I'm working on a project in British Columbia right now and have visited many mining operations throughout Canada. The most important contrast with the United States is the availability of information. When a company conducts exploration on public lands in the US, they are not required to release that information. In Canada, geologic work on public lands must be filed with the government. And it is all available on the internet. Now the USGS is amazing with the amount of data provided online, likewise the BLM (I can download GIS layers and plop them right into my drawings, which saves an insane amount of time. But with Canada, I can get sampling information and drill data that here in the states is tightly held by companies.

I'm also working on projects in Nevada, which is pretty pain free, except they keep changing their claim staking laws.

The new budget includes a new 5% royalty on mines on public lands in the US. This will have a serious impact on mining in this country. Normally, a private landowner might be able to get as much as 3% on the smelter return, but that is on the high side. The environmentalist groups have been pushing for 12%, which is silly. I think 2% would be reasonable.