Security, wildlife and tensions: a look back at the G8 in Kananaskis

Canada will host the G7 in June, in Kananaskis, in the Alberta Rockies, more than 20 years after the region last hosted this highly publicized international event.

In 2002, Kananaskis hosted the leaders of the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Russia and the European Union. At the time, the international conference was called the G8. The name was changed in 2014, after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.

A summit tinged with anxiety

Kananaskis Country was proposed by then-Prime Minister Jean Chrétien because of its isolated and intimate location.

It was a location of choice, after the massive demonstrations the previous year, during the 27th G8 Summit, in Genoa, Italy, where more than 200,000 demonstrators denounced globalization.

We have an obligation to meet, and it’s not a few anarchists who will prevent democratic leaders from doing their jobwould have declared Jean Chrétien in July 2001, according to the Edmonton Journal.

The 2002 summit was colored by the climate of anxiety that stemmed from the September 11 terrorist attacks that struck the United States the previous year.

In the days following the attack, the organizers pledged to provide deep changes to security planning, and perhaps even a change of location.

Alberta’s premier at the time, Ralph Klein, even suggested that the summit might need to be canceled for security reasons.

A significant effort in terms of security

Calgary officials began security preparations a year before the summit.

However, Global Affairs Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), as well as other organizations, began preparations well in advance, as Calgary’s mayor noted era, Al Duerr, in July 2001, when Kananaskis was chosen as the summit location.

At the time, we certainly had to plan for the worsthe declared in an interview the same month.

Not only were there problems with potential bad actors, but also wild animalsexplains the mayor, who says he was impressed by the extent of the efforts made to ensure the smooth running of the event.

The event has been called the largest peacetime security operation in Canadian history.

According to estimates, more than 5,000 soldiers and 1,500 security agents GRC were deployed to Kananaskis. Among Calgary’s 1,420 police officers, 450 were assigned to the G8. Fighter jets patrolled the no-fly zone over Calgary and Kananaskis.

In Calgary, offices were closed, stores boarded up, and public schools resorted to lockdown procedures.

Peaceful protests

Generally peaceful demonstrations took place for two days in the metropolis. Calgary’s mayor in 2002, Dave Braconnier, praised the security measures, which he said were successful.

Environmentalists were also concerned about the ecological footprint of holding such an event in a region where many wild animals live.

One incident was recorded: a bear died after being shot with a tranquilizer gun, according to the G7 Research Group at the University of Toronto. The animal was sleeping in a tree too close to where the world leaders were.

A strategic location

According to the director of the G7 Research Group, John Kirton, the Kananaskis site had several advantages. In particular, it was easier to protect it from a hijacked civilian airliner or a missile.

He adds that limited access to the site made it easy to block protesters on foot.

It was a well-chosen site, and it’s no surprise that the Canadian government decided to use it again this year.

A hefty bill

Holding this international conference entailed significant financial costs. In 2002, the cost of the event was estimated at $300 million, while in 2018, when the G7 took place in La Malbaie, Quebec, the bill was estimated at more than $600 million.

With information from Joel Dryden.