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Brookfield Infrastructure (BIP) Risk Analysis

Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning. Brookfield Infrastructure disclosed 88 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Brookfield Infrastructure reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2021

Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2021, filed Mar 09, 2022

Risk Distribution
88Risks
Sector Avg.Finance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

Risk Change Over Time

No filing history is available.

Risks removedRisks addedRisks changedBrookfield Infrastructure Risk Factors
New Risk (3)
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
    If the subsidiaries that are corporations and that are not resident or deemed to be resident in Canada for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (together with the regulations thereunder, "Tax Act") ("Non-Resident Subsidiaries") and that are "controlled foreign affiliates" (as defined in the Tax Act and referred to herein as "CFAs") in which the Holding LP directly invests earned income that is "foreign accrual property income" (as defined in the Tax Act and referred to herein as "FAPI"), our unitholders may be required to include amounts allocated from our partnership in computing their income for Canadian federal income tax purposes even though there may be no corresponding cash distribution.

    Any Non-Resident Subsidiaries in which the Holding LP directly invests are expected to be CFAs of the Holding LP. If any CFA of the Holding LP or any direct or indirect subsidiary thereof that is itself a CFA of the Holding LP (an "Indirect CFA") earns income that is characterized as FAPI in a particular taxation year of the CFA or Indirect CFA, the FAPI allocable to the Holding LP must be included in computing the income of the Holding LP for Canadian federal income tax purposes for the fiscal period of the Holding LP in which the taxation year of that CFA or Indirect CFA ends, whether or not the Holding LP actually receives a distribution of that FAPI. Our partnership will include its share of such FAPI of the Holding LP in computing its income for Canadian federal income tax purposes and our unitholders will be required to include their proportionate share of such FAPI allocated from our partnership in computing their income for Canadian federal income tax purposes. As a result, our unitholders may be required to include amounts in their income for Canadian federal income tax purposes even though they have not and may not receive an actual cash distribution of such amounts. The Tax Act contains anti-avoidance rules to address certain foreign tax credit generator transactions (the "Foreign Tax Credit Generator Rules"). Under the Foreign Tax Credit Generator Rules, the "foreign accrual tax" (as defined in the Tax Act) applicable to a particular amount of FAPI included in the Holding LP's income in respect of a particular "foreign affiliate" (as defined in the Tax Act) of the Holding LP may be limited in certain specified circumstances. See Item 10.E "Taxation-Certain Material Canadian Federal Income Tax Considerations".

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Risk Highlights Q4, 2021

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 36 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
88
+3
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 32
Recent Changes
3Risks added
0Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Dec 2021
Number of Risk Changed
2
+1
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 1

Risk Word Cloud

brookfield and oaktree are likely to be deemed to be affiliates for purposes of certain laws and regulations, which may result in, among other things, earlier public disclosure of investments by our partnership and/or brookfield accounts that we are invested in.earlier public disclosure of investmentsbrookfield infrastructure and our operating entities use leverage and such indebtedness may result in brookfield infrastructure or our operating entities being subject to certain covenants which restrict our ability to engage in certain types of activities or to make distributions to equity.restrict our ability to engageunitholders may be required to include imputed amounts in their income for canadian federal income tax purposes in accordance with section 94.1 of the tax act.required to include imputed amountsnew regulatory initiatives related to esg could adversely impact our business.regulatory initiatives related to esgour business relies on the use of technology, and as a result, we may be exposed to cyber-security attacks.exposed to cyber-security attacksperformance of our operating entities may be harmed by future labor disruptions and economically unfavorable collective bargaining agreements.economically unfavorable collective bargaining agrbrookfield and oaktree operate their respective investment businesses largely independently, and do not expect to coordinate or consult on investment decisions, which may give rise to conflicts of interest and make it more difficult to mitigate certain conflicts of interest.respective investment businesses largely independeif the subsidiaries that are corporations and that are not resident or deemed to be resident in canada for purposes of the income tax act (canada) (together with the regulations thereunder, "tax act") ("non-resident subsidiaries") and that are "controlled foreign affiliates" (as defined in the tax act and referred to herein as "cfas") in which the holding lp directly invests earned income that is "foreign accrual property income" (as defined in the tax act and referred to herein as "fapi"), our unitholders may be required to include amounts allocated from our partnership in computing their income for canadian federal income tax purposes even though there may be no corresponding cash distribution.required to include amounts allocatedour operating entities are exposed to the risk of increasing environmental legislation and the broader impacts of climate change.broader impacts of climate changeunitholders who are not and are not deemed to be resident in canada for purposes of the tax act and who do not use or hold, and are not deemed to use or hold, their units of our partnership in connection with a business carried on in canada ("non-canadian limited partners"), may be subject to canadian federal income tax with respect to any canadian source business income earned by our partnership or the holding lp if our partnership or the holding lp were considered to carry on business in canada.canadian source business income earned

