax laws in the United States and foreign jurisdictions including Mexico and Canada. U.S. President Biden’s administration (the “Administration”) has called for changes to fiscal and tax policies, which may include comprehensive tax reform.

The Administration has previously proposed an increase in the U.S. corporate income tax rate from 21% to 28%, doubling the rate of tax on certain earnings of foreign subsidiaries, a 15% minimum tax on worldwide book income, and other various tax law changes. If any or all of these (or similar) proposals are enacted into law, in whole or in part, they could have a negative impact on the Company’s effective tax rate The Company operates in countries which have different statutory rates. Consequently, changes in the mix and source of earnings between countries could have a material impact on the Company’s overall effective tax rate.

The LGJV is subject to Mexican income and other taxes, and distributions from the LGJV are subject to Mexican withholding taxes. Any change in such taxes could materially adversely affect our effective tax rate and the quantum of cash available to be distributed to us.

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Risks Related to Our Operations

Mineral reserve and mineral resource calculations at the CLG and at other deposits in the LGD are only estimates and actual production results and future estimates may vary significantly from the current estimates.

Calculations of mineral reserves and mineral resources at the CLG and of mineral resources at other deposits in the LGD are only estimates and depend on geological interpretation and statistical inferences or assumptions drawn from drilling and sampling analysis, which might prove to be materially inaccurate. There is a degree of uncertainty attributable to the calculation of mineral reserves and mineral resources. Until mineral reserves and mineral resources are actually mined and processed, the quantity of metal and grades must be considered as estimates only and no assurance can be given that the indicated levels of metals will be produced. In making determinations about whether to advance any of our projects to development, we must rely upon estimated calculations for the mineral reserves and mineral resources and grades of mineralization on our properties.

The estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources is a subjective process that is partially dependent upon the judgment of the persons preparing the estimates. The process relies on the quantity and quality of available data and is based on knowledge, mining experience, statistical analysis of drilling results and industry practices. Valid estimates made at a given time may significantly change when new information becomes available.

Estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources may have to be recalculated based on changes in metal prices, further exploration or development activity or actual production experience. This could materially and adversely affect estimates of the volume or grade of mineralization, estimated recovery rates or other important factors that influence mineral reserves and mineral resources estimates. The extent to which mineral resources may ultimately be reclassified as mineral reserves is dependent upon the demonstration of their profitable recovery. Any material changes in volume and grades of mineralization will affect the economic viability of placing a property into production and a property’s return on capital. We cannot provide assurance that mineralization can be mined or processed profitably.

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Mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates have been determined and valued based on assumed future metal prices, cut-off grades and operating costs that may prove to be inaccurate. The mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates may be adversely affected by:

Extended declines in the market price for silver, lead and zinc may render portions of our mineralization uneconomic and result in reduced reported volume and grades, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position and results of operations.

In addition, inferred mineral resources have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and their economic and legal feasibility. There should be no assumption that any part of an inferred mineral resource will be upgraded to a higher category or that any of the mineral resources not already classified as mineral reserves will be reclassified as mineral reserves.

Our and the LGJV’s mineral exploration efforts are highly speculative in nature and may be unsuccessful.

Mineral exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many uncertainties and risks and is frequently unsuccessful. It is performed to demonstrate the dimensions, position and mineral characteristics of mineral deposits, estimate mineral resources, assess amenability of the deposit to mining and processing scenarios and estimate potential deposit value. Once mineralization is discovered, it may take a number of years from the initial exploration phases before production is possible, during which time the potential feasibility of the project may change adversely. Substantial expenditures are required to establish additional proven and probable mineral reserves, to determine processes to extract the metals and, if required, to permit and construct mining and processing facilities and obtain the rights to the land and resources required to develop the mining activities.

Development projects and newly constructed mines have no or little operating history upon which to base estimates of proven and probable mineral reserves and estimates of future operating costs. Estimates are, to a large extent, based upon the interpretation of geological data and modeling obtained from drill holes and other sampling techniques, feasibility studies that derive estimates of operating costs based upon anticipated tonnage and grades of material to be mined and processed, the configuration of the deposit, expected recovery rates of metal from the mill feed material, facility and equipment capital and operating costs, anticipated climatic conditions and other factors. As a result, actual operating costs and economic returns based upon development of proven and probable mineral reserves may differ significantly from those originally estimated. Moreover, significant decreases in actual or expected commodity prices may mean mineralization, once found, will be uneconomical to mine.

The ability to mine and process materials at the CLG or other future operations may be adversely impacted in certain circumstances, some of which may be unexpected and not in our control.

A number of factors could affect our ability to mine materials, and process the quantities of mined materials that we recover. Our ability to efficiently mine materials and to handle certain quantities of processed materials, including, but not limited to, the presence of oversized material at the crushing stage; material showing breakage characteristics different than those planned; material with grades outside of planned grade range; the presence of deleterious materials in ratios different than expected; material drier or wetter than expected, due to natural or environmental effects; and materials having viscosity or density different than expected.

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The occurrence of one or more of the circumstances described above could affect our ability to process the number of tonnes planned, recover valuable materials, remove deleterious materials, and produce planned quantities of concentrates. In turn, this may result in lower throughput, lower recoveries, increased downtime or some combination of all of the foregoing. While issues of this nature are part of normal operations, there is no assurance that unexpected conditions may not materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.

Our ability to efficiently mine materials at the CLG is also affected by the hydrogeology of areas within the mine, which requires the installation of dewatering infrastructure to manage underground water. As the mine expands, additional infrastructure will be required. Existing dewatering infrastructure may be ineffective at managing underground water, and although additional capital for dewatering infrastructure is contemplated in the LOM plan included in the Los Gatos Technical Report, further dewatering infrastructure may be more costly than planned or may otherwise be ineffective.

Actual capital costs, operating costs, production and economic returns may differ significantly from those we have anticipated and there are no assurances that any future development activities will result in profitable mining operations.

The actual capital and operating costs at the CLG will depend upon changes in the availability and prices of labor, equipment and infrastructure, variances in ore recovery and mining rates from those assumed in the mining plan, operational risks, changes in governmental regulation, including taxation, environmental, permitting and other regulations and other factors, many of which are beyond our control. Due to any of these or other factors, the capital and operating costs at the CLG may be significantly higher than those set forth in the Los Gatos Technical Report. As a result of higher capital and operating costs, production and economic returns may differ significantly from those set forth in the Los Gatos Technical Report and there are no assurances that any future development activities will result in profitable mining operations.

Land reclamation and mine closure may be burdensome and costly and such costs may exceed our estimates.

Land reclamation and mine closure requirements are generally imposed on mining and exploration companies, such as ours, which require us, among other things, to minimize the effects of land disturbance. Such requirements may include controlling the discharge of potentially dangerous effluents from a site and restoring a site’s landscape to its pre-exploration form. The actual costs of reclamation and mine closure are uncertain and planned expenditures may differ from the actual expenditures required. Therefore, the amount that we are required to spend could be materially higher than current estimates. Any additional amounts required to be spent on reclamation and mine closure may have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position and results of operations and may cause us to alter our operations. In addition, we are required to maintain financial assurances, such as letters of credit, to secure reclamation obligations under certain laws and regulations. The failure to acquire, maintain or renew such financial assurances could subject us to fines and penalties or suspension of our operations. Letters of credit or other forms of financial assurance represent only a portion of the total amount of money that will be spent on reclamation over the life of a mine’s operation. Although we include liabilities for estimated reclamation and mine closure costs in our financial statements, it may be necessary to spend more than what is projected to fund required reclamation and mine closure activities.

The development of one or more of our mineral projects that have been, or may in the future be, found to be economically feasible will be subject to all of the risks associated with establishing new mining operations.

