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Hamilton Spectator
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Mounties, drones, fences, and even children get deployed to keep world leaders safe as the G7 comes to the mountains
KANANASKIS, ALTA — When the yellow school bus came to a halt this morning, Emily Marinelli, 12, wasn't convinced she was going to enjoy this. But now she's in the swing of things. She adjusts her safety gloves and jams the shears that are half her height into the base of a bush, lopping off a buffalo berry branch with an authoritative thwack. 'We're cutting them down so that they don't have to euthanize or kill the bears,' she said, holding out a severed branch, her safety goggles perched on her pink-streaked hair. Drawn in equal parts to forest and sunlight, the berry bushes often grow alongside road and trails, acting as the gateway snack that draws grizzlies and black bears out of the trees and into the path of humans. Sometimes even high-profile humans. 'We're in the area where the G7 is going to be,' she explains, waving at the mountains behind her. This G7 legacy project deploys Grade 6 students to help cut down berry bushes that could attract bears. The gathering was always going to be high stakes. It's set against the backdrop of a volatile American-driven trade war and high-profile conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. Leaders from the U.K., France, Germany, Japan, Italy will be in attendance, and of course, U.S. President Donald Trump. Host countries also have the right to invite others — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to attend, while Carney's government has also reached out to leaders whose invitations raised controversy, including India's Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia's Mohammad bin Salman . The Grade 6 students aren't the first line of defence against bears for the meeting. Their particular G7 project is largely educational: these bushes won't produce berries until fall, after the leaders are back home, and in any case, a newly constructed eight-foot fence now surrounds the hotel hosting the summit. But even having to consider bear intrusion plans is part of what makes hosting the G7 in Kananaskis — which will mean welcoming upwards of 5,000 people to a small wilderness refuge and surrounding areas — such a Herculean logistical task. It's one of the biggest security jobs the RCMP has ever faced — one that includes guarding against everything from cybersecurity threats to protesters to lack of cell reception to yes, bears. The RCMP says air restrictions will be in place in two main areas during the upcoming G7 Leaders' Summit in Alberta this June. Sgt. Mark Basanta from RCMP Protective Operations says the no-fly zones will include both the Calgary International Airport and Kananaskis, where the leaders will be. (May 30, 2025 / The Canadian Press) 'If we were doing this in Toronto, like the 2010 G20, that has its own challenges,' says RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall, the director of the interagency team that has been planning security measures for the meeting for almost a year. (The gathering in Toronto saw massive antiglobalization protests that, while largely peaceful, also saw storefronts smashed and police cars torched. Hundreds were arrested.) G20 summit protesters clash with riot police in downtown Toronto on Saturday, June 26, 2010. 'If you talked to those planners they'd probably say, 'man, I wish I could do it in a remote area, maybe a little bit more secluded,' Hall said. 'You just manage the challenge you're faced with.' Of course, isolation may be partially the point. This will be a repeat performance for Kananaskis, which hosted the then-G8 in 2002. (Russia is no longer in the group, rendering the G8 a G7.) There had been fiery protests at the summit in Italy the year prior and the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center had fed fears of terrorism. Then-prime minister Jean Chrétien switched the location from Ottawa to get back to basics but also because, as political scientist John Kirton wrote that year, Kananaskis was 'difficult for civil society protesters and terrorists to get to and easy for security forces to defend.' Anyone who ventured closer, he added, 'are more likely to require search and rescue services from the Canadian Armed Forces standing guard than to inflict any other inconvenience on them.' Covering a swath of hills and mountains between Calgary and Banff National Park, Kananaskis Country is roughly two-thirds the size of the Greater Toronto Area. The meetings themselves are being held in Kananaskis Village (though the word 'village' might be overstating the case, slightly) which includes a hotel, golf course and nordic spa. There are mountain ranges on all sides, little to no local services, and mostly neighbours of the four-legged variety. If you're not looking to climb a mountain, the only access is to leave the Trans-Canada Highway and travel 20 minutes down a two-lane highway that caps speed at 90 km/hour, in part because of the erratic way the road curves and dips through the mountain valley, and in part because of the deer and bighorn sheep and bear that regularly wander into the road. In a boon to local hikers and canoe paddlers, cell reception has been installed on the road, which was previously largely a communications black hole. 