A new police unit designed to prepare for major demonstrations will blitz downtown Ottawa businesses today to prepare for next week's influx of G8 protesters.
The National Capital Region's Integrated Major Events Liaison Team will go door-to-door warning businesspeople of what to expect, beginning with Saturday's march of the Global Democracy group, and culminating with what is expected to be thousands of protesters next week
"Businesspeople are asking questions ... naturally ... and we deal only with what we know as fact," Staff Sgt. Rick Murphy said yesterday. "We are not about to get into speculation. We are sticking with what we know and we do not want an elevation of fear.
"The businesspeople are asking us what to do and they are asking us to make decisions for them. We will not. We are not suggesting boarding up windows or closing down. That's their call.
"Our best information is that as many -- if not more -- protesters plan to be in Ottawa next week than attended the G20 protests (last fall). Past that, we will be prepared for whatever takes place."
Dialogue between police and various business associations have been going on for several weeks. That's the mandate of the new integrated team: to keep communication open between demonstration organizers, business owners, residents, embassies and the public.
The team consists of 10 officers from the Ottawa Police Service and RCMP in partnership with the OPP.
The hope is peaceful and lawful demonstrations with no personal injury or damage.
Police say co-operation has been good with Global Democracy, which plans a 45-minute march Saturday through the Byward Market and then to Confederation Park.
The same cannot be said of the Take the Capital organization which vows to paralyse downtown Ottawa while leaders of the G8 countries meet in Alberta.
The Global Democracy group plans to gather at the National Art Gallery on Sussex Drive and begin their march at 12:30 p.m.
The group, which police expect to number more than 100, will travel east on Murray Street to Dalhousie Street and then south on Dalhousie to York Street. From there, the group will go west to Sussex Drive, south to Wellington Street and then west to Elgin Street before turning south to Confederation Park.
The protest march is expected to conclude by 1:15 p.m.
After several face-to-face meetings with organizers of the walk, police seem confident there will be no disobedience.
"It's fair to say we expect it to be peaceful," said Staff Sgt. Murphy. "Can we guarantee that? No. But our information is that it will be."
To that end, no special police presence is planned along the march route with the exception of up to 10 officers on motorcycles who will accompany the crowd and help the group make its way to Confederation Park.
In addition, some members of the Major Events Liaison Team will don bright red jackets and walk with organizers.
That will likely not be the case next Wednesday and Thursday when G8 protesters take to the streets.
"These are two completely different events," said RCMP Insp. Jean-Yves Lemoine. "Nobody knows the numbers for next week. We will be intelligence-led and we will be ready for anything.
"We are informing any group that can be impacted, and we are using all means of communication. We will tell them exactly what we see will be coming. We will say 'this is what we know' and if things change, we will get back to them.
"We have notified all the targets and anything they do is completely their decision. They might add extra security. They might close. Most of them don't know right now because these types of decisions come from higher on up. But we will be ready."
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