Thousands of people are expected to raise their concerns about the destructive G20 agenda when the G20 summit is held in Toronto this June 26-27. The Council of Canadians will be there focusing on how the G20 impedes fair trade, climate justice, the human right to water, and democratic governance.
A key element in the ability to raise these concerns through public protest is the right to be close enough to be seen and heard by those in power making the decisions that affect us all.
The Toronto Star reports today that, “Security perimeters (for the G20 summit) are still being mapped out, but the Waterfront Business Improvement Area says police have told them zones could stretch as far north as Queen St. and as far east and west as Yonge St. and Spadina Ave.”
“Councillor Adam Vaughan, whose ward contains the G20 site (the Metro Convention Centre), says he wouldn’t be surprised to see the security blanket reach as far south as the Gardiner Expressway.”
If the security zone established for the recent G20 summit in Pittsburgh were extrapolated to Toronto it would “mean a boundary area that stretches from Spadina Ave. to York St., and from the Gardiner Expressway to Wellington or King Sts.”
While the safety of public figures is critical, that concern must also be balanced with a range of factors including respect for people’s daily lives in the city, the needs of local businesses, and basic civil liberties, including the right to protest. Security zones should not be imposed (in this case by the RCMP-led Integrated Security Unit), but scrutinized and subject to these considerations and public input.
The full news article is at http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/773133–downtown-to-become-a-fortress-for-g20-summit.
