Manitoba government should help make province more attractive to mining investment

With significant deposits of lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, copper, cesium and zinc, Manitoba has the potential to be a mineral powerhouse. Yet despite surging global demand for these resources, Manitoba’s policy environment makes it harder for the province’s mining sector to attract investment. Premier Wab Kinew can help turn that around.

While governments cannot control the minerals beneath their soil, they can control their policies. The most attractive jurisdictions tend to match their mineral potential with a competitive policy regime, or overcome a lack of quality or quantity of mineral deposits with sound policies. Again, according to the latest survey of senior mining executives worldwide, Manitoba is failing to capitalize on its potential.

Despite ranking 13th globally for mineral endowment, the province drops to 39th (out of 68 jurisdictions) on policy alone. In fact, Manitoba ranks last among Canadian provinces on policy. Specifically, 33 per cent of respondents said Manitoba’s legal system deters investment, up 18 percentage points from last year’s results. And 47 per cent said taxes in the province deter investment, up 11 percentage points from last year.

Moreover, half of all respondents said Manitoba’s regulatory duplication and inconsistencies, uncertainty over disputed land claims, and community development conditions (including infrastructure such as schools and hospitals) deter investment. By comparison, less than one-third said those same factors deter investment in Alberta, the top-performing Canadian jurisdiction on policy.

Permit times are another factor because long delays can raise costs, increase uncertainty and make projects less likely to proceed. Manitoba ranks last among Canadian jurisdictions on this measure and among the worst jurisdictions worldwide. Specifically, only 20 per cent of respondents for Manitoba said they expect to obtain the necessary permits for exploration activities in less than six months compared to 100 per cent for Newfoundland and Labrador, 71 per cent for the Northwest Territories, and 67 per cent for Nunavut and Ontario.

Meanwhile, all respondents for Manitoba said permit times are getting worse, and 60 per cent said they had low confidence—or no confidence at all—that they’d receive the necessary permits. Finally, 80 per cent said the lack of transparency in the permitting process deters investment in Manitoba compared to only 20 per cent for Newfoundland and Labrador and 25 per cent for British Columbia.

Not surprisingly, investment in Manitoba’s mining sector has plummeted from its peak of $481 million in 2013 to $269 million in 2024 (the latest year of inflation-adjusted data), a 44.1 per cent decline. In 2026 investment is expected to fall even lower than 2024 levels.

Clearly, Premier Kinew should address these missed opportunities. In 2025, Manitoba’s mining sector contributed $508.3 million to the provincial economy and sustained nearly 2,500 jobs in an industry that pays wages well above the national industrial average. Less investment means fewer resources to explore new deposits, develop projects, expand critical infrastructure and sustain the well-paying jobs the industry provides.

The Kinew government has an opportunity to change course, driven by rising global demand for the very minerals Manitoba has in the ground. By streamlining regulatory regulations, improving the permitting process, clarifying property rights, and adopting a more competitive policy framework, Manitoba could become a top destination for mining investment, which would help create more jobs and prosperity across the province.