G20 Summit Toronto, Ontario
June 2010

In June of 2008, Prime Minister Harper announced that Canada would host the 2010 G8 Summit in Huntsville, Ontario, on June 25 and June 26, allowing policing authorities in that region two years to plan the event. In December 2009, the Prime Minister announced that Toronto would host the 2010 G20 Summit on June 26 and June 27. This gave the Toronto Police Service (TPS) six months to plan for the largest security event in Canadian history. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) was identified as the location for the G20 Summit in February 2010, which added significant logistical and security considerations.

The Summit Management Office (SMO), part of Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, was responsible for the logistical arrangements of the G8/G20 Summits.

As the annual G20 Summits are very high profile gatherings of international leaders, they are subject both to extensive lobbying by advocacy groups and to public demonstrations. Given this history, it was anticipated that similar challenges would present themselves to the organizers of the G20 Summit in Toronto.