G7 protests to be livestreamed to leaders in Kananaskis, Alta., to give protesters a voice
A security gate and fence outside the site of the G7 Leaders' Summit is pictured in Kananaskis, Alta., on June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Law enforcement officials overseeing security at the upcoming G7 Leaders' Summit in Alberta are expecting large protests but plan to make sure they stay peaceful.
That includes livestreaming some of the sites to Kananaskis, where leaders from Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and the European Union will meet June 15-17.
'These three designated G7 demonstration zones will have live audio and video feeds, which will be broadcast to G7 leaders and delegations at the site of the summit in Kananaskis,' said RCMP Chief Superintendent David Hall at a media briefing Monday.
'People who want to express themselves, as is their right, can't get close to the leaders, so the leaders won't see and hear the protests. So by establishing that video link, we are helping facilitate that Charter access.'
Hall said teams have been reaching out to protest groups to clarify their intentions. He said protests are legal and every effort will be made to ensure they are given their right to express themselves.
Joe Brar, the G7 event security director from Calgary police, said the city has protests every single weekend and it will continue throughout the summer.
'G7 puts Calgary on a global stage so we expect that to draw more protesters as well,' Brar said.
'We are working with organizers in advance ... to have conversations around demonstrations, what people's intentions are, when they're planning on demonstrating ... and ensuring they understand those that are lawful.'
A display in the Calgary police parking lot showed some of the security equipment available for G7, including tactical units, protective gear, armoured police and military vehicles, and officers on horseback.
'These tools are reserved for worst-case scenarios and would only be deployed after other available options have been exhausted,' said Hall.
Greg Medley, deputy chief of Alberta Sheriffs, said officers will be involved in traffic control, searching vehicles and, if necessary, helping with mass arrests.
'These officers are specially trained in the mass handling and movement of those in custody and will ensure the detainees' legal rights are respected and upheld while maintaining public safety and security across all event sites.'
Air restrictions over the Calgary International Airport and over Kananaskis Village have already been announced.
The radius at Kananaskis Village will be 30 nautical miles (56 kilometres), while it will be 20 nautical miles (37 kilometres) at the airport.
The restrictions are set to begin at 6 a.m. on June 14 and remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on June 17.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
20 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘Diplomacy ends today': First Nations warn of protests over Ontario mining law
Protesters and community members chant and wave signs, as they listen to speakers during a demonstration opposing Bill 5, outside the Ontario legislature at Queen's Park in Toronto, Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government has given itself the power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas it deems to have economic importance, citing the need to speed up development of mines, but First Nations warn confrontation is brewing. Known as Bill 5, the legislation sparked a firestorm of anger among First Nations communities, who say it tramples their rights and ignores their concerns. It may have passed in the legislature Wednesday, but Indigenous leaders say the fight is just beginning. 'Our diplomacy ends today,' said NDP deputy leader Sol Mamakwa, who represents the northern Ontario riding of Kiiwetinoong that is home to many First Nations and the mineral-rich Ring of Fire region. 'You cannot trample on the rights of the people that live on these homelands and get away with it.' Ford has said the bill is needed to speed up large projects, particularly mines, in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war. Jeers from dozens of First Nations members echoed in the legislature as the bill was passed into law. Ford was not there for the final vote. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler called the premier a 'coward.' 'This fight is not over, but we will meet you on the ground,' Fiddler said. 'He did not even have the guts to show up for the vote.' Ford was on a call with a Republican congressman during the vote, his office said. Lake Huron Regional Chief Scott McLeod said that shows where the premier's priorities lie. 'His priorities are not with the Indigenous people in this province,' he said. 'They're with business people, and he wants the resources that are in our territories. He's selling our minerals and our resources to Americans, to the world, without our permission and that is what we're not going to stand for.' The government had tried to amend the bill to explicitly include duty to consult provisions, but delay tactics at the committee stage by the Liberals meant that the Progressive Conservatives passed the legislation without that. Ford said earlier in the day that they would consult with First Nations over the summer, but that may now be in question. From now on, Fiddler said, Nishnawbe Aski Nation will not take him or his government seriously, nor will they engage with Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford. Fiddler called for his resignation. 'He is supposed to be representing Indigenous affairs for our nation, but he failed at every turn, and we will not work with him,' Fiddler said. 'We will not engage with him at all moving forward.' The legislation will create so-called 'special economic zones,' where the province could suspend laws in order to speed up projects such as mines, and the government has said the Ring of Fire would be the first such zone. Chris Moonias, the former chief of Neskantaga First Nation, suggested action will begin by preventing mining companies and others' access to their lands. 'We're going to shut down the Ring of Fire,' he said. 'Whatever that means, whatever we can do, we're going to shut it down. I promise you that.' Earlier in the day, Ford said blockades wouldn't be 'very wise.' 'You can't break the law,' Ford said. 'Simple as that. ... They need to move on or they'll be dealt with appropriately.' When asked to clarify his comments, Ford said he doesn't direct the police and any enforcement would be up to the Ontario Provincial Police or local police services. The premier wouldn't say if he would use the notwithstanding clause to save Bill 5 if it ends up being challenged and found unconstitutional in court. But he said that he would 'cross that bridge' when he comes to it. Civil liberty groups are livid at the prospect of effectively lawless zones, and unions have warned that labour laws would be under threat. The measure is part of an omnibus bill that makes a slew of other changes, including stripping protections for endangered and threatened species. Environmental groups and the Toronto Zoo have warned this will lead to extinctions. Farmers, who largely support the Progressive Conservative government, have also spoken out against the bill. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture said the broad powers 'could override vital protections for farmland and agricultural systems.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025. Liam Casey and Allison Jones, The Canadian Press