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 88

Share Price & Shareholder Rights18 | 20.5%
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Changed
    If the subsidiaries that are corporations and that are not resident or deemed to be resident in Canada for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (together with the regulations thereunder, "Tax Act") ("Non-Resident Subsidiaries") and that are "controlled foreign affiliates" (as defined in the Tax Act and referred to herein as "CFAs") in which the Holding LP directly invests earned income that is "foreign accrual property income" (as defined in the Tax Act and referred to herein as "FAPI"), our unitholders may be required to include amounts allocated from our partnership in computing their income for Canadian federal income tax purposes even though there may be no corresponding cash distribution.

    Any Non-Resident Subsidiaries in which the Holding LP directly invests are expected to be CFAs of the Holding LP. If any CFA of the Holding LP or any direct or indirect subsidiary thereof that is itself a CFA of the Holding LP (an "Indirect CFA") earns income that is characterized as FAPI in a particular taxation year of the CFA or Indirect CFA, the FAPI allocable to the Holding LP must be included in computing the income of the Holding LP for Canadian federal income tax purposes for the fiscal period of the Holding LP in which the taxation year of that CFA or Indirect CFA ends, whether or not the Holding LP actually receives a distribution of that FAPI. Our partnership will include its share of such FAPI of the Holding LP in computing its income for Canadian federal income tax purposes and our unitholders will be required to include their proportionate share of such FAPI allocated from our partnership in computing their income for Canadian federal income tax purposes. As a result, our unitholders may be required to include amounts in their income for Canadian federal income tax purposes even though they have not and may not receive an actual cash distribution of such amounts. The Tax Act contains anti-avoidance rules to address certain foreign tax credit generator transactions (the "Foreign Tax Credit Generator Rules"). Under the Foreign Tax Credit Generator Rules, the "foreign accrual tax" (as defined in the Tax Act) applicable to a particular amount of FAPI included in the Holding LP's income in respect of a particular "foreign affiliate" (as defined in the Tax Act) of the Holding LP may be limited in certain specified circumstances. See Item 10.E "Taxation-Certain Material Canadian Federal Income Tax Considerations".

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
    The role and ownership of Brookfield may change and the control of our General Partner may be transferred to a third party without unitholder or preferred unitholder consent.

    Our arrangements with Brookfield do not require Brookfield to maintain any ownership level in our partnership, in the Holding LP or in BIPC, and Brookfield may sell the units or Redeemable Partnership Units that it holds in our partnership or the Holding LP, respectively, or its BIPC exchangeable shares. Our General Partner may also transfer its general partnership interest in our partnership to a third party, including in a merger or consolidation or in a transfer of all or substantially all of its assets, without the consent of our unitholders or preferred unitholders. In addition, Brookfield may sell or transfer all or part of its interests in the Service Provider or in our General Partner, in each case, without the approval of our unitholders, which could result in changes to the management of our partnership and its current growth strategy. If a new owner were to acquire ownership of our General Partner and to appoint new directors or officers of its own choosing, it would be able to exercise substantial influence over our partnership's policies and procedures and exercise substantial influence over our management and the types of acquisitions that we make. Such changes could result in our partnership's capital being used to make acquisitions in which Brookfield has no involvement or to make acquisitions that are substantially different from those targeted by our current growth strategy. Additionally, we cannot predict with any certainty the effect that changes in the ownership of Brookfield would have on the trading price of our units, our preferred units or the BIPC exchangeable shares or our ability to raise capital or make investments in the future, because such matters would depend to a large extent on the identity of the new owner and the new owner's intentions with regard to our group. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
    Brookfield's ownership position in our partnership and the Holding LP entitles it to a significant percentage of our distributions, and Brookfield may increase its ownership relative to other unitholders.

