Article 24 and Copper Mesa's -Nortec doomed venture
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Another Bad Deal in the Works In the midst of Copper Mesa and Nortec Venture's deal, and not mentioned in the company's latest creative reports, is the implication of the Ecuadorian government's intention of taking over as many old mining concessions- including Copper Mesa's ex JUNIN concessions, which the company lost in November of 2008 As recent as May 24 of this year, the government publicly said that it intends to nationalize the mining sector (http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSTRE54N03020090524?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews. Article 24 of the recently approved mining law calls for the government to take back all mining concessions in which in the past it invested in exploration and geological investigation. The application of this article will directly affect all three of the company's ex-concessions in Intag: Golden 1, Golden 2 and Magdalena 1, plus Chaucha (in the south) since the Ecuadorian government, through its national mining company, Codigem, directly took part in, and helped fund exploration activities in all of these ex-concessions during the 1990's. This is a material as it gets, and it was not reported in the company's latest year end 2008, and first quarter 2009 reports. But this is a little bit like saying the company will lose something they don't even own, since the company lost all of its concessions in the JUNIN area starting November 2008. Yet in parts of the its latest financial and analysis reports, it claims to own them....*see below) (Taken from p. 1 of Management and Discussion Analysis) Overview
During the year ended December 31, 2008, the Company acquired all of the common shares of Redstone Mining Corporation (formerly St. Geneviève Resources Ltd.) (“RMC”) and its United States’ properties - the historical past-producing Zonia and Emerald Isle copper mines as well as an exploration prospect in Arizona and other exploration projects in Nevada, thus broadening the Company’s horizons by diversification in the Americas. In Ecuador, the Company holds a 100% interest in both the Chaucha(1) copper molybdenum porphyry property and the Junin(1) copper-molybdenum, gold-silver porphyry property; Interestingly enough, later on the report the company says it hasn't received confirmation it owns the concessions since 2007 ( The Company has been unable to receive confirmation of title to its Junín concessions for the year ended December 31, 2008 and 2007."- p. 11 of the Management’s Discussion and Analysis For the Year Ended December 31, 2008)The company also claims that it lost its concessions in Junin because it didn't have an EIS-, implying that by fulfilling this criterion it may reclaim its concessions. This is a lie. The company lost its Golden 1 and Golden 2 concessions due to the application of the Mining Mandate, which reverted back to the state all concessions that at that time did not comply with a number of criteria, only one of which was not having an EIS. In the case of Copper Mesa, the main reason the company lost its Golden 1 and Golden 2 concessions was because the company never properly consulted with the communities- a Constitutional issue. In any case, Article 24 of the mining law makes this a moot issue, since it forces the government, through the National Mining company, to assume ownership of these and other mining concessions. Keep tuned for a detailed anaylisis of Copper Mesa's recent financial and Management Discussion and Analysis reports- including the company's doubtful reporting regarding the real amount of metals at the company's ex JUNIN mining concessions. See the previous blog for another 19 reasons why this is a REALLY BAD DEAL! Carlos Zorrilla
Nineteen Reasons Why Nortec Ventures Should Stay Out of the Intag Region of Ecuador Written by Carlos Zorrilla Thursday, 23 April 2009 Canada's Nortec Ventures Corp., a mining company based in Vancouver, announced this month its intention of buying Copper Mesa Mining Corporation's Ecuadorian assets. Three Intag residents recently filed a lawsuit against Copper Mesa (formerly Ascendant Copper), as well as the Toronto Stock Exchange, for their alleged responsibility of ongoing violence directed at local farmers and community leaders who oppose mining in the region. Currently, the principal obstacles to mining development in the Intag area are: A. Based on the Bishi Metals Environmental Impact Assessment of mining in Intag, and on a small (450,000 ton) copper mine 1. Mining project would relocate hundreds of families from four communities. 2. Mining would impact primary cloud forests. 3. Project would cause massive deforestation. 4. Deforestation would lead to drying of local climate, affecting thousands of small farmers. 5. Forests in the concessions are the habitat of not less than 12 species of mammals and birds facing extinction, including jaguars, spectacled bears and the brown-faced spider monkey (Based on incomplete studies, Decoin identified approximately 30 species of threatened or endangered plants and animals). 6. EIA predicted contamination of rivers and streams with lead, arsenic, chromium, cadmium and other toxic substances. 7. Project would destroy pre-Incan archeological sites. 8. It would impact the Cotacachi-Capayas Ecological Reserve (one of the world’s most biologically diverse). B. In addition 9. Large-scale mining would violate the legally-binding Cotacachi County Ecological Ordinance created in 2000. 