'It's a lot of geography to secure, an we have plans that enable us to do that, and we've invested in a lot of different technology that will help secure that space and give us that situational awareness,' Hall says. A black bear roams the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. In the days before this year's G7, the patio tables were tarped over and the spa pools at the hotel sat empty, the tranquility of a pond between buildings interrupted only by two men in reflective vests debating where to place the sections of fence stacked on the back of their pickup. Staffers in G7 lanyards perused the plaid sweaters at the still-open gift shop. As the summit approaches, an escalating series of security measures have been put in place, with a local ski area, nearby hiking trails and even a few benches with a scenic view of the river blocked off by yellow tape. The Royal Canadian Air Force has been flying helicopters over the trees at night. The pine trees around the hotel are now dotted with security cameras mounted with shiny new screws and hikers in the area have reported venturing into the forest only to run into the military. 'The remoteness affects accommodations, so all the security personnel need somewhere to sleep and eat,' Hall says. 'We've had to take measures around supplying food and water to our folks, and then factoring in the time if they're commuting from hotels and other communities, what does that do to their shifts and how long they're working? And that affects the number of people we need.' Airplane enthusiasts are setting up at the Calgary International Airport in hopes of seeing some exciting aircraft land for the start of the G7 leaders' summit in nearby Kananaskis, Alta. A group gathered at an airport viewing area in hopes of seeing Air Force 1 carrying U.S. President Donald Trump. (June 15, 2025 / The Canadian Press) One hotel isn't enough to house everyone, so many participants will be staying in Calgary and the town of Banff, which is an hour away. (If one wonders about the ability of a single hotel to cater to almost a dozen of the most influential people on earth, all presumably accustomed to presidential accommodations, Hall says they will not be commenting on where, exactly, everyone will be sleeping.) But when it comes to getting staff out to Kananaskis, Hall says they've had to stock up on food and water for staff and factor in the travel time from Calgary or Banff when planning out shifts. It's also a challenging location for those looking to express dissent. Protesters won't be able to get to the actual summit location. Designated protest zones have been set up in Calgary and Banff, though the RCMP says the protesters' message will be ' broadcast ' to the G7 leaders. Some activist leaders have said that they have no desire to antagonize police but may not remain inside the zones — something they're not legally required to do. Law enforcement officials overseeing security at the upcoming G7 leaders summit in Alberta are expecting large-scale protests but plan to make sure they are peaceful and those taking part will be heard. That includes livestreaming some of the sites to Kananaskis, where the leaders from Canada, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as the European Union will be meeting from June 15 to 17. (June 2, 2025 / The Canadian Press) Less than a week before the summit, a controlled access zone is in place that will include a 14-kilometre stretch of road and the surrounding mountain ranges, restricting anyone from getting within several kilometres of the village, in a car or on foot. The day before meetings get underway, a no-fly zone will drop around both Kananaskis Village and the Calgary airport, inside of which unauthorized aircraft or drones risk interception by a Canadian Armed Forces F-18. None of which matters much to the animals that are already there. Both black bears and grizzlies are plentiful in the area where the G7 is being held. (They're particularly fond of the dandelions and other greenery around the golf course, bear experts say.) Among the security forces that will be on hand are conservation officers who be ready to deal with any rogue wildlife. The danger is not non-existent or exclusive to humans. The last time Kananaskis hosted, a bear got too close to the venue and, when officials tried to shoo it away, it fell out of a tree and was injured badly enough that it had to be euthanized. In addition to the fences, the locations of some local bears are monitored and wildlife officers will be standing by to 'haze' any problem bears out of the area by scaring them or ushering them along. 