    As of December 31, 2021, Brookfield beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 137,982,130 of our units, assuming exchange of 129,057,292 Redeemable Partnership Units of the Holding LP that are redeemable for cash or exchangeable for our units in accordance with the Redemption-Exchange Mechanism and exchange of 8,675,193 BIPC exchangeable shares beneficially owned by Brookfield. See Item 10.B "Memorandum and Articles of Association-Description of the Holding LP's Limited Partnership Agreement-Redemption-Exchange Mechanism" and Item 10.B "Memorandum and Articles of Association-BIPC". In addition, Brookfield owns 0.37% of the Holding LP through Special General Partner Units, which entitle Brookfield to receive distributions in proportion to its special general partnership interest, plus additional incentive distributions, as described in Item 7.B "Related Party Transactions-Special General Partner Distributions" and "-Incentive Distributions." Accordingly, Brookfield's ownership position of Redeemable Partnership Units and Special General Partner Units allows Brookfield to receive a substantial percentage of our distributions. See Item 10.B "Memorandum and Articles of Association." Brookfield may increase its ownership position in our partnership and the Holding LP. Under the distribution reinvestment plan of the Holding LP, Brookfield can reinvest distributions on its Redeemable Partnership Units for additional Redeemable Partnership Units. In addition, Brookfield may also elect to reinvest incentive distributions from its Special General Partner Units in exchange for additional Redeemable Partnership Units. Brookfield has advised us that it may from time to time reinvest these distributions for such additional Redeemable Partnership Units, which would increase its beneficial ownership percentage of our units and increase its share of distributions relative to public unitholders. To date, Brookfield has not elected to reinvest any of the distributions from its Redeemable Partnership Units or its Special General Partner Units for additional Redeemable Partnership Units, but it may elect to do so in the future. Brookfield may also purchase additional units of our partnership or BIPC exchangeable shares in the open market or pursuant to private placements. Brookfield historically has purchased additional Redeemable Partnership Units in private placements concurrent with public offerings of our units. Most recently, it purchased 7,104,300 Redeemable Partnership Units in connection with our November 2021 offering. See Item 5.B "Liquidity and Capital Resources-Partnership Capital." Any of these events may result in Brookfield increasing its ownership of our units relative to other unitholders, which could reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to public unitholders.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
    Our Master Services Agreement and our other arrangements with Brookfield do not impose on Brookfield any fiduciary duties to act in the best interests of our unitholders or preferred unitholders.

