Link to Next News Archives: June 20, 2002 and later

Military, cops take over K-Country (June 19, 2002 / Canmore Leader) Notable here is the reporter's mention of sign at a military camp's entrance reading: “Unauthorized Entry Prohibited By Order: MND.” So here is the Minister of Defence implementing bill C-55 before it has been passed in Parliament. Figure that one out. The second reading of C-55 begins on June 20 (see: Parliament - Chamber Business).

Crack down on illegal camping (June 19, 2002 / Canmore Leader) "Municipal enforcement is preparing to write up $100 on-the-spot fines to people camping anywhere within Town of Canmore limits other than designated campsites...."

Chrétien defends $300M summit (June 19, 2002 / Ottawa Citizen) $300 million?? Let's keep in mind that that was the last government estimate made public, and that was a few months ago (while costs were still going up precipitously). Once the figure passed the $300 million mark, the government simply refused to offer any further budget info. Many observers are expecting a final tally more in the realm of a half a billion dollars.

Activist claims T-shirt sparked search (June 19, 2002 / Calgary Herald) The potentially subversive T-shirt was allegedly emblazoned with the words: "de**cracy" and "ju**ice".

People's Summit delegates barred (June 19, 2002 / Calgary Herald) "Almost all of the African and other Third World delegates invited to the G-6B People's Summit have been denied entry visas by Immigration Canada, says the event's organizer...." (Recall - see Labour leaders say Chretien agrees to citizen involvement in African aid plan) - how just yesterday Chrétien "promised to involve African citizens groups in the African aid plan"!!)

G-8 rush killed bears (June 19, 2002 / Calgary Herald) (see: Hungry bruin kills grizzlies and Summit security collars bear threat) for context. Meanwhile, summit security drones on with its environmental lullaby: Report claims summit won't hurt ecosystem (June 19, 2002 / Calgary Herald)

Mounties move into K-Country (June 19, 2002 / CP)

Customs crackdown (June 19, 2002 / Globe&Mail) The border crackdown appears to have been extended across Canada (not just the Alberta border). (see also: border crossing article and tip ).

Depot to supply staff for G-8 (June 19, 2002 / Regina Leader Post) This is just one of a number of articles in the past couple of week or so of contingents of RCMP from various parts of the country leaving for Kananaskis/Calgary.

G-8 task for Atco Structures (June 19, 2002 / Edmonton Journal) 300 modular buildings custom built with all the amenities to house security for a week? This one needs looking into....

Why should you care about the G8? (June 18, 2002) A well-conceived presentation of the issues, including considerable factual detail, animation for visual emphasis, audio interviews, and links to further resources. And on top of that, it's all available in five different languages.... Excellent site.

Broad-based Coalition Travelling to Alberta (June 18, 2002 / Toronto Star) Erin George's reply to Game Over - Or is it? (June 15, 2002 / Toronto Star)

Fort Kananaskis fears (June 18, 2002 / Calgary Sun) "It looks more like Fort Kananaskis and it'll get worse in the next week," said Stephen Legault, executive director of Wildcanada.net. Mainly, however, he fears the development pressures which the summit will bring to the area in its wake.

Protesters questioned at border (June 18, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Make sure to read this one if you are coming up from the U.S. Also check out this border crossing article and tip .

isthiswhatdemocracysoundslike? - Check this one out! G8 'experiential' art ... or something like that. Whatever it is, it's definitely evocative. Make sure to play around with the arrow keys....

Mobilise against the G8 imperialist summit! (June 18, 2002 / Revolutionary Worker) Includes a concise G8 primer, a summary and brief analysis of the issues involved this time around, plus an overview of mobilization efforts to resist the G8.

Protect world leaders and don't shoot the bears (June 18, 2002 / National Post) This article seeks to allay the environmental concerns raised by yesterday's CP article on the same subject. Meanwhile, two dead bears - allegedly killed in collaring traps - were discovered last week just a few kilometers on the Banff side of the Kananaskis-Banff border (see: Hungry bruin kills grizzlies and Summit security collars bear threat).

