1.1
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Definition
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(a)
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"affiliate" shall have
the meaning ascribed to that term in the Securities Act
(Alberta) as at the date
hereof;
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(b)
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"associate" shall have
the meaning ascribed to that term in the Securities Act
(Alberta) as at the date
hereof;
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(c)
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"Business Day" means a
day, other than a Saturday, Sunday or statutory holiday, when banks are
generally open in the city of Calgary, Alberta, for the transaction of
banking business;
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(d)
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"person" means an
individual, partnership, corporation, business trust, joint stock company,
trust, unincorporated association, joint venture or other entity or
organization of whatever nature;
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(e)
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"Transfer Agent" means
the transfer agent from time to time for the
Units;
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(f)
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"Trust" means Baytex
Energy Trust, a trust governed by the Trust
Indenture;
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(g)
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"Trust Fund" has the
meaning set out in the Trust
Indenture;
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(h)
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"Trust Indenture" means
the indenture dated as of July 24, 2003 by which the Trust is governed, as
amended from time to time;
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(i)
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"Unitholders" means the
holders of Units in the Trust; and
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(j)
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"Units" means trust units
of the Trust.
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1.2
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Additional
Definitions
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1.3
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Interpretation
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(a)
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"this
Agreement" means this agreement, as amended and in effect from time to
time;
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(b)
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any
reference in this Agreement to a designated "Article", "section",
"subsection", "schedule" or other subdivision is a reference to the
designated Article, Section, subsection, schedule or other subdivision of
this Agreement;
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(c)
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the
recitals hereto are incorporated into and form part of this
Agreement;
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(d)
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the
words "herein", "hereof" and "hereunder" and other words of similar import
refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular Article,
Section, subsection, schedule or other subdivision of this
Agreement;
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(e)
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the
division of this Agreement into Articles, Sections, subsections, schedules
and other subdivisions and the provision of headings are for convenience
of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of the
provisions to which they relate or of any other provisions
hereof;
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(f)
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words
importing the singular number only shall include the plural and vice versa
and words importing the use of any gender shall include any other gender,
the word "or" is not exclusive and the word "including" is not limiting
whether or not non-limiting language (such as "without limitation" or "but
not limited to" or words of similar import) is used with reference
thereto;
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(g)
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all
dollar amounts are stated and are to be paid in lawful currency of
Canada;
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(h)
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where
the time for doing an act falls or expires on a day which is not a
business day, the time for doing such act is extended to the next business
day; and
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(i)
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any
reference to a statute includes and is a reference to such statute and to
the regulations made pursuant thereto in effect on the date of this
Agreement unless otherwise specifically
provided.
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1.4
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Governing
Law
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1.5
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References
to Acts Performed by the Trust
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1.6
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Liability
of Trustee and Unitholders
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2.1
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General
Delegation of Authority
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2.2
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Specific
Delegation of Authority
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(a)
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keep
and maintain at its offices in Calgary, Alberta at all times books,
records and accounts which shall contain particulars of operations,
receipts, disbursements and investments relating to the Trust Fund and
such books, records and accounts shall be kept pursuant to normal
commercial practices that will permit the preparation of financial
statements in accordance with Canadian generally accepted accounting