    Our Master Services Agreement and our other arrangements with Brookfield do not impose on Brookfield any duty (statutory or otherwise) to act in the best interests of the Service Recipients, nor do they impose other duties that are fiduciary in nature. As a result, our General Partner, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management, in its capacity as our General Partner, has sole authority to enforce the terms of such agreements and to consent to any waiver, modification or amendment of their provisions, subject to approval by a majority of our independent directors in accordance with our conflicts protocol. See Item 7.B "Related Party Transactions-Conflicts of Interest and Fiduciary Duties". In addition, the Bermuda Limited Partnership Act of 1883 ("Bermuda Limited Partnership Act"), under which our partnership and the Holding LP were established, does not impose statutory fiduciary duties on a general partner of a limited partnership in the same manner that certain corporate statutes, such as the Canada Business Corporations Act, impose fiduciary duties on directors of a corporation. In general, under applicable Bermudian legislation, a general partner has a duty to: (i) act at all times in good faith; and (ii) subject to any express provisions of the partnership agreement to the contrary, act in the interests of the limited partnership. Applicable Bermuda legislation also provides that a general partner has certain limited duties to its limited partners, such as the duty to render accounts, account for private profits and not compete with the partnership in business. In addition, Bermudian common law recognizes that a general partner owes a duty of utmost good faith to its limited partners. These duties are, in most respects, similar to duties imposed on a general partner of a limited partnership under U.S. and Canadian law. However, to the extent that our General Partner owes any such fiduciary duties to our partnership, our preferred unitholders and unitholders, these duties have been modified pursuant to our Limited Partnership Agreement as a matter of contract law, with the exception of the duty of our General Partner to act in good faith, which cannot be modified. We have been advised by Bermudian counsel that such modifications are not prohibited under Bermudian law, subject to typical qualifications as to enforceability of contractual provisions, such as the application of general equitable principles. This is similar to Delaware law which expressly permits modifications to the fiduciary duties owed to partners, other than an implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Our Limited Partnership Agreement contains various provisions that modify the fiduciary duties that might otherwise be owed to our partnership, our preferred unitholders and unitholders, including when conflicts of interest arise. Specifically, our Limited Partnership Agreement states that no breach of our Limited Partnership Agreement or a breach of any duty, including fiduciary duties, may be found for any matter that has been approved by a majority of the independent directors of our General Partner. In addition, when resolving conflicts of interest, our Limited Partnership Agreement does not impose any limitations on the discretion of the independent directors or the factors which they may consider in resolving any such conflicts. The independent directors of our General Partner can, subject to acting in accordance with their own fiduciary duties in their capacity as a director of the General Partner, therefore take into account the interests of third parties, including Brookfield, and, where applicable, any Brookfield managed vehicle, consortium or partnership, when resolving conflicts of interest and may owe fiduciary duties to such third parties, or to such Brookfield managed vehicles, consortiums or partnerships. Additionally, any fiduciary duty that is imposed under any applicable law or agreement is modified, waived or limited to the extent required to permit our General Partner to undertake any affirmative conduct or to make any decisions, so long as such action is reasonably believed to be in, or not inconsistent with, the best interests of our partnership. In addition, our Limited Partnership Agreement provides that our General Partner and its affiliates do not have any obligation under our Limited Partnership Agreement, or as a result of any duties stated or implied by law or equity, including fiduciary duties, to present business or investment opportunities to our partnership, the Holding LP, any Holding Entity or any other holding entity established by us. Our Limited Partnership Agreement also allows affiliates of our General Partner to engage in activities that may compete with us or our activities. Additionally, any failure by our General Partner to consent to any merger, consolidation or combination will not result in a breach of our Limited Partnership Agreement or any other provision of law. Our Limited Partnership Agreement prohibits our limited partners from advancing claims that otherwise might raise issues as to compliance with fiduciary duties or applicable law. These modifications to the fiduciary duties are detrimental to our unitholders and preferred unitholders because they restrict the remedies available for actions that might otherwise constitute a breach of fiduciary duty and permit conflicts of interest to be resolved in a manner that may not be or is not in the best interests of our partnership or the best interests of our unitholders and preferred unitholders. See Item 7.B "Related Party Transactions-Conflicts of Interest and Fiduciary Duties".

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
    Our organizational and ownership structure, as well as our contractual arrangements with Brookfield, may create significant conflicts of interest that may be resolved in a manner that is not in the best interests of our partnership or the best interests of our unitholders and preferred unitholders.