10. In 2008 the Cotacachi County government created an 18,000 hectare municipal protected area right on top of the mining site. Mining is one of the activities prohibited within the protected area. C. Opposition. There is widespread opposition to the Intag mining project. This includes: 11. All seven Parish township governments, the County government of Cotacachi and the Provincial government. 12. Most communities surrounding the mining project. 13. 90% of NGO's in Cotacachi County and Intag oppose the project. D. Exaggerated Copper Claims 14. In 2007, Micon International, the entity contracted by Ascendant Copper to evaluate the Junin copper deposit, said that it could not confirm their earlier estimates due to degradation of samples. Copper Mesa had been saying all along that the Junin copper deposit had four times more copper than what the Japanese inferred after years of exploration. E. Further environmental challenges 15. The area receives between 3000 and 4000 millimeters of annual rainfall. 16. The ore contains toxic heavy metals and sulfur (which would cause Acid Mine Drainage). 17. There is a superabundance of underground water (according to Japanese EIA) 18. Area is exceptionally steep and mountainous. 19. The Toisan Range has many geological faults, posing significant earthquake threat. Further Reading Lawsuit: Canadian Mining Firm Financed Violence in Ecuador http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1742/68/ Ecuador: Mining Protests Marginalized, But Growing http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1673/49/ Ecuador: Mining and the Right of Way http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1777/49/ In Ecuador, Mass Mobilizations Against Mining Confront President Correa http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1588/49/ Copper Mesa Mining Expected to Lose Junin Project in Ecuador http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1586/49/ Ecuador's Constitution Gives Rights to Nature http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1494/49/ NGO's Respond to Ascendant Copper http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/560/49/ Ecuador: Human Rights Organization Condemns Paramilitary Tactics by Ascendant Copper http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/529/49/ Canadian Mining Project in Ecuador Tainted by Human Rights Abuses http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/438/49/ We Will Fight Day by Day: No to Mining in Intag, Ecuador http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/385/49/ Ecuadorians March for Justice in Quito http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/360/49 For more information please contact: DECOIN Defensa y Conservación Ecológica de Intag www.decoin.org decoin@hoy.net
Mining ban lift? Maybe, but not for Copper Mesa
Monday, March 23, 2009
ECUADOR: Mining ban lift, but not for Copper Mesa Español a continuación According to Reuters’s November 10th article, Correa's government is trying to revive the mining sector in the South of the country (with very little luck by the way), but the government is explicit that the nation's mining plans do not include the Intag area, where Copper Mesa use to have the Junin concessions (the government permanently took the company’s concessions in November of 2008). On the 17th of March, CONAIE, Ecuador's powerful indigenous federation, made up by several other indigenous organizations, presented a lawsuit against Ecuador's new mining law, for violating the Constitution. The lawsuit argues the law violates Indigenous rights to Free, Prior and Informed Consent. The Shuar Federation, which has communities in the vicinity the Ecuacorrientes’ El Mirador mine, has said that they will not allow any mining companies into their territories. So, while the government wants to push mining development in the south of the country, the country's indigenous movements prepare to give battle. And Intag and Junin are, for now, out of the picture as far as mining development goes. Reuters’ article below cz Tue Mar 10, 2009 4:39pm EDT UPDATE 2-Ecuador lifts ban on miners, sees them as priority Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:10pm EDT By Alonso Soto QUITO, March 10 (Reuters) - Ecuador will immediately lift a mining ban on Kinross and Corriente, two companies that are part of a handful of projects considered "priority" by the Andean nation, a top mining official told Reuters on Tuesday. Deputy Mining Minister Jose Serrano said the government planned to start individual negotiations with miners to ink new deals and set the base price for a windfall tax he says will be fair for both sides. A new mining law allows the state to opt for service contracts, but Serrano said Ecuador wants extraction deals. "The rules of the game are clear for everyone now," Serrano said. "The mining decree has been fulfilled... it can't be revived." Still, analysts worry the cash-strapped government could seek much better contractual terms in tough negotiations with miners. The global crisis has hit key oil exports and severely curtailed the OPEC nation's income. Serrano said the government "wants companies to keep a reasonable profit when prices climb, but share it with the state." The windfall tax has worried investors seeking capital in an industry hit hard by the global crisis. Mining companies and investors have grown wary of the leftist government of President Rafael Correa, which set a tax on extra revenues from high metal prices and banned mining to end what he called speculation and tame mounting protests from environmental groups. "We are in a show-me period were investor have to see if Ecuador is serious about restarting mineral exploration," said Michael Gray, an analyst with Genuity Capital Markets in Vancouver. "Its a wait-and-see approach for the industry." "INVESTMENT PRIORITIES" Serrano said the government considers Kinross (K.TO), Corriente (CTQ.TO), IamGold (IMG.TO) and International Minerals (IMZ.TO) as investment priorities for the country. Correa, a U.S.