I want to point out there's a 50 basis point yearly currency fee. That's how cibc makes it's money.
As far as a your question this is what I found. Hope it helps:
No, Canadian Depositary Receipts (CDRs) like CIBC’s Berkshire Hathaway CDR are not considered U.S. situs assets.
Here’s why that matters:
U.S. situs assets (e.g. U.S. stocks directly held by non-U.S. persons) are generally subject to U.S. estate tax if their value exceeds $60,000 USD.
CDRs are traded on the NEO Exchange in Canada and structured by a Canadian financial institution (CIBC). Legally, you're not holding the U.S. shares directly—CIBC is.
For Canadian residents, this avoids U.S. estate tax exposure, and CDRs are treated as Canadian securities from a tax and reporting standpoint.
So if you're holding something like BERK.B CDR, you get synthetic exposure to Berkshire Hathaway without triggering U.S. situs tax concerns.