The Toronto Star reports that, “RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said Wednesday it would be ‘difficult if not impossible’ to hold the Group of 20 summit next summer in the Muskoka cottage-country community (of Huntsville).”
“Hosting a G20 summit implies finding at least 10,000 hotel rooms and providing air-tight security for more than 30 international delegations. Huntsville has 1,000 rooms at most.”
The federal government and the town have already spent millions preparing for the summit and “Ottawa has just closed bidding for a $6-million galvanized metal fence that will stretch about 15 kilometres around the summit site in Huntsville.”
“The initial plan was to hold the Group of Eight summit (on June 25-27) in Huntsville and a second, larger G20 meeting somewhere nearby.”
But so far, “(the G20) has no firm date, no firm location and no list of who else, beyond the G20 members, will be invited.”
“The media, also likely to number in the thousands, is expected to work out of the Congress Centre near Toronto’s international airport.”
“Hosting the G20 summit in downtown Toronto would also boost Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s pitch to show off the city as a global financial centre that avoided the worst of the global crisis because of its strong banking practices.”
UPCOMING MINISTERIALS
The CBC reports that the G7 finance meeting has been scheduled for Iqaluit on February 5-6. “The meeting will include discussion on actions to strengthen the global economy, ways of following through on financial sector reforms, and ways to strengthen international financial institutions.”
The G8 foreign ministers will meet on March 29-30 at the Château Cartier in Gatineau, Quebec.
A federal government media release says the foreign ministers “will discuss major issues that threaten international peace and security, while continuing to promote respect for freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.”
THE COUNCIL OF CANADIANS
The Council of Canadians will be opposing the G8/ G20 through a peoples summit planned for Toronto on June 18-20, creative protests, and more.
WEB-LINKS
http://www.thestar.com/mobile/news/canada/article/727728
http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2009/11/18/nunavut-g7-meet.html
http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=2154
The Globe and Mail article today, ‘Dude, where’s my summit?’ can be read at http://theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/dude-wheres-my-summit-small-time-politics-ruining-canadas-big-moment/article1369097/?.
