October 20, 2017

The Northwest Territories has solidified its position as an attractive locale for global mining and exploration companies looking for stable resource investments.

The World Risk Report, published by the Mining Journal, ranks the NWT fifth overall (out of 85) using their Investment Risk Index — a measurement encompassing a both qualitative and quantitative data from global stakeholders in mining and exploration.

The NWT ranked high in areas of social stability and governance. Opportunities to improve the NWT’s rankings come in the areas of fiscal management, legal framework, and infrastructure.

For perspective, if the NWT were to improve their infrastructure score by just five points from 64/100 to 69/100, the territory would have topped the list.

This is welcome news as exploration surges in the NWT and several initiatives are already underway to improve the NWT’s investment environment.

The development of a Mineral Resources Act made in the NWT, for the NWT will help to address legal and fiscal challenges. Continued work to address the NWT’s infrastructure deficit will also improve our territory’s standing as a world-class investment locale.

The World Risk Report found that North America and Canada, specifically, is the safest place to invest resource capital. Five of the AAA-rated jurisdictions (negligible risk) were provinces/territories of Canada (including the NWT).

Improving the NWT’s competitive edge in the global resource market is the primary goal of the GNWT’s Mineral Development Strategy. Commitments to implementing this strategy are part of the GNWT’s current mandate.