Anti-G8 activists forced to leave awards program (June 18, 2002 / Globe&Mail) Protesters were forced to leave the scene of yesterday's 2002 MuchMusic Video Awards after displaying anti-G8 placards outside the building.

RCMP, military gear up for G-8 summit in pristine wilderness (June 17, 2002 / Canadian Press) There are increasing concerns about the environmental impacts of the G8 security invasion.

Policy advisers fear U.S. won't drop Lone Ranger role (June 17, 2002 / Calgary Herald) This article recycles a false-debate which periodically resurfaces in which U.S. unilateralism is pitted against G-8 'multilateralism'. The objective is to deflect attention from the fact that the G-8 is simply a different form of non-participatory, elitist domination. For those who value social equity and environmental sustainability, this is a debate to be studiously avoided.

Diversity of idiots (June 17, 2002 / Ottawa Citizen) (a centrally distributed editorial which appeared under the headline "Tiresomely familiar" in some Southam newspapers) The 'ditties' at the TTC site are pretty lame, that much I'll grant this editorial writer. Aside from that, the article is mainly concentrated vindictiveness and villainizing, written from behind a shield of editorial anonymity. The writer criticizes protest organizers as "a furtive cabal of self-appointed worldsavers" who will "lead the masses" in "creative uses of urine and feces." In truth, protest organization meetings have been open and inclusive; something that can hardly be said of the G-8 which is being opposed. And set against the author's scatalogical insinuations, those 'ditties' are looking fairly sophisticated after all.... Here's a spirited critique of the same editorial: Tiresomely familiar... (June 17, 2002 / Montreal Indymedia); plus a response from Take the Capital organizers: Readers must draw own conclusions on protests (June 20, 2002 / Montreal Gazette).

G-8 protest organizer says violence is possible (June 17, 2002 / Vancouver Sun) The headline puts words into the mouth of Jaggi Singh. But whereas Jaggi has come out very clearly against violence to humans, his detractors are more fixated on squeezing out of him a condemnation of radical protesters who challenge property (and, more generally, capital) controlled by multinational corporate forces and the government entities which abet them. This, Jaggi is obviously unwilling to do - thus the howling and rabid denunciations of people like Brian Kappler of the Montreal Gazette.

Svend asks the $300,000 question... and is answered with worthless evasions by Lynn Myers (Parliamentary Secretary to the Solicitor General of Canada).

Mideast and terrorism may crowd G8 agenda (June 15, 2002 / Globe&Mail)

Canada to Protect G8 Leaders From Bombs, Bears (June 14, 2002 / Reuters) A 'general overview' sort of article. Note how, after almost a full year of ominous warnings which were used to inflate security budgets and to undermine attempts by protesters to establish a 'Solidarity Village', officials are now suddenly saying that "the level of threat for terrorist activity is low."

Reginans headed to Kananaskis (June 14, 2002 / Regina Leader Post) "Regina members of at least five unions will board Calgary-bound buses next week to protest the upcoming G-8 Summit...". The article mentions that local actions in Regina will take place as well.

Danger: Undertow (June 13, 2002 / Globe&Mail) Slick neoliberal dogma from one of the masters of the genre, Barbara McDougall. Note how her short bio omits to mention her former post as Minister of State for Privatization (1986-88) at the very height of the Mulroney thrust to sell off Canada. But her notoreity is actually eclipsed by that of the other members of the "G8 Preparatory Conference" (the subject of the article): Fred Bergsten, Henry Kissinger, Renato Ruggiero (former WTO director), and Wendy Dobson (former Mulroney stooge, former president of the C.D. Howe Institute, and Trilateral Commission member). Bad news, one and all.

And this guy's on our side (June 12, 2002 / Globe&Mail) If you think that for abuse of power, conflict of interest, and dubious business dealings, Jean Chrétien stands out among the G8, you obviously don't know Silvio Berlusconi.

