Toronto to Host G20 in 2010
Thousand of delegates, security personnel
Toronto is now confirmed as the site of the G20 summit next year. Image: WELLESLEY CONSULTING SERVICES
The Prime Minister’s Office has confirmed that Toronto will be the location of the G20 summit next June.
The summit, which will run June 26 and 27, was originally to have been held in Huntsville, the location of the next G8 summit the same month.
The relocation of the G20 summit is expected to have significant security requirements and a noticeable impact on residents in Canada’s largest city. During the 1988 G7 summit, which was also held in Toronto, security was handled by the RCMP and Toronto Police, involving hundreds of officers, patrolling helicopters, motorcades, road closures and logistics.
Next years’ summit is expected to be larger than the Pittsburgh G20 summit, held earlier this year, and according to some sources required 4,000 rooms for accommodating leaders, staff, media, and other personnel.
Large summits also give an opportunity to showcase the latest in security technology, and the Toronto G20, as well as the Muskoka G8, are expected to be no different. Toronto has already implemented CCTV monitoring in key public areas, and partner agencies have already tried and tested personnel screening technology such as “see through” X-ray scanners, which are already being implemented in Canadian airports.
Security is expected to be coordinated by the G8 Integrated Security Unit (ISU), an RCMP, OPP and military partnership modelled after the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics ISU.
No location has been announced for the Toronto G20, although it is likely a single facility will be chosen for the majority of the events. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre was the host of the 1988 G7 summit, and could likely reprise its role. It is a large facility located downtown in close proximity to major hotels and has ready access to highways and downtown transit networks.
The Canadian National Exhibition grounds have both the Direct Energy Centre and the newer, 160,000 sq. ft. Allstream Centre, both of which are capable of hosting large events, and can be isolated to enhance security.
The CNE grounds also have an advantage of being located close to the Billy Bishop Airport, located on Toronto Island, and two military establishments located nearby can provide support and facilities for security personnel.
Finally, Downsview Park – also located in proximity to an airport, which occupies the same site – is another possible location for the summit. Security requirements would be made simple, since it is a former military base, and military facilities still exist there. While the facility lacks indoor conference space, several large events have been held there in the past that required temporary facilities built, including World Youth Day in 2002.
Protester presence could be very high, since isolation of the G8 site in Huntsville may result in protest groups choosing a more accessible and more impactful site to carry out demonstrations. Toronto has the largest population in Canada, is an hour from the U.S. border, and is an air travel hub.
