If protesters and police go to war during the G-8 Summit, the real casualty could be Kananaskis Country.
Next June, in this fragile land of mountains, meadows and forests, leaders of the eight most powerful nations will convene. They will be joined by hundreds of police and soldiers -- and possibly hordes of angry activists.
G-8 officials are vowing to protect the environment here as strongly as defend the world leaders. But environmentalists fear the worst -- and say the Summit has no business being in Kananaskis.
"We could have thousands, or even tens of thousands of people in a fragile environment that can't sustain that kind of traffic," says Stephen Legault, spokesman for the Canmore eco-group WildCanada.net
"Given the dubious nature of these meetings, I don't know whether we should risk the potential damage that could happen to Kananaskis . . . just so these (world leaders) can sit in plush red velvet chairs and look out over the mountains."
It's called Kananaskis Country, but to Albertans, it's paradise. Here, the slates of snowcapped mountains merge with the lush green of alpine meadows.
Thick forests provide shelter to some of Alberta's most threatened and cherished plants and animals, including grizzly bears, cougars and bighorn sheep.
K-Country -- the jewel of Alberta's parks system -- is a complete, 4,000 square kilometre Rocky Mountain eco-system, containing at least 13 separate protected areas.
However, unlike federal parks such as Banff and Jasper, regions of Kananaskis are open to a wide variety of recreational uses, including hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, as well as some commercial development.
Smack in the middle of this alpine eden is Kananaskis Village, a mountain resort about 100 kilometres west of Calgary that is the host site of the G-8 Summit.
Between June 26 and 28, the resort will be turned into a fortress, surrounded by a security perimeter to protect G-8 leaders from uninvited guests.
Bruce Leeson is the man charged with keeping K-Country intact and unharmed during the summit.
Soft-spoken, with a thick, pointed black moustache, Leeson has spent 30 years as a wildlife biologist with Parks Canada in the Alberta Rockies.
Depending on whom you ask, Leeson's appointment as the summit's first environmental director is either a welcome indication Ottawa cares about the eco-health of K-Country -- or shrewd public relations move aimed at quelling concern over holding the event here.
Some radical activists, such Co-Motion Collective spokesman Alan Keane, say Leeson -- as a scientist working for the federal government -- "has very little credibility in the environmental movement in Alberta."
But more moderate activists, such as Legault, grudgingly admit that "hiring Bruce (Leeson) was a positive step.
"Bruce is doing a lot of good work," Legault says.
Leeson himself bristles at suggestions his is a token appointment. He understands, however, the caution and skepticism voiced by some activists.
"They feel they have to be constantly on guard," Leeson says, sitting in his modest office at G-8 headquarters in Calgary. "They have a feeling of great concern over Kananaskis Country.
"The G-8 is just another one of those things that worries them."
Kananaskis Country has long been a battleground between eco-crusaders, government and would-be developers.
This gorgeous mountain playground, located virtually in Calgary's backyard, is a prime spot for recreation.
Many Calgarians and others flock here to hike, fish, camp and ski at K-Country's two commercial ski hills.
Until the 1970s, however, Kananaskis was relatively undeveloped, accessible only by a muddy, rutted dirt road.
Expansion and paving of the road started in 1973, leading to a succession of quick commercial and recreational developments.
This infuriated environmentalists and others who wished K-Country to remain a wild place.
"It became a favourite destination for thousands of people," Leeson says. "The environmentalists feared it would be overwhelmed. Now, they're on guard to protect Kananaskis Country."
Stephen Legault's biggest fear isn't necessarily what will happen to K-Country during the summit -- it's what might happen afterward.
Legault sees Kananaskis as a relatively undiscovered treasure -- and he wants to keep it that way.
However, Legault fears the summit will change all that.
"Last summer, most people in Canada couldn't even pronounce Kananaskis. Now it's a household word," Legault says.
"The entire world will be focused on Kananaskis . . . and the developmentalists are rubbing their hands.
"People may decide the next best thing to Banff is flocking to Kananaskis. There's nothing Bruce (Leeson) can do to guard against that."
Dave Poulton, spokesman for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Association for Canmore and Banff, also says Kananaskis is the wrong location for the summit.