'If you just watch a bear do its normal thing, it's actually really nice,' says Miles Mackinnon, another Grade 6 student who has just used his clippers to make quick work of several buffalo berry bushes growing among the trees next to a parking lot near the G7 site. 'They're really graceful, and they walk really smoothly.' He's glad to be helping remove the berry bushes that risk drawing bears into contact with humans, which he hopes will allow the bears to live their lives peacefully without interference from people. The area makes sense for a serious meeting like this, because it's peaceful, he adds. At least until the motorcades arrive.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Mounties, drones, fences, and even children get deployed to keep world leaders safe as the G7 comes to the mountains
KANANASKIS, ALTA — When the yellow school bus came to a halt this morning, Emily Marinelli, 12, wasn't convinced she was going to enjoy this. But now she's in the swing of things. She adjusts her safety gloves and jams the shears that are half her height into the base of a bush, lopping off a buffalo berry branch with an authoritative thwack. 'We're cutting them down so that they don't have to euthanize or kill the bears,' she said, holding out a severed branch, her safety goggles perched on her pink-streaked hair. Drawn in equal parts to forest and sunlight, the berry bushes often grow alongside road and trails, acting as the gateway snack that draws grizzlies and black bears out of the trees and into the path of humans. Sometimes even high-profile humans. 'We're in the area where the G7 is going to be,' she explains, waving at the mountains behind her. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW This G7 legacy project deploys Grade 6 students to help cut down berry bushes that could attract bears. The gathering was always going to be high stakes. It's set against the backdrop of a volatile American-driven trade war and high-profile conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. Leaders from the U.K., France, Germany, Japan, Italy will be in attendance, and of course, U.S. President Donald Trump. Host countries also have the right to invite others — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to attend, while Carney's government has also reached out to leaders whose invitations raised controversy, including India's Narendra Modi and Saudi Arabia's Mohammad bin Salman. The Grade 6 students aren't the first line of defence against bears for the meeting. Their particular G7 project is largely educational: these bushes won't produce berries until fall, after the leaders are back home, and in any case, a newly constructed eight-foot fence now surrounds the hotel hosting the summit. But even having to consider bear intrusion plans is part of what makes hosting the G7 in Kananaskis — which will mean welcoming upwards of 5,000 people to a small wilderness refuge and surrounding areas — such a Herculean logistical task. It's one of the biggest security jobs the RCMP has ever faced — one that includes guarding against everything from cybersecurity threats to protesters to lack of cell reception to yes, bears. 'If we were doing this in Toronto, like the 2010 G20, that has its own challenges,' says RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall, the director of the interagency team that has been planning security measures for the meeting for almost a year. (The gathering in Toronto saw massive antiglobalization protests that, while largely peaceful, also saw storefronts smashed and police cars torched. Hundreds were arrested.) G20 summit protesters clash with riot police in downtown Toronto on Saturday, June 26, 2010. Darren Calabrese THE CANADIAN PRESS 'If you talked to those planners they'd probably say, 'man, I wish I could do it in a remote area, maybe a little bit more secluded,' Hall said. 'You just manage the challenge you're faced with.' Of course, isolation may be partially the point. This will be a repeat performance for Kananaskis, which hosted the then-G8 in 2002. (Russia is no longer in the group, rendering the G8 a G7.) There had been fiery protests at the summit in Italy the year prior and the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center had fed fears of terrorism. Then-prime minister Jean Chrétien switched the location from Ottawa to get back to basics but also because, as political scientist John Kirton wrote that year, Kananaskis was 'difficult for civil society protesters and terrorists to get to and easy for security forces to defend.