Price Waterhouse Coopers has produced it’s first-ever report on Canada’s junior mining sector. The PwC survey examined the financial position of the top 100 of the 967 junior mining companies on the Venture board, based on market capitalization as of Sept. 30, 2006. 

It says the total market capitalization of junior miners increased by 86% to $27.6 billion from $14.8 billion in 2005. The survey found that exploration companies were able to raise $1.2 billion through issuing shares, a 206% increase over 2005. 

$409.4 million was put towards mineral properties and exploration. This was 79% more than in 2005. $103.9 million was spent on property, plant and equipment in 2006, more than double that from the year before. 

62% of companies were based in British Columbia. Accross the country however, mining tax incentives help make Canada the world’s premiere jurisdiction for junior mining companies. 

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According to resourceinvetor.com, Canadian junior resource companies were forcast to spend the most ever at $1.12 billion in 2006. 

Resource Investor points out that “the proportion of spending between juniors and seniors continues to shift in favour of the former, and in 2006, juniors accounted for 50% of companies with spending commitments in excess of $10 million.”
 

The Canadian mining industry is still booming with much attention in the uranium and  base metals sectors, as well as increasing interest in the Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
 

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