Brandi Morin

1 week ago | culturalsurvival.org | Brandi Morin

In the eastern shadows of Ecuador’s Andes mountains, where the dense Amazon rainforest begins its sprawl toward the horizon, the Maikuaints Shuar stand at a crossroads of survival. Their pristine territory, covering 8,500 hectares and home to 430 people, has sustained their ancestors for millennia. Today, however, it faces an existential threat from Solaris Resources, a multinational mining company based, until a few months ago, in Vancouver.

2 weeks ago | ricochet.media | Brandi Morin

In the eastern shadows of Ecuador’s Andes mountains, where the dense Amazon rainforest begins its sprawl toward the horizon, the Maikuaints Shuar stand at a crossroads of survival. Their pristine territory covering 8,500 hectares, and home to 430 people, has sustained their ancestors for millennia. Today, however, it faces an existential threat from Solaris Resources, a multinational mining company based, until a few months ago, in Vancouver.

2 weeks ago | culturalsurvival.org | Brandi Morin

In the heart of Cuenca, in an old house filled with books on faith, revolution, and Indigenous rights, lives Father Fernando Vega, an 80-year-old priest whose spiritual guidance has become a cornerstone of the water defense movement. With his snow-white hair slicked back and a simple gray sweater hanging from his angular shoulders, he moves through rooms adorned with his own artwork — paintings and unique butterfly sculptures crafted from discarded steel beer cans found in the streets.

3 weeks ago | ricochet.media | Brandi Morin

This investigation is part of our series Canadian Mining in Ecuador. 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.

3 weeks ago | ricochet.media | Brandi Morin

In a direct challenge to Canada’s constitutional framework, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s controversial Bill 54 has ignited fierce opposition from First Nations leaders across the province. Behind the scenes of this escalating political crisis stands Cara Currie-Hall, a seasoned political strategist from Montana First Nation in Maskwacis, who is coordinating an emergency response from Treaty Chiefs that could reshape Alberta’s political landscape.