The Los Gatos Technical Report indicates that the CLG is a profitable silver-zinc-lead project with an estimated 5-year mine life currently, at modeled metals prices. If the development of one of our other mineral properties is found to be economically feasible, the development of such projects will require obtaining permits and financing, and the construction and operation of mines, processing plants and related infrastructure. As a result, we will be subject to certain risks associated with establishing new mining operations, including:

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The costs, timing and complexities of developing the projects may be greater than anticipated. Cost estimates may increase significantly as more detailed engineering work is completed on a project. It is common in mining operations to experience unexpected costs, problems and delays during construction, development and mine startup. In addition, the cost of producing silver bearing concentrates that are of acceptable quality to smelters may be significantly higher than expected. We may encounter higher than acceptable contaminants in our concentrates such as arsenic, antimony, mercury, copper, iron, selenium, fluorine or other contaminants that, when present in high concentrations, can result in penalties or outright rejection of the metals concentrates by the smelters or traders. For example, due to the high fluorine content at the CLG, a leaching plant is under construction to reduce fluorine levels in zinc concentrates produced. Additional investments to further reduce fluorine content of the concentrates produced may be required. Accordingly, we cannot provide assurance that our activities will result in profitable mining operations at the mineral properties.

Our operations involve significant risks and hazards inherent to the mining industry.

Our operations involve the operation of large machines, heavy mobile equipment and drilling equipment. Hazards such as adverse environmental conditions, industrial accidents, labor disputes, unusual or unexpected geological conditions, ground control problems, cave-ins, changes in the regulatory environment, metallurgical and other processing problems, mechanical equipment failure, facility performance problems, fire and natural phenomena such as inclement weather conditions, floods and earthquakes are inherent risks in our operations. Certain of these hazards may be more severe or frequent as a result of climate change. Hazards inherent to the mining industry have in the past caused and may in the future cause injuries or death to employees, contractors or other persons at our mineral properties, severe damage to and destruction of our property, plant and equipment, and contamination of, or damage to, the environment, and can result in the suspension of our exploration activities and future development and production activities. While we aim to maintain best safety practices as part of its culture, safety measures implemented by us may not be successful in preventing or mitigating future accidents.

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In addition, from time to time we may be subject to governmental investigations and claims and litigation filed on behalf of persons who are harmed while at our properties or otherwise in connection with our operations. To the extent that we are subject to personal injury or other claims or lawsuits in the future, it may not be possible to predict the ultimate outcome of these claims and lawsuits due to the nature of personal injury litigation. Similarly, if we are subject to governmental investigations or proceedings, we may incur significant penalties and fines, and enforcement actions against us could result in the closing of certain of our mining operations. If claims and lawsuits or governmental investigations or proceedings are ultimately resolved against us, it could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position and results of operations. Also, if we mine on property without the appropriate licenses and approvals, we could incur liability, or our operations could be suspended.

We may be materially and adversely affected by challenges relating to slope and stability of underground openings.

Our underground mines get deeper and our waste and tailings deposits increase in size as we continue with and expand our mining activities, presenting certain geotechnical challenges, including the possibility of failure of underground openings. If we are required to reinforce such openings or take additional actions to prevent such a failure, we could incur additional expenses, and our operations and stated mineral reserves could be negatively affected. We have taken the actions we determined to be proper in order to maintain the stability of underground openings, but additional action may be required in the future. Unexpected failures or additional requirements to prevent such failures may adversely affect our costs and expose us to health and safety and other liabilities in the event of an accident, and in turn materially and adversely affect the results of our operations and financial condition, as well as potentially have the effect of diminishing our stated mineral reserves.

The title to some of the mineral properties may be uncertain or defective, and we may be unable to obtain necessary surface and other rights to explore and develop some mineral properties, thus risking our investment in such properties.

Under the laws of Mexico, mineral resources belong to the state, and government concessions are required to explore for or exploit mineral reserves. Mineral rights derive from concessions granted, on a discretionary basis, by the Ministry of Economy, pursuant to the Mexican mining law and the regulations thereunder. While we and the LGJV hold title to the mineral properties in Mexico described in this Report, including the CLG, through these government concessions, there is no assurance that title to the concessions comprising the CLG or our or the LGJV’s other properties will not be challenged or impaired. One of our concessions, comprising over 19,000 hectares, the Los Gatos concession, is held by us subject to the terms of an agreement with the original holder of that concession. The CLG and our or the LGJV’s other properties may be subject to prior unregistered agreements, interests or native land claims, and title may be affected by such undetected defects. A title defect on any of our mineral properties (or any portion thereof) could adversely affect our ability to mine the property and/or process the minerals that we mine.

The mineral properties’ mining concessions in Mexico may be terminated if the obligations to maintain the concessions in good standing are not satisfied or are not considered to be satisfied, including obligations to explore or exploit the relevant concession, to pay any relevant fees, to comply with all environmental and safety standards, to provide information to the Mexican Ministry of Economy and to allow inspections by the Mexican Ministry of Economy. In addition to termination, failure to make timely concession maintenance payments and otherwise comply, or be considered to comply with applicable laws, regulations and local practices relating to mineral right applications and tenure could result in reduction or expropriation of entitlements.

Title insurance is generally not available for mineral properties and our ability to ensure that we have obtained secure claim to individual mineral properties or mining concessions may be severely constrained. We rely on title information and/or representations and warranties provided by our grantors. Any challenge to our title could result in litigation, insurance claims and potential losses, delay the exploration and development of a property and ultimately result in the loss of some or all of our interest in the property. In addition, if we mine on property without the appropriate title, we could incur liability for such activities. While we have received a title opinion in relation to the LGD dated as of November 5, 2019, which opinion was updated as of August 18, 2021, such opinion is not a guarantee of title and such title may be challenged.

In addition, surface rights are required to explore and to potentially develop the mineral properties. Currently, of the 103,087 hectares of mineral rights owned in the LGD, MPR owns surface rights covering the known extents of the CLG, and Esther Resource areas, totaling 5,479 hectares. We negotiate surface access rights for exploration in other areas.

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Suitable infrastructure may not be available or damage to existing infrastructure may occur.

Mining, processing, development and exploration activities depend on adequate infrastructure. Reliable roads, bridges, port and/or rail transportation, power sources, water supply and access to key consumables are important determinants for capital and operating costs. The lack of availability on acceptable terms or the delay in the availability of any one or more of these items could prevent or delay exploration, development or exploitation of our projects. If adequate infrastructure is not available in a timely manner, there can be no assurance that the exploitation or development of our projects will be commenced or completed on a timely basis, or at all, or that the resulting operations will achieve the anticipated production volume, or that the construction costs and operating costs associated with the exploitation and/or development of our projects will not be higher than anticipated. In addition, extreme weather phenomena, sabotage, vandalism, government, non-governmental organization and community or other interference in the maintenance or provision of such infrastructure could adversely affect our operations and profitability.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

The prices of silver, zinc and lead are subject to change and a substantial or extended decline in the prices of silver, zinc or lead could materially and adversely affect revenues of the LGJV and the value of our mineral properties.

Our business and financial performance will be significantly affected by fluctuations in the prices of silver, zinc and lead. The prices of silver, zinc and lead are volatile, can fluctuate substantially and are affected by numerous factors that are beyond our control. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the London Bullion Market Association (“LBMA”) silver price ranged from a low of $21.53 per ounce on September 30, 2021 to a high of $29.59 per ounce on February 1, 2021; the London Metals Exchange (“LME”) Official Settlement zinc price ranged from a low of $2,539 per tonne ($1.15 per pound) on February 2, 2021 to a high of $3,815 per tonne ($1.73 per pound) on October 18, 2021; the LME Official Settlement lead price ranged from a low of $1,896 per tonne ($0.86 per pound) on March 18, 2021 to a high of $2,504 per tonne ($1.14 per pound) on August 18, 2021. For the year ended December 31, 2022, the LBMA silver price ranged from a low of $17.77 per ounce on September 1, 2022 to a high of $26.18 per ounce on March 9, 2022; the LME Official Settlement zinc price ranged from a low of $2,682 per tonne ($1.22 per pound) on November 3, 2022 to a high of $4,530 per tonne ($2.05 per pound) on April 19, 2022; the LME Official Settlement lead price ranged from a low of $1,754 per tonne ($0.80 per pound) on September 27, 2022 to a high of $2,513 per tonne ($1.14 per pound) on March 7, 2022. Prices are affected by numerous factors beyond our control, including:

Because the LGJV expects to derive the substantial majority of our revenues from sales of silver, zinc and lead, its results of operations and cash flows will fluctuate as the prices for these metals increase or decrease. A sustained period of declining prices would materially and adversely affect our financial performance, financial position and results of operations.

