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CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Calgary's white hat welcome tradition appears to be a no-go for the G7 this time around
Social Sharing As the world's most powerful leaders prepare to descend on Kananaskis, Alta., for this year's G7 summit, a famous Calgary welcome tradition may not take place this time. There are no current plans for a white hat ceremony as dignitaries arrive in the Calgary region for the summit, according to Tourism Calgary and the mayor's office. "Given the complexity around security and the event, at this time, there are no plans for our team to conduct a white hat ceremony for G7," Lorèn Lailey, a spokesperson with Tourism Calgary, said in an email. Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is still open to the idea but her office has not been able to confirm any role for the mayor in handing out white hats. "Our office, along with city organizers, have been in contact with the summit management office regarding the mayor's possibility of white hatting but we are still waiting to hear back," Sophie Stone, a communications assistant in the mayor's office, said in an email. Alberta's ministry of tourism and sport also said it's not planning a ceremony for the G7, and referred CBC News to federal organizers. Federal organizers with the G7 didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Lailey, with Tourism Calgary, said the organization has not been asked to issue white hats for the event, but couldn't speak for other organizations around the city. Intended to serve as symbol of hospitality In 2002, the last time the region hosted the summit, then-Calgary mayor Dave Bronconnier and other officials greeted G8 leaders on the Calgary airport tarmac, handing each of them a white Smithbilt cowboy hat. The hat has long been presented to visitors, intended to serve as a symbol of the city's hospitality. At the time of the last summit, some leaders embraced the gesture, including former U.S. president George W. Bush, who pulled his hat low and shouted "Yeah!", according to Calgary Herald reporting at the time. Others, like former French president Jacques Chirac and former British prime minister Tony Blair, chose not to don the hat, or passed them off to aides. The white cowboy hat dates back to the late 1940s. In the 1950s, Calgary's mayor Don MacKay started the tradition of presenting white hats to visiting dignitaries. Since then, the hats have been given to everyone from Pope John Paul II to Oprah Winfrey to Bob Dylan. 'Largest domestic security operation' The summit, set to run from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, is being referred to by security officials as "the largest domestic security operation" a country can take on. Thousands of delegates, journalists, and security personnel will be spread across Calgary and the surrounding region. Security officials have specifically highlighted new technology at play, with the biggest concern being the advent of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones. Officials have said they will deploy a counter-drone team in Kananaskis, but haven't laid out specific measures those teams will take. WATCH | RCMP and Calgary police outline security plans for G7 summit: RCMP and Calgary police outline security plans for G7 summit 2 days ago Duration 1:45 Gary Mar, a former Alberta cabinet minister who attended the 2002 ceremony, recalled Junichiro Koizumi, the Japanese prime minister at the time, marvelling at the blue skies as he donned his white hat. "He said 'beautiful place' and he proudly wore the hat. And he was quite tickled by it. And of course, president Bush was very familiar with cowboy hats, and he was delighted to receive one," Mar said. Mar said even if the ceremony doesn't go ahead, he's confident Calgary and the region will show its hospitality in other ways. "The white hat ceremony is a great tradition, but not an essential one … there will be some expressions of great hospitality," he said. Leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, will attend this year's summit.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Unlike in 2002, Alberta won't rely on federal prisons to free up space in Calgary jails for G7
Federal prisons won't be used to house inmates displaced by the G7 summit in Alberta in June. The province says it doesn't plan to manage its prison populations the same way it did the last time world leaders met in Kananaskis, Alta. In 2002, the Calgary Correctional Centre was cleared out in the weeks leading up to the G8 summit, so that it could serve as a holding centre for detained protesters. Inmates were sent to the medium-security federal prison in Drumheller, which had recently been rebuilt after a riot. Dave Bronconnier, then-mayor of Calgary, warned protesters about repeating the violent confrontations in Italy the year prior, cautioning that they could spend the summit at the Spyhill jail. The street protests in Calgary ended up being largely peaceful. This time around, Correctional Service Canada says it hasn't been contacted by any external agencies to make arrangements to house people arrested during the upcoming summit. "There are no discussions or plans underway for Correctional Service Canada to accommodate current inmates of Calgary Correctional Centre or people arrested during the G7 Summit in CSC facilities," the federal agency said in a statement to CBC News. Alberta's correctional facilities will continue to operate business as usual, and there are no plans to create additional capacity or empty Calgary facilities. A spokesperson with Alberta's Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said the province would "implement appropriate operational responses should services be disrupted due to public demonstrations." She added the ministry, including the Alberta Sheriffs, is working closely with federal and municipal law enforcement agencies to support safety and security planning. "Inmate population management is part of daily and strategic planning for Alberta Correctional Services, and operations across all provincial correctional facilities will continue uninterrupted for the duration of the G7," director of communications Sheena Campbell wrote in an emailed statement. "For security reasons, we are unable to provide further details about operations and planning." Virtual bail courts, same arrest processing facility The province said individuals arrested during G7 protests in Calgary would be taken to the Calgary Police Service's arrest processing facilities at Spyhill, as is standard procedure. Court appearances would be held virtually through Alberta's provincial hearing office, either by video or phone, and additional bail courtrooms will be added "as required" to address G7 arrests. Doug King, a criminal justice professor at Mount Royal University in Calgary, noted that the last time the G8 was held in Kananaskis, it was in the wake of terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11, 2001. "I think a lot of what happened in 2002 was in response to that. And it may have been warranted, or it may have been just overprotection that was taking place. We don't see that now," he said. Today, there may be less concern about large-scale demonstrations, particularly because the summit is being held in a remote location, King said. "They better be cautious, though, because remember the G20 in Toronto … there were huge protests," King said, adding that the Calgary Remand Centre is "absolutely packed" right now. He added that police are now utilizing more sophisticated security and intelligence gathering techniques compared to 2002. "There must have been a calculation … that they just didn't need to empty out prison facilities to hold protesters. They must have made that calculation. It wouldn't have been an oversight," King said. Leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, will attend this year's summit, which is scheduled from June 15 to 17.
