As Kananaskis locks down for the G7 summit, Banff carries on with its touristy vibe
BANFF/KANANASKIS — The Mounties guarding a roadblock on Highway 40 weren't in the mood for small talk.
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'I apologize that I can't smile for your photo,' said one officer in a Quebecois accent Sunday morning.
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All around him were sun-dappled crags while a spring gurgled peacefully out of a forest nearby.
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But there was no doubting the seriousness with which the officers took their task. Nobody without special accreditation is allowed to venture past this point.
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Concrete blocks had formed a choke point adjacent to the Baldy Pass hiking turnout, about five kilometres north of the main roadblock at Mt. Lorette Ponds.
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Any intruder blasting through this preliminary checkpoint would no doubt be intercepted at the more heavily fortified barrier down the road, the main highway shield for G7 leaders and their guests meeting at Kananaskis Village.
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Alberta Parks staff at the Barrier Lake information centre nearby said sightseer traffic was down considerably, replaced by security convoys that included Canadian Armed Forces light armoured vehicles.
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The only noticeable security on Sunday was RCMP personnel guarding the International Media Centre located at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
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There, smiling Mounties navigated golf carts within view of the stately Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel below.
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Others checked accreditation carried by some of the 1,400 journalists converging on Banff to chronicle the annual event, running from June 15-17, that has attracted 2,000 diplomatic personnel.
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Down in the town, nearly 3,000 participants completed the Banff Half Marathon like they would in any other, while the mountain resort's streets teemed with foot and vehicular traffic.
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It was hard to tell the G7 in Kananaskis had spilled over into Banff, where on its main street, a Mountie could be seen fraternizing with visitors, more of a tourist attraction than anything.
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