Teck cancels vote, stands firm
The Canadian Press - Apr 26, 2023 - BC Biz

Photo: The Canadian Press

Teck Resources Ltd.’s move to cancel a key shareholder vote on its plan to separate its businesses may be seen as a win for Glencore in its ongoing campaign to acquire the Vancouver-based mining company.

But Teck is standing by its assertion that the offer by the Swiss commodities giant remains a “non-starter,” and Teck CEO Jonathan Price indicated Wednesday the company may be receptive to other suitors.

“We have premium businesses. And when it comes to (mergers and acquisitions), we firmly believe that competition for assets drives value,” Price told a conference call with analysts.

Teck announced just hours before its annual meeting Wednesday that it will not go ahead with the vote on its plan to split its metals and steelmaking coal businesses into two companies.

The move suggested the company did not believe it had the two-thirds approval from shareholders required for its proposal, which would have split the company into Teck Metals and Elk Valley Resources.

But Price said shareholders have made it clear they still like the idea of generating value by separating Teck’s steelmaking coal assets from its metals business. He said the company will now pursue a “simpler and more direct approach” to do that.

Price declined to elaborate on options the company may be considering. He also declined to say whether Teck has been approached by any other prospective buyers.

“I won’t speculate in any detail on that,” Price said. “But suffice to say that the process we’ve been through over the last two months, which of course has been a very public one, has seen a significant interest in both businesses, EVR and Teck Metals. And it’s very clear that the value of those businesses is well-recognized.”

Glencore, which declined to comment Wednesday, had been urging Teck shareholders to reject the company’s separation proposal. The Swiss company has said all along it would be unable to pursue its own hostile takeover bid if Teck’s plan to separate its businesses went ahead.

Price suggested that additional buyers could come forward once Teck splits its coal assets from its metals business.

“We expect there would be significantly more interest in the businesses on a stand-alone basis,” he said. “And that is one of the reasons we continue to believe that separation is the right path forward here.”


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