Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Orbit Garant Drilling's Fiscal 2022 Third Quarter Results Conference Call and Webcast. At this time, all lines are listen-only mode. Following management's remarks, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. If at any time during this call you require immediate assistance, please press star zero for the operator. Please be aware that certain information discussed today may be forward-looking, and that actual results could differ materially. Certain non-IFRS financial measures will also be discussed. Please refer to the company's SEDAR filings for additional information on both risk factors and non-IFRS measures. This call is being recorded on Thursday, May 12, 2022. I would now like to turn the conference over to Mr. Eric Alexandre, President and CEO of Orbit Garant. Please go ahead, sir.
Thank you, operator, and good morning, ladies and gentlemen. With me on the call is Daniel Maheu, CFO. Following my opening remarks, Daniel will review our financial results, and I will conclude with comments on our outlook. We will then welcome questions. We experienced continued strong demand for our drilling services in both our Canadian and international operations during the third quarter. We drilled approximately 431,000 meters, similar to Q3 last year, and our revenue increased 11.6% year-over-year due to price increase we have implemented on contracts in Canada and increased international drilling activity. Our drill utilization rate in the quarter was approximately 63%, compared to 60% in Q3 last year. This was the fifth consecutive quarter in which our utilization was at least 60%, reflecting sustained strength in customer demand.
However, our profitability in the third quarter was impacted by a number of factors. Productivity in Canada was lower compared to Q3 last year due to adverse weather conditions, a higher portion of less experienced drillers, and Omicron-related work interruptions. Adverse weather is a common challenge during the winter drilling season in Canada. However, it affected our operations more than usual this year. Driller experience has been a challenge in our Canadian operations due to an industry-wide scarcity of workers. We have expanded our workforce to meet market demand, but our new drillers are still gaining field experience, and this has impacted productivity. We expect productivity to gradually improve over time. With regards to Omicron, we were hit particularly hard in the quarter, having lost approximately 16,000 hours of labor in Canada due to interruptions caused by the variant.
This impacted revenue, but we had to absorb related costs. In addition to these productivity issues, our margin in Canada were impacted by higher costs related to driller training, fuel and material wages, and project ramp-up. The high cost of fuel and materials is due in part to global supply chain disruption. This disruption has intensified since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February and triggered major international sanctions. In our international operation, we generated year-over-year revenue increase of 34.4% in the third quarter and 89.5% year-to-date, driven by new long-term project in Chile and Guinea. However, we continue to incur mobilization costs on these projects in the quarter. Similar to our Canadian operation, margins were negatively impacted by higher costs for fuel and material, as well as Omicron-related work interruption, particularly in Chile.
Put together, all of these issues significantly impact our financial performance in the third quarter. It is important to note that some of these issues were short-term, such as the adverse weather and Omicron-related disruption. Those negative impacts have already receded. We also expect that higher cost pricing will offset other cost pressure we are experiencing. I will speak more about our efforts to expand margin later in the call. For now, I want to note that customer demand for our services remain very strong, supported by continued strength in gold and copper prices. We have incurred the cost necessary to scale up our operation for growth. Our focus now is on driving productivity and margin expansion. I will now turn the call over to Daniel to review our third quarter financial results in more detail. Daniel?
Thank you, Eric, and good morning, everyone. Our fiscal 2022 Third Quarter Revenue totaled $ 45.2 million, an increase of 11.6% from Q3 last year. Canada revenue totaled $ 32.5 million in the quarter, up 4.7% from Q3 last year, reflecting sustained strength in customer demand and improved pricing on drilling contracts. International revenue was $ 12.7 million, an increase of 34.4% from Q3 last year, mostly due to the new long-term contract in Guinea and Chile. Gross profit for the quarter was $ 0.3 million compared to $ 3.2 million in Q3 last year. Adjusted gross margin, excluding depreciation expenses, was 6.7% compared to 13.1% in Q3 last year.
