Global Defence Company Provided Summit Communications

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Wellesley Consulting Services

The entire communications system used by the RCMP and affiliated police and public safety agencies during the G8/G20 summits in Ontario last month were provided by a subsidiary of EADS Defence & Security, according to a news release issued yesterday.

PlantCML, a Temulca, Calif.-based communications company owned by EADS, was responsible for the sophisticated secure radio and digital communications system used up to and during the summits, an advanced open architecture, IP-based trunked system called CORP25.

CORP25 is a system that integrates with the APCO “Project 25″, or P25, radio system designed by Motorola and which is already in use by the Province of Ontario.

According to EADS, the CORP25 system served a “mission critical role” and handled over 264,000 radio transmissions during the summit security operation.

The system took seven months to implement, used a multimedia P25 logging system to track all radio messages, and incorporated Motorola XTS 2500 digital trunked portable radios for front line personnel.

The cost of the radio system was not disclosed in the news release, however approximately 2,500 radios were deployed, including both portable and base station systems. Each XTS 2500 portable radio typically costs in the $5,000-$10,000 range depending on configuration and accessories, meaning the cost of radio equipment alone could easily have been in the $20-25 million range.

Three Arrested in RBC Bombing

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Wellesley Consulting Services

A fire erupts at an Ottawa RBC branch in an image posted to ottawa. Three arrests have been made in connecction with this arson.

Ottawa police reported Saturday the arrests of three men in connection with the May 18 fire bombing of an RBC branch that caused $500,000 in damage.

The fire bombing was allegedly videotaped by the suspects and posted to an anti-capitalist website the same day, along with a message that the perpetrators would be present at the upcoming G8/G20 summits in Huntsville and Toronto.

Charged with arson, explosives offences, and mischief are Roger Clement, 58, and Matthew Morgan-Brown, 32, both of Ottawa, and charged with fail to comply and possession of ammunition is Claude Haridge, 50, also of Ottawa.

Morgan-Brown was also reportedly arrested in 2007 following a demonstration at Ottawa’s ritzy Chateau Laurier hotel, held just prior to the Montebello summit.

Both Morgan-Brown and Clement also appear on a web list of supporters for Algerian Mohamed Harkat, an alleged sleeper agent for Al-Qaeda who was previously detained on a security certificate in Canada, and who remains under house arrest in Ottawa awaiting deportation. On that list of supporters, Morgan-Brown identified as association with the Catapult! collective, and a “Matthew Morgan” has in the past been a frequent contributor to the same website where the RBC fire bombing video was first posted.

Charges were also laid against Clement and Haridge by Ottawa police in relation to an earlier incident where another Ottawa RBC branch was damaged, using rocks and a hammer.

According to police, the ammunition Haridge allegedly possessed illegally was 7.62mm, which is a common military calibre used for light and medium machineguns. The ammunition is also available to civilian markets, usually referred to as .308 calibre.

All the accused men had bail hearings Saturday and were remanded. They will appear again in court later this month.

Ottawa police said they were assisted by Ontario Provincial Police and the RCMP in the investigation. Media reports have also said that the three men were under police surveillance not long after the bank bombing.

RBC branches across Canada have been targeted numerous times in recent months by anti-capitalism and other groups, in the lead up to the Vancouver Olympics and to the G8 and G20 summits.

Security On Hiring Rush for G8/G20 Summits

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Wellesley Consulting Services

Commissionaires Great Lakes are hiring guards for a two week period coinciding with the G8/G20 summits. (Image: Commissionaires website)

The G8 and G20 summits this June could prove lucrative for some private security firms in Toronto, many of whom are on hiring blitzes to fill short term jobs next month.

During the summits, world leaders and their officials, along with media, will descend on Toronto and Hunstville, located in the Muskoka region north of the city, and will at least in part be protected by private security companies.

The Commissionaires Great Lakes is seeking to “fill short term positions” in and around Toronto in June, from the 14th to the 28th. The Muskoka 2010 G8 Summit runs on June 25 and 26, followed immediately by the Toronto 2010 G20 Summit, which runs from June 26 to 27.

The company is looking for candidates who have been residents of Canada for at least 5 years, which would enable government security clearances to be processed without delays.

Originally the Corps of Commissionaires, the security company was at one time known to favour employing former RCMP and military members, and for providing security services to public sector clients. The organization is now made up of several branches, employs a wider demographic, and sells security services to both private and public sector clients.

The RCMP-led Integrated Security Unit is responsible for the overall security program, and involves a partnership of police officers from their own agency, along with Peel Region and Toronto police, and the Department of National Defence.

A similar ISU was formed for the 2010 Vancouver Games in February, where private security officers saw wide involvement in venue entry point screening roles.

Ottawa RBC Fire a ‘Direct Action’

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Wellesley Consulting Services

An RBC branch in Ottawa was targeted in an arson Monday. (File photo: Wellesley Consulting Services)

A posting on an indepedent news site with anarchist ties has claimed the fire yesterday at an Ottawa RBC branch was a “direct action” aimed at Canada’s largest bank and one of the main sponsors of the recent 2010 Vancouver Games.

The posting, together with a video, was placed on the Ottawa site for indymedia.org. The website features articles on indiginous rights and sovereignty activities.

The video was posted along with a sequence of stills showing the ATM vestibule at the Bank St and First Ave RBC branch erupting into flames, and a caption “The Vancouver Games are over, but a torch is still burning.”

A fire erupts at an Ottawa RBC branch in an image posted to ottawa.indymedia.org

In February, an RBC branch in Guelph was vandalized by anarchists who claimed responsibility for jamming the keyholes on the doors in a posting on another anarchist blog. Protesters also targeted a Waterloo RBC branch, unfurling a banner with an anti-Olympic message.

In February and again in March of 2008, the same RBC branch at Bank St and First Ave was targeted for vandalism, first when bricks and then a month later when an ice block was thrown through windows, according to a 24 Hours Vancouver report from August that year. The report highlighted several incidents where RBC branches were targeted in vandalism attacks.

In the video posting of the Ottawa RBC branch fire, mention is made of the upcoming G8/G20 summit in Huntsville and Toronto, with the group claiming they “will be there.”

Based in Montreal, RBC has the largest market capitalization of all Canadian banks, at $75.5 billion. Royal Bank employs over 71,000 workers and has nearly 1,200 branches across Canada.

The gold-windowed Toronto offices of the Royal bank are located near the location of the June G20 summit.

Tuesday’s arson attack marks a serious escalation as arson goes well beyond vandalism and has the potential for loss of life.

A strict definition of terrorism under the Criminal Code, if applied to this arson, could be applied rendering the arson an act of terrorism, and the group behind it a terrorist group. The Code defines a terrorist act as including an act that is committed for political or ideological purposes, that is intended to intimidate the public with regard to its security, and that intentionally causes a substantial property damage likely to result in harm.

Applying the definition would then trigger a host of possible crimes related to the provision of materials or financing to the terrorist group, which are indictable offences.

Toronto to Host G20 in 2010

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Wellesley Consulting Services

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.