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Changes in the future demand for the silver, zinc and lead we produce could adversely affect future sales volume and revenues of the LGJV and our earnings.

The LGJV’s future revenues and our earnings will depend, in substantial part, on the volume of silver, zinc and lead we sell and the prices at which we sell, which in turn will depend on the level of industrial and consumer demand. Based on 2021 data from the Silver Institute, demand for silver is driven by industrial demand (including photovoltaic, electrical and electronics) (c. 48%), bar and coin demand (c. 27%) jewelry and silverware (c. 21%) and other demand, especially photography (c 4%). An increase in the production of silver worldwide or changes in technology, industrial processes or consumer habits, including increased demand for substitute materials, may decrease the demand for silver. Increased demand for substitute materials may be either technologically induced, when technological improvements render alternative products more attractive for first use or end use than silver or allow for reduced application of silver, or price induced, when a sustained increase in the price of silver leads to partial substitution for silver by a less expensive product or reduced application of silver. Demand for zinc is primarily driven by the demand for galvanized steel, used in construction, automobile and other industrial applications. Demand for lead is primarily driven by the demand for batteries, used in vehicles, emergency systems and other industrial battery applications. Any substitution of these materials may decrease the demand for the silver, zinc and lead we produce. A fall in demand, resulting from economic slowdowns or recessions or other factors, could also decrease the price and volume of silver, zinc and lead we sell and therefore materially and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. Increases in the supply of silver, zinc and lead, including from new mining sources or increased recycling (driven by technological changes, pricing incentives or otherwise) may act to suppress the market prices for these commodities.

We are subject to the risk of labor disputes, which could adversely affect our business, and which risk may be increased due to the unionization in the LGJV workforce.

Although we have not experienced any significant labor disputes in recent years, there can be no assurances that we will not experience labor disputes in the future, including protests, blockades and strikes, which could disrupt our business operations and have an adverse effect on our business and results of operation. Although we consider our relations with our employees to be good, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain a satisfactory working relationship with our employees in the future. The LGJV’s hourly work force is unionized, which may increase the risk of such disruptions. In addition, the unionized workforce, or further unionization of the workforce, may, among other things, require more extensive human resources staff, increase legal costs, increase involvement with regulatory agencies, result in lost workforce flexibility, and increase labor costs due to rules, grievances and arbitration proceedings.

Our success depends on developing and maintaining relationships with local communities and stakeholders.

Our ongoing and future success depends on developing and maintaining productive relationships with the communities surrounding our operations, including local indigenous people who may have rights or may assert rights to certain of our properties, and other stakeholders in our operating locations. We believe our operations can provide valuable benefits to surrounding communities in terms of direct employment, training and skills development and other benefits associated with ongoing payment of taxes. In addition, we seek to maintain partnerships and relationships with local communities. Notwithstanding our ongoing efforts, local communities and stakeholders can become dissatisfied with our activities or the level of benefits provided, which may result in legal or administrative proceedings, civil unrest, protests, direct action or campaigns against us. Any such occurrence could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected our business and operations. The widespread outbreak of any other health pandemics, epidemics, communicable diseases or public health crises could also adversely affect us, particularly in regions where we conduct our business operations.

Our business could be adversely affected by the widespread outbreak of a health epidemic, communicable disease or any other public health crisis.

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For example, the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily affected our financial condition in 2020, in part due to the loss of revenue resulting from the 45-day temporary suspension of all nonessential activities at the LGJV’s CLG site and the expenses associated with the development and implementation of COVID-19 protocols. In addition, as the LGJV reactivated mine development and mining, it implemented a scalable optimized plan with a lower employee complement and with reduced average monthly production rate at 1,750 tpd until September 2020, targeting higher ore grades. This resulted in higher per tonne mining, processing and sustaining capital costs than previously anticipated. The LGJV began ramping up to the 2,500 tpd design capacity beginning in September 2020 and achieved this goal in late December 2020.

Any prolonged disruption of our or the LGJV’s operations and closures of facilities resulting from health pandemic, epidemics communicable diseases or public health crises would delay our current exploration and production timelines and negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and may heighten the other risk factors discussed in this “Risk Factors” section.

The mining industry is very competitive.

The mining industry is very competitive. Much of our competition is from larger, established mining companies with greater liquidity, greater access to credit and other financial resources, newer or more efficient equipment, lower cost structures, more effective risk management policies and procedures and/or a greater ability than us to withstand losses. Our competitors may be able to respond more quickly to new laws or regulations or emerging technologies or devote greater resources to the expansion or efficiency of their operations than we can. In addition, current and potential competitors may make strategic acquisitions or establish cooperative relationships among themselves or with third parties. Accordingly, it is possible that new competitors or alliances among current and new competitors may emerge and gain significant market share to our detriment. We may not be able to compete successfully against current and future competitors, and any failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We are subject to class action lawsuits.

We are currently subject to class actions lawsuits. See Note 10—Commitments, Contingencies and Guarantees in our consolidated financial statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for additional information regarding our assessment of contingencies related to legal matters. See also “Item 3. Legal Proceedings.” Such actions subject us to significant costs, which may not be adequately covered by insurance, divert management’s time and attention from our operations and reduce our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. Our inability to successfully defend against such actions could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition.

Our insurance may not provide adequate coverage.

Our business and operations are subject to a number of risks and hazards, including, but not limited to, adverse environmental conditions, industrial accidents, labor disputes, unusual or unexpected geological conditions, ground control problems, cave-ins, changes in the regulatory environment, metallurgical and other processing problems, mechanical equipment failure, facility performance problems, fires and natural phenomena such as inclement weather conditions, floods and earthquakes. These risks could result in damage to, or destruction of, our mineral properties or production facilities, personal injury or death, environmental damage, delays in exploration, mining or processing, increased production costs, asset write downs, monetary losses and legal liability.

Our property and liability insurance may not provide sufficient coverage for losses related to these or other hazards. Insurance against certain risks, including those related to environmental matters or other hazards resulting from exploration and production, is generally not available to us or to other companies within the mining industry. Our current insurance coverage may not continue to be available at economically feasible premiums, or at all. In addition, our business interruption insurance relating to our properties has long waiting periods before coverage begins. Accordingly, delays in returning to any future production could produce near-term severe impact to our business. Our director and officer liability insurance may be insufficient to cover losses from claims relating to matters for which directors and officers are indemnified by us or for which we are determined to be directly responsible, and regardless may be subject to significant retentions or deductibles, including current class action lawsuits. See “Item 3. Legal Proceedings.” Any losses from these events may cause us to incur significant costs that could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position and results of operations.

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Our business is sensitive to nature and climate conditions.

A number of governments have introduced or are moving to introduce climate change legislation and treaties at the international, national, state/provincial and local levels. Regulations relating to emission levels (such as carbon taxes) and energy efficiency are becoming more stringent. If the current regulatory trend continues, this may result in increased costs at some or all of our business locations. In addition, the physical risks of climate change may also have an adverse effect on our operations. Extreme weather events have the potential to disrupt our power supply, surface operations and exploration at our mines and may require us to make additional expenditures to mitigate the impact of such events.

If we are unable to retain key members of management, our business might be harmed.

