OTTAWA -- Workers snuffed out the Centennial flame and sealed it with concrete walls and a cover of thick steel Monday as Parliament Hill braced for possibly violent demonstrations to coincide with the G-8 summit in Alberta this week.
The Public Works Department has also dismantled ornate wrought-iron light standards that normally adorn the stone fence in front of the parliamentary buildings, with hopes of limiting any damage from protesters expected to number into the thousands.
Several trucks hauled trailers packed with steel crowd-control fences to the rear of the buildings at noon Monday, out of sight for tourists wandering the precincts but ready to be installed before the demonstrations begin Wednesday.
Despite the war-like preparations --with the Centennial flame monument now looking more like a military bunker -- RCMP and city police refuse to say how many demonstrators they expect or how many police are girding for a possible confrontation.
Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli told a news conference Monday officials expect demonstrators from the U.S. and across Canada, while the city's police chief, Vince Bevan, said backup police have been recruited from other forces in Ontario as well as the Quebec provincial police force.
"We are doing everything possible to assure peaceful demonstrations," said Bevan, adding that while peaceful protests are welcome, violent demonstrators will be arrested, charged and eventually forced to pay for any damage they cause.
Chiarelli added that despite the police buildup, officials hope the capital's residents are able to carry on with normal life.
A spokesperson for the RCMP, responsible for security on the grounds of Parliament Hill, said the federal police force expects up to 30 anti-globalization groups to be represented under the banner of an anonymous group behind a so-called "take the capital" campaign.
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