Globe and Mail
20 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
The tightening of Canada's asylum laws was an inevitability
Michael Barutciski is a professor at York University's Glendon School of Public and International Affairs, as well as a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. The first substantive legislative initiative from Mark Carney's government, Bill C-2, has passed through first reading in the House of Commons. Its short title, the Strong Borders Act, makes explicit the public messaging that underlies the sweeping and multifaceted legislative amendments being proposed. While the bill provides law enforcement with various powers regarding issues such as fentanyl and financial crime, it also addresses immigration-related irritants with the U.S. Concerns have been raised that it includes measures which would restrict asylum claims. But the lax practices of recent years may have left Canadians unaware of the fundamental dilemmas concerning the country's asylum situation, and of the reality that changes to the system were inevitable. The federal government is now proposing new measures that will ultimately make Canada less of an outlier compared to other Western democracies, and beyond the advocates defending the untenable status quo, it should be clear to most Canadians that the asylum system needs to be tightened. Bill C-2 signals that Ottawa is taking the issue seriously. Monthly asylum claims in Canada remain unsustainably high, with nearly 11,000 new claims in April, mostly in Quebec and Ontario; these numbers also come before the summer months, when claims tend to peak. These latest statistics reveal that many claimants are entering at official land border crossings under exceptions to the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), the responsibility-sharing treaty with the U.S. that is intended to prevent asylum shopping by obliging migrants to claim protection in the first country they enter. These exceptions will eventually need to be reconsidered. At the same time, there are many migrants unlawfully present in Canada; a CIBC report suggests the number might be around one million people. Many more visas granted to temporary residents are set to expire soon, and many, including foreign students, may seek asylum in a desperate bid to prolong their stay. The administrative tribunal that examines asylum claims, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), is already overwhelmed by historic backlogs, and current trends suggest pressure will only increase. Part 9 of Bill C-2 addresses an exception in the STCA that allowed asylum seekers to avoid being returned to the U.S. if they enter between official land border crossings and are not detected by Canadian authorities for 14 days. It was an incoherent provision that contradicted the objectives of the STCA and mainly signalled that the authorities did not want to spend a prolonged period tracking down migrants. The bill will make asylum seekers who evade authorities for two weeks ineligible to make an asylum claim, and if it is safe to do so, they should generally be sent back to their home country. Part 9 also makes migrants ineligible for asylum if these claims are made 'more than one year after the day of their entry.' This is the Carney government's initial response to the potential crisis that could emerge if even more visa overstayers try to prolong their stay through asylum. Opinion: Canada has become an immigration irritant for the U.S. Opinion: Trump's policies will send asylum seekers to Canada's border. What's our plan? This is a reasonable response that partially harmonizes the Canadian system with the U.S. system. As controversial as this may seem to some, harmonization is the only way Western countries such as Canada will be able to bring migration under control. Democratic governments are continuing to bleed support because they are unable to assuage populations that are justifiably anxious about uncontrolled migration; the Netherlands is just the latest example. Whether the asylum-related provisions in Bill C-2 become the law of the land will ultimately show how serious the new Liberal government is in correcting immigration policy mistakes made by and acknowledged by the previous prime minister and then-immigration minister. Yet it is one thing to amend laws to restore Canada's seriousness on the immigration file; it is another to actually enforce them. If Ottawa cannot incentivize the large population of overstayers to leave by themselves, it will need to enforce its own laws, potentially with large-scale removals of foreigners who are unlawfully present in Canada. The government could propose a humane yet realistic carrot-and-stick approach involving financial aid to help migrants return home combined with future eligibility for legal residence if they do return. Even assuming the government can resolve this dilemma, it will then have to propose new amendments to address the unmanageable backlogs that remain for the country's largest administrative tribunal. Indeed, the gravity of the challenge is illustrated by the fact that the IRB had already seen both its operating budget and number of employees more than double between 2015 and 2023. Deep reform of Canada's asylum law will have to come sooner rather than later. Bill C-2 is a solid start.
CTV News
21 minutes ago
- CTV News
Catastrophic engine failure causes cement truck fire on Glenmore: CFD
Fire investigators say a 'catastrophic engine failure' caused an explosion that led to a cement truck catching fire on Glenmore Trail early Wednesday. At around 6:45 a.m., calls came in after a cement truck was spotted on fire in the westbound lane of Glenmore near the southbound Deerfoot Trail exit. Police said the driver was able to get out safely and tried to extinguish the fire with his fire extinguisher, but it was too big a blaze to put out. ALERT: Traffic incident on WB Glenmore Tr and Deerfoot Tr SE. #yyctraffic #yycroads — YYC Transportation (@yyctransport) June 4, 2025 Fire crews arrived shortly after and were able to extinguish the fire. No one was injured. Fire investigators said a catastrophic engine failure resulted in an explosion that led to shrapnel and debris being thrown across the road. It also caused the fire.
