The circus is coming

The G8 and G20 events roll into Toronto and Huntsville, Ontario this Friday through Sunday.

It often seems the sideshows have become far more eventful than any actual proceedings. Preparations for protests (real or feared) have produced a staggering security tab estimated at almost one billion dollars. (All figures are in Canadian dollars.)  And let’s not forget PR missteps like ‘Fakelakegate’, mentioned in this earlier post by Jonathan Brown.

By the way, apologists for that artificial lake at the Toronto media center, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, wanted to emphasize that the lake itself did not cost Canadian taxpayers the widely-reported 2 million dollars. As an itemized feature that lake (or reflecting pond at a pavilion to promote Canada) was less than $60K. That supposed bargain was still assailed by the political opposition as more than many average Canadians earn in a year.

Satirists could hardly make this stuff up, but are having fun with it anyway, as with this revised version of the Bare Naked Ladies classic, updated as “If I Had a Billion Dollars”

This time around there is also a tangible Ottawa connection, one that undoubtedly heightened security concerns. On May18th, usually-placid Ottawa was shocked when a Glebe branch of the Royal Bank of Canada was firebombed. This took place at night and no one was injured, though a video of the fleeing perpetrators suggest it could have been a near thing for them.

A group calling itself ‘Fighting for Freedom Coalition-Ottawa’ claimed responsibility. In that same video of the firebombing,  FFFC-Ottawa gave their rationale and stated “we will be there” for the G20 and G8 sessions and will “pass the torch” of opposition.

Three men have been arrested and charged in that case.

Meanwhile, stay tuned for coverage from that already-famous media center, and expect many more jokes about that lake/pond/whatever!