-educated economist, is seeking investment ranging from Canada to China and Iran, to compensate for dwindling oil revenue that had been financing multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects. Still, the president, who faces reelection on April 26, has hardened his rhetoric against foreign companies that many Ecuadoreans regard as pillagers. In January, Ecuador approved a new mining law that boosted governmental control over an industry that in recent years had attracted dozens of companies exploring for precious metals. Ecuador has no large-scale mining. Some companies have found big deposits of copper, gold and silver in its southern and Amazon regions. Environmental and Indian groups have threatened to resume street protests to demand communities have veto powers over local large-scale mining. Violent demonstrations could pose a risk to the nascent industry. Serrano said the government had no plans to auction the Junin copper project, which was taken over by the government from Ascendant Copper on charges the Canadian miner illegally acquired the concession. The project was marred by sometimes violent clashes between anti-and-pro mining communities and private security guards. (Editing by David Gregorio) http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN1154076920090310 __________________________________________________________________________ Artículo de Reuters avisando el levantamiento de la prohibición de actividades mineras en el Ecuador, pero no para Copper Mesa ni el proyecto JUNÍN. La empresa definitivamente perdió las concesiones de su proyecto JUNÍN el 12 de Noviembre del 2009. Por otro lado el 17 de Marzo la CONAIE presentó un recurso legal para declarar la nueva Ley minería inconstitucional por violar varios derechos constitucionales, incluyendo el derecho al Consentimiento Libre, Previo e Informado. Mientras tanto, representantes del pueblo Shuar han dicho que rechazarán la presencia de cualquier empresa minera dentro de sus territorios. El proyecto de El Mirador de Ecuacorrientes (Corrientes Resources) podría ser afectado. Actualización 2-Ecuador levanta la prohibición sobre los mineros, los ve como prioridad Jue Mar 10, 2009 6:10 PM EDT Por Alonso Soto QUITO, 10 de marzo (Reuters) - Ecuador levantará de inmediato una prohibición de actividades mineras en contra de Kinross y Corriente, dos empresas que forman parte de un puñado de proyectos considerados "prioritarios" por la nación andina, un alto funcionario del gobierno le dijo a Reuters el martes. El Subsecretario de Minería, José Serrano dijo que el gobierno tiene previsto iniciar las negociaciones con las empresas para consolidar nuevos negocios y establecer el precio base para los impuestos extraordinarios, que aduce ser justo para ambas partes. La nueva ley le permite al estado optar por contratos de servicios, pero Serrano afirmó que el Ecuador quiere contratos de explotaciones. "Las reglas del juego son claras para todos ahora", dijo Serrano. "El Mandato Minero se ha cumplido ... no puede ser reactivado". Sin embargo, los analistas se preocupan que el régimen, con escasa reservas en efectivo, podría insistir en duras condiciones en las negociaciones con los mineros. La crisis mundial ha afectado a las exportaciones claves de petróleo y severamente restringido los ingresos de la nación, perteneciente a la OPEC. Serrano dijo que el gobierno "quiere que las empresas se quedan con de un beneficio razonable cuando los precios suban, pero que compartan con el Estado." El impuesto por ganancias extraordinarias tiene preocupado a inversionistas en búsqueda de capital en una industria duramente golpeada por la crisis mundial. Empresas mineras e inversionistas han sido cauteloso del gobierno izquierdista del presidente Rafael Correa, quien estableció un impuesto sobre los ingresos extraordinarios de los altos precios de los metales y prohibió la minería para poner fin a lo que él llamó la especulación y calmar las crecientes protestas de grupos ambientalistas. "Estamos en un período de espera donde los inversores tienen que ver si el Ecuador esta serio para reiniciar la exploración de minerales", dijo Michael Gray, analista de Genuity Capital Markets en Vancouver. "Es una estrategia de esperar y ver de la industria." "PRIORIDADES DE INVERSIÓN" Serrano dijo que el gobierno considera Kinross (K. A), Corriente (CTQ.TO), IamGold (IMG.TO) y la Internacional de Minerales (IMZ.TO) como las prioridades de inversión para el país. Correa, un economista educado en los Estados Unidos, busca inversiones desde Canadá, a China e Irán, para compensar la disminución de los ingresos provenientes del petróleo, los cuales han estado financiando multimillonarios proyectos de infraestructura. Sin embargo, el presidente, quien se enfrenta a la reelección el 26 de abril, ha endurecido su retórica contra las empresas extranjeras que muchos ecuatorianos consideran saqueadores. En enero, Ecuador aprobó una nueva ley de minería que impulsó el control gubernamental de una industria que en los últimos años ha atraído a decenas de empresas para la exploración