Candy Gonzalez, an attorney with the Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy, died yesterday morning (Monday, 5th May, 2020)…. Candy was an uncompromising, tenacious advocate for the earth and for the people of Belize. She worked for decades to hold the government of Belize accountable to the letter of the law, amplifying citizen voices through the courts, the media, and campaigns to protect Belize’s environment from unrestrained coastal development, dams, and oil development. — Lori Maddox, Associate Director, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW), 26th May, 2020
When I think about Candy I think Chalillo Dam!
In 1990 to 1991 when I worked with the Government of Belize, I was out on an assignment to do a story for a government magazine named Belize Today. The story was about this great project that would make electricity cheaper in Belize by use of the waters of our rivers, and thus that is how I first learnt about what is now famously known as the Chalillo Dam.
At the time, this engineer working with Belize Electricity Limited, Joseph Sooknandan, presented to me a plan and sang praises about this project, which would basically be in three phases, as there would be a dam at Chalillo, one at Mollejon and another at Vaca Falls. The sales pitch was simply that it would make Belize self-sufficient through the use of a renewable source of energy and it would make electricity cheaper.
Shortly after, I left the public service and became a news reporter with the newly formed BCB [Broadcasting Corporation of Belize], and then started Channel 7’s newscast, then I worked with Channel 5 and eventually started the Guardian newspaper. I give this brief resume, simply because throughout my media career I followed the story and did extensive coverage of this project, and it was while doing these stories and getting to the bottom of it, that I realized that it was not a sound deal for Belize.
By 1995 the Chalillo Dam project was in full swing, and there was no stopping it, as the political corruption and self-interest of specific politicians has no boundaries. I followed the story, and many more players came on board. One of the many names associated with the fight against the dam and subsequently the effort to ensure environmental compliance once the dam was completed, was a lady I got to know as Candy Gonzalez. She stood alongside so many Belizeans and non-Belizeans for a cause that twenty-five years later has NOT given us cheaper electricity, or self-reliance, as promised.
From 2000 to 2005 I was away doing my legal studies and could not focus much energy on the happenings with the dam, except to include it as a case study in my Environmental Law classes. However, one person who NEVER took a break from the fight and struggle to ensure the Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP) was complied with is my dear colleague Candy Gonzalez.
Up to her last breath and with her last energy she stood up against the failure of the government and BECOL/Fortis’ non-compliance with the ECP, and she reminded us all that the project failed. If you pass by her house in San Ignacio, you cannot help but see a huge banner hanging on her fence that reads:
“CHALILLO DAM IS STILL A LIE! No Cheaper Rates! No Health and Safety!”
Take them to court!
Candy was born in the USA and does come from a fairly affluent, white, privileged family, but that is something she downplayed, as she was very much part of the Civil Rights movements in her country and she by action stood for justice. Her husband, George, says “Candy just could not stand by and see an injustice happening”. She refused to participate by her silence, thus she decided to pursue her legal studies and became a prolific attorney, and when asked what she specialized in, she would say “I am an anti-corporate lawyer,” and she would say that with pride and never wavered. While in Belize she may not have bothered to be called to the Belizean Bar, but she surely put her legal skills and knowledge into practice.
Candy founded an NGCO called Belize Institute of Environmental Law and Policy (BELPO) and via said entity she embarked on massive education on many environmental issues and even ensured that she used her legal training to question many laws and policies that were contrary to the protection of the environment. Candy was the sole voice of reasoning for many years on the National Environmental Appraisal Committee (NEAC) and too often was disappointed at the projects approved, that would clearly result in environmental degradation. Sadly, she and all those working against the construction of the hydro-dam could not stop it from being constructed and being in operation to date, but she surely found ways to hold them accountable.
One of the historic rulings for which she was on the forefront was BELPO’s challenge against the Department of the Environment (DOE) in which it asked the court to force, in essence, the government to ensure that the developers and then owners of the dam, BECOL (Belize Electric Co. Ltd.), would fulfil the requirements of their Environmental Compliance Plan (ECP) to take the measures they said they would once the dam was constructed. Basically, NEC and the government pushed for the hydro-dam project, but assured the Belizean public that the environmental and safety precautions would be taken.