    Our organizational and ownership structure involves a number of relationships that may give rise to conflicts of interest between our partnership, our unitholders and our preferred unitholders, on one hand, and Brookfield and BIPC, on the other hand, For example, while the BIPC board generally mirrors the board of the General Partner, BIPC's board of directors includes an additional non-overlapping board member to assist BIPC with, among other things, resolving any conflicts of interest that may arise from its relationship with our partnership. Mr. John Fees currently serves as the non-overlapping member of BIPC's board of directors. In certain instances, the interests of Brookfield or BIPC may differ from the interests of our partnership, our preferred unitholders and our unitholders, including with respect to the types of acquisitions made, the timing and amount of distributions by our partnership, the reinvestment of returns generated by our operations, the use of leverage when making acquisitions and the appointment of outside advisors and service providers. Further, Brookfield may make decisions, including with respect to tax or other reporting positions, from time to time that may be more beneficial to one type of investor or beneficiary than another, or to Brookfield rather than to our partnership, our unitholders and our preferred unitholders. In addition, the Service Provider, an affiliate of Brookfield, provides management services to us pursuant to our Master Services Agreement. Pursuant to our Master Services Agreement, on a quarterly basis, we pay a base management fee to the Service Provider equal to 0.3125% (1.25% annually) of the market value of our partnership. BIPC reimburses us for its proportionate share of such fee. BIPC's proportionate share of the base management fee is calculated based on the weighted average units and BIPC exchangeable shares outstanding after retroactively adjusting for the special distribution. For purposes of calculating the base management fee, the market value of our partnership is equal to the aggregate value of all our outstanding units (assuming full conversion of Brookfield's limited partnership interests in Brookfield Infrastructure into units), preferred units and securities of the other Service Recipients (including the BIPC exchangeable shares and the Exchangeable units) that are not held by Brookfield Infrastructure, plus all outstanding third party debt with recourse to a Service Recipient, less all cash held by such entities. Infrastructure Special LP will also receive incentive distributions based on the amount by which quarterly distributions on the Holding LP's units (other than Holding LP Class A Preferred Units) exceed specified target levels as set forth in the Holding LP's limited partnership agreement. For a further explanation of the base management fee and incentive distributions, see Item 6.A "Directors and Senior Management-Management Fee" and Item 7.B "Related Party Transactions-Incentive Distributions". This relationship may give rise to conflicts of interest between us, our unitholders and preferred unitholders, on the one hand, and Brookfield, on the other, as Brookfield's interests may differ from the interests of Brookfield Infrastructure, our unitholders and preferred unitholders. Our General Partner, the sole shareholder of which is Brookfield, has sole authority to determine whether we will make distributions and the amount of distributions on our units and timing of these distributions. The arrangements we have with Brookfield may create an incentive for Brookfield to take actions which would have the effect of increasing distributions and fees payable to it, which may be to the detriment of us, our unitholders and preferred unitholders. For example, because the base management fee is calculated based on the market value of our partnership, it may create an incentive for Brookfield to increase or maintain the market value of our partnership over the near-term when other actions may be more favorable to us or our unitholders and preferred unitholders. Similarly, Brookfield may take actions to increase distributions on our units in order to ensure Brookfield is paid incentive distributions in the near term when other investments or actions may be more favorable to us or our unitholders and preferred unitholders. Also, through Brookfield's ownership of our units, the Redeemable Partnership Units and BIPC exchangeable shares, it has an effective economic interest in our partnership of approximately 27.2%, on a fully-exchanged basis (assuming the exchange of all issued and outstanding Redeemable Partnership Units, Exchangeable units and BIPC exchangeable shares) and therefore may be incentivized to increase distributions payable to our unitholders and thereby to Brookfield.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
    Our unitholders and preferred unitholders do not have a right to vote on partnership matters or to take part in the management of our partnership.

    Under our Limited Partnership Agreement, our unitholders and preferred unitholders are not entitled to vote on matters relating to our partnership, such as acquisitions, dispositions or financing, or to participate in the management or control of our partnership. In particular, our unitholders and preferred unitholders do not have the right to remove our General Partner, to cause our General Partner to withdraw from our partnership, to cause a new general partner to be admitted to our partnership, to appoint new directors to our General Partner's board of directors, to remove existing directors from our General Partner's board of directors or to prevent a change of control of our General Partner. In addition, except for certain fundamental matters and as prescribed by applicable laws, our unitholders' and preferred unitholders' consent rights apply only with respect to certain amendments to our Limited Partnership Agreement. As a result, unlike holders of common stock of a corporation, our unitholders are not able to influence the direction of our partnership, including its policies and procedures, or to cause a change in its management, even if they are unsatisfied with the performance of our partnership. Consequently, our unitholders may be deprived of an opportunity to receive a premium for their units in the future through a sale of our partnership and the trading price of our units may be adversely affected by the absence or a reduction of a takeover premium in the trading price. Unitholders and preferred unitholders only have a right to vote under limited circumstances as described in Item 10.B "Memorandum and Articles of Association-Description of Our Units, Preferred Units and Our Limited Partnership Agreement."

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
    The market price of our units and preferred units (and securities exchangeable into units, such as the BIPC exchangeable shares) may be volatile.