de metales preciosos. Ecuador aún no cuenta con minería a gran escala. Algunas empresas han descubierto grandes yacimientos de cobre, oro y plata en el sur del país y la Amazonía. Grupos ambientales e indígenas han amenazado con reanudar las protestas callejeras para exigir el poder de veto que las comunidades tienen sobre la minería a gran escala. Manifestaciones violentas podría plantear un riesgo para la naciente industria. Serrano dijo que el gobierno no tenía planes para subastar el proyecto de cobre de Junín, el cual fue asumido por el gobierno de Ascendant Copper debido a acusaciones que la minera canadiense adquirió ilegalmente la concesión. El proyecto en ocasiones se vio empañado por violentos enfrentamientos entre comunidades anti y pro-minería por un lado, y las comunidades y guardias de seguridad privada. (Edición de David Gregorio) http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN1154076920090310 © 2009 Thomson Reuters Todos los derechos reservados English
COPPER MESA SUED IN CANADA
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Activist presented lawsuit against the TSX which includes Ascendant Copper on March 4 espaniol a continuacion.. http://upsidedownworld.org/main/content/view/1742/68/ Lawsuit: Canadian Mining Firm Financed Violence in Ecuador Written by Jennifer Moore Tuesday, 03 March 2009 Source: The Tyee TMX Group denies claim. Win could affect thousands of other projects by Canadian companies. "Financing being raised in Canada is travelling across borders to do harm," said lawyer Murray Klippenstein by phone from his office in Toronto. "We want to find out if our legal system can respond to this." Klippenstein is perhaps best known for his representation of the estate and family of native activist Dudley George, who was shot and killed by police in Ipperwash Provincial Park in Ontario in 1995. This lawsuit revealed deep political involvement from the premier's office and resulted in a landmark public inquiry. In another ambitious and possibly precedent-setting case, Klippenstein is representing three villagers from the valley of Intag in northwestern Ecuador who are suing Copper Mesa Mining Corporation (TSX:CUX) and the Toronto Stock Exchange. They allege that company directors and the TMX Group have not done enough to reduce the risk of harm being faced by farmers and community leaders in Intag who have faced violent threats and attacks for opposition to a large open-pit copper mine in their pristine cloud forests. Still, they hope to go further. "What is happening in Intag is illustrative of a wider problem," a summary of the legal claim states, "the corporate and financial unaccountability of the Canadian mining industry." So while the case uses established legal principles, the plaintiffs hope it will lead to long-awaited legal reforms to help better control thousands of Canadian financed projects abroad. Klippenstein, who said he "has learned to go miles on very little," acknowledges the "staggering financial mismatch" and says that companies have hundreds of millions of dollars to gain, so it won't surprise him if they spend tens of millions on the case. He also anticipates years of counterattacks, including motions and appeals on technicalities. But he emphasized that the basics of the case are straightforward. "There's a simple fundamental legal point that you shouldn't harm somebody and that you shouldn't use your money to hire someone who you know is likely to do harm." Conflict escalates Marcia Ramírez is secretary of the Intag Community Development Committee. She lives near the end of the road in an isolated village in one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Her community of Chalguayaco Alto sits at the crossroads of two biodiversity hotspots, the Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena and the Tropical Andes. "It isn't fair," she told The Tyee, "that a foreign company can come here and contract people who attack us for defending our rights, for wanting to live in a healthy environment, for defending our land and our water." She added, "We'd like the stock exchange to listen to us and to understand that we've been very hurt by one of their companies." Now 25 years old, the fight against large scale copper mining has marked daily life for the diplomatic and dedicated leader since she was about 12. Broad-based opposition to large scale copper mining arose when a Japanese company was initially carrying out mineral exploration a short distance away. When the company released its Environmental Impact Assessment report for the proposed mine, the news that four communities would be displaced, as well as massive deforestation, local desertification, river contamination and harm to endangered species sparked vociferous opposition that persists. Since Copper Mesa, who has a strategic alliance with the giant Rio Tinto, took over the project in 2004, new issues have emerged with apparent attempts to break the opposition. Now land trafficking, threats of violence, as well as relatively high-paying job offers have been driving a wedge between neighbours and families in these rural communities. "But," commented Ramírez, "what most hurt is when they came... with armed men and sprayed us with gas." In early December 2006, over 50 heavily armed security guards, mostly ex-soldiers, were hired to reach company concessions and set up camp. Local residents had been tipped off and gathered along the narrow dirt road that the company-hired trucks would have to pass. When they arrived, Ramírez and others tried to urge