Recent
Watch also...
Security is summit's big challenge
Law enforcement agencies already have been working together for months
JENNIFER LEWINGTON AND ANNA MEHLER PAPERNY
Brace for traffic and other disruptions when Prime Minister Stephen Harper and world leaders come to town for two days next June.
But officials say the payback – a boost to Toronto’s economy and its global image – will outlast temporary inconvenience when G20 global leaders meet here June 26-27.
“The G20 is exceptionally prestigious and it will add to Toronto’s growing reputation worldwide,” said Toronto Mayor David Miller, deferring questions to the federal government as it is the host paying for the event.
“Security is a real issue,” he conceded, but added, “we have been working with the federal government and we are confident we will be able to do it extremely well.”
Federal spokesmen declined to confirm the exact location of the meeting, but the province-owned Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Front Street appears to have the nod over city-owned Exhibition Place, officials said yesterday.
Toronto officials had campaigned for Exhibition Place, the venue for the 2002 papal visit, which is situated on a self-contained site near downtown boasting new convention facilities.
But a federal official said there were concerns over having to close roads.
By contrast, the Metro convention centre is centrally located, near the Gardiner Expressway and has experience with top-security events, including the 1988 G7 Summit and a meeting of NATO defence ministers in 1999. But officials still have to work out how to minimize interruptions in the downtown core.
Mr. Miller predicted that Torontonians will be “understanding” about road closings and other security measures.
Security is the overarching concern for the two-day event, with the RCMP the lead agency on an “integrated security unit” that includes the Canadian Forces, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Toronto Police Service. The agencies have been working together for several months assuming the G20 would be held here.
“All the aspects that you would anticipate as being part of a global event are being worked on, and have been worked on for some time,” said Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash.
Police here haven’t dealt with a similar international conference since the G7 summit in 1988. But Mr. Pugash pointed to the Tamil protests earlier this year, in which thousands of protesters blocked the Gardiner Expressway, as an example of how Toronto police walk a fine line between allowing public protest and maintaining order.
Security officials are looking at how other forces have dealt with similar events, including a 200-page report on the London G20 summit by police there that found inconsistent and out-of-date training, an absence of clear use-of-force standards and “inappropriate use of public order powers.”
Despite security worries and the potential for protests, tourism and economic development officials predict long-term gains for Toronto from being in the media spotlight for the G20.
“It gives Toronto a great platform to showcase itself,” said Tourism Toronto president David Whitaker, who expects the event to consume between 40,000 and 50,000 hotel room nights (assuming up to 10,000 delegates over several days). That translates to between $14-million and $17-million in revenue for hotel accommodation alone, with officials confident there is enough hotel capacity. For the G20 meeting held in Pittsburgh three months ago, the local visitor bureau estimated the overall economic impact at $35-million (U.S.) for the region.
With a report from Colin Freeze
Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/security-is-summits-big-challenge/article1392291/