Our exploration activities and any future development and construction or mining and processing activities depend to a significant extent on the continued service and performance of our senior management team, including our Chief Executive Officer. We depend on a relatively small number of key officers, and we currently do not, and do not intend to, have key-person insurance for these individuals. Departures by members of our senior management could have a negative impact on our business, as we may not be able to find suitable personnel to replace departing management on a timely basis, or at all. The loss of any member of our senior management team could impair our ability to execute our business plan and could, therefore, have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. In addition, the international mining industry is very active and we are facing increased competition for personnel in all disciplines and areas of operation. There is no assurance that we will be able to attract and retain personnel to sufficiently staff our development and operating teams.

We may fail to identify attractive acquisition candidates or joint ventures with strategic partners or may fail to successfully integrate acquired mineral properties or successfully manage joint ventures.

As part of our development strategy, we may acquire additional mineral properties or enter into joint ventures with strategic partners. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify attractive acquisition or joint venture candidates in the future or that we will succeed at effectively managing their integration or operation. In particular, significant and increasing competition exists for mineral acquisition opportunities throughout the world. We face strong competition from other mining companies in connection with the acquisition of properties producing, or capable of producing, metals as well as in entering into joint ventures with other parties. If the expected synergies from such transactions do not materialize or if we fail to integrate them successfully into our existing business or operate them successfully with our joint venture partners, or if there are unexpected liabilities, our results of operations could be adversely affected.

Pursuant to the Unanimous Omnibus Partner Agreement, which governs our and Dowa’s respective rights over the LGJV, we and Dowa must jointly approve certain major decisions involving the LGJV, including decisions relating to the merger, amalgamation or restructuring of the LGJV and key strategic decisions, including with respect to expansion, among others. If we are unable to obtain the consent of Dowa, we may be unable to make decisions relating to the LGJV that we believe are beneficial for its operations, which may materially and adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.

In connection with any future acquisitions or joint ventures, we may incur indebtedness or issue equity securities, resulting in increased interest expense or dilution of the percentage ownership of existing shareholders. Unprofitable acquisitions or joint ventures, or additional indebtedness or issuances of securities in connection with such acquisitions or joint ventures, may adversely affect the price of our common stock and negatively affect our results of operations.

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Our information technology systems may be vulnerable to disruption, which could place our systems at risk from data loss, operational failure or compromise of confidential information.

We rely on various information technology systems. These systems remain vulnerable to disruption, damage or failure from a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, errors by employees or contractors, computer viruses, cyberattacks, including phishing, ransomware, and similar malware, misappropriation of data by outside parties, and various other threats. Techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or sabotage our systems are under continuous and rapid evolution, and we may be unable to detect efforts to disrupt our data and systems in advance. Breaches and unauthorized access carry the potential to cause losses of assets or production, operational delays, equipment failure that could cause other risks to be realized, inaccurate recordkeeping, or disclosure of confidential information, any of which could result in financial losses and regulatory or legal exposure, and could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, financial condition or results of operations. Although to date we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyberattacks or other information security breaches, there can be no assurance that we will not incur such losses in the future. Our risk and exposure to these matters cannot be fully mitigated because of, among other things, the evolving nature of these threats. As such threats continue to evolve, we may be required to expend additional resources to modify or enhance any protective measures or to investigate and remediate any security vulnerabilities.

Our directors may have conflicts of interest as a result of their relationships with other mining companies.

Our directors are also directors, officers and shareholders of other companies that are similarly engaged in the business of developing and exploiting natural resource properties. Consequently, there is a possibility that our directors may be in a position of conflict in the future.

We are required to establish and maintain proper and effective internal controls over financial reporting. We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to remediate these deficiencies (or fail to identify and/or remediate other possible material weaknesses), we may be unable to accurately report our results of operations, meet our reporting obligations or prevent fraud, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and, as a result, the value of our common stock.

Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Under standards established by the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis.

We are required, pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting for fiscal year 2021. This assessment includes disclosure of any material weaknesses identified by our management in our internal controls over financial reporting. Additionally, we are required to disclose changes made in our internal controls and procedures on a quarterly basis.

However, for as long as we are an emerging growth company, or a smaller reporting company that is a non-accelerated filer, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b). At such time, this attestation will be required, our independent registered public accounting firm may issue a report that is adverse in the event it is not satisfied with the level at which our controls are documented, designed or operating. Our remediation efforts may not enable us to avoid a material weakness in the future. We may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff.

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We have disclosed that, in connection with our ongoing review of the mineral reserve reporting errors and our preparation of our 2021 annual financial statements and our 2022 interim financial statements, we have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting. We determined that the material weaknesses relate to our failure to design and maintain (i) an effective control environment commensurate with the financial reporting requirements of a public company in the United States and Canada, and (ii) effective controls over the assessment of certain key assumptions, inputs and outputs contained in our 2020 Technical Report. We are continuing to assess the impact of these material weaknesses and whether any other material weaknesses exist. We expect to provide additional information in our upcoming public reports. On January 9, 2023, we engaged a third-party expert to assist management in documenting key processes related to our internal control environment, designing and implementing an effective risk assessment and monitoring program to identify risks of material misstatements and ensuring that the internal controls have been appropriately designed to address and effectively monitor identified risks.

In connection with our review of the internal control structure related to the preparation of the financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, we identified the following material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting:

These control deficiencies did not result in errors that were material to our historical financial statements. However, these control deficiencies could result in a misstatement in our accounts or disclosures that would result in a material misstatement to our financial statements that would not be prevented or detected. Accordingly, we determined that these control deficiencies constitute material weaknesses.

We are in the process of implementing measures designed to improve our internal control over financial reporting and remediate the control deficiencies that led to the material weaknesses described above. To date, we have:

As noted above we have engaged a third-party expert to assist management in documenting key processes related to our internal control environment, designing and implementing an effective risk assessment and monitoring program to identify risks of material misstatements and ensuring that our internal controls have been appropriately designed to address and effectively monitor identified risks.

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We have incurred costs in connection with our efforts to remediate these material weaknesses, and we may incur additional costs in the future. Neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm have tested the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and we cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully remediate the material weaknesses described above. Even if we successfully remediate such material weaknesses, we cannot provide any assurance that we will not suffer from these or other material weaknesses in the future.

Our remediation efforts may not enable us to avoid a material weakness in the future. We may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring additional accounting or internal audit staff. If we continue to be unable to assert that our internal controls over financial reporting are effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of our internal controls to the extent required, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, which could cause the price of our common stock to decline, and we may be subject to investigation or sanctions by the SEC.

Risks Related to Government Regulations

The Mexican government, as well as local governments, extensively regulate mining operations, which impose significant actual and potential costs on us, and future regulation could increase those costs, delay receipt of regulatory refunds or limit our ability to produce silver and other metals.

The mining industry is subject to increasingly strict regulation by federal, state and local authorities in Mexico, and other jurisdictions in which we may operate, including in relation to:

The liabilities and requirements associated with the laws and regulations related to these and other matters, including with respect to air emissions, water discharges and other environmental matters, may be costly and time consuming and may restrict, delay or prevent commencement or continuation of exploration or production operations. There can be no assurance that we have been or will be at all times in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Failure to comply with, or the assertion that we have failed to comply with, applicable laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of cleanup and site restoration costs and liens, the issuance of injunctions to limit or cease operations, the suspension or revocation of permits or authorizations and other enforcement measures that could have the effect of limiting or preventing production from our operations. We may incur material costs and liabilities resulting from claims for damages to property or injury to persons arising from our operations. If we are pursued for sanctions, costs and liabilities in respect of these matters, our mining operations and, as a result, our financial performance, financial position and results of operations, could be materially and adversely affected.

Any new legislation or administrative regulations or new judicial interpretations or administrative enforcement of existing laws and regulations that would further regulate and tax the mining industry may also require us to change operations significantly or incur increased costs. Such changes could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position and results of operations.