the armed men to turn around. But instead, the security agents sprayed tear gas into their faces from only a metre away and fired their weapons into the air, injuring one man, also a plaintiff in the case. When the residents didn't back down, the guards finally retreated. The incident was caught on film by a European student researching the controversy and is retold as part of the recent film Under Rich Earth by director Malcolm Rogge that debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. It has also been denounced in a complaint to the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. Prior warning Canadian authorities were warned that such an incident could arise. On March 8th, 2005, three months before Copper Mesa (then Ascendant Copper) was listed on the TSX, County Mayor Auki Tituaña wrote to the Finance and Audit Committee of the Toronto Stock Exchange: "We consider it to be appropriate and fair that before accepting open "trade" of Ascendant Copper Corporation's stocks in the Stock Market, you evaluate in depth the "new" company's merits..." Included in his list of 14 concerns were lack of prior community consultation, lack of legally required municipal approval, violation of a municipal ordinance that declares the area an "Ecological County," as well as attempts to foster divisions as a "means to achieve company profits against the citizen's will and at a cost of the loss of unique biodiversity in our territory." Then in May, Carlos Zorrilla, executive director of the Ecological Defense and Conservation of Intag (DECOIN), travelled to Ottawa to present a complaint to the Department of Foreign Affairs claiming that Copper Mesa had violated the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Mining Watch and Friends of the Earth Canada supported the claim. "I'm here," he says in a press release, "because Canadians need to understand the real risk of violence that is emerging as a result of this company's activities." He added, "The Canadian government must take action to curb the excesses of Canadian mining companies operating and exploring overseas." The complaint was withdrawn after eight months when it was apparent that the appropriate authorities would not apply the relevant procedures. The legal summary notes that "the TSX stock market listing of Copper Mesa has allowed the company to obtain over $25 million in capital funds -- some of which paid for the armed attackers" in December 2006. Carolyn Quick, director of corporate communications for the TMX Group, told The Tyee her firm considers the case to be "entirely without merit" and that they will "vigorously defend this position." She would give no further comment about the letter from Mayor Tituaña nor the complaint made to DFAIT. No one from Copper Mesa was available to speak with The Tyee. Globalization of legal accountability Another challenge in holding companies to account in Canada, where the bulk of the world's mining companies are based, are complicated corporate structures that criss-cross continents. "By dispersing their actions across borders and saying that 'Well, we didn't do that in Canada or Ecuador, that decision was made in the U.S.,' they can evade accountability. The courts can respond and say 'Take this case somewhere else,'" says Klippenstein. Copper Mesa whose headquarters in Colorado, "has connections to some nine different legal jurisdictions, making it difficult to identify which jurisdiction is the proper one in which to hold the corporation accountable," says the legal summary of the case. The former website of Copper Mesa (then Ascendant Copper) acknowledged that its corporate structure makes suing directors difficult: "All of the directors of Ascendant and substantially all of their assets and those of Ascendant are located outside of Canada. It may not be possible for purchasers of securities being qualified for distribution under this prospectus to effect service of process within Canada upon directors who reside outside of Canada..." It is for this reason that the lawsuit focuses on decisions allegedly made in Ontario. 'Establish clear legal norms in Canada' However, one possible advantage for rural residents of Intag preparing for a lengthy legal battle on tricky Canadian territory is that they are not alone in their concern. Their broader goals for legal regulations of Canadian mining companies echo what the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (SCFAIT) and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and other civil society groups have already been saying. While Carlos Zorrilla was in Ottawa in 2005, the SCFAIT was writing its 14th report, which recommended that the government "Establish clear legal norms in Canada to ensure that Canadian companies and residents are held accountable when there is evidence of environmental and/or human rights violations associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies." The government responded saying that it "will continue to examine the best practices of other states attempting to address the accountability of businesses for activities conducted abroad." But it has yet to implement mandatory rules. Still Klippenstein is hopeful in the face of tough odds. "One has to trust in the promise of a certain amount of fairness and independence that the justice system can provide. It has been shown that powerful people can be brought to kneel this way before." It took eight years of legal proceedings before a public inquiry was called in the Dudley George case. They never even made it to court, but a