Ontario Wins Bronze in Mining Investment Attractiveness

It takes both favourable geology and favourable public policies to attract investment, and Ontario scores well on both counts. This is according to the Fraser Institute’s fourth annual Survey of Mining Companies, which ranks Ontario third of the 35 jurisdictions that it looked at, based on 1999 data. The gold and silver medals went to Nevada and Chile, respectively. The only other part of Canada to score in the top 10 was Quebec, which came in ninth.

Ontario was ranked first in terms of mineral potential, scoring 100 out of a possible 100 points, while it ranked sixth in policy potential, scoring 72 out of a possible 100 points. BC and Quebec also scored in the top 10 in terms of mineral potential. Alberta, Manitoba and New Brunswick ranked in the top 10 in terms of policy potential.

The study looked at all Canadian provinces and territories except Prince Edward Island, as well as 14 states in the United States and nine other countries. The report was published in December 2000 by the Fraser Institute, a Vancouver-based independent public policy organization. The study can be viewed at www.fraserinstitute.ca