As Eric said, margins in Q3 2022 were negatively impacted by a decline in productivity in Canada attributable to adverse weather conditions affecting drilling operations more than usual and a higher proportion of less experienced drillers. Margins in Canada were also impacted by increased driller wage rates and employee training costs. Supply chain disruptions have increased the cost of materials and fuel, which has further impacted margins. In addition, margins were impacted by temporary work disruptions due to Omicron outbreak, particularly in Canada and Chile. G&A expenses were $ 3.8 million in the quarter, or 8.5% of revenue compared to $ 3.7 million or 9% of revenue in Q3 last year. EBITDA for the quarter was $- 0.5 million compared to $ 3.6 million in Q3 last year.
Net loss was $ 4.1 million or $ 0.11 per share compared to a net earnings of $ 0.7 million or $ 0.02 per share in Q3 a year ago. The negative variance were attributable to the factor both Eric and I have already discussed. In addition, EBITDA and net earnings were positively impacted in Q3 last year by the reversal of $ 1.96 million provision for litigation in Burkina Faso. Now turning to our balance sheet. We withdrew a net amount of $ 2.1 million on our credit facility in the third quarter compared to a withdrawal of $ 3.1 million in Q3 last year.
Our long-term debt under the credit facility, including $1 million draw from our $5 million revolving facility, and the current portion was $ 26.3 million as of March 31, 2022, compared to $ 24.3 million as at June 30, 2021, our fiscal 2021 year end. The debt was used to support working capital requirements and the acquisition of capital assets, property, plant, and equipment. As of March 31, 2022, our working capital position was $ 46.9 million, compared to $54 million at the end of fiscal 2021. At quarter end, we complied with all the covenants in our credit facility and Export Development Canada loan agreement, except for the total debt to EBITDA and interest coverage financial covenants.
We obtained a waiver from National Bank of Canada on our obligation to comply with these covenants for the period commencing on January 1, 2022 and ending on May 15, 2022. On May 10, 2022, we enter into an amendment to the credit facility, first one to which we expect to comply with all the covenants applicable to the current quarter and future quarters. We expect that availability under the credit facility will continue to provide us with sufficient liquidity to fund working capital and capital asset acquisition requirements. I will now turn the call back to Eric for closing comments. Eric?
Thanks, Daniel. As we described, our financial performance was impacted by several different factors during the third quarter. I want to stress that these effects are not permanent, and we are already seeing significant relief during the fourth quarter. Weather conditions in Canada are improving during Q4, and we have not experienced major disruption due to Omicron during this quarter, as we did through Q3. This is allowing us to complete work faster and on schedule without facing the significant costs associated with delays. We expect margins to improve as the price increases we have implemented on our contracts offset increased wage, material, and fuel costs. International mobilization costs are declining as we complete ramp-up activities on the new projects in Chile and Guinea. The skilled worker shortage is a challenge that the entire industry is dealing with in Canada.
However, we are addressing this issue through our driller training program and our computerized drill technology, which accelerates the learning process for less experienced drillers. In addition, we expect productivity will gradually improve as our less experienced workers gain more field experience. We are proud of our best-in-class training program, but there is no substitute for hands-on experience in the field. Our newer workers are gaining more of it every month. We have incurred substantial costs in fiscal 2022 associated with driller training and short-term project ramp-up in Canada, as well as new project mobilization in our international operations. However, by absorbing these costs, we are now able to satisfy a significantly higher level of customer demand and are well positioned to generate improved profitability in our fourth quarter and into fiscal 2023.
As I noted earlier in this call, customer demand is strong and show no signs of slowing. We believe the business outlook for Orbit Garant is positive. With our highly skilled team, financial flexibility, leading-edge drilling technology, established presence in leading copper and gold mining markets, recent investment in extensive drilling, driller training, project ramp-up and mobilization, and increased contract pricing, we are well positioned to expand margins and profitability in the months ahead while pursuing opportunities to increase market share. That concludes our formal remarks. Daniel and I will now be pleased to take any question. Operator, please begin the question period.
Thank you, sir. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now conduct the question and answer session. If you'd like to ask a question, press star, then the number one on your telephone keypad. If you'd like to withdraw your question, press star two. If you're using a speakerphone, please lift the handset before pressing any keys. One moment please for your first question. Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder, if you have any questions, please press star one. Your first question comes from Terry Balyma, the private investor. Please go ahead.
Yes, thank you. The 16,000 hours that were impacted in the quarter, how much did that impact the revenue?