long list of recommendations was implemented. Ramírez is also optimistic that they have a chance at justice through Canadian courts as part of their fight to leave Intag's cloud forests intact. She points out the variety of sustainable development projects that they have been working on as alternatives to large scale mining, including community owned watersheds, a mixed mini-hydroelectric company, as well as agricultural and tourism initiatives. She urges Canadians to see the benefits: "We want future generations to have what we have." Jennifer Moore is a freelance journalist in Ecuador. http://orosucio.madryn.com/articulos/09_03_04.html ORO SUCIO - Opinión y reflexión Marzo 04, 2009 Ecuatorianos demandan en Canadá a minera Copper Mesa y la Bolsa de Valores de Toronto [Querella ecuatoriana en Canadá] En la parte elevada de los Andes ecuatorianos donde desaparecen las carreteras en los bosques nublados de la zona de Intag, alejado de la ciudad capital de Quito y otras ciudades, se encuentra un área de extraordinaria belleza natural. Está salpicado de aldeas pequeñas, fincas familiares y pequeñas fincas cafetales, ubicados junto a la prístina reserva ecológica nacional de Cotacachi-Cayapas. Sin embargo una compañía minera canadiense en fase de exploración afirma que un importante yacimiento de cobre está enterrado debajo de este ecosistema exuberante y comunidades pacíficas. Copper Mesa Mining Corporation, financiada principalmente en la Bolsa de Valores de Toronto, y asociada con el gigante minero mundial, Rio Tinto, afirma que se debe excavar una enorme mina a cielo abierto en las montañas del bosque nublado a fin de extraer el cobre. Marcia, Israel y Polibio alegan en su demanda que la TSX tenía un deber legal bajo las leyes de Canadá de dejar de proveer ayuda financiera a una compañía como Copper Mesa donde existía un riesgo previsible de que los fondos recaudados en la Bolsa serían utilizados para perjudicar a personas en Ecuador. Marzo 2009, ver la página de la demanda No obstante, la mayoría de los campesinos y líderes políticos ecuatorianos de la zona creen que la enorme mina a cielo abierto traerá mucho más destrucción social, ecológica y económica de lo que jamás se podría justificar. Los miembros y líderes de la comunidad local han protestado en repetidas ocasiones y han tomado la decisión de bloquear la mina que se propone. Afirman que los pasos que ha emprendido la compañía hasta ahora para iniciar las actividades de exploración minera violan las leyes ecuatorianas relacionadas con los derechos de la tierra y la protección ambiental, y han provocado violentos conflictos en la comunidad. Asimismo aseveran que los agentes de la compañía han recurrido a agresiones físicas, amenazas de muerte y numerosas violaciones de los derechos humanos. Ataques a las comunidades El 2 de diciembre de 2006, los miembros de la comunidad fueron alertados que una numerosa y armada brigada de seguridad privada contratada por Copper Mesa (conocida entonces como Ascendant Copper), venía por el camino comunitario con el objeto de pasar a la fuerza por las comunidades y llegar al yacimiento de cobre. Los miembros de la comunidad se movilizaron rápidamente y un grupo de hombres, mujeres y niños se reunieron en el camino para defender sus hogares, tierras y el medio ambiente. Una estudiante de Europa que estuvo de visita para estudiar la controversia captó con una cámara de video lo que sucedió después. Varias camionetas de propiedad de la empresa o contratadas se detuvieron en el bosque, y docenas de hombres uniformados, portando carabinas y revólveres, se bajaron y se acercaron al grupo que bloqueaba pacíficamente el camino. Los paramilitares se detuvieron a pocos metros de los comuneros del sector. Los miembros de la comunidad les suplicaron que se fueran e insistieron que se llamara a la policía. Repentinamente y sin provocación el líder de los paramilitares apuntó con un bote de gas lacrimógeno y roció a los rostros de las mujeres y hombres a solo un metro de distancia. Luego desenfundó su revólver y comenzó a disparar. Otros miembros de la brigada paramilitar hicieron lo mismo. En total, el personal armado de la compañía hicieron veintenas de disparos. A pesar del ataque violento no provocado y el revoltijo consiguiente, los miembros de la comunidad no se dispersaron ni se echaron atrás. Sorprendidos y confundidos por la valentía de los comuneros, las fuerzas de la compañía minera se retiraron, se reagruparon, y luego se fueron en las camionetas de la empresa. Una de las mujeres afectadas por el gas fue Marcia Ramírez. Uno de los hombres heridos durante la balacera y el caos fue Israel Pérez. El ataque del 2 de diciembre de 2006 que patrocinó la compañía fue solo una parte de la amplia campaña llevada a cabo a fin de quebrantar la oposición local, basada en principios, contra la mina a cielo abierto de Copper Mesa. A lo largo de 2005, 2006 y 2007, Polibio Pérez, un representante de la comunidad local, y su familia, recibieron varias amenazas de muerte debido a su papel de líder de la oposición a la minería en Intag - amenazas que según los miembros de la comunidad fueron perpetradas por individuos vinculados a Copper Mesa Mining Corporation. El 31 de julio de 2007, Polibio Pérez fue agredido físicamente por un grupo con vínculos a la compañía minera. Estas amenazas y ataques son parte de una campaña más amplia de intimidación, acoso y violencia realizada por los aliados de la compañía Copper Mesa de Canadá y a veces aparentemente por agentes de la misma, con el objeto de acallar la amplia