G20 Toronto: Secret Regulations, Extensive Security, and Sky-Rocketing Costs

G20 Toronto will be remembered for the enormous amount of money spent on security. Supposedly, this G20 is one of the most expensive and costly summits ever, with Canadian officials reporting that they have spent nearly $12 million an hour, totaling at roughly $897 million. Preparations include roughly 20,000 security forces and an extensive, $5.5 million fence encircling the summit area, four miles long and ten feet high. Public outcry has been extensive, not only because of the security costs, but also at the extent of security preparations. Controversy enough, the province hosting G20, Ontario, passed a secret regulation giving the police the allowance to arrest anyone refusing to identify themselves or allow themselves to be searched by police when within 5 meters of the security fence. This regulation came to light when Dave Vasey, 31, was arrested near the fence, and then spent five hours in a detention cage under arrest. The new regulation, under Ontario's Public Works Protection Act, is supposed to expire shortly after the summit, but news of it has spread across the Internet like wildfire. Such heavy security, high costs and secret regulations have not been well received in the blogosphere.

The intense preparations for this large, multinational event remind me of two incidients slightly closer to home here in the Pacific Northwest. When President Clinton arrived in the area in the 1996 to view the damage caused by the extensive flooding in the area, I was told by many of several security incidents that caused concern. The security preparations were probably far less intensive than that of the current G20 summit in Toronto, but Secret Service was on hand to ensure everything went smoothly. Most poignant of my memories of that Presidential visit was when Clinton was in the town of Woodland, Washington. Woodland has a small airport, mostly filled with tiny private planes, and one pilot somehow took off and was flying in the region of the President's visit on that day. According to my friend's reports, he was immediately forced to land, either by radio summons or, as some stated, escorted by fighter planes.

The other major security incident in the region, not counting the Seattle G20 fiasco, was the huge protests that took place in Portland, Oregon over the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Loads of policemen had been sent to Portland in preparation for these protests, but supposedly, the anti-war protesters still go out of hand. Reports were made on the radio in which anti-war individuals had broken through security lines and blocked major roads, causing huge traffic jams. Police had their hands full dealing with the unruly crowd, arresting many and trying to keep the peace. Security preparations probably could have been better, in hindsight, especially given the massive numbers of people who showed up to protest.

Austen, Ian. "Canada Agog at Security Price Tag for Summit." http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/27/business/global/27security.html?src=busln

Yang, Jennifer. "G20 Law Gives Police Sweeping Powers to Arrest People." http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/828367--g20-law-gives-police-sweeping-powers-to-arrest-people