    The market price of our units and preferred units (and securities exchangeable into units, such as the BIPC exchangeable shares) may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations. Some of the factors that could negatively affect the price of our units and preferred units and securities exchangeable into units include: general market and economic conditions, including disruptions, downgrades, credit events and perceived problems in the credit markets; actual or anticipated variations in our quarterly operating results or distributions on our units; actual or anticipated variations or trends in market interest rates; market prices of other securities; our strategic actions and changes in our investments or asset composition; write-downs or perceived credit or liquidity issues affecting our assets; market perception of our partnership, our business and our assets; changes in stock market analyst recommendations or earnings estimates regarding our units or the securities of other issuers that are comparable to our partnership or are in the industries that our operating entities serve; our level of indebtedness and/or adverse market reaction to any indebtedness we incur in the future; our ability to raise capital on favorable terms or at all; sales of our units, preferred units or securities exchangeable for our units (including BIPC exchangeable shares); loss of any major funding source; the termination of our Master Services Agreement or additions or departures of our or Brookfield's key personnel; changes in market valuations of similar infrastructure companies; speculation in the press or investment community regarding us or Brookfield; and changes in U.S. tax laws that make it impractical or impossible for our partnership to continue to be taxable as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Securities markets in general have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies or partnerships. Any broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our units and preferred units (and securities exchangeable into units, such as the BIPC exchangeable shares).

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
    Non-U.S. unitholders will be subject to foreign currency risk associated with Brookfield Infrastructure's distributions.

    A significant number of our unitholders will reside in countries where the U.S. dollar is not the functional currency. Our distributions are denominated in U.S. dollars but may be settled in the local currency of the unitholder receiving the distribution. For each non-U.S. unitholder, the value received in the local currency from the distribution will be determined based on the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the applicable local currency at the time of payment. As such, if the U.S. dollar depreciates significantly against the local currency of the non-U.S. unitholder, the value received by such unitholder in its local currency will be adversely affected.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
    U.S. investors in our units and preferred units may find it difficult or impossible to enforce service of process and enforcement of judgments against us and directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider.

    We were established under the laws of Bermuda, and most of our subsidiaries are organized in jurisdictions outside of the United States. In addition, our directors and senior management identified in this annual report on Form 20-F are located outside of the United States. Certain of the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider reside outside of the United States. A substantial portion of our assets are, and the assets of the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider identified in this annual report on Form 20-F may be, located outside of the United States. It may not be possible for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider. It may also not be possible to enforce against us or the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider judgments obtained in U.S. courts predicated upon the civil liability provisions of applicable securities law in the United States.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
    Canadian investors in our units and preferred units may find it difficult or impossible to enforce service of process and enforcement of judgments against us and the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider.

    We were established under the laws of Bermuda, and most of our subsidiaries are organized in jurisdictions outside of Canada. Certain of the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider reside outside of Canada. A substantial portion of our assets are, and the assets of the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider and the experts identified in this annual report on Form 20-F may be, located outside of Canada. It may not be possible for investors to effect service of process within Canada upon the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider. It may also not be possible to enforce against us, the experts identified in this annual report on Form 20-F, or the directors and officers of our General Partner and the Service Provider judgments obtained in Canadian courts predicated upon the civil liability provisions of applicable securities laws in Canada.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
    If our partnership or the Holding LP were to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the value of our units might be adversely affected.

    The value of our units to unitholders will depend in part on the treatment of our partnership and the Holding LP as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, in order for our partnership to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, under present law, 90% or more of our partnership's gross income for every taxable year must consist of qualifying income, as defined in Section 7704 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended ("U.S. Internal Revenue Code"), and our partnership must not be required to register, if it were a U.S. corporation, as an investment company under the Investment Company Act and related rules. Although our General Partner intends to manage our partnership's affairs so that our partnership will not need to be registered as an investment company if it were a U.S. corporation and so that it will meet the 90% test described above in each taxable year, our partnership may not meet these requirements, or current law may change so as to cause, in either event, our partnership to be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If our partnership (or the Holding LP) were treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences could result for our unitholders and our partnership (or the Holding LP, as applicable), as described in greater detail in Item 10.E "Taxation-Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations-Partnership Status of Our Partnership and the Holding LP".

