Kenneth Green and Ashley Stedman are the co-authors of the Fraser Institute’s 2017 Survey of Mining Companies.
Manitoba is no longer a top-ranked jurisdiction for mining investment, and government policy uncertainty is largely to blame, according to the Fraser Institute’s annual survey of mining companies.
Every year the Fraser Institute surveys miners around the world to determine which jurisdictions are attractive—or unattractive—for investment, based on policies and geology.
The survey spotlights policies (taxes, duplicative regulations, availability of labour and skills, etc.) that govern the mining industry and impact the investment attractiveness of jurisdictions worldwide.
Over the years, Manitoba has had its ups and downs in the survey. Last year it ranked second worldwide, but fell to 18th place this year. Why? Because survey respondents expressed increased concern over political instability and taxation.
Crucially, Manitoba’s dramatic drop appears to be a made-in-Manitoba problem, as three Canadian provinces — Saskatchewan (second), Quebec (sixth) and Ontario (seventh) — now rank in the top 10 globally. In fact, Ontario, Manitoba’s eastern neighbour, saw its rank improve from 18th last year to seventh this year. In Ontario, miners are now less concerned about uncertainty around disputed land claims and protected areas.
For the rest of this column: http://winnipegsun.com/news/provincial/mining-investors-dramatically-downgrade-manitoba-in-annual-survey