Recent
Watch also...
G20 conference to cost taxpayers $1.8M
‘Preliminary’ figure to police world leaders next summer
By IAN ROBERTSON, TORONTO SUN
Toronto taxpayers will pay at least $1.8 million to police world leaders and staff coming to the G8 and G20 conferences.
That “preliminary” figure is part of the $899.1 million net operating budget Toronto Police want for 2010.
The 36th annual G8 summit, planned for three days in Huntsville starting June 25, will address topics including the world economy, climate change, biodiversity, energy, nonproliferation of arms, plus African development and peace initiatives.
The two-day G20, predominantly an economic summit, starts June 26 in Toronto.
In addition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, leaders from the U.S., U.K., France, Russia, Germany, Japan and Italy, are expected to attend.
With protesters targeting summits, sometimes violently, intense security is expected to bring police from other jurisdictions. A paragraph in the proposed Toronto Police budget predicts the events “will have significant impact” on the force, with the $1.8 million projected bill.
Senior officials could not be reached, but the report said talks are underway with Ottawa “to provide funding for any extraordinary costs.”
Meaghan Gray, who attends summit planning meetings as part of the Toronto Police communications team, yesterday said “we won’t release the number of officers.”
But in addition to city officers, the RCMP, the OPP and other jurisdictions, she said, “I’d assume international delegates will have their own security forces.”
Gray could not say if any city officers will participate in Huntsville security.
The $899.1 million net budget, bankrolled by city taxpayers, does not include some costs paid for by other levels of government.
The submission is $43.2 million or 5% more than for this year and city budget chief Shelley Carroll has asked for a 5% reduction.
There are 5,567 officers and 2,056 civilian employees. Salaries and premium pay total $848 million.
In a submisson for today’s Toronto Police Services board meeting, former mayor John Sewell, of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, calls for a freeze on police hiring — despite 250 officers expected to leave next year — and a requirement for remaining police “to do more”.
Sewell is lobbying for police funds to bankroll city recreation and support programs to combat youth crime and violence.
Source: http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/12/17/12184191-sun.html