y sostenida oposición local a la gigantesca mina de cobre a cielo abierto en la zona de Intag. Lo que está sucediendo en Intag es ilustrativo de un problema más amplio – la falta de rendición de cuentas corporativas y financieras de la industria minera canadiense. Estos eventos en Ecuador se repiten en numerosos otros países desde la República Democrática del Congo, hasta Perú, las Filipinas e Indonesia, y son indicios del hecho de que bajo las leyes actuales de Canadá, las compañías mineras canadienses no se responsabilizan por los daños que causan en el extranjero. Sin embargo, frente a probabilidades en contra que eran astronómicas, la Srta. Marica Ramírez, el Sr. Israel Pérez y el Sr. Polibio Pérez al final pudieron encontrar la manera de entablar acciones legales en Canadá a nombre de sus comunidades para defender sus hogares, sus tierras y el ecosistema contra instituciones corporativas y financieras ubicadas a miles de kilómetros de distancia, cuyos agentes y aliados causaban tanta violencia y daño, con impunidad y aparentemente sin rendición de cuentas. Demanda contra la Bolsa de Valores de Toronto (TSX) La Bolsa de Valores de Toronto (TSX) facilita más financiamiento para compañías mineras internacionales – especialmente las compañías mineras en fase de exploración – que cualquier otra bolsa de valores en el mundo. Lo hace ignorando los daños potenciales y reales que puede causar, y a menudo causa, este financiamiento. En el caso de Intag, la cotización en la bolsa de valores de Copper Mesa (en aquel tiempo bajo el nombre de Ascendant Copper) de parte de la TSX permitió que la compañía obtenga más de $25 millones de dólares de capital – un parte del cual financió a los atacantes que hirieron a Marcia e Israel el 2 de diciembre de 2006. El comité de la TSX había acordado previamente a cotizar a Copper Mesa (Ascendant Copper) en su bolsa de valores a pesar de haber sido advertido específicamente mediante una carta de un alcalde local en Ecuador acerca de la participación de la compañía en un conflicto local, y no obstante una advertencia emitida por la agencia financiera contratada por Ascendant que preparó el prospecto de cotización de Ascendant. Dicho prospecto advertía que existía un “potencial para intensificar más la violencia” si se continuaran las operaciones de exploración de minerales. La TSX pasó por alto estas alertas específicas, cotizó la compañía en su bolsa, y pronto los fondos fluyeron para pagar a los hombres armados y violentos que actuaron ilegalmente en un camino comunitario del bosque nublado de Intag. Según las leyes canadienses, cualquier persona que emprenda una actividad, incluyendo una corporación como la TSX, deben “tomar precauciones razonables para evitar un comportamiento que pudiera acarrear un riesgo irrazonable de daños a terceros”1. Si alguien no toma estas precauciones, y su conducta produce daños, deberá pagar una indemnización por los daños causados. Marcia, Israel y Polibio alegan en su demanda que la TSX tenía un deber legal bajo las leyes de Canadá de dejar de proveer ayuda financiera a una compañía como Copper Mesa donde existía un riesgo previsible de que los fondos recaudados en la Bolsa sean utilizados para perjudicar a los individuos en lugares como el Ecuador. En otras palabras, la TSX tenía un deber legal de dejar de proveer acceso a asistencia financiera sin tomar las medidas precautelarías de “diligencia debida” para reducir el riesgo de que los fondos recaudados a través de la Bolsa no sean utilizados para perjudicar a individuos como Marcia, Israel y Polibio. En esta demanda, los Demandantes hacen resaltar a algunos indicadores claros, conocidos por la TSX, que señalaban la existencia de un riesgo real de que dichos daños se pudieran producir. Actualmente, la TSX no toma medida alguna para ayudar a evitar la posibilidad de que los fondos recaudados en sus bolsas causen daños reales a individuos en el extranjero. La TSX actualmente no tiene ninguna política implementada que evitara que la bolsa cotice a una compañía que tuviera una probabilidad – o aun la certeza – de utilizar los fondos recaudados para instigar violencia y abusos de derechos humanos en comunidades locales en el extranjero. En el caso de Copper Mesa, la TSX proporcionó un medio para que la corporación tenga acceso a millones de dólares de nuevo capital financiero, con el cual la compañía minera pudo continuar y ampliar su campaña a control remoto, de temor e intimidación, y con el cual pudo contratar y, de hecho, contrató las fuerzas de seguridad violentas que agredieron a Marcia, Israel y Polibio. Los Demandantes no están sugiriendo que la Bolsa de Valores de Toronto sea responsabilizada por todas y cada una de las acciones de las compañías que la TSX decide cotizar. Sin embargo, los Demandantes afirman que la TSX debe tomar medidas razonables para evitar que las grandes cantidades de capital que se recaudan en la TSX sean utilizadas para causar serios daños a individuos y comunidades en lugares como el Valle de Intag en Ecuador, donde el alto riesgo de dichos daños sea conocido o claro. Demanda contra los miembros de la junta directiva de Copper Mesa Por otra parte, la demanda alega que los miembros de la junta directiva de Copper Mesa tienen el deber de evitar una conducta que produzca el riesgo previsible de daños a los individuos y comunidades ubicados dentro de las áreas de exploración de la compañía. Son los directores que tienen el control final sobre una corporación y son responsables bajo la ley por sus propias acciones y omisiones que ocurren