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Anyone who ventured closer, he added, 'are more likely to require search and rescue services from the Canadian Armed Forces standing guard than to inflict any other inconvenience on them.' Covering a swath of hills and mountains between Calgary and Banff National Park, Kananaskis Country is roughly two-thirds the size of the Greater Toronto Area. The meetings themselves are being held in Kananaskis Village (though the word 'village' might be overstating the case, slightly) which includes a hotel, golf course and nordic spa. There are mountain ranges on all sides, little to no local services, and mostly neighbours of the four-legged variety. Contributors Opinion Jaime Watt: Mark Carney is setting the tone for the G7 and he knows the cost of playing it safe is irrelevance Jaime Watt If you're not looking to climb a mountain, the only access is to leave the Trans-Canada Highway and travel 20 minutes down a two-lane highway that caps speed at 90 km/hour, in part because of the erratic way the road curves and dips through the mountain valley, and in part because of the deer and bighorn sheep and bear that regularly wander into the road. In a boon to local hikers and canoe paddlers, cell reception has been installed on the road, which was previously largely a communications black hole. 'It's a lot of geography to secure, an we have plans that enable us to do that, and we've invested in a lot of different technology that will help secure that space and give us that situational awareness,' Hall says. A black bear roams the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. Christian Baum In the days before this year's G7, the patio tables were tarped over and the spa pools at the hotel sat empty, the tranquility of a pond between buildings interrupted only by two men in reflective vests debating where to place the sections of fence stacked on the back of their pickup. Staffers in G7 lanyards perused the plaid sweaters at the still-open gift shop. As the summit approaches, an escalating series of security measures have been put in place, with a local ski area, nearby hiking trails and even a few benches with a scenic view of the river blocked off by yellow tape. The Royal Canadian Air Force has been flying helicopters over the trees at night. The pine trees around the hotel are now dotted with security cameras mounted with shiny new screws and hikers in the area have reported venturing into the forest only to run into the military. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'The remoteness affects accommodations, so all the security personnel need somewhere to sleep and eat,' Hall says. 'We've had to take measures around supplying food and water to our folks, and then factoring in the time if they're commuting from hotels and other communities, what does that do to their shifts and how long they're working? And that affects the number of people we need.' One hotel isn't enough to house everyone, so many participants will be staying in Calgary and the town of Banff, which is an hour away. (If one wonders about the ability of a single hotel to cater to almost a dozen of the most influential people on earth, all presumably accustomed to presidential accommodations, Hall says they will not be commenting on where, exactly, everyone will be sleeping.) But when it comes to getting staff out to Kananaskis, Hall says they've had to stock up on food and water for staff and factor in the travel time from Calgary or Banff when planning out shifts. It's also a challenging location for those looking to express dissent. Protesters won't be able to get to the actual summit location. Designated protest zones have been set up in Calgary and Banff, though the RCMP says the protesters' message will be ' broadcast ' to the G7 leaders. Some activist leaders have said that they have no desire to antagonize police but may not remain inside the zones — something they're not legally required to do. Less than a week before the summit, a controlled access zone is in place that will include a 14-kilometre stretch of road and the surrounding mountain ranges, restricting anyone from getting within several kilometres of the village, in a car or on foot. The day before meetings get underway, a no-fly zone will drop around both Kananaskis Village and the Calgary airport, inside of which unauthorized aircraft or drones risk interception by a Canadian Armed Forces F-18. None of which matters much to the animals that are already there. Both black bears and grizzlies are plentiful in the area where the G7 is being held. (They're particularly fond of the dandelions and other greenery around the golf course, bear experts say.) Among the security forces that will be on hand are conservation officers who be ready to deal with any rogue wildlife. The danger is not non-existent or exclusive to humans. The last time Kananaskis hosted, a bear got too close to the venue and, when officials tried to shoo it away, it fell out of a tree and was injured badly enough that it had to be euthanized. In addition to the fences, the locations of some local bears are monitored and wildlife officers will be standing by to 'haze' any problem bears out of the area by scaring them or ushering them along. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'If you just watch a bear do its normal thing, it's actually really nice,' says Miles Mackinnon, another Grade 6 student who has just used his clippers to make quick work of several buffalo berry bushes growing among the trees next to a parking lot near the G7 site. 'They're really graceful, and they walk really smoothly.' He's glad to be helping remove the berry bushes that risk drawing bears into contact with humans, which he hopes will allow the bears to live their lives peacefully without interference from people. The area makes sense for a serious meeting like this, because it's peaceful, he adds. At least until the motorcades arrive. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
