MONTREAL - The Sheraton Hotel in downtown Montreal will now be hosting the World Trade Organization meeting set for later this month, after the Queen Elizabeth Hotel backed out after security concerns.
At least 25 WTO ministers are scheduled to hold informal talks on international trade agreements.
The Queen Elizabeth Hotel said the meeting poses a security risk, leaving organizers scrambling to find a new venue.
The hotel says it informed the Department of Foreign Affairs this week that it was cancelling the reservations of WTO ministers, saying security precautions for the meeting might inconvenience other guests.
"The meeting will be happening in downtown Montreal in a different location," says Foreign Affairs spokesperson Sébastien Théberge. "It will run smoothly and in a safe manner." On Friday, Théberge confirmed that new location would be the Sheraton Hotel.
Two years ago, street protests at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City turned violent. Many of the groups that demonstrated there have events planned for this meeting.
Tamara Herman, who is organizing some of the demonstrations, says although there are no violent protests planned, she feels this last-minute change of venue is a victory.
"On one level it means that we've won, because obviously they felt very threatened by our mobilization," Herman says.
The WTO meetings are scheduled to run from July 28 to July 30.
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