According to a press release, Plenary Americas will acquire 100 percent of the Class A Limited Voting Shares of Information Services Corporation (ISC), including those held by the Crown Investments Corporation, at $51 per share. The provincial government anticipates receiving around $277 million before any fees and closing costs for its 5.4 million shares. Saskatchewan will use the proceeds to fund health-care infrastructure, with more details expected in the coming weeks.
ISC will be sold to a subsidiary of Plenary Americas, an infrastructure investment arm of La Caisse, a global investment group based in Quebec with more than US$330 billion in net assets. Plenary Americas is a long-term investor, developer and manager of public and private infrastructure, specializing in public-private partnerships, local development and asset management, headquartered in Vancouver.
In 2013, the government made ISC a publicly traded commodity, with shares made available at $14. Saskatchewan’s Crown Investments Corporation (CIC) maintained about 30 percent ownership interest, making the Government of Saskatchewan the largest shareholder. There were 17,500,000 Class A Limited Voting Shares issued and outstanding, one Golden Share issued and outstanding, and no Preferred Shares. If the sale to Plenary Americas is approved, ISC shares will eventually be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the company will transition to private ownership.
When ISC went public in 2013, ownership of Class A Limited Voting Shares was limited to 15 percent, leaving the Government of Saskatchewan as the majority shareholder and holder of the single Golden Share. A golden share is a special type of share that grants its holder veto power over alterations to the company’s charter and comes with enhanced voting rights, enabling the holder to exercise veto authority over significant corporate decisions, even if their equity stake is relatively small. The Crown or a government usually retains this instrument after privatizing a state-owned enterprise. This structure allows the government to sell the majority of its equity stake to private investors while still maintaining a check on strategic decisions. (https://legalclarity.org/what-is-a-golden-share-and-how-does-it-work/)
Golden shares are commonly used in privatized companies to protect against hostile takeovers and maintain government influence. Golden shares gained popularity in the 1980s when the British government privatized companies while seeking to maintain control. The British government saw good reasons to use golden shares with newly privatized companies. Golden shares would protect companies from hostile takeovers, especially from international bidders. This strategy helps public companies retain control of their interests in the face of competitors. (https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/goldenshare.asp)
The 2013 Articles of Continuance and the ISC Act imposed restrictions on ISC, including a ban on transferring head office operations outside Saskatchewan. Additionally, ISC’s articles and by-laws cannot conflict with the ISC Act, and most executive and senior officers must reside in Saskatchewan. (https://www.osc.ca/en/securities-law/orders-rulings-decisions/information-services-corporation)
The Information Services Corporation Amendment Act 2026, which passed in early May, ensured the government would retain its Golden Share in ISC if a sale were to occur. As the holder of the Golden Share, the government can only use its veto in certain situations: to block transferring the ISC’s registered office or head office operations outside Saskatchewan; to oppose the sale, lease, or exchange of nearly all of the ISC’s assets; to prevent seeking continuance outside Saskatchewan; to modify the ISC’s Articles of Continuance; or as required by law, these have not changed. The key changes to the Information Services Corporation Act include removing the previous 15 percent cap on voting share ownership and allowing the Lieutenant Governor in Council to appoint two board members annually. New protections prevent ISC’s intellectual property from leaving Saskatchewan and stop asset transfers that could affect ISC’s obligations under recent agreements. Additionally, the Crown Investments Corporation of Saskatchewan can retain a “golden share” through a future court-approved corporate reorganization.
The provincial government has said ISC will continue to be the exclusive manager and operator of the Saskatchewan Land Registry, the Saskatchewan Personal Property Registry, the Land Surveys Directory and the Saskatchewan Corporate Registry, and further stated the Master Services Agreement, which regulates and controls land titles fees, would continue to apply if a sale were to happen.
By Carol Baldwin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on May 22, 2026 at 07:00
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