_____________________________________________________________________________________________ UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 ________________ FORM 40-F ☐ Registration statement pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or ☒ Annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 Commission File Number 001-38179 ________________ Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter) Ontario 1000 N/A (Province or other jurisdiction of incorporation or (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) organization) 200 Bay Street, Suite 2800 Toronto, Ontario M5J 2J1 Canada (416) 840-7884 (Address and telephone number of Registrant’s principal executive offices) ________________ Registered Agent Solutions, Inc. 99 Washington Avenue Suite 1008 Albany, NY 12260 (888) 705-7274 (Name, address (including zip code) and telephone number (including area code) of agent for service in the United States) ________________ Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Common Shares, no par value KL New York Stock Exchange Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None. Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None For annual reports, indicate by check mark the information filed with this Form: ☒ Annual information form ☒ Audited annual financial statements Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the registrant’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report: 268,097,877 Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports); and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. ý Yes ¨ No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to submit such files). ý Yes ¨ No Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. Emerging growth company ☐ If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨ † The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the\ effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ EXPLANATORY NOTE Kirkland Lake Gold Ltd. (the “Company” or the “Registrant”) is a Canadian issuer that is permitted, under the multijurisdictional disclosure system adopted in the United States, to prepare this annual report on Form 40-F (this “Annual Report”) pursuant to Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), in accordance with Canadian disclosure requirements, which are different from those of the United States. The Company is a “foreign private issuer” as defined in Rule 3b-4 under the Exchange Act and Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Equity securities of the Company are accordingly exempt from Sections 14(a), 14(b), 14(c), 14(f) and 16 of the Exchange Act pursuant to Rule 3a12-3 thereunder. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS The Exhibits incorporated by reference into this Annual Report contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable United States securities laws and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking statements”). Forward- looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the Company’s expected production from, and further potential of, the Company’s properties; the future price of minerals, particularly gold; the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources; conclusions of economic evaluations; the realization of mineral reserve estimates; the timing and amount of estimated future production; costs of production; capital expenditures; success of ongoing and future exploration activities; mining or processing issues; the timing of sustaining capital projects; assessment of future reclamation obligations; government regulation of mining operations; and environmental risks. Estimates regarding the anticipated timing, amount and cost of exploration and development activities are based on assumptions underlying mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates and the realization of such estimates. Capital and operating cost estimates are based on extensive research of the Company, purchase orders placed by the Company to date, recent estimates of construction and mining costs and other factors. Forward-looking statements are characterized by words such as “plan”, “expect”, “budget”, “target”, “schedule”, “estimate”, “forecast”, “project”, “intend”, “believe”, “anticipate” and other similar words or statements that certain events or conditions “may”, “could”, “would”, “might”, or “will” occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions, assumptions and estimates of management considered reasonable at the date the statements are made, and are inherently subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other known and unknown factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, those described in the Company’s Annual Information Form (the “AIF”) for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed as Exhibit 99.1 to this Annual Report. Such factors include: the price of gold; impacts of infectious diseases, including but not limited to COVID-19; exploration, development and operating risks; health, safety and environmental risks and hazards; risks relating to foreign operations and political risks; uncertainty in the estimation of mineral reserves and mineral resources; replacement of depleted mineral reserves; uncertainty relating to mineral resources; risks related to production estimates and cost estimates; obligations as a public company; risks relating to government regulation; risks related to acquisitions, integration and dispositions; the impact of Australian laws regarding foreign investment; access to additional capital; volatility in the market price of the Company’s securities; the continuation of the Company’s dividend policy; risks related to the Company’s investments; liquidity risk; risks related to community relations; risks relating to equity investments; risks relating to first nations and aboriginal heritage; risks relating to non-governmental organizations; the availability of infrastructure, energy and other commodities; nature and climactic conditions; risks related to information technology and cybersecurity; timing and costs associated with the design, procurement and construction of the Company’s various capital projects, including but not limited to the #4 Shaft project at the Company’s Macassa mine complex located in northeastern Ontario; permitting; risks related to insurance and uninsured risks; the prevalence of competition within the mining industry; currency exchange rates (such as the Canadian dollar and the Australian dollar versus the United States dollar); availability of sufficient power and water for operations; risks associated with tax matters and foreign mining tax regimes; risks relating to activist shareholders; risks relating to potential litigation; risks associated with the mineral tenure regimes in jurisdictions where the Company operates; risks associated with title to the Company’s mining claims and leases; risks relating to the dependence of the Company on outside parties and key management personnel; risks relating to the Company’s counterparties; risks associated with recovery and dilution; labour and employment matters; risks in the event of a potential conflict of interest; risks relating to the Company’s disclosure and internal controls; risks relating to global financial conditions; as well as those risk