First no, then maybe, then again maybe not. We're all over the map with this summit stuff.
Now the city WILL consider giving the thumbs-up to an activist festival at Shaw Millennium Park during the end-of-next-month's G-8 Summit.
Provided the placard- wavers don't stay the night.
City parks poobahs say they'll try and make it happen. Mayor Bronco is less than enthusiastic but no naysayer.
It could be the path of least resistance.
Sarah Kerr, a local organizer, says up to 15,000 protesters will come to Calgary, while world leaders gab the glories of globalization out at Kananaskis Country.
Without a gathering point for the loose-knit groups against globalization (a.k.a. one world under capitalism), Sarah says there could be trouble.
The prospect of anarchists, greens, labourites, neo-hippies and people out for a good time wandering the streets of our well-ordered downtown, facing off against platoons of pepper-spray packing police, causes cold chills among the city's buttoned-down bottom-liners, safe and snug in their SUVs.
"If we don't have a safe place, then it's setting the stage for something nobody wants," says Sarah.
"There are thousands of people coming. What if there is nowhere for them to go. It is in nobody's best interest."
Protest deep thinkers are still negotiating with a private landowner on the edge of town to score a spot for the travelling thousands to crash overnight, after being denied a number of sites closer to K-Country.
If the site is secured, people would shuttle daily to Millennium Park for a daily dose of speakers, music and food fit for the finest of revolutionaries. Events would go throughout the day until 10 each night.
"We are hopeful when Mayor Bronconnier sees this is a music and education festival he'll support it," says Sarah.
Yesterday, the mayor repeats his opposition to any overnight camping in Calgary.
"If they want a tent city, they can go to Balzac," says Mayor Bronco, who has already read the riot act to any rowdies or mischief-makers.
"I'm not receptive to our parks being decimated by yahoos wanting to put up a tent city, to those who just want to roll into town for a bash without worrying about taxpayer-owned facilities."
But, Bronco stopped short of nixing the use of Millennium Park as during-the-day digs for the G-8 dissenters, though he did not exactly jump for joy at the sight of an application from the activists.
"We will carefully consider it," says the mayor.
"But can I give a guarantee? No. They have a big mountain to climb. We're looking at millions of dollars in liability insurance to begin with. A lot of Calgarians put their heart, soul and chequebook into that park. I wouldn't expect any special favours.
"They left this request late, very late. The Sikh community had a festival two weeks ago with 10,000 people attending. It took them more than three months to go through the city hall red tape and they did it and they did it well."
Dave Breckon, the city parks poobah, says if the protesters get to use the park, they won't be allowed to spill into the skateboarding area.
They would be confined to the green space reserved for festival use.
A glitch. The city doesn't allow park use for politics.
"We'll do what we can to accommodate it, but we don't usually have political events in the park. The reality is this is a special circumstance," says bureaucrat Breckon.
"If we do decide to step outside current policies, we'll touch base with the organizers of the G-8 Summit, as well as the political people in the city."
Yes, the G-8 Summit scenarios are indeed heating up, in a manner not usually seen in a city where so many walk the same way, on the right-hand side of the road.
Bronco blasts, Ralph rants, Bishop Fred counterattacks the capitalists.
The words zero and tolerance are now linked.
"It's a funny place we're living in these days," says our Sarah.
Funny. That wouldn't have been my word.
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