G8 & G20 Meetings in Canada to cost over a BILLION DOLLARS in Security Costs

Friday, May 28, 2010 (4:20pm)

CRUCIAL BLOG ENTRY #62

G8 & G20 Meetings in Canada = OUTLANDISH Security costs

The security budget for the G8 & G20 meetings scheduled to happen in Huntsville and Toronto, Canada in June 2010 has ballooned from an initial CONSERVATIVE assessement of $179 million by Ottawa IN MARCH to $834 million YESTERDAY, with another $184 million added today on what officials call "food safety, transportation, additional accommodation expenses & Tim Horton’s coffee and donuts."

To put all this in perspective, the last G 20 Meeting held in the United Kingdom in 2009 had a security budget of $30 million dollars.

The streets of Toronto in June are going to be taken over by the RCMP and by Police Forces from all across the country and every "Professional Protester" / Trouble-Maker in North America will be here, ready to protest (some just for the sake of protesting, not knowing what they are protesting) cause trouble, damage property and get up-close-and-personal with the latest fragrances of Tear-Gas and the newest toy of the Toronto Police Force: 4 Long-Range Acoustic Devices described as crowd-dispersing "sound cannons" or "communication tools" by Police officials.

In this day an age when we can have virtual meetings with multiple people from various countries meeting in real-time and discussing things "face-to-face" this kind of meeting is not only unnecessary, but it has put a HUGE target on Toronto for world trouble-makers, terrorists and whoever associates and views the G20 as a negative Global Juggernaut concerned only with business with little regard for the environment, humanity, and those less fortunate.

This to me seems absolutely ludicrous at a time when we are just trying to get out of a Global economic melt-down caused by the irresponsible banks and policies on Wall Street, Canada is dealing with a $54 BILLION dollar deficit, Europe’s economy is teetering on the brink of disaster, we are experiencing the worlds worst environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, terribly destructive Earthquakes in Haiti, Chili and now a 7.2 magnitude quake in the Vanuatu Islands. Let alone the fact that Canada just recently hosted the Winter Olympic Games and once again the initial budget for security for that 17 day event went from 100 million to over a billion dollars in less than 5 years.

THAT’s 2 BILLION DOLLARS THAT CANADA HAS SPENT ON SECURITY IN THE LAST 5 MONTHS PEOPLE!

These meetings should no longer be held anywhere other than the United Nations which is set-up to handle events of this magnitude or we should create the Virtual G20 Meetings brought to you by Google, Facebook or Youtube, which would allow for the people who elect our G 20 Officials to see what is being said, done and accomplished.

I don’t appreciate my city of Toronto being taken over by Profesional Protesters, thousands of Police Officers and not being able to walk or drive where and when I want to. Let alone the fact that my family and friends are in potential danger from any kind of G20 Backlash that Toronto will have to deal with and ultimately pay for.

Keep It Crucial, especially during the G20.

Paul BenoitProducer / Crucial Correspondent

paul@crucialmatters.com
www.crucialmatters.com