CBC
07-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Election storylines converge on trade-dependent Saint John riding
Social Sharing In a storage yard a few minutes from the Saint John port, larger shipping containers are being lifted and moved around like Lego bricks. Large forklift-like machines roar back and forth, small but essential players in the supply chain we hear so much about — the essential moving of goods from producers to consumers. This is the service that Riptide Intermodal and Logistics provides to its clients, major international shippers who use the port. Riptide loads, unloads and stores cargo, including some in containers bound for, or coming from, the U.S. And it's why owner April Logue has been watching the discussion of U.S. tariffs closely. "There is going to be a cost that will trickle down to all of the supply chain partners," Logue said. "We're looking at ways that we can support our customers with supply chain changes to routing, looking at different modes, means of transportation, ways that we can mitigate the cost and still continue to provide efficiency to our customers." WATCH | 'The ebbs and the flows': Trade war resonates in Saint John: Trade war hits N.B. election battleground 22 minutes ago Duration 4:09 Saint John-Kennebecasis is ground zero in Canada's tariff election. Companies like Riptide represent one reason many of the narratives in the current federal election campaign converge on the riding of Saint John-Kennebecasis. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has ranked Saint John the most tariff-vulnerable city in Canada because of its huge economic dependence on exports. Irving Oil's refinery sends 80 per cent of its products to the United States. Forestry giant J.D. Irving Ltd. also relies on American buyers. Beyond the big players, the fates of countless smaller companies also hinge on what the Trump administration does next. Saint John has always been an outward-looking, entrepreneurial city, embracing trading ties with the United States. In the years before 1867, a political debate over rail links — to Upper Canada, or to New England — created controversy among city merchants and briefly jeopardized the plan for Confederation. Now the American-driven commercial focus is openly questioned. "Trade diversification is key. You've heard all political parties talk about that," said Craig Estabrooks, the CEO of the port, which has more than tripled its container traffic since 2017. "Make sure that we continue that momentum — that's what we're hearing from people." Beyond the trade issue, the fate of the riding's Liberal incumbent, and the choice of his Conservative opponent, are also intertwined with the larger election story. Three-term MP Wayne Long is unabashed about being the first Liberal MP to call for an increasingly unpopular Justin Trudeau to resign as Liberal leader in June 2024. "It started with me, and then there was a group of eight, and then there was a group of 20, and then there was a group of 28," Long said. Long says Trudeau's January resignation and the subsequent improvement in Liberal popularity has validated his early call. "For those that say, 'You weren't loyal to the prime minister,' I'd say, 'Well, you know what? I was loyal to the Liberal Party.' Look at where we are now." According to Long, new prime minister Mark Carney's steady, serious approach to the trade threat is winning over voters in the riding, which has been redrawn to add Quispamsis and exclude the west side of Saint John. Riptide's Logue lives in Quispamsis and won't say how she is leaning in the election, but she knows what she is looking for. "We need a government that's going to work with the industry, work with the manufacturers and the importers and exporters and look at these free trade agreements [and ] opportunities into new markets," she said. She believes the pivot to more trade elsewhere can turn the tariff crisis into an opportunity. "Anybody that is a logistics provider, anybody that works in the industry knows that there's a lot of up and downs," she said. "You have to be ready to move with the ebbs and flows. … This is kind of our world, and what we do, and how we're always making changes and adapting and evolving." CBC News had arranged