$300,000 "security money" to Stoney Nation comes as no surprise to Council of Canadians (June 12, 2002 / Council of Canadians)

BlindSpot: First G8 / Take the Capital Issue (June 12, 2002 / Ontario Indymedia)

Summit Night in Canada (June 12, 2002 / Ontario Indymedia) Terrific play-by-play commentary by David Bernans.

Stoneys get $300,000 for security (June 12, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Negotiations surrounding this deal were likely a factor which undermined the Solidarity Village project. But other factors - including leasing deals in which the RCMP have rented Stoney land, supposedly as a base for part of their security operations; as well as reports indicating that the RCMP dredged up certain issues as a form of 'blackmail' in order to pressure the band council - are completely absent in this article. As investigative journalism, this report can only be regarded as an appetizer.

Ready for the G8 (June 11, 2002 / Maclean's) Revolutionary Knitting info and some good sense from Sarah Kerr make this article worth checking out. But watch out for the rest... particularly anything issuing from the mouth of ex-CSIS man John Thompson, of the infamous, anti-protester Mackenzie Institute (see The Terrible Burden of Righteousness for a sampling of a typical MacKenzie diatribe). And watch out for many glaring inaccuracies, such as: "Kananaskis Country ... where grizzlies and cougars easily outnumber humans." In fact on any normal day, humans (mostly in the form of tourists) far outnumber grizzlies and cougars - by a ratio of at least 100 to 1. There's also the false explanation of why the idea of having Solidarity Village on Stoney land fell through (the main factor was behind-the-scenes machinations by the RCMP to manipulate the band council). Read with circumspection.

Missiles headed to Kananaskis (June 11, 2002 / Calgary Sun); Forces ready to shoot down G-8 intruders (June 11, 2002 / Calgary Herald)

Olympic Plaza scenario would be horrific (June 11, 2002 / Calgary Sun); 'Panic' biggest effect (June 11, 2002 / AP) Predictably enough, scenarios involving 'dirty bombs' are now being added to the arsenal of protester-deterrent propaganda.

Anarchy rules (June 11, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Cheap shots and taunts delivered from behind a protective cloak of editorial anonymity. Classic right-wing pusilanimity.

Lawyer says tighter border security is not necessary (June 10, 2002 / CBC) Civil rights lawyer Brian Edy says that increased security is part of an ongoing clamp-down on political dissent....

Security getting tighter as we get closer to G-8 summit (June 10, 2002 / CBC) News brief informing citizens that the apparatus of state repression will soon be coming into full view.

Summit will leave $5M legacy (June 10, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Environmentalists have succeeded in getting the government to finance a wildlife crossing over a hydro canal at the Rundle forebay reservoir, and yet, in a bitterly ironic twist, the project will be called an 'Environment Legacy (i.e. greenwash) of the G8': a grouping which continues to push coporate-profit-oriented policies which are wrecking the environment on a global scale.

Police union focuses on legal protection for G-8 (June 10, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Police videotapes are filmed and presented selectively, so it's clear they don't tell the whole story. It is therefore all the more important that protesters gather their own video footage as independent documentation.

Anarchists angry over protest chaos (June 10, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Underhanded police tactics, repressive municipal anti-protest policies, and media manipulation have all contributed to a steep uphill battle faced by Calgary organizers. For many anti-G8 protesters in the mid-continent who have, until now, been weighing whether to go east or west, the eastern option in Ottawa has emerged as the more sensible one.

G8 Summit Frequently Asked Questions (June 9, 2002 / Alberta Indymedia) An internal Alberta Gov't doc. sent to employees about the upcoming G8.

OTTAWA, JUNE 26: March Against the U.S. Embassy (June 9, 2002 / Ontario Indymedia) Part of the Take the Capital! Global Days of Action. See also this poster.