Our Mexican properties are subject to regulation by the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States, and are subject to various legislation in Mexico, including the Mining Law, the Federal Law of Waters, the Federal Labor Law, the Federal Law of Firearms and Explosives, the General Law on Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection and the Federal Law on Metrology Standards. Our operations at our Mexican properties also require us to obtain local authorizations and, under the Agrarian Law, to comply with the uses and customs of communities located within the properties. Mining, environmental and labor authorities may inspect our Mexican operations on a regular basis and issue various citations and orders when they believe a violation has occurred under the relevant statute.

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If inspections in Mexico result in an actual or alleged violation, we may be subject to fines, penalties or sanctions, our mining operations could be subject to temporary or extended closures, and we may be required to incur capital expenditures to recommence our operations. Any of these actions could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position and results of operations.

Our operations are subject to additional political, economic and other uncertainties not generally associated with U.S. operations.

We currently have two properties in Mexico: the LGD, which the LGJV controls, and the Santa Valeria property, which is owned 100% by us. Our operations are subject to significant risks inherent in exploration and resource extraction by foreign companies in Mexico. Exploration, development, production and closure activities in Mexico are potentially subject to heightened political, economic, regulatory and social risks that are beyond our control. These risks include:

Local economic conditions also can increase costs and adversely affect the security of our operations and the availability of skilled workers and supplies. Higher incidences of criminal activity and violence in the area of some of our properties could adversely affect the LGJV’s ability to operate in an optimal fashion or at all, and may impose greater risks of theft and higher costs, which would adversely affect results of operations and cash flows.

Acts of civil disobedience are common in Mexico. In recent years, many mining companies have been targets of actions to restrict their legally entitled access to mining concessions or property. Such acts of civil disobedience often occur with no warning and can result in significant direct and indirect costs. We cannot provide assurance that there will be no disruptions to site access in the future, which could adversely affect our business.

Local and regional meteorological conditions can increase our operating costs and adversely affect our ability to mine and process ore. Such inclement conditions, including severe precipitation events, extremely high winds or wildfires could directly impact our surface operations. Northern Mexico is highly dependent upon natural gas from Texas to generate power. Regional inclement weather conditions in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, or Texas, could adversely impact our ability to maintain sufficient power from the national Mexico power grid. The CLG project was designed to allow the mine and processing plant to operate independently. The project has diesel-powered generators with sufficient capacity to maintain power to the residential camp, surface administrative facilities and the underground mine but not the processing plant. During such events, our ability to mine and process at design capacities could become constrained.

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The right to export silver-bearing concentrates and other metals may depend on obtaining certain licenses, which could be delayed or denied at the discretion of the relevant regulatory authorities, or meeting certain quotas. The United States and Mexico began implementation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020. The United States and Mexico, and any other country in which we may operate in the future, could alter their trade agreements, including terminating trade agreements, instituting economic sanctions on individuals, corporations or countries, and introducing other government regulations affecting trade between the United States and other countries. It may be time-consuming and expensive for us to alter our operations in order to adapt to or comply with any such changes. If the United States were to withdraw from or materially modify international trade agreements to which it is a party, or if other countries imposed or increased tariffs on the minerals we may extract in the future, the costs of such products could increase significantly. Any of these conditions could lead to lower productivity and higher costs, which would adversely affect our financial performance, financial position and results of operations. Generally, our operations may be affected in varying degrees by changing government regulations in the United States and/or Mexico with respect to, but not limited to, restrictions on production, price controls, export controls, currency remittance, importation of products and supplies, income and other taxes, royalties, the repatriation of profits, expropriation of mineral property, foreign investment, maintenance of concessions, licenses, approvals and permit, environmental matters, land use, land claims of local indigenous people and workplace safety.

Such developments could require us to curtail or terminate operations at our mineral properties in Mexico, incur significant costs to meet newly imposed environmental or other standards, pay greater royalties or higher prices for labor or services and recognize higher taxes, which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition. Furthermore, failure to comply strictly with applicable laws, regulations and local practices could result in loss, reduction or expropriation of licenses, or the imposition of additional local or foreign parties as joint venture partners with carried or other interests.

We continue to monitor developments and policies in Mexico and assess the impact thereof on our operations; however, such developments cannot be accurately predicted and could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We are required to obtain, maintain and renew environmental, construction and mining permits, which is often a costly and time-consuming process and may ultimately not be possible.

Mining companies, including ours, need many environmental, construction and mining permits, each of which can be time consuming and costly to obtain, maintain and renew. In connection with our current and future operations, we must obtain and maintain a number of permits that impose strict conditions, requirements and obligations, including those relating to various environmental and health and safety matters. To obtain, maintain and renew certain permits, we have been and may in the future be required to conduct environmental studies, and make associated presentations to governmental authorities, pertaining to the potential impact of our current and future operations upon the environment and to take steps to avoid or mitigate those impacts. Permit terms and conditions can impose restrictions on how we conduct our operations and limit our flexibility in developing our mineral properties. Many of our permits are subject to renewal from time to time, and applications for renewal may be denied or the renewed permits may contain more restrictive conditions than our existing permits, including those governing impacts on the environment. We may be required to obtain new permits to expand our operations, and the grant of such permits may be subject to an expansive governmental review of our operations. We may not be successful in obtaining such permits, which could prevent us from commencing, continuing or expanding operations or otherwise adversely affect our business. Renewal of existing permits or obtaining new permits may be more difficult if we are not able to comply with our existing permits. Applications for permits, permit area expansions and permit renewals can also be subject to challenge by interested parties, which can delay or prevent receipt of needed permits. The permitting process can vary by jurisdiction in terms of its complexity and likely outcomes. The applicable laws and regulations, and the related judicial interpretations and enforcement policies, change frequently, which can make it difficult for us to obtain and renew permits and to comply with applicable requirements. Accordingly, permits required for our operations may not be issued, maintained or renewed in a timely fashion or at all, may be issued or renewed upon conditions that restrict our ability to conduct our operations economically, or may be subsequently revoked. Any such failure to obtain, maintain or renew permits, or other permitting delays or conditions, including in connection with any environmental impact analyses, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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In regard to the CLG, the LGD and other Mexican projects, Mexico has adopted laws and guidelines for environmental permitting that are similar to those in effect in the United States and South American countries. We are currently operating under permits regulating mining, processing, use of explosives, water use and discharge and surface disturbance in relation to the LGD and the Santa Valeria property. We will be required to apply for corresponding authorizations prior to any production at our other Mexican properties and there can be no certainty as to whether, or the terms under which, such authorizations will be granted or renewed. Any failure to obtain authorizations and permits, or other authorization or permitting delays or conditions, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to environmental and health and safety laws, regulations and permits that may subject us to material costs, liabilities and obligations.

