RCMP and local police say security planning is well underway for next month’s G7 summit in Alberta.
Officials told The Canadian Press they’re expecting protesters and are taking steps to deal with new technological threats, such as the weaponization of drones.
David Hall, Alberta RCMP superintendent and event security director for the G7 Integrated Safety and Security Group, told The Canadian Press the G7 is “the largest domestic security operation” a country can take on.
“It is a large undertaking in terms of the security footprint,” he said, adding that the RCMP is responsible for protecting the heads of the delegations and the safety and security of the summit.
G7 leaders are set to gather in Kananaskis, Alta., from June 15 to 17. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to the event.
A controlled access zone will be established around key summit venues from June 10 until June 18.
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Security is being run by an integrated group based in Calgary. It includes the RCMP, the Calgary Police Service, Alberta sheriffs, Alberta conservation officers and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Hall said the RCMP considers “a range of risks and threats” in its planning. He pointed out that U.S. President Donald Trump, who is set to attend the summit, was the target of two assassination attempts in the U.S. and the RCMP is “mindful of those types of risks.”
Hall added that it’s been seven years since the last event was held in Canada and the technological threats have grown more advanced since then.
“The cyberspace is more of a concern now than it may have been in 2018,” Hall said, adding that the agency is also aware of the “weaponization of drones” seen in international conflicts.
Calgary Police Service Supt. Joe Brar, the G7 event security director, said that since the last Kananaskis summit in 2002 and the 2018 summit in Charlevoix, Que., cyber threats have become more of a “real concern.”
“There’s advanced security measures being (put) in place to both protect systems and also to be able to combat and investigate any kind of cyber threats,” Brar said.
Officials said they have reviewed after-action reports from previous Canadian summits and international events to prepare for next month’s event.
Brar also said officials met with the organizers of the G20 summit in Brazil, who warned him about drones. He noted that planning efforts have been taking place for roughly nine months.
Rob Huebert, director of the Centre for Military Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary, said he thinks G7 countries have engaged in “very extensive intelligence sharing” and monitoring in preparation for the summit. He said countries have likely been monitoring terrorist organizations, as well as Russia and China.
Brar said police will help with drone mitigation and investigations, adding that law enforcement and the Canadian Armed Forces will have drones of their own on scene.
He said there will be a “no-drone zone” in Calgary and Kananaskis.
People visiting Calgary can expect to see more mounted units and canine teams used for explosive detection and tracking. Alberta sheriffs and conservation officers will also be around to help with wildlife mitigation. Hall said officials expect to see “a lot of bears” out feeding in the Kananaskis region.
Hall said people can also expect to see a lot of boots on the ground, aircraft and military vehicles in the area.
Both RCMP and local police are anticipating protests and demonstrations at the event.
The RCMP announced Thursday that there will be designated demonstration zones in Calgary and in Banff, where the international media centre is being hosted.
The zone in Banff will be at the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre, while the Calgary locations will be at the Municipal Plaza and at Enoch/East Victoria Park.
Another zone will be located near the Calgary International Airport.
Except for the one at the airport, the zones will be equipped with infrastructure to livestream demonstrators’ messages to G7 leaders and delegations in Kananaskis.
Hall said protesting on and blocking highways is not lawful or safe and that police will take steps to move people away from highways as needed.
Brar said local officers will be responsible for policing demonstrations within Calgary’s city limits, while demonstrations in neighbouring communities will be managed by the RCMP.
Brar said Calgary police will also help the RCMP with site security at hotels and other venues where delegates are staying, and with motorcades and escorting delegates between Calgary and Kananaskis.
He said Calgary police will receive support from the Vancouver Police Department, the Winnipeg Police Service, the Edmonton Police Service and the RCMP.
Brar said people have the right to assemble outside the demonstration zones but police are encouraging the public to gather in those zones for safety reasons. While he said it’s not known how many protesters will be near the summit, demonstrations should be expected “given the current geopolitical landscape.”
“Should we find ourselves in a situation where there’s mass demonstrations and mass arrests, we do have a mass arrest plan that’s been prepared,” he said, adding that people arrested would be transported to a station for processing.
Jeff Campbell, a spokesperson for Correctional Service Canada, said the agency hasn’t been contacted by any external agencies to make arrangements to house people arrested during the upcoming summit.
Anne Côté, a spokesperson for the Canadian Armed Forces, said it will provide support to the Integrated Safety and Security Group under “Operation CADENCE.”
Côté said the Canadian Armed Forces are supporting the RCMP with planning, air transport, monitoring of the area of operations and security of the restricted airspace through NORAD.
Huebert said the location of the summit is “not a coincidence” but was chosen because it has “very limited entry points.” He said that allows security to contain the area and avoid problems with protests.
Huebert said “times have changed substantially” and that there will likely be limited access to the leaders. Given the assassination attempts on Trump, security is probably considering “all the factors that allowed that individual to get as close as he did with a firearm,” Huebert said.
Huebert said that there are aspects of the security plan that members of the public won’t see, such as where snipers are located.
“You have eight of some of the most important political leaders in one spot and so therefore security has to be absolutely maintained,” he said.