Activists condemn 'undemocratic' G-8 (June 9, 2002 / Edmonton Journal)

Border security tightens for G-8 (June 9, 2002 / Calgary Herald) IMPORTANT: if you are coming up from the U.S., put anything that might be construed as protest-related (remember: protesters have been refused entry in the past merely for having protest related fliers in their pockets) into a package and send it airmail to: Your Name; c/o 'Poste Restante'; Central Post Office, Calgary, AB; Canada T2P 2E1; and label the package "Hold for 15 days" (the maximum period it will be held). Then, once in Calgary, you simply go to the central post office (corner of 9th Ave. S.W. and 1st Street S.W.), present I.D. and pick up your package. Send it ASAP to ensure it arrives in time.

Be wary of loners and wing nuts (June 9, 2002 / Calgary Herald) This article features a triumvirate of stellar G8 bad guys: Mark Reid, the Calgary Herald's most prominent G8 propagandist; John Kirton, director of the pseudo-academic G8 support group at the Univesity of Toronto and champion of what he calls the 'New Security Economy' (NSE - see his speech, Retreating to Reach Out - Kananaskis 2002, for details); and Ivan "lethal force" Fenton (see: Lethal force OK'd for g-8). Kirton, like so many other right-wing propagandists these days, has chosen to wear his spanking new 'terrorist expert' hat for this article, and he uses his moment in the limelight to sound the usual vague but ominous warnings (thus giving a further boost to his 'NSE'). Note how he sets up a continuum of terrorists and protesters, claiming that "close behind [the McVeighs and Bin Ladens] as a potential threat, are the masked, radical anarchists..." while "mainstream protesters..." are "at the very bottom of the list of potential threats." The bigger threat to humanity and the environment - the G8 - is not brought up.

Ready for bio terror (June 8, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Bio terror? More fear-mongering ... but, thanks to the efforts of Mayor Bronconnier and the RCMP to ensure that a confrontational atmosphere is maintained in Calgary, the use of at least one chemical agent - CS gas (tear gas) - is a virtual certainty. The more gas that is used, the more it will help municipal buildings and corporate headquarters to justify money spent on expensive ventilation system upgrades and other security measures (and we're talking many millions of dollars here), allowing them to claim such expenses under the "extraordinary security measures" provision outlined by Public Works and Government Services Canada. It is worth noting, by the way, how the Calgary Sun reported just over a month ago (see: CHR readies for G-8 war) G-8 health officials saying that "only two people were admitted to hospital during violent protests at last year's Summit of the Americas in Quebec". Now, in this report, Norma Wood, G-8 project leader for the health region, says "just 100 went to hospital after the Summit of the Americas riots in Quebec City last year." (Ratcheting up the fear quotient...). Also see: Decontamination available quickly for anyone hurt (June 8, 2002 / Calgary Herald), in which the Calgary Herald pitches in with the fear-mongering. This CHR stuff was covered in media reports over a month ago, so clearly it is being dragged out again primarily for its 'protester-deterrent' value.

Cochrane hang-gliders grounded during G-8 summit (June 7, 2002 / CBC) Remember: any efforts to defy the laws of gravity within the No-Fly Zone will be prosecuted, and that includes hopping, skipping, or jumping.

Place for protesters (June 7, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Well, look at this - even the Calgary Herald is speaking out against the repressive anti-protest policies of Mayor Bronconnier - a sea-change after a steady predominance of articles pushing a bogus 'economic spinoff vs. violence' discourse... (for a typical article from one month ago, see: Showcasing Calgary for the G-8).

Tsuu T'ina band may host G-8 protesters (June 7, 2002 / Calgary Herald) The band is considering making a parcel of space available on their First Nation land just west of Calgary.

City's stance puts activists 'against wall' (June 7, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Sarah Kerr, on the steering committee for Solidarity Village, says Calgary's stance against protest in public spaces "puts people in a position where if they want to come to speak out they have to break the law -- trespass, sleep in parks." She adds that this may be what G8 summit security directors were pushing for all along. "It justifies the military apparatus that's been put in place."