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12
    As a result of holding our units, our unitholders may be subject to U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. taxes and return filing obligations in jurisdictions in which they are not resident for tax purposes or otherwise not subject to tax.

    Our unitholders may be subject to U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxes, including unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which our partnership entities do business or own property now or in the future, even if our unitholders do not reside in any of those jurisdictions. Our unitholders may be required to file income tax returns and pay income taxes in some or all of these jurisdictions. Further, our unitholders may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with these requirements. Although our partnership will attempt, to the extent reasonably practicable, to structure our partnership operations and investments so as to minimize income tax filing obligations by our unitholders in such jurisdictions, there may be circumstances in which our partnership is unable to do so. It is the responsibility of each unitholder to file all U.S. federal, state, local, and non-U.S. tax returns that may be required of such unitholder.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
    Our unitholders may be exposed to transfer pricing risks.

    To the extent that our partnership, the Holding LP, the Holding Entities or the operating entities enter into transactions or arrangements with parties with whom they do not deal at arm's length, the relevant tax authorities may seek to adjust the quantum or nature of the amounts included or deducted from taxable income by such entities if they consider that the terms and conditions of such transactions or arrangements differ from those that would have been made between persons dealing at arm's length. This could result in more tax (and penalties and interest) being paid by such entities, and therefore the return to investors could be reduced. For Canadian tax purposes, a transfer pricing adjustment may in certain circumstances result in additional income being allocated to a unitholder with no corresponding cash distribution or in a dividend being deemed to be paid by a Canadian-resident to a non-arm's length non-resident, which is subject to Canadian withholding tax. Our General Partner believes that the base management fee and any other amount that is paid to the Service Provider will be commensurate with the value of the services being provided by the Service Provider and comparable to the fees or other amounts that would be agreed to in an arm's length arrangement. However, no assurance can be given in this regard. If the relevant tax authority were to assert that an adjustment should be made under the transfer pricing rules to an amount that is relevant to the computation of the income of the Holding LP or our partnership, such assertion could result in adjustments to amounts of income (or loss) allocated to our unitholders by our partnership for tax purposes. In addition, we might also be liable for transfer pricing penalties in respect of transfer pricing adjustments unless reasonable efforts were made to determine, and use, arm's length transfer prices. Generally, reasonable efforts in this regard are only considered to be made if contemporaneous documentation has been prepared in respect of such transactions or arrangements that support the transfer pricing methodology. For Canadian tax purposes, the general tax risks described above are equally relevant to preferred unitholders in respect of their preferred units.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
    Our unitholders taxable in the United States may be viewed as holding an indirect interest in an entity classified as a "passive foreign investment company" or "controlled foreign corporation" for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

    U.S. Holders may face adverse U.S. tax consequences arising from the ownership of an indirect interest in a "passive foreign investment company" ("PFIC") or "controlled foreign corporation" ("CFC"). An investment in a PFIC may produce taxable income prior to the receipt of cash relating to such income, and U.S. Holders will be required to take such income into account in determining their gross income subject to tax. With respect to gain realized upon the sale of and excess distributions from a PFIC for which an election for current inclusions is not made, such income would be taxable at ordinary income rates and subject to an additional tax equivalent to an interest charge on the deferral of income inclusions from the PFIC. In addition, all or a portion of any gain realized upon the sale of an investment in a CFC may be taxable at ordinary income rates. See Item 10.E "Taxation-Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations-Consequences to U.S. Holders-Passive Foreign Investment Companies" and "Taxation-Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations-Consequences to U.S. Holders-Controlled Foreign Corporations". Each U.S. Holder should consult its own tax adviser regarding the implications of the PFIC and CFC rules for an investment in our units.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
    Tax gain or loss from the disposition of our units could be more or less than expected.