an interview with Long's chief opponent, Conservative candidate Melissa Young, for this story. But Young's campaign team cancelled the interview on short notice the day after Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made a campaign stop in Saint John. Young has worked for trade unions and governments in both New Brunswick and Ontario in areas including skills training and apprenticeships, making her a good fit with Poilievre's appeal to blue-collar workers. "She has been working across Canada to recruit our youth into boots, not suits," Poilievre said in Saint John last week. Young was appointed the candidate on the day of the election call, March 23, despite two other contestants who were hoping to win the nomination. "I don't know what the issue was," said Lisa Keenan, a Saint John lawyer who was once president of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party and chair of the Saint John Port Authority. "Obviously, I wasn't the candidate, I don't think, that they were looking for." Keenan is clearly disappointed with a top-down, leader-driven candidate selection process. "I am a Conservative. I remain a Conservative, but grassroots participation as well as empowerment to people at local levels is extremely important," she said. "It speaks volumes to where you're going as a party." Asked whether she would vote for Young, Keenan said, "I think that's between myself and the ballot box, but as I said, I am a Conservative and I wish the party well." Four other candidates are now in the race in Saint John-Kennebecasis: Armand Cormier for the NDP, David MacFarquhar for the Greens, William Edgett for the People's Party of Canada, and Austin Venedam for the Libertarian Party of Canada.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US commerce secretary pick favors sweeping tariffs, hawkish China stance
Donald Trump's commerce secretary nominee said Wednesday that he favors "across-the-board" tariffs and a country-based approach rather than targeting products, signaling a hawkish China stance as he addressed US lawmakers on the president's punishing trade agenda. "We can use tariffs to create reciprocity, fairness and respect," Wall Street billionaire Howard Lutnick told lawmakers at a confirmation hearing, denying such levies would cause broad inflation in the United States. Lutnick's appearance comes as Washington threatens sweeping duties on imports from allies and adversaries alike -- with levies on major trading partners Canada and Mexico potentially unveiled this weekend. On Wednesday, Lutnick said the president's pledges were aimed at getting both major US trading partners to do more on illegal migration and fentanyl. In announcing his nomination last year, Trump said Lutnick would lead the world's biggest economy's tariff and trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the US Trade Representative's office. Asked about the impact of tariffs on prices, Lutnick said "a particular product's price may go up" but added that "it is nonsense" that they would cause widespread inflation. Lutnick vowed, however, to work to understand the impact of retaliatory tariffs on US agriculture and manufacturing. - 'Strong' export curbs - If confirmed, Lutnick will helm a department overseeing export controls to competitors like China as well, aimed at ensuring the United States' lead in sensitive technology with military uses. On rivalry with China, Lutnick said: "Let them compete, but stop using our tools to compete with us. I'm going to be very strong on that." He separately stressed the importance of American-driven leadership in artificial intelligence. Asked about the CHIPS and Science Act, a major law passed during former president Joe Biden's term aimed at strengthening the US semiconductor industry, Lutnick called it "an excellent downpayment." But he added that "we need to review them and get it right." In introductory remarks, Vice President JD Vance said Lutnick would help convince businesses that America is thriving, bringing US commerce "back on track." The commerce department nominee was co-chair of Trump's 2024 transition team, identifying new hires for the president-elect's administration. He serves as chief executive of financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald. In the past, he has criticized electric vehicles and blamed China for being the source of the deadly drug fentanyl coming into the United States. He has also lamented previously the loss of manufacturing jobs in the world's biggest economy, and offshoring to China. On Wednesday, he vowed in opening remarks that he would help make the US government "more responsive" and stressed the need for healthy businesses of all sizes to drive the economy. The Commerce Department under Biden ramped up export controls on critical technologies like quantum computing and semiconductor manufacturing goods, taking aim at access by adversaries like Beijing. Trump's administration could harden this stance. bys/st