principles which, as early as practicable, shall be in accordance with
those required to be kept by a distributing corporation (as defined in the
Business Corporations
Act (Alberta)) (except that nothing herein shall be construed as
requiring the books, records or documents of the Administrator to be
audited) and in each case shall also be in accordance with those required
to be kept by a reporting issuer under applicable securities legislation
in Canada and those required of the Trust under the Income Tax Act (Canada)
and the Income Tax Regulations applicable with respect thereto, all as
amended from time to time;
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(b)
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prepare
all returns, filings and documents and make all determinations necessary
for the discharge of the Trustee's obligations under Sections 16.2,
16.3, 16.5, 16.6 and 16.7 of the Trust
Indenture;
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(c)
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monitor
the tax status of the Trust and provide information to the Trustee
regarding the taxable portions of
distributions;
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(d)
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prepare
and submit all income tax returns and filings to the Trustee in sufficient
time prior to the dates upon which they must be filed so that the Trustee
has a reasonable opportunity to review them, approve them, execute them
and return them to the Administrator, and arrange for their filing within
the time required by applicable tax
law;
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(e)
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provide
advice with respect to the Trust's obligations as a reporting issuer and
ensure compliance by the Trust with continuous disclosure obligations
under applicable securities legislation including the preparation and
filing of reports and other documents with all applicable regulatory
authorities;
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(f)
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provide
investor relations services to the Trust including assisting with
communications with Unitholders;
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(g)
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at
the request and under the direction of the Trustee, call and hold all
annual and/or special meetings of the Unitholders pursuant to Article 10
of the Trust Indenture, prepare all materials (including notices of
meetings and information circulars) in respect thereof and submit all such
materials to the Trustee in sufficient time prior to the dates upon which
they must be mailed, filed or otherwise relied upon so that the Trustee
has a reasonable opportunity to review them, approve them, execute them
and return them to the Administrator for filing or mailing or
otherwise;
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(h)
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provide,
for performing its obligations hereunder, office space, equipment and
personnel including all accounting, clerical, secretarial, corporate and
administrative services as may be reasonably necessary to perform its
obligations hereunder;
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(i)
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provide
or cause to be provided such audit, accounting, engineering, legal,
insurance and other professional services as are reasonably required or
desirable for the purposes of the Trust and provide or cause to be
provided such legal, engineering, financial and other advice and analysis
as the Trustee may require or desire to permit it to make informed
decisions in connection with the discharge by it of its responsibilities
as Trustee, to the extent such advice and analysis can be reasonably
provided or arranged by the
Administrator;
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(j)
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provide
assistance in negotiating the terms of any financing required by the Trust
or otherwise in connection with the Trust
Fund;
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(k)
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take
all actions reasonably necessary in connection with, or in relation to,
those matters referred to in Section 7.4 of the Trust
Indenture;
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(l)
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take
all actions reasonably necessary in connection with, or in relation to,
all matters relating to the redemption of Units pursuant to the Trust
Indenture;
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(m)
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take
all actions reasonably necessary in connection with, or in relation to,
the voting rights on any investments in the Trust Fund or any Subsequent
Investments;
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(n)
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take
all actions reasonably necessary in connection with, or in relation to,
directly or indirectly, the borrowing of money from or incurring
indebtedness by the Trust to any person and in connection therewith, to
cause the Trust to guarantee, indemnify or act as a surety with respect to
payment or performance of any indebtedness, liabilities or obligation of
any kind of any person, including, without limitation, the Administrator
and any subsidiary (as defined in the Securities Act
(Alberta)) of the Trust; to enter into any other obligations on behalf of
the Trust; or enter into any subordination agreement on behalf of the
Trust or any other person, and to assign, charge, pledge, hypothecate,
convey, transfer, mortgage, subordinate, and grant any security interest,
mortgage or encumbrance over or with respect to all or any of the Trust
Fund or to subordinate the interests of the Trust in the Trust Fund to any
other person;
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(o)
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take
all actions reasonably necessary in connection with, or in relation to,
the guarantee by the Trust of obligations of the Administrator or any
other affiliate of the Trust pursuant to any debt for borrowed money or
obligations resulting or arising from hedging instruments incurred by the
