Ramírez v. Copper Mesa & TSX


Plaintiff Defendants

Stopping International Human Rights Abuse Committed by Canada’s Mining Industry


“We have a serious problem. There are armed guards and they’re shooting, they want to get into the mining concession. They have been hired to threaten the people. Yes, they’re paid by the company to threaten the village. They are shooting and using pepper spray.”
– member of the community in a telephone call to the police, December 2, 2006

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Ecuadorians Lose Appeal in Lawsuit Against Canadian Mining Company and TSX

Canadian law continues to fail communities harmed by Canadian mining overseas

On March 11, 2011, the Court of Appeal for Ontario dismissed an appeal by Ecuadorian campesinos who say they were assaulted by security forces hired on behalf of a Canadian mining company in their native Ecuador (see video of one of the assaults at right).

Marcia Ramírez, Polivio Peréz and Israel Peréz had sued Canadian mining company Copper Mesa Mining Corporation and two of its directors as well as the Toronto Stock Exchange, which the Ecuadorians say listed the mining company on its stock exchange after having been warned that money from the listing would lead to violence.  The Plaintiffs had appealed an earlier decision that dismissed their lawsuit.

In the ruling, the Court recognized that “[t]he threats and assaults alleged by the plaintiffs are serious wrongs.  Nothing in these reasons should be taken as undermining the plaintiffs’ rights to seek appropriate redress for those wrongs”, but nonetheless ruled against the Ecuadorians.

Attack at Junin

Read about the decision here (pdf).

Read the actual decision (pdf).

Read the original claim (pdf).

Why sue the Toronto Stock Exchange? What did they do?

What is the concern about this mine?