G-8 hacker hits city computers (June 6, 2002 / Ottawa Sun)

Glenbow's history for G-8 summit (June 6, 2002 / Calgary Sun) The Glenbow Museum will close its doors to the public during the G8 summit, ostensibly because of fears that tear gas solvents might get into the building and affect artwork. But in the same breath, the museum's CEO adds that if you happen to be a G8 delegate, you may nevertheless be accommodated....

Protesters scramble as campsite denied (June 6, 2002 / Calgary Herald) With space for Solidarity Village denied through official channels, upcoming G8 protests in Calgary have now been transformed into a simultaneous battle for the right simply to express political dissent in a public space.

G8 officials hope to keep summit green (June 5, 2002 / Globe&Mail) Ok, I know Kyoto has been pushed off the agenda even as the G8 forges ahead with ambitious plans to use NEPAD as a lever for fossil fuel development in Africa (see With Mideast uncertainty, US turns to Africa for oil ); and ok, I realize the G8 summit will end up causing increased tourism pressures and commerical development in the already overstressed Kananaskis area; and yes, I realize the G8 will be looking at a new plan to finance a MOX fuel economy which would greatly increase the possibility of environmental catastrophes associated with the accidental release of plutonium, and vastly compound problems related to nuclear-waste disposal .... But let's look at the positive side for once: during the summit, the G8 delegates will "reuse towels and mini-soap bars and forgo frequent bedsheet changes."

Canada Day CBC broadcast moves to P.E.I. (June 5, 2002 / Charlottetown Guardian) "Security concerns about protesters on Parliament Hill force CBC broadcast to be shifted to Charlottetown...".

Guide to G8 protests outlines tactics (June 5, 2002 / Ottawa Citizen) The article mainly concerns the Activist Guide to Ottawa, but also touches on the 'public G8 consultations' by the Ottawa Police's new 'Major Event Liaison Team' (MELT). This group was supposedly created in response to the heated criticism of police abuse of protesters at past demonstrations by the Citizens Panel on Policing and the Community, and yet so far, the consultations seem to be focussing mainly on the concerns of Ottawa businesses - who are being portrayed as protest 'stakeholders' (!?!).

Huge no-fly zone for G-8 (June 5, 2002 / Calgary Sun) Aside from the mainly recycled material, Bev Longstaff, Calgary director of summit management, suggests that protesters may have difficulty with hotel reservations due to heavy bookings by "overflow delegates"(among whom she includes African leaders). Too surreal for comment.

Committee calls for G-8 'report card' (June 5, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Obviously one would hope to see a summit budget breakdown, but most of the other recommendations mentioned in this article seem more geared towards nurturing G8 legitimacy rather than attacking its fundamentally elitist moorings. The report is primarily designed to create a red-herring debate about 'G8 accountability' in the media. Here is the full SCFAIT Report.

Businesses preparing for the worst (June 5, 2002 / CP) Another fear-mongering article which focusses on some of the high histrionics businessmen are using to dramatize the 'to open or to close during the G8' question (so as to make sure they are compensated for 'loss of profits' of course, but the article mentions none of that part). Apparently "to close shop would be a victory for activists" (note: Public Works and Services Canada states that "places of business must remain open during the G8 Summit to be eligible to make a claim for loss of net profits..."), so "many businesses... have for months been making elaborate multimillion-dollar plans to beef up security." The fact that a large portion of these security bills will be footed by the federal government also goes unmentioned, but it looks like Rick Phelan of Bison Security Group has been coaching corporations on how to use the situation to obtain security upgrade freebies and discounts (while feathering his own nest, of course). Note that the Building Owners and Managers Association are implementing a policy that "if a large protest snaking through the streets comes within two blocks of large office buildings, a 'lockdown' will occur. At that point, no one will be able to enter or leave a building." Finally, note that 5,148 tear gas canisters were deployed in Quebec City, (see: http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/055_2001-05-04/han055_1110-e.htm), not "1,700" as claimed in this article.