Administrator or any such affiliate, as the case may be, and pledging
securities issued by the Administrator or the affiliate, as the case may
be, as security for such guarantee provided that such guarantee is
incidental to the Trust's direct or indirect investment in the
Administrator or any such affiliate or the business and affairs (existing
or proposed) of the Administrator or any such affiliate, and each such
guarantee entered into by the Trustee shall be binding upon, and
enforceable in accordance with its terms against, the
Trust;
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(p)
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take
all actions reasonably necessary in connection with, or in relation to,
the Trust providing indemnities for the directors and officers of the
Administrator and any affiliates;
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(q)
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provide
or cause to be provided to the Trustee any services reasonably necessary
for the Trustee to be able to consider any future acquisitions or
divestitures by the Trustee of any portion of the Trust
Fund;
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(r)
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provide
advice to the Trustee with respect to determining the timing and terms of
future offerings of Units, if any;
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(s)
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administer
all of the records and documents relating to the Trust Fund other than
maintenance of a register of
Unitholders;
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(t)
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provide
advice and, at the request and under the direction of the Trustee,
direction to the Transfer Agent;
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(u)
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take
all actions reasonably necessary in connection with, or in relation to,
those matters referred to in Section 7.1(b) and Article 8 of the
Trust Indenture;
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(v)
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determine,
from time to time, all amounts required to be determined pursuant to
Article 5 of the Trust Indenture, including the amounts available for
distribution to Unitholders, and arrange for payment thereof to the
Unitholders in accordance with Article 5 of the Trust
Indenture;
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(w)
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provide
advice and assistance to the Trustee with respect to the performance of
the obligations of the Trust and the enforcement of the rights of the
Trust under all agreements entered into by the
Trust;
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(x)
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monitor
the status of the Units as eligible investments for registered retirement
savings plans, registered retirement income funds and deferred profit
sharing plans (all within the meaning of the Tax Act) and immediately
provide the Trustee with written notice when the Administrator reasonably
foresees that such Units may cease to have such status, or, if not
reasonably foreseen, when the Units cease to have such
status;
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(y)
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ensuring
that the Trust elects in the prescribed manner and within the prescribed
time under subsection 132(6.1) of the Tax Act to be a "mutual fund
trust" within the meaning of the Tax Act since inception, assuming the
requirements for such election are met, monitoring the Trust's status as a
mutual fund trust and providing the Trustee with written notice when the
Fund ceases or is at risk of ceasing to have such
status;
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(z)
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monitoring
the investments of the Trust to ensure that the aggregate cost amount of
the "foreign property" of the Trust does not exceed the limits prescribed
in the Tax Act or Section 3.10 of the Trust Indenture, the result of
which would be that the Trust Units of the Trust would be "foreign
property";
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(aa)
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in
the event that withholding taxes are exigible on any distributions or
redemption amounts distributed under the Trust Indenture or any other
agreement, the Administrator shall withhold the withholding taxes required
and shall promptly remit such taxes to the appropriate taxing
authority. In the event that withholding taxes are exigible on
any distributions or redemption amounts distributed under the Trust
Indenture or any other agreement and the Administrator is, or was, unable
to withhold taxes from a particular distribution to a Unitholder or has
not otherwise withheld taxes on past distributions to a Unitholder, the
Administrator shall be permitted to withhold amounts from other
distributions to satisfy the Administrator's withholding tax
obligations;
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(bb)
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provide
such additional administrative and support services pertaining to the
Trust, the Trust Fund and the Units and matters incidental thereto as may
be reasonably requested by the Trustee from time to
time;
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(cc)
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administer
all matters relating to the Trust, including: (i) determining the
total amounts owing to Unitholders and arranging cash distributions;
(ii) providing Unitholders with periodic reports on the Properties;
and (iii) providing Unitholders with financial reports and tax
information relating to the
Properties;
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(dd)
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provide
management services for the economic and efficient exploitation of the
Properties; and
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(ee)
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recommend,
carry out and monitor property acquisitions and dispositions and
exploitation and development programs for the
Trust.