The estimation of that is roughly CAD 4 million in Canadian money. We can say, in Canada only we missed CAD 4 million of income and with the margin, let's say of 15%-20%, the math is relatively simple. In Chile, we don't have estimated the total hour, but it's something important also.
For the entire quarter, the unusual costs in the quarter totaled how much in the quarter?
Sorry, I missed the question there. Is it the cost associated to the Omicron or all the unusual costs there?
Yes. Omicron, the increased training costs and-
Yes.
The mobilization.
Well-
What do you consider unusual costs? That was
Well, there was first of all, the training is like you can consider it as normal as we ramp up operation out there, and we are increasing volume there. But this quarter, we have trained 54 new employees, which cost approximately CAD 10,000 each, so it's a $ 540,000 there. But the biggest cost was associated to the Omicron delays. You know, we have to postpone the start-up of some project. We have to absorb some fixed costs by the time that our guys are coming back there. There was like indirect costs that are not there anymore. This is hard to evaluate out there because there is a lot of back and forth things there, but there was some costs there that will disappear.
As well as productivity has been really impacted by the hard winter we had to face, especially in Canada and Quebec and Nunavut. Our productivity in January and February was really impacted by this. We had like the lower productivity since the last four or five years there in those two quarters. That was big cost to support. You know, we cannot make any margin when we don't produce, and this is the challenge we had in those months. The good thing is that in March productivity went back to, let's say, normal level. Now in April and so far in May, we are like above what we expect, so that's a good news for us.
We think that those costs are behind right now.
Super. I have one question on the industry utilization in Canada. What is the utilization in the areas, for the industry, not for the company, but for the industry, in Canada, the industry utilization in Canada?
Well, that's a good question, but you know, first of all, the big limit there is people. Right now, I would say in Canada, the industry is running, you know, above capacity right now. You know, we have drills that now in the yard that they are missing drillers, all the companies, you know? That's a reality. That is putting pressure on us to increase wages and cost of training. This is a situation right now. There would be some machine available, but there is no, simply no people to put on those machines. On our side, we manage it with the training school we have, as well as with the technology, which accelerate our capacity to train people faster.
I see. Yeah. The clients that are doing projects, they're scrambling for rigs, in other words.
That's the thing. You know, everybody wants rigs, so we don't talk about prices right now more. Do you have a rig and do you have people? That's the thing. This is probably the best environment for a drilling company. We are right in right now and the good thing too is that March has been a very historic good month in financing, in gold especially, which gives us, you know, a good window for the months to come. Because usually by the time that people raise money, there is a delay that they will spend it. We don't see the demand decreasing right now.
Sounds good. One more was, by the calendar year end of 2022, would the company realistically be able to be at least at a 10% EBITDA margin?
Well, that's very hard because there is a lot of things that we don't control. The markets is very volatile, especially since this Ukraine and Russia conflict there, where we saw the price of fuel going from CAD 1.20-something to CAD 2.20-something Canadian dollar. It's hard to say exactly where we're gonna end up, but for sure, you know, our Q4 would be a lot better than Q3. There would be some cost related to training again. You know, we see a better future from now, especially because we produce more right now. The target is to reach back, you know, those level of profitability moving ahead. There would be like a gap, you know, from quarter to quarter.
Okay. Getting back to what you said earlier, with the rigs versus the crews. If you had the crews available that were trained, you could actually be using basically 80%, 90% of your rigs in Canada. Is that fair to say?
Yeah. We have that in the past.
If you had the manpower.
Yeah, that's true. You know, actually in Canada, we are like some kind of fully booked because we are limited with people, and we run probably 66% of our rig right now. We can build some whatever, but it doesn't make sense to build any because simply no people available.
I see. That's the same for everybody, and that's the main reason the pricing is going up now.
Yeah.
Because the rigs are all taken, yes.
That's it. Yeah. It is.
Those were my questions. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Have a nice day.
You too.
Thank you. There are no further questions at this time. Mr. Alexandre, you may proceed.
Perfect. Thank you very much for listening. See you to next quarter, to Q4. Have a nice summer, everybody. Thank you.
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes your conference call for today. We thank you for participating and ask that you please disconnect your lines. Have a great day.