Canadian budget update full of goodies for miners
In a move long sought by mineral explorers active in Canada, Canada’s federal government has extended its mineral exploration tax credit (METC) for five years, in contrast to the prior…
Regulatory Issues
Fraser Institute says Canada ‘taking longer’ to give exploration permits
A new study on mining and investment by the Fraser Institute claims investors are losing confidence in the permitting process for mineral exploration in many Canadian provinces. The Canadian think…
Gov’t commissioned review condemns BC’s ‘professional reliance’ model
VANCOUVER — Big changes to the way B.C.’s mining sector is regulated may be on the way. At least that’s the signal given by a newly released, provincial government-commissioned report…
Editorial: New Ontario gov’t streamlines ministries, axes carbon tax
The swearing-in on June 29 of new Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative majority government promises somewhat more mining-friendly policies in the province that remains Canada’s mining powerhouse….
Ontario gov’t reaches resource revenue-sharing deal with First Nations
The Ontario government and several First Nations in the province have reached an agreement that will see the province share revenues from mining and forestry projects with local First Nations….
Editorial: Rusal sanctions sow market turmoil
The global aluminum markets have been in an uproar since April 6, when the U.S. government imposed tough sanctions on Russia’s oligarchs. Caught in the net are aluminum giant Rusal…
Editorial: New DRC tax rates chasten foreign miners
In the mining world there’s no better epitome of a high-reward, high-risk jurisdiction than the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), with its array of superb mineral deposits, but a…
PDAC 2018: Ecuador mines minister hopes to eliminate windfall tax
Rebeca Illescas, Ecuador’s new minister of mines, says she hopes to persuade the government of President Lenin Moreno to abolish the windfall profits tax. “I’ve talked about this in Ecuador…
Do Canadian disclosure obligations apply to your mineral project?
Canadian securities laws impose a variety of disclosure obligations on companies in the mining industry that issue securities in Canada, both public and private. The key piece of legislation, National…
Editorial: New environmental assessment rules proposed for Canada
On Feb. 8 Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna introduced the 341-page Bill C-69, which seeks to comprehensively alter the current federal legislation guiding the environmental review and…
Roundup 2018: AME’s Edie Thome on BC’s mineral politics
VANCOUVER — The Association for Mineral Exploration’s (AME) Roundup conference in Vancouver serves as a bellwether for the mining industry as the first major technical event of the new year. The…
Editorial: Cobalt positioned to enjoy strong year
In many eyes, cobalt is set to become an investor darling for 2018, and the recent royalty hike on cobalt production by the government of the world’s largest producer —…