The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Tensions over the Reed mine escalated into a one-sided shouting match last week as First Nations protesters demanded Hudbay end the controversial project. They interrupted an information session on Reed, held April 4 in a Winnipeg hotel conference room, with video of what unfolded now on YouTube. 'You have no right to be raping Mother Earth and we're here to defend her,' one woman, who did most of the talking without identifying herself, told a roomful of people gathered to learn about the planned mine. 'We're here on behalf of the Earth and we have every right to speak for her. And you guys, what you're doing, shame on you for what you're doing to the Earth!' This lead woman, who appeared to be in her 20s or 30s, said the protesters represented the Earth, not any government or organization. One of about 11 aboriginal protesters in the conference room, she directly engaged Brad Lantz, vice-president of Hudbay's Manitoba operations. 'As women, we demand you to stop the mining,' she told Lantz, adding that mining is destructive to 'spirits' and 'there is karma when you mess with spirits.' Lantz, who remained calm throughout the roughly 17-minute protest, insisted that 'Hudbay respects your beliefs.' 'Well then stop the mining then!' the woman demanded in a raised voice. This differed from other recent protests directed at Hudbay in that it sought to end the Reed mine, not secure sort of compensation or say in how it proceeds. But in an e-mail, John Vincic, vice-president of investor relations and corporate communications for Hudbay, said the company remains committed to the project. 'It remains on track and on schedule to begin operations later this year pending receipt of all permits,' he said. 'Strong environmental management is in place at Reed and more than 45 people have jobs at the site.' In the YouTube video, the lead woman is heard calling the notion that there is a consultation with First Nations on Reed 'bullsh-t' and said the 'greed' must stop. She and other protesters said they fear pollution from Reed will poison the waters nearby. At one point she asked Lantz whether Hudbay consulted with 'the women of (the) territory' that includes Reed, located between Snow Lake and Flin Flon. Lantz begins to reply that the company has 'engaged the communities' but is then interrupted by a repeat of the initial question. Another protester, a man, asked Lantz how Hudbay could take 'billions of dollars worth of resource out of the land and not give anything back to the people it belongs to.' Lantz said 'there's all sorts of questions that could be answered,' to which the lead woman said there are no more questions to ask _ the demand is for Reed to stop. A different woman tied the protest to long-standing social problems on reserves. 'There's a lot of young native children suffering in our reserves and nobody cares,' she said. 'It's about time somebody starts doing something about everything! Nevermind money! We need our land back, that's all that matters! That's what we're fighting for right now.' See 'By' on pg. Continued from pg. The lead woman began to conclude the protest by saying people oppose the Reed mine and 'will continue to protect that' land. 'By any means necessary,' added one man. On her way out of the conference room, the lead woman is seen approaching Lantz and speaking with him face to face. 'We're not here to be bullies. You guys are the bullies,' she told him. 'You guys are the ones that are bullying our people by doing that, by raping the land like that.' It is around this time that one of the protesters, a man, approaches Lantz from behind. The man lightly touches Lantz's shoulder and back with a feathered scepter, the meaning of which was unclear. Earlier in the protest, a demonstrator loudly called on Hudbay to withdraw its lawsuit against First Nations protesters who have twice blocked access to the Lalor mine near Snow Lake. The lawsuit led to a judge ordering the protesters, including Chief Arlen Dumas of Pukatawagan's Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, to end, at least temporarily, blockades on Hudbay property. Chief Dumas did not appear to be among the protesters who crashed the Reed information session, held at the Holiday Inn on Pembina Highway. Vincic said one of the purposes of the information session was to answer questions on the environmental management of Reed. He said the environment is by no means neglected in the mine plan. 'Environmental management has been factored in from the beginning, because that's how we build our mines and because of the requirements of the permitting process and regulations,' Vincic said. 'Hudbay has filed a closure plan, backed by financial assurance for the total cost of returning the site to pre-project conditions. At the end of mining, the site will be indistinguishable from other areas that have been cleared for use as picnic grounds or campsites.' As for the lawsuit against Chief Dumas and other protesters, Vincic said the 'legal process is ongoing.' 'What's most important to us is safety at the project sites,' he said. 'So to prevent further blockades and the risks that follow from situations like that, Hudbay sought the injunction and the court heard arguments and decided to grant it.' Hudbay, Vincic said, has no desire to see protesters arrested but instead wants 'a constructive relationship' with the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation. '...we're confident this situation is the exception to our existing relationship, not the rule,' he said. 'There's many ways to do that and we will explore them.' The YouTube video starts by showing the protesters at the back of the conference room as a PowerPoint presentation on Reed is delivered. Somewhere between 25 and 30 people were in attendance. Initially some of the protesters silently hold up placards referring to Hudbay being in 'Cree Territory' and accusing the company of 'Raping Our Mother Earth.' The bang of an animal-skin drum and traditional chanting from the protesters then interrupts the presentation.