'Kananaskis tax' could fund protests (June 5, 2002 / Ottawa Citizen) The Kananaskis 'tax' initially received strong criticism among activists for implied coercion, but Take the Capital! organizers stressed that the 'tax' is a voluntary strategy designed primarily to make people think twice about the way they use scarce financial resources, and also to focus on the urgent need for support for OCAP. This article somehow manages to obfuscate the voluntary aspect of the 'tax', and in the second part, the reporter simplistically attempts to reduce the 'summit vs. local' debate to a question of whether having media coverage of "free speech getting suppressed with tear gas" is really the way to go. Thankfully, this debate has been shelved for the time being. This time around, the compromise is large regional protests: for those in the east, that means Ottawa; while for those in the west, it means Kananaskis/Calgary.

Police Using Scare Tactics to Dissuade Community Support for Protesters (June 5, 2002 / G8-Plan List)

Bow Valley Corridor on high alert for G-8 summit (June 4, 2002 / CBC)

Call for a Tute-Bianche Style Defence Bloc (June 4, 2002 / Ontario Indymedia) Black Touta suggests a Ya Basta!/Wombles-style approach... and with the Tasers now standard issue for RCMP officers, such tactics are likely to be a necessity.

Pamphlet causes G8 Controversy (June 4, 2002 / Global TV) Is the 'pamphlet' idea really so bad?? I mean, imagine. Your parent is a cop, a guy who upholds the law - someone you look up to. One day, 'dad' goes off to a place called 'Kananaskis'...all pretty hush-hush. 'Dad' doesn't tell you a lot, but he shows you his new 'Taser' before he leaves, grinning from ear to ear.... Later, on TV, you watch it - the people being beaten, gassed, and shot. People in helpless pain as the taser electrodes puncture their skin - people who are standing up in opposition to poverty, exploitation, and environmental destruction. And then, a couple of days later, 'dad' comes home. But rather than being sobered by the experience, it has invigorated him. He brags about the overtime pay. He says he's getting an award for 'bravery' for tasering a couple of 'tree-huggers' who refused to move off the highway'.... (hmmm... ok, a long series of therapy sessions would be more appropriate ... but the pamphlet is a start, eh?)

Alternative delegates face visa rejection (June 4, 2002 / Calgary Herald)

Kananaskis might be the time for a makeover (June 4, 2002 / National Post) This article is culled from a lecture by Sylvia Ostry, a 'co-investigator' with John Kirton's pseudo-environmental group EnviReform. A few elements are added and a few are removed from a previously published Calgary Herald article, but this critique (May 6, 2002) still applies.

Martin's exit puts G8's African plan in jeopardy (June 4, 2002 / Ottawa Citizen) The appearance of John Kirton in this article should immediately sound alarm buzzers. Kirton is the director of the University of Toronto's G8 Research Centre, a G8 support and policy-formulating group which masquerades as an academic thinktank. Lately, the group has been publicizing superficial criticisms of the G8 so as to frame media debates in terms which do not question the G8's fundamental lack of legitimacy (see the article immediately above by Sylvia Ostry in the National Post, for example). It is interesting to observe how Kirton acknowledges that a personal spat between two key players in the G8 can have repercussions down the line on hundreds of millions of people who have absolutely no representation in the G8 (of course, contrary to what Kirton is suggesting, Africans will in fact benefit if NEPAD is not fast-tracked at Kananaskis - since in its present form, its financial basics differ little from the Structural Adjustment Policies which accelerated the African economic debacle of the past decade - see the Analysis and Africa news sections for NEPAD critiques). This dramatically underscores the danger of having a small, elitist group such as the G8 usurping an executive position in global affairs.

Take the Capital! - Calendar of Events (June 4, 2002); Take the Capital! - A Call to Artists, Musicians, and Freaks (June 4, 2002).... Two more important notices from the Take the Capital! organizers.