We are subject to environmental laws, regulations and permits in the various jurisdictions in which we operate, including those relating to, among other things, the removal and extraction of natural resources, the emission and discharge of materials into the environment, including plant and wildlife protection, remediation of soil and groundwater contamination, reclamation and closure of properties, including tailings and waste storage facilities, groundwater quality and availability, and the handling, storage, transport and disposal of wastes and hazardous materials. Pursuant to such requirements, we may be subject to inspections or reviews by governmental authorities. Failure to comply with these environmental requirements may expose us to litigation, fines or other sanctions, including the revocation of permits and suspension of operations. We expect to continue to incur significant capital and other compliance costs related to such requirements. These laws, regulations and permits, and the enforcement and interpretation thereof, change frequently and generally have become more stringent over time. If our noncompliance with such regulations were to result in a release of hazardous materials into the environment, such as soil or groundwater, we could be required to remediate such contamination, which could be costly. Moreover, noncompliance could subject us to private claims for property damage or personal injury based on exposure to hazardous materials or unsafe working conditions. In addition, changes in applicable requirements or stricter interpretation of existing requirements may result in costly compliance requirements or otherwise subject us to future liabilities. The occurrence of any of the foregoing, as well as any new environmental, health and safety laws and regulations applicable to our business or stricter interpretation or enforcement of existing laws and regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We could be liable for any environmental contamination at, under or released from our or our predecessors’ currently or formerly owned or operated properties or third-party waste disposal sites. Certain environmental laws impose joint and several strict liability for releases of hazardous substances at such properties or sites, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct. A generator of waste can be held responsible for contamination resulting from the treatment or disposal of such waste at any offsite location (such as a landfill), regardless of whether the generator arranged for the treatment or disposal of the waste in compliance with applicable laws. Costs associated with liability for removal or remediation of contamination or damage to natural resources could be substantial and liability under these laws may attach without regard to whether the responsible party knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of the contaminants. Accordingly, we may be held responsible for more than our share of the contamination or other damages, up to and including the entire amount of such damages. In addition to potentially significant investigation and remediation costs, such matters can give rise to claims from governmental authorities and other third parties, including for orders, inspections, fines or penalties, natural resource damages, personal injury, property damage, toxic torts and other damages.

Our costs, liabilities and obligations relating to environmental matters could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position and results of operations.

We may be responsible for anti-corruption and anti-bribery law violations.

Our operations are governed by, and involve interactions with, various levels of government in foreign countries. We are required to comply with anticorruption and antibribery laws, including the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act (Canada) and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (together, the “Corruption Legislation ”) and similar laws in Mexico. These laws generally prohibit companies and company employees from engaging in bribery or other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. The Corruption Legislation also requires companies to maintain accurate books and records and internal controls. Because our interests are located in Mexico, there is a risk of potential Corruption Legislation violations.

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In recent years, there has been a general increase in both the frequency of enforcement and the severity of penalties under such laws, resulting in greater scrutiny and punishment to companies convicted of violating anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws. A company may be found liable for violations by not only its employees, but also by its contractors and third-party agents. Our internal procedures and programs may not always be effective in ensuring that we, our employees, contractors or third-party agents will comply strictly with all such applicable laws. If we become subject to an enforcement action or we are found to be in violation of such laws, this may have a material adverse effect on our reputation and may possibly result in significant penalties or sanctions, and may have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, financial condition or results of operations.

We may be required by human rights laws to take actions that delay our operations or the advancement of our projects.

Various international and national laws, codes, resolutions, conventions, guidelines and other materials relate to human rights (including rights with respect to health and safety and the environment surrounding our operations). Many of these materials impose obligations on government and companies to respect human rights. Some mandate that governments consult with communities surrounding our projects regarding government actions that may affect local stakeholders, including actions to approve or grant mining rights or permits. The obligations of government and private parties under the various international and national materials pertaining to human rights continue to evolve and be defined. One or more groups of people may oppose our current and future operations or further development or new development of our projects or operations. Such opposition may be directed through legal or administrative proceedings or expressed in manifestations such as protests, roadblocks or other forms of public expression against our activities, and may have a negative impact on our reputation. Opposition by such groups to our operations may require modification of, or preclude the operation or development of, our projects or may require us to enter into agreements with such groups or local governments with respect to our projects, in some cases causing considerable delays to the advancement of our projects.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

The market price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be volatile.

The trading price of our common stock has been, and may continue to be, volatile. Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate include:

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If the market for stocks in our industry, or the stock market in general, experiences a loss of investor confidence, the trading price of our common stock could decline for reasons unrelated to our business, financial condition or results of operations. These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. In the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have instituted securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock.

If any of the foregoing occurs it could cause our stock price to fall and may expose us to lawsuits that, even if unsuccessful, could be both costly to defend against and a distraction to management.

Our anti-takeover defense provisions may cause our common stock to trade at market prices lower than it might absent such provisions.

Our Board of Directors has the authority to issue blank check preferred stock. Additionally, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws contain several provisions that may make it more difficult or expensive for a third party to acquire control of us without the approval of our Board of Directors. These include provisions setting forth advance notice procedures for shareholders’ nominations of directors and proposals of topics for consideration at meetings of shareholders, provisions restricting shareholders from calling a special meeting of shareholders or requiring one to be called, provisions limiting the ability of shareholders to act by written consent and provisions requiring a 66.67% shareholder vote to amend our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws. These provisions may delay, prevent or deter a merger, acquisition, tender offer, proxy contest or other transaction that might otherwise result in our shareholders receiving a premium over the market price for their common stock. In addition, these provisions may cause our common stock to trade at a market price lower than it might absent such provisions.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock.

Certain stockholders have rights, subject to specified conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering their shares or to include their shares in registration statements that we may file for ourselves or other stockholders. We have also registered all shares of common stock that we may issue under our equity compensation plans, which can be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to volume limitations applicable to affiliates. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market, or the perception in the market that holder of a large number of shares intends to sell shares, could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly and make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through future offerings of our common stock or other securities.

We do not currently intend to pay dividends on our common stock and, consequently, shareholders’ ability to achieve a return on their investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividend on our capital stock. We do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all future earnings, if any, to finance our business. The payment of any future dividends, if any, will be determined by our Board of Directors in light of conditions then existing, including our earnings, financial condition and capital requirements, business conditions, growth opportunities, corporate law requirements and other factors. In addition, our Credit Facility contains, and any of our future contractual arrangements may contain, restrictions on our ability to pay cash dividends on our capital stock.

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Electrum and its affiliates and MERS have a substantial degree of influence over us, which could delay or prevent a change of corporate control or result in the entrenchment of our management and/or Board of Directors.

As of February 23, 2023, the Electrum Group, LLC and its affiliates (collectively, “Electrum”) and the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System of Michigan (“MERS”) beneficially own approximately 32% and 9% of our outstanding common stock, respectively. We have entered into a shareholder’s agreement with Electrum and MERS pursuant to which Electrum and MERS have certain director nomination rights. The shareholders agreement also provides that Electrum approval must be obtained prior to us engaging in certain corporate actions. As a result, Electrum has significant influence over our management and affairs and, if Electrum owns at least 35% of our outstanding common stock, will have approval rights over certain corporate actions, including, among others, any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, the incurrence of more than $100 million of indebtedness and the issuance of more than $100 million of equity securities.

The concentration of ownership and our shareholders agreement may harm the market price of our common stock by, among other things:

We are an “emerging growth company” and a smaller reporting company, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to us will make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (“the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, we may still qualify as a “smaller reporting company,” which would allow us to take advantage of many of the same exemptions from disclosure requirements including reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. We would also be exempt from the requirement to obtain an external audit on the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting provided in Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act. These exemptions and reduced disclosures in our SEC filings due to our status as a smaller reporting company mean our auditors do not review our internal control over financial reporting and may make it harder for investors to analyze our results of operations and financial prospects. We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock prices may be more volatile.

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Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and shareholders agreement contain a provision renouncing our interest and expectancy in certain corporate opportunities.

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and shareholders agreement provide for the allocation of certain corporate opportunities between us and Electrum and MERS. Under these provisions, neither Electrum nor MERS, their affiliates and subsidiaries, nor any of their officers, directors, agents, stockholders, members or partners will have any duty to refrain from engaging, directly or indirectly, in the same business activities or similar business activities or lines of business in which we operate. For instance, a director of our Company who is not also our employee and also serves as a director, officer or employee of Electrum or MERS or any of their subsidiaries or affiliates may pursue certain acquisition or other opportunities that may be complementary to our business and, as a result, such acquisition or other opportunities may not be available to us. These potential conflicts of interest could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance, financial position and results of operations if attractive corporate opportunities are allocated by Electrum or MERS to themselves or their subsidiaries or affiliates instead of to us.

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forums for substantially all disputes between us and our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings under Delaware statutory or common law:

The foregoing provision does not apply to claims under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any claim for which the U.S. federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation further provides that the federal district courts of the United States will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act.

Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation also provides that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in shares of our capital stock will be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to these choice of forum provisions. These exclusive forum provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and other employees, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

While Delaware courts have determined that choice of forum provisions are facially valid, it is possible that a court of law in another jurisdiction could rule that the choice of forum provisions contained in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation are inapplicable or unenforceable if they are challenged in a proceeding or otherwise. If a court were to find the choice of forum provision in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions.

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General Risk Factors

We will continue to incur significantly increased costs and devote substantial management time as a result of operating as a public company.

As a public company, we will continue to incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, and are required to comply with the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as rules and regulations of the SEC, NYSE and TSX, including the establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls, changes in corporate governance practices and required filing of annual, quarterly and current reports with respect to our business and results of operations. Compliance with these requirements has increased and will continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. In addition, we expect that our management and other personnel will need to divert attention from operational and other business matters to devote substantial time to these public company requirements. In particular, we expect to incur significant expenses and devote substantial management effort toward ensuring compliance with the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will increase when we are no longer an emerging growth company. We have hired additional accounting personnel and we may need to hire additional accounting and financial staff with appropriate public company experience and technical accounting knowledge and may need to incur additional costs to ensure we meet the applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

If securities or industry analysts do not continue to publish research or reports about our business, or if they issue an adverse or misleading opinion regarding our stock, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If analysts who cover us downgrade our common stock or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business model or our stock performance, or if our results of operations fail to meet the expectations of analysts, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn might cause the price of our common stock and trading volume to decline.

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Item 1B.  Unresolved Staff Comments

Not applicable.

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Item 2.  Properties

The technical information appearing below and elsewhere in this Form 10-K was derived from the Los Gatos Technical Report dated November 10, 2022 and updated with additional information up to the date of this Form 10-K where required.

The CLG

The CLG, located in Chihuahua, Mexico is within the LGD, described below. The CLG mineral deposit contains silver, zinc, lead, gold and copper. The deposit that is being mined, and the other deposits known in the area, are considered to be examples of epithermal vein deposits. The economic mineralization at CLG is characterized by silver, lead, zinc and copper sulfides with small amounts of gold. The quartz and calcite veins also contain fluorite, manganese and barite.

Site infrastructure consists of a polymetallic mine and processing facility that currently processes over 2,800 tpd of mined material. The processing methodology used for the CLG’s silver-lead-zinc deposit is conventional sequential silver-lead-zinc flotation processing, which includes a grinding circuit, flotation circuit, concentrate and tailing thickeners, concentrate loadout and tailings detoxification. Historically, all tailings were disposed of in the tailings storage facility. With the construction and commissioning of a paste backfill plant completed in December 2022, it is expected that approximately 40% of the final tailings will now be pumped to the paste backfill plant and be used to back fill previously mined stopes and the remaining 60% will be deposited in the tailings storage facility. In addition, a new leaching plant is under construction which is designed to further reduce fluorine levels in zinc concentrates. The underground mine and associated life of mine production plans support a steady-state production rate of 2,900 tpd of mined material. MPR has arranged permissions to enter and perform exploration and mining activities on several land properties in the project area, including all surface rights necessary to access the operating mine and processing and tailings facilities.

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In addition to the CLG processing plant and other facilities, the LGJV has a community office located in nearby San José del Sitio, a community of approximately 600 persons, with electrical and water services, an elementary school and basic health services. Water resources in the region are mostly related to the Conchos River Basin, which includes the San Pedro, San Francisco de Borja and Satevó River Sub-Basins. Locally, there are significant amounts of water, with shallow groundwater recorded from most exploration drilling. Other infrastructure at CLG includes administration offices, mine dry, fuel storage, mine maintenance workshop, jaw crushing station, dome-covered crushed ore stockpile, process plant tailing storage facility, electrical substation, 66 kilometers of power line connecting high voltage to the grid substation at San Francisco de Borja, assay lab, mill maintenance workshop, dewatering wells and water cooling and distribution system, and residential camps and associated infrastructure. Power to the site is supplied via a 115 kV utility transmission line. This originates from the San Francisco de Borja substation in Satevó (Chihuahua), where a 115 kV connection has recently been installed. In early 2022, the LGJV reached an agreement with a local energy supplier to provide 100% of CLG’s electrical power requirements from renewable energy sources, enabling the CLG to significantly reduce its dependency on fossil fuels and materially reducing the mine’s carbon footprint. All raw water to meet potable and non-potable water demand is supplied by groundwater pumped from dewatering wells. The well water is cooled to below 40°C prior to use. Sewage water treatment systems were included to handle waste as required on the project.

We are committed to safety at the CLG. The CLG is built to higher environmental standards than required by Mexican law, with a fully lined tailings impoundment facility, enclosure of the conveyors and an ore storage dome. The CLG also has state-of-the-art rescue capsules to hoist personnel to surface.

Effective as of the date of the Los Gatos Technical Report, the CLG is expected to produce, on average, 7.4 million ounces of silver annually at a low all-in sustaining cost through the LOM. In 2022, the CLG had record silver production of 10.3 million ounces, up 36% from 7.6 million ounces in 2021 and 4.2 million ounces in 2020. Zinc, lead and gold production were 60.7 million pounds, 43.9 million pounds, and 5.3 thousand ounces, respectively. Compared to 2021 zinc production increased by 22% from 49.6 million pounds, lead production by 10% from 39.8 million pounds, and gold production by 2% from 5.2 thousand ounces. In 2020, zinc production was 34.2 million pounds, lead production was 27.4 million pounds and gold 4.9 thousand ounces.

The LGD

The LGD covers approximately 103,087 hectares in the south-central part of the State of Chihuahua in northern Mexico, within the municipality of Satevó. The LGD is roughly centered on Latitude 27° 34’ 17” N, Longitude 106° 21’ 33” W, near the town of San José del Sitio. The LGD is located approximately 120 kilometers south of the state capital of Chihuahua City and approximately 100 kilometers northwest of the mining city of Hidalgo del Parral. The LGD is made up of a series of 17 claim titles. These concessions are held by MPR. The concessions have a period of validity that ranges between the years 2054 and 2062. MPR holds the rights to two concessions (comprising approximately 20,000 hectares) subject to the terms of an agreement with the original holder of the concession. MPR has purchased surface lands covering the known extents of the CLG, and Esther Resource areas, totaling 5,479 hectares.

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Location of LGD

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Royalty Agreement - La Cuesta International S.A. de C.V. (La Cuesta)

The LGJV is subject to the terms of an exploration, exploitation and unilateral promise of assignment of rights agreement between La Cuesta International S.A. de C.V. and MPR dated May 4, 2006. The LGJV is required to pay a production royalty of a) 2% net smelter return on production from the concession until all payments reach $10 million and b) 0.5% net smelter return on production from the concession after total payments have reached $10 million and c) 0.5% net smelter return on production from other property within a one-kilometer boundary of the Los Gatos concession. After total payments reach $15 million, the Los Gatos concession ownership will be transferred to the LGJV. The agreement has no expiration date; however, the LGJV may terminate the agreement upon a 30-day notice. The agreement was revised in 2019 to allow a portion of production royalty payments to be deferred. Under the terms of the revised agreement, the LGJV was to pay $500,000 quarterly through 2021, while incurring interest at 4.5% annually on the outstanding balance, with the balance of the production royalty due in the first quarter of 2022. The agreement was revised further in September 2021, which allowed for payment of the production royalty due and elimination of the interest on the unpaid portion of the production royalty. Following the payment of the balance due in September 2021, the LGJV made its first quarterly payment of the production royalty in October 2021. In May 2022 the production royalty was reduced to 0.5% after total payments reached $10 million. The LGJV paid $10.8 million through January 31, 2023.

