The provision of welfare and related services is one of the most sensitive activities government undertakes. Welfare recipients often face difficult situations involving serious problems-job loss, disability, marital breakdown-and they need assistance to tide them over for a short period of time until they are self-sufficient again. In many instances, individuals and families return to independence after a short duration on welfare. To extend assistance beyond this point may seem easier and more compassionate in the short-term, but it is detrimental in the long run. Those providing welfare and related services must ensure that those in need of assistance get it in a timely and supportive manner while ensuring that the system does not become a permanent source of support.

Since 1997, The Fraser Institute has conducted an annual survey of metal mining companies to assess how mineral endowments and public policy factors such as taxation and regulation affect exploration investment. Survey results represent the opinions of exploration managers in mining companies operating around the world. As the popularity of the survey has grown, we have expanded it to include more jurisdictions. We now ask companies to give us their opinions about the investment attractiveness of 45 jurisdictions including the Canadian provinces and territories (except Prince Edward Island), selected US states (this year Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming), Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, Columbia, Ecuador, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. We look forward to including other jurisdictions of interest to respondents to further reflect the globalization of mining in the years to come.