durante el desempeño de sus funciones como directores. En este caso, por lo menos algunos de los directores sabían personalmente acerca del uso perjudicial de fuerzas armadas de seguridad privada en Intag. En particular, se les había mostrado evidencia fotográfica de ataques violentos contra reuniones pacíficas perpetrados por las fuerzas contratadas por la compañía, y los directores fueron advertidos specíficamente acerca del alto riesgo de futuros actos de violencia. A pesar de este conocimiento, los miembros de la junta de directores de la compañía siguieron operando la compañía de tal manera que se aumentara el riesgo de futuros actos de violencia. Aprobaron financiamiento adicional que fue utilizado para fuerzas de seguridad peligrosas. No tomaron ninguna medida significativa para reducir el riesgo de que en el futuro los agentes de la corporación, hicieran amenazas de daños físicos o utilizaran tácticas violentas. Como resultado de los actos y omisiones de los directores continuaron las amenazas y la violencia. Los Demandantes no están diciendo que los directores corporativos sean responsables ni obligados personalmente por todos y cada uno de los actos de la corporación. Más bien, afirman que en los casos en que los directores de hecho tienen conocimiento personal de un riesgo real e irrazonable de daños a individuos, o que el riesgo sea fácil de percibir, su deber es no actuar de de una manera que perpetúe o aumente dicho riesgo, y deben tomar pasos para reducir el riesgo. Demanda contra Copper Mesa Corporation Uno de los defectos serios de los controles existentes sobre las compañías mineras canadienses que operan en el extranjero es que las compañías pueden repartir sus operaciones entre muchas jurisdicciones legales de tal manera que se eviten las leyes de rendición de cuentas en alguna jurisdicción en particular. Esto puede ocurrir mediante el uso de compañías subsidiarias, y a través de la incorporación en una jurisdicción, el establecimiento de oficinas principales de la compañía en otra, y tener sus operaciones efectivas en otra aun. Por ejemplo, Copper Mesa, a pesar de ser una compañía “junior” en fase de exploración, tiene vínculos en nueve jurisdicciones legales distintas, lo que hace difícil identificar la jurisdicción que sería la idónea para exigir que la corporación rinda cuentas. En esta demanda, los Demandantes se han enfocado en las decisiones, acciones y omisiones de algunos de los principales tomadores de decisiones de la compañía, es decir, los directores, que han ocurrido en una jurisdicción provincial específica de Canadá (la provincia de Ontario). Al emplear leyes y principios existentes de esta manera enfocada, los Demandantes creen que tanto los directores como la compañía pueden ser responsabilizados, ya que la corporación es responsable legalmente de los agravios causados por las decisiones de sus directores. Necesidad de reforma legal Si bien los Demandantes buscan justicia bajo las reglas y principios existentes, también creen firmemente que hay una necesidad crítica de una reforma legislativa de las leyes existentes en Canadá, para hacer que en estas situaciones sea más clara, efectiva y consistente con nuestros valores humanos y ecológicos comunes, la rendición de cuentas de las corporaciones. KLIPPENSTEINS Barristers and Solicitors, Toronto, Ontario, Canadá Abogados de Marcia Ramírez, Israel Pérez y Polibio Pérez ------------------------------ 1 Este principio legal histórico se vuelve a enunciar en 2003 en un caso de la Corte Suprema de Canadá de Odhavji Estate vs. Woodhouse, [2003] 2 S.C.R. 263 en el párrafo 45.
Intag Activists to Sue Canadian Stock Exchange and Canadian company
Saturday, February 21, 2009
News from Intag 21 Februrary 99 days since Copper Mesa lost their concessions in Intag, AND,---- Community Leaders in Canada to Sue the Toronto Stock Exchange and a Canadian Mining Company Marcia Ramirez and Carlos Zorrilla, community activists from the Intag area of Ecuador, will be visiting Canada from the 25th of February until the 7th of March as part of a tour to announce lawsuits against a Canadian mining company and the Toronto Stock Exchange. Besides informing the public about the landmark lawsuits, the community members will be participating in York University's "Rethinking Extractive Industry: Regulation, Dispossession, and Emerging Claims", scheduled for March 5–7, 2009 at York University. They will also participate in the March 1st Toronto screening of Malcolm Rogge’s documentary film “Under Rich Earth”, which documents part of the struggle of the Intag people against mining development. Talks at several universities are also planned, including the University of Western Ontario, Huron, and York University. They will be in Ottawa February 26 and 27th to meet with MiningWatch Canada and other human rights and environmental organizations working in the field of extractive industry and human rights. They also hope to meet with members of Parliament to sensitize them on the urgent need for the Canada to push through legislation to reign in Canadian mining companies overseas. Marcia and Carlos, along with their lawyers from Klippensteins Barristers & Solicitors of Toronto, will be announcing the lawsuit against the Canadian mining company and the Toronto Stock Exchange for their alleged involvement in human rights abuses at a mining concession site in Ecuador. A press conference will be held in Toronto the week of March 2 by members of the affected Ecuadorian community."
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