Ontario sinks in global mining rankings, Quebec tops: Fraser Institute

Quebec once again sits as the world's most attractive mining jurisdiction, according to a survey of mining industry executives, who also saw fit to knock down Ontario's ranking in the Fraser Institute's annual Survey of Mining Companies 2009/2010.

Ontario, which sat at 10th place in last year's survey, has dropped to 22nd place overall as a result of multiple layers of regulation, sparse coordination between government agencies, and Aboriginal land claim uncertainty.

These same issues also dropped British Columbia's ranking from 24th place last year to 38th. Conversely, Quebec was hailed for its stable government policies which reduce the risk for long-term projects.

The survey includes the opinions of 670 mining executives and managers worldwide on the policy and mineral endowment of 72 jurisdictions on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. Participating companies represented US$2.9-billion of exploration spending in 2009.