The Fraser Institute’s annual survey of 2010’s top mining jurisdictions around the world was published Thursday, and there’s little good news for B.C.
Although Canada’s westernmost province moved up the list to the 36th best jurisdiction out of 79 global regions, rising two places from 38th in 2009, that’s compared with a ranking of 19th in 2008.
Fred McMahon, the study’s co-author, said in an interview that it’s business as usual in B.C.
“I think you’re in a close enough range that it’s very difficult to say whether B.C. has improved or not,” McMahon said. “If you were looking at a poll and in one poll a political party got 40% and in another poll they got 41%, you say, ‘not much going on there.’ Frankly, I’d say that’s what’s happening with British Columbia.”
The survey represents the opinions of 494 exploration, development and other mining-related companies around the world.
Chief among the concerns about B.C. is security of land tenure, with a familiar name that keeps popping up year after year – Windy Craggy.
The project, located in the far northwestern tip of B.C., was halted in the mid-1990s when the government created a park that enveloped the site following environmental concerns about the proposed mine.
“It’s the same old story with B.C. … people still remember Windy Craggy,” McMahon said. “I keep expecting some year to get no comments about Windy Craggy but this wasn’t the year … That tells you how long the memories are, and it’s a warning to government to get things right because people remember.”