Latest news with #whitehatceremony
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
'We are very nimble': Calgary mayor keeps door open to G7 white hatting
With a little more than a week to go before world leaders arrive in Kananaskis, Alta., for the G7 summit, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said she is ready to continue the city's white hat ceremony tradition if logistics allow. "We are happy to white hat any of the dignitaries that are coming to town," Gondek said in an interview Friday. "We have been patient as the government has been figuring out their plans, and as dignitaries are determining how they will be traveling in and through our city." On Wednesday, a Tourism Calgary spokesperson said that "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." Alberta's ministry of tourism and sport also said it's not planning a ceremony for the G7. Federal organizers with the G7 haven't responded to requests for comment. The Smithbilt cowboy hat has long been presented to visitors as a symbol of the city's hospitality. In 2002, then-Calgary mayor Dave Bronconnier greeted G8 leaders on the Calgary airport tarmac, including former U.S. president George W. Bush and former French president Jacques Chirac. Gondek emphasized the significance of the gesture. "We are known for our hospitality and our volunteerism and our ability to make people feel so welcome when they visit our city," Gondek said. "It's a really good symbol of who we are." Unclear which leaders will travel through Calgary While there's currently no ceremony planned, Gondek confirmed she is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney and said she's awaiting further guidance from officials. "We are very nimble and responsive to whatever the situation may be. And if there's an opportunity to do something bigger and more formal, obviously we will be engaging with any partners that we can," she said. Asked if she would be open to white hatting all G7 leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump amid ongoing trade tensions, Gondek said any such plans would depend on travel logistics and who actually passes through Calgary. "I can't deal in hypotheticals, but as opportunities come up, we'll definitely evaluate them," she said. The G7 summit in Kananaskis is set to run from June 15 to 17 and has been referred to by officials as one of the most complex domestic security operations a country can undertake, with thousands of personnel deployed across the region. Gondek said the city has been working closely with the Calgary Police Service to ensure any traffic detours that need to be put into place are being done as quickly as possible. She also noted the airport tunnel's closure from June 15 to 18. "We are advising all employees, all travelers, anyone going to businesses in that vicinity that you won't have access to the tunnel," she said. "There's [also] a lot of motorcade drills that are happening in the city right now. So it's best to give yourself a little bit of extra time." Officials from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, as well as the European Union, are scheduled to attend this year's summit.
CBC
3 days 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.
