Father, daughter battle proposed Clayoquot Sound mines

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At a recent forum on mining in Tofino, BC, a First Nations father and daughter from Clayoquot Sound expressed their opposition to a pair of mines proposed by Imperial Metals for their traditional territories – also the location of a world-renowned UNESCO biosphere reserve. John Rampanen, of both the local Tla-o-qui-aht and Ahousaht First Nations, spoke about the impacts of the mines on his family’s traditional way of life and of the need to balance employment with ecological sustainability; his eleven year-old daughter, Kalilah Rampanen, sang a song she wrote about Catface Mountain – the location of a proposed open pit copper mine in the heart of the Clayoquot Sound.

In her song, titled “Chitaapi” (Catface’s indigenous name), the young singer-songwriter warns Canadian mining titan Imperial Metals, “If you wanna mine my mountain, / Well, you’re gonna have to go through me.” Watch John Rampanen’s speech and see his daughter Kalilah perform her song “Chitaapi” here.

 

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About Damien Gillis

Damien Gillis is a Vancouver-based documentary filmmaker with a focus on environmental and social justice issues - especially relating to water, energy, and saving Canada's wild salmon - working with many environmental organizations in BC and around the world. He is the co-founder, along with Rafe Mair, of The Common Sense Canadian, and a board member of both the BC Environmental Network and the Haig-Brown Institute.

1 thought on “Father, daughter battle proposed Clayoquot Sound mines

  1. A quote that all voters should see and understand:

    It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment. ~Ansel Adams

    A part of me dies every time I witness ‘our’ beautiful, irreplaceable province being dismissed as nothing more than a money source by those who hold the strings. How to convince the decision makers of their folly is my longest running, unanswered question.

    God keep our land, glorious and free.

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