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2.3
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Restrictions
on Delegation of Authority
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(a)
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the
issue, certification, countersigning, transfer, exchange and cancellation
of certificates representing Units;
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(b)
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the
maintenance of a register of
Unitholders;
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(c)
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the
delivery of distributions to Unitholders, although the calculation of
distributions shall be made by the Administrator and approved by the board
of directors of the Administrator and submitted by the Administrator to
the Trustee for distribution to the
Unitholders;
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(d)
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the
mailing of notices, financial statements and reports to Unitholders
pursuant to Sections 14.1, 16.2 and 16.3 of the Trust Indenture,
although the Administrator shall be responsible for the preparation or
causing the preparation of such notices, financial statements and
reports;
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(e)
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the
provision of a basic list of registered Unitholders (as defined in the
Trust Indenture) to Unitholders in accordance with the procedures outlined
in the Trust Indenture;
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(f)
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the
amendment or waiver of the performance or breach of any term or provision
of this Agreement on behalf of the
Trust;
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(g)
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the
renewal or termination of this Agreement on behalf of the Trust;
and
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(h)
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any
matter which requires the approval of the Unitholders under the terms of
the Trust Indenture.
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2.4
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Power
and Authorities of the
Administrator
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2.5
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Distributions
to Unitholders
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2.6
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Certificate
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(a)
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the
Administrator has complied with all of its duties contained in this
Agreement relating to the management of the general and administrative
affairs of the Trust, which, if not complied with, would, with the giving
of notice, lapse of time or otherwise, constitute a default of the
Administrator under this Agreement or, if there has been a failure so to
comply, giving particulars thereof;
and
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(b)
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as
at the end of such time period requested by the Trustee, the Units were
eligible investments for registered retirement savings plan, registered
retirement income funds and deferred profit sharing plans (all within the
meaning of the Tax Act ).
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3.1
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Payment
of Expenses
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3.2
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Fees
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3.3
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Remuneration
and Expenses of the Trustee
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4.1
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Administrator's
Acknowledgement
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4.2
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Standard
of Care and Delegation
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(a)
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In
exercising its powers and discharging its duties under this Agreement, the
Administrator shall act honestly and in good faith and exercise the degree
of care, diligence and skill that a reasonably prudent oil and natural gas
industry advisor and administrator would exercise in comparable
circumstances. The Administrator's objective in exercising its
powers and discharging its duties hereunder shall be to maximize the
income distributable to the Unitholders to the extent consistent with
long-term growth in the value of the Trust. In pursuing such
objective, the Administrator will employ prudent oil and natural gas
business practices. All of the Administrator's activities in
relation to this Agreement and the Trust will be conducted in accordance
with applicable laws with a view to the best interests of the Unitholders
and the Trust.
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(b)
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The
Administrator may delegate specific aspects of its obligations hereunder
to any person, including any of its affiliates or associates and including
the Transfer Agent, provided that:
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(i)
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such
delegation shall not relieve the Administrator of any of its obligations
under this Agreement and provided that the Administrator shall not
delegate any of its obligations hereunder to manage and administer the
affairs of the Trust unless the Administrator shall have notified the
Trustee of the name of the person or persons to which delegation is to be
made and the terms and conditions thereof and the Trustee has provided
prior written consent to such delegation;
and
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(ii)
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the
Administrator shall not in any manner, directly or indirectly, be liable
or held to account for the activities or inactivities of any person to
which any such obligations may have been delegated provided that in making
such specific delegation, the Administrator acted in accordance with
subsection 4.2(a).
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4.3
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Liability
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(a)
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any
loss or damage resulting from, incidental to or relating to the provision
of the services provided for hereunder, including any exercise or refusal
to exercise a discretion, any mistake or error of judgment or any act or
omission believed by the Administrator to be within the scope of authority
conferred on it by this Agreement, unless such loss or damage resulted
from a breach by the Administrator of the standard of care set forth in
Section 4.2(a); or
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(b)
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any
reasonable reliance by the Administrator in performing its obligations
hereunder on:
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(i)
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statements
of fact of other persons (any of which may be persons with which the
Administrator is affiliated or associated) who are reasonably considered
by the Administrator to be knowledgeable of such facts;
or
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(ii)
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the
opinion or advice of or information obtained from any solicitor, auditor,
valuer, engineer, surveyor, appraiser or other expert who is reasonably
considered by the Administrator to be a person on whom reliance should be
had under the circumstances;
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4.4
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No
Liability for Advice
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4.5
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Conflict
of Interest
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(a)
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To
the extent there is a conflict of interest between the Administrator
acting in that capacity and the Trust in respect of any matter, the
Administrator shall resolve such conflicts, on a basis consistent with the
objectives and funds of each group of interested parties and the time
limitations on investment of such funds, all consistent with the duty of
the Administrator to deal fairly and in good faith with each group or
persons.
