The province of Alberta ranks the most attractive jurisdiction for mining investment in Canada, while Quebec has slid precipitously, says an annual worldwide survey of mining executives released by the Fraser Institute, a Canadian think-tank; the study focused on 112 jurisdictions.
For the second consecutive year, Alberta ranked No. 1 in Canada and No. 3 globally, based on 690 responses from mineral exploration and development company executives. The other most attractive jurisdictions included Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Wyoming, Western Australia, Nevada and Norway.
“Miners praise Alberta for (its) transparent and productive approach to mining,” said Kenneth Green, a Fraser Institute natural resources specialist; New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador also rounded out the top 10. Quebec, meanwhile, slid to 21 from Mining Act and tax policy changes; in 2009, it topped the list.
The 10 least attractive jurisdictions for investment included Kyrgyzstan, Venezuela, Philippines, Argentina, Zimbabwe, the Ivory Coast, Indonesia and Madagascar. Exploration budgets reported by companies participating in the survey totaled $4.6 billion in 2012 and $3.4 billion in 2013.
To view the report, click here.