    Upon the sale of our units, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes equal to the difference between the amount realized and such holder's adjusted tax basis in such units. Prior distributions to a U.S. Holder in excess of the total net taxable income allocated to such holder will have decreased such unitholder's tax basis in our units. Therefore, such excess distributions will increase a U.S. Holder's taxable gain or decrease such unitholder's taxable loss when our units are sold, and may result in a taxable gain even if the sale price is less than the original cost. A portion of the amount realized, whether or not representing gain, could be ordinary income to such U.S. Holder.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16
    Our partnership's delivery of required tax information for a taxable year may be subject to delay, which could require a unitholder who is a U.S. taxpayer to request an extension of the due date for such unitholder's income tax return.

    Our partnership has agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to provide U.S. tax information (including IRS Schedule K-1 information needed to determine a unitholder's allocable share of our partnership's income, gain, losses, and deductions) no later than 90 days after the close of each calendar year. However, providing this U.S. tax information to our unitholders will be subject to delay in the event of, among other reasons, the late receipt of any necessary tax information from lower-tier entities. It is therefore possible that, in any taxable year, a unitholder will need to apply for an extension of time to file such unitholder's tax returns. In addition, unitholders that do not ordinarily have U.S. federal tax filing requirements will not receive a Schedule K-1 and related information unless such unitholders request it within 60 days after the close of each calendar year. See Item 10.E "Taxation-Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations-Administrative Matters-Information Returns and Audit Procedures".

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17
    Unitholders may be required to include imputed amounts in their income for Canadian federal income tax purposes in accordance with section 94.1 of the Tax Act.

    Section 94.1 of the Tax Act contains rules relating to interests in entities that are not resident or deemed to be resident in Canada for purposes of the Tax Act or not situated in Canada (and certain exempt foreign trusts as defined in subsection 94(1) of the Tax Act), other than a CFA of the taxpayer (the "Non-Resident Entities"), that could in certain circumstances cause income to be imputed to unitholders for Canadian federal income tax purposes, either directly or by way of allocation of such income imputed to our partnership or to the Holding LP. See Item 10.E "Taxation-Certain Material Canadian Federal Income Tax Considerations".

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 18
    Unitholders who are not and are not deemed to be resident in Canada for purposes of the Tax Act and who do not use or hold, and are not deemed to use or hold, their units of our partnership in connection with a business carried on in Canada ("non-Canadian limited partners"), may be subject to Canadian federal income tax with respect to any Canadian source business income earned by our partnership or the Holding LP if our partnership or the Holding LP were considered to carry on business in Canada.

    If our partnership or the Holding LP were considered to carry on business in Canada for purposes of the Tax Act, non-Canadian limited partners would be subject to Canadian federal income tax on their proportionate share of any Canadian source business income earned or considered to be earned by our partnership, subject to the potential application of the safe harbor rule in section 115.2 of the Tax Act and any relief that may be provided by any relevant income tax treaty or convention. Our General Partner intends to manage the affairs of our partnership and the Holding LP, to the extent possible, so that they do not carry on business in Canada and are not considered or deemed to carry on business in Canada for purposes of the Tax Act. Nevertheless, because the determination of whether our partnership or the Holding LP is carrying on business and, if so, whether that business is carried on in Canada, is a question of fact that is dependent upon the surrounding circumstances, the CRA might contend successfully that either or both of our partnership and the Holding LP carries on business in Canada for purposes of the Tax Act. If our partnership or the Holding LP is considered to carry on business in Canada or is deemed to carry on business in Canada for the purposes of the Tax Act, non-Canadian limited partners that are corporations would be required to file a Canadian federal income tax return for each taxation year in which they are a non-Canadian limited partner regardless of whether relief from Canadian taxation is available under an applicable income tax treaty or convention. Non-Canadian limited partners who are individuals would only be required to file a Canadian federal income tax return for any taxation year in which they are allocated income from our partnership from carrying on business in Canada that is not exempt from Canadian taxation under the terms of an applicable income tax treaty or convention.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment. They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result. It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process. Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”. Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report. According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing. You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector. Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements. A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below. 1. Financial & Corporate Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results. Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing. Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments. Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances. 2. Legal & Regulatory Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company. Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation. Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy. Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives. 3. Production Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory. Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers. Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls. Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation. 4. Technology & Innovation Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development. Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology. Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks. Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying. 5. Ability to Sell Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers. Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes. Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration. Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation. 6. Macro & Political Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions. Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19. International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company. Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.