Dawson City Mayor Bill Kendrick is safe in Ecuador, where he has been vacationing since the end of December, amid escalating criminal violence in the South American nation.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa issued a 60-day state of emergency on Monday following the disappearance of a notorious gangster from prison. The BBC reported on Jan. 10 that at least 10 people have been killed since the emergency was declared.
Noboa stated on Wednesday that the country has entered “internal armed conflict” following the storming of a TV station’s studio by armed gang members on Tuesday. The incident happened in the country’s largest city, Guayaquil.
The director of Wilson Center’s Latin America Program in Washington, D.C., has described the situation in Ecuador as “apocalyptic.”
Kendrick is vacationing along the Ecuadorian coast, several hours away from Guayaquil.
“I’m just vacationing. I spent a bit of time here five years ago, and I just decided to return to vacation by the ocean — do some yoga,” Kendrick says.
He adds that he flew into Guayaquil, where the storming of the TV station took place, and will also be flying out of the city.
Kendrick says he knows of people who were unable to reach Guayaquil on Tuesday to catch their flights due to road closures by the Ecuadorian military.
“The military had shut the roads into Guayaquil. So, there’s a nationwide curfew that started last night, I believe, and it’s from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. But if people are transiting to airports, and they have their documents, they’re generally [going to] be allowed to get to the airport,” Kendrick tells the News on Jan. 10, adding that he expects he will be able to get to the airport and depart the country without issue.
Kendrick notes that, during his time in the country, he hasn’t witnessed any violence or had any concern for his safety.
“I’m three hours away from the big city. And so, you know, knock on wood, although there’s dangers everywhere, including in downtown Whitehorse, you just got to pay attention or don’t [take] unnecessary risks,” he says.
“I mean, I reached out to siblings and family and just [said] ‘Oh, yeah, everything’s fine here. There’s no concerns, no need to worry.”
However, Kendrick says he’s aware there have been impacts from the situation currently unfolding in the country. The most significant effect, he says, has been on the tourism industry.
“There’s been some unfortunate consequences of this. For example, the place I’m staying is owned by a Canadian expat, and they’ve had all their bookings for the rest of the month basically cancelled by people who haven’t come to Ecuador yet. Right. Just based on the news coverage, which is, you know, it’s quite unfortunate,” Kendrick says.
Kendrick is expected to return to Canada in the coming days.
Contact Matthew Bossons at matthew.bossons@yukon-news.com