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(b)
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In
the event that the interests of the Administrator are in conflict with
those of the Trust or the Unitholders, the Administrator shall make
decisions acting in good faith, having regard to the best interests of the
Unitholders and the Trust and in a manner that would not contravene its
fiduciary obligations to
Unitholders.
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4.6
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Confidentiality
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(a)
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information
disclosed as required by law or the regulations, rules or policies of any
stock exchange on which any Units are listed or as may be required by the
regulations or policies of any securities commission or other securities
regulatory agency, governmental agency or other authority of competent
jurisdiction and the requirements of any court;
or
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(b)
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information
disclosed as necessary for the purposes of any debt or equity financing
undertaken by the Trust; or
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(c)
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information
disclosed that the Administrator acting reasonably deems to be necessary
to be disclosed on a confidential basis for the proper performance of its
duties and obligations under this Agreement, including without limitation,
disclosure of information to consultants and other third parties engaged
by or assisting the Administrator in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement in order to carry out the purposes of this
Agreement.
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4.7
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Indemnification
of the Administrator
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4.8
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Indemnification
of the Trust and the Trustee
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5.1
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Term
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5.2
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Automatic
Renewal
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5.3
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Effect
of Termination
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(a)
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forthwith
pay to the Trust, or to the order of the Trust, all monies collected and
held for the Trust pursuant to this
Agreement;
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(b)
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as
soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable, deliver to the Trust, or to
the order of the Trust, a complete auditor's report including a statement
showing all payments collected by it and a statement of all monies held by
it during the period following the date of the last audited statement
furnished to the Trust; and
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(c)
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forthwith,
to the extent that it is able, subject to any applicable legal and
contractual restrictions, deliver to and, where applicable, transfer into
the custody of the Trustee all property and documents of the Trust then in
the custody of the Administrator.
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5.4
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Default
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(a)
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the
Trust terminates;
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(b)
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the
Administrator:
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(i)
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institutes
proceedings for it to be adjudicated a voluntary bankrupt, or consents to
the filing of a bankruptcy proceeding against
it;
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(ii)
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files
a petition or answer or consent seeking reorganization, readjustment,
arrangement, composition or similar relief under any bankruptcy
law;
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(iii)
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consents
to the appointment of a receiver, liquidator, trustee or assignee in
bankruptcy; or
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(iv)
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makes
an assignment for the benefit of its creditors
generally;
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(c)
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a
court having jurisdiction enters a decree or order adjudging the
Administrator a bankrupt or insolvent or for the appointment of a
receiver, trustee or assignee in
bankruptcy;
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(d)
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any
proceeding with respect to the Administrator is commenced under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act
(Canada) or the Companies' Creditors'
Arrangement Act (Canada) or similar legislation relating to a
compromise or arrangement with creditors or claimants;
or
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(e)
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control
of the Administrator changes other than pursuant to actions taken by the
Trust or Trustee, pursuant to a resolution passed by
Unitholders.
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5.5
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Payment
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5.6
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Continuing
Obligations
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6.1
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Access
to Records
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6.2
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Amendments
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6.3
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Assignment
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6.4
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Severability
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6.5
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Notice
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6.6
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Force
Majeure
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6.7
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Further
Assurances
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6.8
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Time
of Essence
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6.9
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No
Partnership
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6.10
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Entire
Agreement
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6.11
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Enurement
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6.12
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Counterparts
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