Brandi Morin in Ecuador: Indigenous water defenders take on a Canadian mining giant
The proposed Loma Larga gold mine represents a ‘ticking time bomb’ for arsenic contamination in the region
By: Brandi Morin
Over the past six months, Indigenous journalist Brandi Morin has travelled repeatedly to Ecuador, reporting on the impact of Canadian mining projects on the Indigenous Peoples who live there. Today, she reports from the rolling hills outside the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, where Dundee Precious Metals, a Canadian company, plans to develop the underground Loma Larga gold mine.
What water defenders in Ecuador are fighting against is no small threat. The proposed Loma Larga gold mine represents a “ticking time bomb” for arsenic contamination in the region. The páramo de Kimsakocha, a high-altitude wetland ecosystem, plays a crucial role in providing fresh water to the entire region, including the city of Cuenca.
“This wetland has sustained our communities for generations. The water that springs from here flows to our crops, our animals, and our homes. Without clean water, we have nothing — no food, no health, no future.”
“The Ecuadorian and Canadian governments support the miners as we become weaker in the face of this situation. That’s why we say: The only thing left for us is to surrender — but we would rather die first.”
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Canada is not for sale — And neither is Neskantaga First Nation, says chief
‘This is a genocide:’ no clean water, healthcare as drug pandemic rages
By: Jon Thompson
Neskantaga First Nation Chief Gary Quisess is only six weeks into his first term, and is facing simultaneous crises in his community and in Thunder Bay. But he left home and travelled to Queen’s Park today to call out what he describes as a “genocide” buried in new provincial environmental legislation.
Ontario’s proposed Bill 5, the Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy Act, would allow the province to designate “special economic zones” that would qualify to bypass environmental regulations and speed up development. It is expected to be in force as early as September, and Premier Doug Ford intends to name the proposed Ring of Fire mineral development as the first such site.
Critics say the law would gut protections for endangered species, remove environmental protections, and trample Indigenous rights. Environmental Defence calls the legislation “an attack on civil liberties and treaty rights.”
The public consultation period on Bill 5 closes on May 17.
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The Canadian government wanted grocers to keep it up to date on efforts to stabilize food prices. Sobeys and Metro refused
Now, as U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs take effect, experts warn that grocery prices in Canada could once again spike
By: Eric Wickham
The Canadian government’s strategy to make groceries more affordable failed to get full cooperation from industry leaders, aimed too low to make a meaningful difference to Canadians, and was too late to stop the most severe price increases from happening.
Despite the federal government’s confidence that major Canadian grocers would cooperate with them to help stabilize food prices, documents obtained by Ricochet tell a different story.
According to correspondence obtained through ATIP, in addition to stabilizing grocery prices, the federal government asked major grocers to provide monthly updates regarding their efforts to make groceries more affordable for Canadians. Ricochet obtained a letter from Empire, Sobeys’ parent company, executive vice-president and senior development officer Doug Nathanson revealing that the company had no intention of complying with the federal government’s request.
Now, as a trade war continues to heat up with the U.S., experts warn food prices could spike once again.
“This, I think, should have renewed focus today with the threat of tariffs, counter-tariffs and their potential impact on food prices… we could see again a big increase in food prices, the direct result of counter-tariffs.”
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Paul O’Brien is an expert on the current state of human rights in the U.S. The Irish-born Harvard-trained lawyer, is the executive director of Amnesty International USA – one of the world’s leading human rights organizations. On the latest episode of our podcast, In Bed with the Elephant, host Adrian Harewood sat down with Paul at the Amnesty Canada headquarters in Ottawa while on a visit to Canada this month.
In the first 100 days of the Trump presidency, Amnesty has outlined how the Trump administration has pursued an agenda that seems bent on “eroding human rights protections, fostering fear and undermining the rule of law.”
Around the world, institutions and individuals dedicated to the defence and protection of human rights are facing increasing attacks. Human rights and democracy in the U.S. are in real danger of collapse.
“The recovery from this will be measured in decades.”
Listen to In Bed with the Elephant wherever you get podcasts.
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