Partner Agreement with Dowa

The LGD and the CLG are owned and operated through the Unanimous Omnibus Partner Agreement. Pursuant to this agreement, “Major Decisions” require Dowa’s consent. “Major Decisions” include decisions in respect of annual budgets, project financing, capital projects, expansions, major expenditures and other matters. Therefore, despite holding majority equity interest in the LGJV, we do not exercise control over the LGJV. On March 11, 2021, we repurchased an approximate 18.5% interest in the LGJV from Dowa, increasing our ownership to 70.0%.

On May 30, 2019, in connection with the memorandum of understanding dated April 16, 2019, we entered into a priority distribution agreement with MPR, OSJ and Dowa, pursuant to which we directed the LGJV to contribute dividend payments to an escrow account until an aggregate amount equal to $20 million has been deposited into the account, which was payable to Dowa as a priority dividend. No dividends were declared as of December 31, 2021.

On March 17, 2022, we entered into a definitive agreement with Dowa to build and operate a leaching plant to reduce fluorine levels in zinc concentrates produced at an expected construction cost of $6 million. As part of the agreement, the initial payment towards the $20 million priority payment due to Dowa under the partner’s priority distribution agreement was reduced to $10.3 million, after which each partner will retain its pro rata share of any dividends. The reduced priority dividend amount reflects a portion of both the construction and future estimated operating costs of the leaching plant and is dependent on the successful construction and operation of the leaching plant, which is expected to be commissioned in the first half of 2023. Should the leaching plant construction not be completed, or the leaching plant not operate according to certain parameters during the first five years, portions of the $9.7 million priority dividend reduction could be reinstated.

In April 2022, the LGJV paid its first dividend of $20 million to its partners. After withholding taxes and payment of the initial $10.3 million priority dividend to Dowa, we received $6 million. In July 2022 and November 2022, the LGJV paid additional dividends in the amount of $15 million and $20 million, respectively, to its partners. The Company’s share, after withholding taxes, was $10 million and $13.3 million, respectively, for the July 2022 and November 2022 dividend payments.

Under the Unanimous Omnibus Partner Agreement Dowa has the right to purchase 100% of the zinc concentrate produced from the CLG, at rates negotiated in good faith and agreed between Dowa and us taking into consideration the then prevailing market price based on benchmark terms as reported in industry publications such as Brook Hunt, CRU or Metal Bulletin of London, and to consume or resell or deliver such concentrates for processing by any Dowa affiliate or third party.

Exploration

Exploration on the LGD property has included geophysical analysis, surface mapping, rock and soil sampling and drilling. As of January 1, 2023, 1,879 drill holes relevant to the LGJV property had been completed by MPR, for a total of 449,474 meters drilled. Drilling has been dominantly by conventional diamond drilling techniques. Surface drillholes are commonly HQ or NQ in diameter. Underground drilling is NQ or LTK48 (35mm) diameter.

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As noted above, our exploration strategy for the CLG and the LGD which entails a focus on two key areas: an exposed section of andesite running from the northwest boundary of the district to Esther and the CLG, and a large basin southeast of the CLG underlain by andesite which we anticipate may contain other large district-scale fault structures conducive to large deposits. We are currently prioritizing exploration efforts on areas most proximate to the CLG; areas with the highest potential to leverage existing surface and underground infrastructure.

Mineral Reserves and Resources

The table below summarizes the mineral reserve estimates at the CLG as of July 1, 2022, which includes dilution and recovery factors.

CLG Mineral Reserve Estimates as of July 1, 2022

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The table below summarizes the mineral resource estimates at the CLG and the Esther deposits as of July 1, 2022.

Los Gatos District Mineral Resource Estimates Exclusive of Mineral Reserves as of July 1, 2022

CLG Mineral Resource Estimate

Esther Mineral Resource Estimate

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Internal Controls

Exploration and development drilling programs are performed using Industry Standard quality control methods for drilling, sampling, and analytical procedures. Standard operating procedure manuals for geology logging, sampling, and assaying are kept at the operations and updated as required. A secure sample chain-of-custody is established to promote the security of samples during transport from the projects to the analytical facilities. Sample preparation and analytical procedures are Industry Standard methods for the metals of interest.

Sample batches sent for analysis are controlled by a system of reference samples of known grade inserted into the sample stream and other control samples. Coarse and fine ‘blank,’ sterile, sample materials are used to monitor contamination at the sample preparation and analytical stages; Standard Reference Materials (“SRM”) of known grades are used to measure accuracy of the analytical results; and pulp duplicate samples and field duplicate samples are used to monitor precision of the analytical results. Blanks and SRM are inserted according to the analytical batch size and overall number of samples but normally result in a 1:10 to 1:20 insertion rate.

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Item 3.  Legal Proceedings

We are, from time to time, involved in legal proceedings of a nature considered normal to our business. We believe that other than as set out below in this Item none of the litigation in which we are currently involved, or have been involved since the beginning of our most recently completed financial year, individually or in the aggregate, is material to or potentially material to our consolidated financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.

On February 22, 2022, a purported Company stockholder filed a putative class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado against the Company, certain of our former officers, and several directors. An amended complaint was filed on August 15, 2022. The amended complaint, allegedly brought on behalf of certain purchasers of the Company’s common stock and certain traders of call and put options on the Company’s common stock from December 9, 2020 through January 25, 2022, seeks, among other things, damages, costs, and expenses, and asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as well as Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933. The amended complaint alleges that certain individual defendants and the Company, pursuant to the control and authority of the individual defendants, made false and misleading statements and/or omitted certain material information regarding the mineral resources and reserves at the Cerro Los Gatos mine. The Company and all defendants filed a motion to dismiss this action on October 14, 2022. That motion was fully briefed as of December 23, 2022.

By Notice of Action issued February 9, 2022 and subsequent Statement of Claim dated March 11, 2022 Izabela Przybylska commenced a putative class action against the Company, certain of its former officers and directors, and others in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on behalf of a purported class of all persons or entities, wherever they may reside or be domiciled, who acquired securities of the Company in both the primary and secondary markets during the period from October 28, 2020 until January 25, 2022. The action asserts claims under Canadian securities legislation and at common law and seeks unspecified monetary damages and other relief in respect of allegations the defendants made false and misleading statements and omitted material information regarding the mineral resources and reserves of the Company. The plaintiff filed motion materials for leave to proceed in respect of her statutory claims and for class certification on March 3, 2023. The court has tentatively set dates in late March of 2024 for the hearing of the plaintiff’s motions.

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There can be no assurance that any of the foregoing matters individually or in aggregate will not result in outcomes that are materially adverse for us.

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Item 4.  Mine Safety Disclosures

The provisions related to Item 4 are currently inapplicable to the Company as we have no operating properties in the United States.

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PART II

Item 5.  Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

Market Information

The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “GATO”.

Holders

On February 23, 2023, there were 69,162,223 outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock which were held by approximately 39 stockholders of record. The actual number of holders of the Company’s common stock is greater than the number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners, but whose shares are held in street name by brokers or other nominees. The number of holders of record present here also do not include stockholders whose shares may be held in trust by other entities.

Dividends

The Company has not declared any dividends since incorporation and does not anticipate that it will do so in the foreseeable future. The present policy of the Company is to retain earnings for use in its operations and expansion of its business. Payment of any dividends will depend upon the Company’s future earnings, if any, the Company’s financial condition, and other factors as deemed relevant by the Company’s Board of Directors. In addition, our Credit Facility contains, and any of our future contractual arrangements may contain, restrictions on our ability to pay cash dividends on our capital stock.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The Company has an equity compensation plan under which options and shares of the Company’s common stock are authorized for grant or issuance as compensation to eligible employees, consultants, and members of the Board of Directors. The Company’s stockholders have approved these plans. Please refer to Note 8 – Stockholders’ Equity in the Company’s consolidated financial statements included in “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for further information about the material terms of the Company’s equity compensation plans. The following table is a summary of the shares of common stock authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans as of December 31, 2022:

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