Anti-G-8 summit activists say their dreams for a "solidarity village" are dead, slain by a city that lacks the political will to accommodate peaceful protest in its parks and one that could wind up facing chaos as a result.
"Solidarity village, as we dreamed and planned it, is not going to happen," volunteer organizer Sarah Kerr said Wednesday from the steps of City Hall, moments after an official announced a site couldn't be found to accommodate thousands of protesters during the week of the June 26 and 27 summit.
"The reality is people are coming . . . and they're going to have to go somewhere," said Kerr.
"We can't predict what's going to happen."
John Chaput, the city's G-8 project manager, said the city would not permit public park space to be used as a campsite for anti-summit activists.
Such a decision would violate city regulations, and a special bylaw allowing for a camp in a public park would require the city to seek public input and follow a legal process that would take up to six months, said Chaput.
And with just three weeks to go before the world's leaders gather in Kananaskis, the prospects of finding another suitable area are slim.
"We just haven't got the time to react," said Chaput.
Solidarity village is an anti-G-8 music and education festival planned to coincide with the summit.
Activists had originally hoped to set up on native land near the summit site, 120 kilometres west of Calgary, but that plan fell through in early May.
Since then, the activists have been scrambling for an alternate site in Calgary.
Kerr said the idea of one large village will be scrapped in favour of several smaller events, the locations of which have yet to be determined.
Village organizers have previously warned there could be "confrontations" during the summit if a site wasn't quickly found and approved by the city.
Kerr said between 5,000 and 10,000 anti-G-8 activists are expected to converge on Calgary during the gathering of world leaders and they will have to stay somewhere.
The solidarity village, she added, would have offered a safe and organized place for protesters to meet.
When asked how the city will stop protesters from setting up camp in public parks without approval, Chaput said: "That will be a police matter."
Insp. Al Redford said police will be ready for any contingency.
"We have a lot of flexibility in our plans," he said. "We have to in order to be able to adjust to developing circumstances. We'll deal with this, too."
Police won't necessarily remove activists who take over a city park or try to camp there.
"We will deal with each set of circumstances based on its own merits," Redford explained. "We'll have to carefully assess each situation as it occurs and then decide exactly what action we're going to take."
Mayor Dave Bronconnier, who has previously said city officials would not allow themselves to be bullied by the activists, said protesters failed to provide city officials with even the most basic information, such as how many people would be coming.
City officials, he said, should be spending their time working on security issues, not "scouring the landscape" for a place for protesters to camp.
He criticized the activists for not applying earlier for the proper permits.
"I spent more time planning my wedding," scoffed Bronconnier.
Chaput said city officials are still considering permits that would allow for a rally to be held at Olympic Plaza and a march through the streets.
It is anticipated those permits will be approved in time for the summit, he said.
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