Organizers of G8-related Take the Capital protests slated for next week want Ottawa residents to "adopt an activist."
"These are generally people not much different than you and me, but they have chosen to go out on the streets to express their opinions," said Jay Fothergill, a member of the Take the Capital housing committee. "These are people with a vision of a better world."
Mr. Fothergill expects 1,000 protesters from outside Ottawa, some from as far away as Vermont, will need help finding a place to stay on June 26 and 27. Anti-globalization activists who oppose the meeting of G8 leaders in Kananaskis, Alta., are expected to gather on those days to participate in events such as "snake marches" intended to shut down Canada's capital.
Similar protests in November against a meeting of G20 leaders drew thousands of demonstrators to Ottawa and ended in seven people being charged with mischief and assaulting police. Some protesters threw rocks at a downtown McDonald's restaurant and spray-painted graffiti on buildings, including the Bank of Canada.
Organizers found housing for about 1,000 people who attended that protest, Mr. Fothergill said. So far, the Take the Capital housing committee has found accommodation for between 600 and 700 people. Much of the space was donated by community organizations and churches. But the committee has also pre-paid for accommodation for about 250 at places such as campgrounds and university residences.
Demonstrators who find housing through the committee will be asked to donate a few dollars each to cover that cost, Mr. Fothergill said.
Protest organizers hope Ottawa residents will take in the remaining visitors who cannot afford hotel rooms.
"We believe in people's right to partake in protest, and there's a lot of barriers to people doing that these days," Mr. Fothergill said. "A lot of the people who we think would want to take part in these protests are already marginalized people."
Roger Picton, a 28-year-old political economy student at the University of Ottawa, has offered to house four visiting protesters in the Glebe-area home he shares with two roommates.
Mr. Picton is already a billeting veteran, having housed protesters last November and again during a "teach-in" event in Ottawa last weekend that was a precursor to the G8 protests.
Some of his billets have been students who got involved in social activism at university, he said, while others became politically active because they were personally affected by government policy on welfare, unemployment or education.
"It's a way to network with other people who are interested in political issues," said Mr. Picton, who said he will probably demonstrate during the G8 meeting. "Politics is an active game, so you have to talk about things so they get resolved."
Mr. Picton compares housing demonstrators to hitchhiking: you don't know what a fun adventure it can be until you try it.
"You kind of make interesting bonds with them, interesting friendships," he said.
Before the G20 protests in November, Ottawa refused requests by housing organizers to accommodate demonstrators from out of town. Organizers made no similar formal request for the upcoming demonstrations, said Dick Stewart, general manager of the city's people services department.
But the housing committee is optimistic about finding accommodation for all protesters who need it, Mr. Fothergill said. The Take the Capital Web site also lists campgrounds, hostels, hotels and motels in and around the city as a backup.
Martin Jones, owner of the Ottawa Backpackers Inn, says he's expecting G8 demonstrators to fill some of his 35 beds. He said the hostel housed several demonstrators during the G20 protests in November. He said the nights the protesters stayed were very quiet because many arrived in the evening already tired from a long day of protesting.
"It was quite a pleasure to have them over the last time," he said.
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