The hydro-dam had been widely opposed because of the environment degradation it has since caused and the habitats of the scarlet macaws and other wildlife species that it has destroyed. Sadly, despite the people of the Cayo District being told it is safe and will not affect them, it turned out that since then, the level of mercury in the Macal River’s fishes has increased, sometimes to deadly concentrations that threaten human health, and stagnant waters created by the dam have caused environmental hazards; also, habitats have been forever lost and remain buried under the dammed water!
Therefore, the only thing any person wanted to hold the government and developer accountable for, is their promise to take specific health and safety measures listed in the ECP. Key steps that they were failing to take as per ECP were:
- There were no emergency preparedness plans in place in the event of a dam break.
- Mercury levels in fish being consumed by the residents downstream were not being tested, and notices had to be issued to indicate the level of mercury, which is dangerous for human health.
- The water quality in the river, which also feeds into the homes, was not being properly tested and monitored; and
- There was a distinct lack of communication between the company and the public, despite a need for consultations and public meetings to keep the public informed.
BECOL refuted Candy’s case, maintaining that it did post an emergency preparedness plan on the Internet and had organized public sessions to address citizens’ concerns about the dam. They further washed their hands from the need to test and monitor the water quality and even to do tests on fish for mercury content, insisting that it is the government, through its public health authorities’, that should do such testing and act as regulators, but that it is the government’s entities that made the decision not to publish the findings. I must add here that the findings were damning, as high levels of mercury have been found in fishes but, sadly, much of that information had not been made public.
Court ruling for the people!
On Tuesday, 1st July, 2008, there was a small victory for the people of Belize, especially the Cayo District, as the court gave a ruling for the benefit and protection of the people. It was reported in the Amandala newspaper as follows:
“This morning when Chief Justice Conteh handed down his ruling, however, he found that the Environmental Compliance Plan signed between BECOL and the Department of the Environment for Chalillo, did place certain duties on the DOE and lawfully bound the department to verify that its conditions were implemented.
“Those conditions included that the public be informed, and as Conteh pointed out in court, it was unfair for the company to conclude that everyone ‘was a traveler on the information superhighway,’ and moreover, the ECP had specifically stipulated that radio advertisements were to be used in the public education campaign.
“As for the information sessions, the CJ again took issue with the fact that no such forum was held in San Ignacio, even though again, that was a definite requirement of the ECP.
“Within that context, the judge went on to order that emergency plans be printed and placed in public buildings in Cristo Rey, San Ignacio and Santa Elena for easy access; early warning systems are to be tested routinely for effectiveness, especially in the hurricane season; mercury and water quality levels are to be reported to the public periodically; and BECOL is to establish efficient communication channels with residents, specifically through the Public Participation Committee.
“In delivering his ruling, the Chief Justice declared, ‘Chalillo is operational, but it is never too late to give out information.”
That is a decision Candy secured for the people. You may never say thanks to her, and now that she is gone, it’s too late, but it is never too late to honour the work of a small-statured, ferocious woman who passed through here and made a hell of a difference!
Farewell, Candy!
There is so much good Candy has done, and her tenacious spirit and passion for justice is now gone, but as one of the hundreds or thousands of persons who got to know and collaborate with her, I can attest, she is indeed uncompromising about her values and principles and she does not make any apology for it. I would sum it up this way for Candy: “There is only right and wrong, there is no grey area and surely no compromising of her values and belief and principles. Either you decide to do things the right way, because to do otherwise, is to be doing things the wrong way!”
Candy chose the right way, and that was always what is best for the people and the environment they must live in…. Corporate greed should never trump the best interest of all!
Farewell for now, Candy, until we meet again in the spirit world! Candy died on Monday, 25th May, 2020, and per her wishes she was cremated on the same day. She asked for no memorial or any fanfare or farewell, as she believes her whole life’s work was the celebration of her life, and in death, she did not wish for things to be said and done for her, which could have been done for her while she was alive.
However, she asked that others dedicate themselves to do similar work for humanity and the environment they live in! In Struggle!