G-8 sparks rush to boost security (June 3, 2002 / Calgary Herald) With the feds promising to reimburse most of the increased security costs, this effectively means more tax dollars will be spent on the protection of corporate interests.

Anti-Capitalist Call to Action Against the G8: Calgary, Alberta (June 2, 2002) Here's the first formal callout for specific actions in Calgary during the actual G8 summit and the pre-summit 'gala' on the 25th. See: http://www.g8.activist.ca/event/ for more on events....

Activists Respond to Misrepresentation in Ottawa Citizen (June 2, 2002)

Take the Capital! - A Call for Autonomous Actions and Snake Marches Against the G8 (June 2, 2002 / Take the Capital) Updated callout for the June 26-27 convergence in Ottawa.

Road show drives G-8 info home (June 2, 2002 / Calgary Herald)

Protesters at a crossroads (June 2, 2002 / Calgary Herald) This is a more ambitious 'protester exposé' piece by Herald reporter Mark Reid. Note the little tricks used to make sure it remains within the ideological parameters of his corporate media masters. Here are a few of Reid's interstitial remarks and the myths they seek to perpetuate: "even the most staunch socialist needs to make a living" (i.e. making a living and socialism are somehow incompatible); "born of anger, fuelled by frustration" (protesters are all steeped in rage); "to confront and condemn globalization" (protesters are 'against' globalization in general); "want only to tear it down" (as if the 'only' alternative to reform is wholesale destruction); "a bumper sticker on her rusting Volvo" (placed to arm right-wing readers with a convenient cheap-shot for future letters...); "the number of people living on less than $1 per day has actually dropped over the past decade by about one million" (uh yes... a statistic made possible by 24,000 who die daily of hunger - that's 9 million per year who won't be making under a dollar a day any longer)....

Protest leaders rein in roaming activists (June 2, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Before reading this, make sure to get the more balanced assessment in Starhawk's: The G8 June Meeting In Kananaskis: A Strategic Moment (May 27, 2002 / ZNet). In spite of the 'local action' discourse, the reality is that there will be two large convergences - one in Ottawa in the east, and one in Kananaskis/Calgary in the west. These are the actions that will make a difference in terms of mass media impact. Note: Reid mentions actions in Vancouver, Halifax, and Toronto... his info is either out of date or misconstrued (he is getting things mixed up with teach-ins, workshops, or ministerial protests happening earlier in the month... see: Whistler / Halifax ministerials, for instance).

Downtown CBE office to close during G-8 (June 1, 2002 / Calgary Herald) With Southern Alberta schools having been systematically visited by RCMP officials spreading dire warnings about 'dangerous' protesters and the importance of avoiding them, it comes as little surprise that Calgary Board of Education officials have decided to bar the doors of their headquarters and escape what they probably, by now, expect to be Armageddon. On the plus side, demonstrators looking for a bit of green space to rest and regroup will not have to worry about inadvertently disturbing paranoid school officials.

Protesters stretch village deadline (June 1, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Growing pressure on Mayor Bronconnier demanding that he respect fundamental rights to political expression has led organizers to hope that he may soon capitulate. "We urge the City of Calgary to embrace the letter and spirit of the charter [of Rights and Freedoms] and to provide an opportunity for these groups to express their opinions peacefully in city parks," said John Russell, vice-president of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association.

Canada, U.S. plan anti-terror exercise (June 1, 2002 / Calgary Herald) Well that's funny. "Amalgam Virgo" was the name of a U.S. exercise last June focussing on cruise-missile interception (see: Amalgam Virgo). My guess is that this is simply a variation on the same idea: i.e., to sell a lot of Anzus Inc. equipment while keeping the boys busy with some glorified airborne 'paintball'.

General News Archives: May 17 - May 31, 2002

General News Archives: May 1 - May 16, 2002

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Contact me (Eric Squire) at: g8alert@yahoo.com