He fears clashes between police and protesters could harm K-Country, and his group is urging activists to stay away from the summit site.
"We've been quite vocal in telling those that might be inclined to protest that we don't think it's the place to do it," he said. "We hope (the protesters) exercise more responsibility than Prime Minister (Jean) Chretien showed in choosing the spot (to hold the summit)."
So why hold the summit here, instead of Calgary or some other major city? The answer lies in Chretien's wish to scale back the summit from a bloated, glorified photo-op into a modest meeting of world leaders.
The numbers of delegates at recent summits have skyrocketed. At last summer's G-8 Summit in Genoa, Italy, for example, the American contingent alone had upwards of 700 delegates.
Leeson says the sheer crush of summit hangers-on in recent years has made it virtually impossible for the world leaders to accomplish anything.
"We want to get back to a retreat kind of meeting," Leeson explains, "where we can really spend time talking without having hundreds of bureaucrats hovering around us, telling us we have to go to receptions and all kinds of things."
Leeson says this is one reason why protesters and others will be banned from K-Country during the summit.
"We certainly can't accommodate hundreds of protesters standing outside the hotel here," Leeson said. "There will be a place (for protesters), but it won't be at Kananaskis."
Concern over the potential impact of the summit have spilled over to neighbouring communities.
About 20 minutes' drive west of Kananaskis Village, the mayor of Canmore sees the summit as a double- edged sword.
He doesn't want to see K-Country come to harm, but on the other hand, having the summit in Canmore's backyard could be a big boost for tourism.
"I personally feel it's not a good location," says Glen Craig, Canmore's mayor. "But the Town of Canmore has accepted the fact it's being held here. We're doing everything possible to make this a positive experience."
Alberta Community Development Minister Gene Zwozdesky agrees.
He says the province is pleased so far by the actions and planning of the G-8 officials.
Zwozdesky said the summit is a great chance to "showcase" Alberta's charms to the world.
"This is an excellent opportunity to showcase one of the most beautiful locations in the world," Zwozdesky says.
Despite his pledge of positivity, Craig still has concerns, such as the possibility of forest fires during the summit -- whether accidental, or intentionally set.
"I have deep concerns about the possibility of someone starting . . . a fire," Craig said. "This valley is a tinder box. We're really concerned about those events occurring."
Leeson says G-8 officials are preparing contingency plans for all possible threats, including forest fires.
"We are preparing for rapid attack for the possibility of wildfire," Leeson said. "Alberta firefighters . . . will be close by to quickly respond."
Leeson is working on several other specific actions to protect the environment during the summit, including:
Leeson says G-8 officials have recently completed installing high-tech fibre optic cables along the highway leading to Kananaskis Village.
The installation crew was required to follow a strict eco-friendly work regime, including high-pressure washing their heavy equipment to prevent other noxious plant seeds from being brought into K-Country.
Leeson also plans in the coming months to do a complete environmental impact assessment of the G-8 security plan.
Leeson's efforts could be thwarted, however, if activists choose to storm Kananaskis Village.
Calgary RCMP Cpl. Patrick Webb -- a member of the joint G-8 Summit security team -- says his officers do not want confrontations with protesters.
Webb says he wants his team to practise good eco-stewardship -- but he admits that can be tough when dealing with a crowd of angry activists.
"Let's say there is a violent confrontation by some activist group," Webb says. "Certainly, we will be looking at the environment. But . . . the RCMP has a mandate and responsibility to protect the internationally protected people."
Ultimately, Webb says his officers will "react only to what we see."
Ultimately, whether K-Country is the right site for the summit is moot.
Legault says he, too, wants protesters to shun K-Country in favour of Calgary.
"We are certainly encouraging protesters to take the moral high road . . . and hold their meetings outside of Kananaskis -- preferably in a place like Calgary," he says.
As for Leeson, he says people who are skeptical of his motives should realize that he loves the mountains as much as they do. Leeson says he'll consider the G-8 a success only if Kananaskis Country emerges from the summit unharmed.
"How ironic would it be for protesters to damage one of the world's most precious places in order to encourage world leaders to be more careful," Leeson says. "The bottom line is: we need to hold this meeting in a safe, civil manner and not hurt the environment."
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