CALGARY -- Hundreds of provincial prisoners in Calgary are being sent to a federal penitentiary to free up jail space for anyone arrested during next month's G-8 summit in Kananaskis.
"We are prepared to house up to 400," said Bob Lytle, assistant warden of medium-security Drumheller Penitentiary, who was expecting the first transfer of prisoners yesterday.
Lytle noted that a similar transfer occurred in Quebec during last year's Summit of the Americas.
Protesters say the move is being made to muzzle dissent at the gathering of world leaders set for June 26-27.
"By vacating a prison, you're saying that anyone who dares challenge the legitimacy of the G-8 is a criminal," said Mike Desautels of the Canadian Labour Congress.
"It's all part of the criminalization-of-dissent package."
Summit security officials say they are just preparing for a worst-case scenario.
"We look around the world and we see what's happened at other summits - the possibility of large volumes of arrests could occur," said RCMP Cpl. Jamie Johnson.
"It would be irresponsible not to plan for what's (happened) elsewhere in the world. We hope we don't have to use any of our contingency or emergency planning."
More than 450 people were arrested in connection with the Quebec gathering. A fence was wrapped around downtown Quebec City for three days to keep anti-globalization protesters away from 34 world leaders who attended that meeting.
The Group of Eight comprises the world's seven largest industrialized economies - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States - plus Russia.
Although the June meeting of leaders from those countries is taking place at a mountain resort 100 km away, thousands of protesters from around the world are expected to converge on Calgary.
In fact, Johnson said there are plans in place to use additional jails, if needed.
The Calgary Correctional Centre, which holds just over 500 inmates, is being vacated for G-8. Space can also be made available at the Calgary Remand Centre, which holds 440 prisoners, said Jean Olynyk, a spokeswoman for the Alberta solicitor general, who oversees the province's jails.
Other options were not revealed.
Olynyk said she expects fewer than 400 prisoners will be transferred to Drumheller.
The Drumheller prison made headlines earlier this month when a prisoner who was believed to have escaped was found hiding in the ductwork of the prison's industrial workshop seven weeks later.
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