Kananaskis Country braces for G-8 challenge
KANANASKIS, Alta. (CP) - A tiny mountain village was bracing itself Monday to host one of the biggest and most contentious political events in the world after Prime Minister Jean Chretien announced the 2002 G-8 summit would be held in Kananaskis, Alberta.
Craig Reid, head of the Kananaskis municipal council, says he hasn't the slightest idea what his tiny district will be expected to deliver.
"I don't know how we could possibly respond to a mass saturation (that) the G-8 meeting has brought about in other places," Reid said Sunday from a cabin on the shores of Lower Kananaskis Lake. "It seems to me highly improbable."
Kananaskis is a large wilderness area of mountains, lakes and foothills located about 100 kilometres southwest of Calgary. It includes Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and several other wildland areas.
Reid says he had no warning before the prime minister made the announcement in Genoa. But Blaise Draper, front office manager of the Kananaskis Inn, said the deal has been in the works for a while.
"We caught a whiff of it two weeks ago, when it was very on-the-sly passed down to the managers," said
"It'll be quite a challenge."
Kananaskis Village, a resort community of four hotels and a few stores, is at the end of winding, uphill road off the one highway that bisects the area.
Its location, a good 40-minute drive from the nearest town, will make security much easier to handle, Draper says.
"We're quite secluded. People will do what they have to do if they want to come out here and cause problems if that's what they want to do. I'm just thinking the location of the village and the way it's set up here in the valley would make it a lot more challenging for them to do that."
There are about 400 hotel beds in the village as well as some staff housing, says Draper. The latest summit in Genoa, Italy, had 2,000 delegates.
Kananaskis was selected to host the summit in an effort to create a more intimate and casual atmosphere and to avoid protesters.
The latest meeting in Genoa, Italy, was the scene of another set of street battles waged between police and anti-globalization protesters. One protester was killed on Friday.
The protests have become more and more hostile since the Seattle World Trade Organization conference in 1999.
Draper says it's too early to know what kind of security measures may be required in Kananaskis. But he welcomed the attention the G-8 will bring to the resort.
"This type of thing is great for the village because we're kind of a secret little place.
"Not a lot of people know about us but we're extremely beautiful. It's good to know we're being recognized not only for the location but for a serene, quiet kind of atmosphere."
Reid says he's not sure what impact such a large gathering - and the security involved with an international gathering - would have on the wildlife.
"We've got all kinds of grizzly bear pals up here, game and moose galore. It's up to the (Alberta) Department of Environment to assess," he said.
A spokesman for Alberta Premier Ralph Klein said the premier would not be available Sunday to comment on Kananaskis selection.
Environment Minister Lorne Taylor, who oversees everything in Kananaskis, was in Europe at a meeting examining the future of the Kyoto accord.
Not a bad choice, in my opinion. This place is in the middle of nowhere, so any anarchists who want to disrupt it are going to have their work cut out for them. Grizzly bears, cold nights (it can snow any month of the year up there), and travel arrangments from the nearest city (Calgary, about 65 miles away) are the biggest obstacles. In understand that they will be holding it in June next year. The section of Highway 40 down through Highwood Pass will be closed until June 15th for moose and elk migration, so there may only be one way in and out of this place.
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To: Alberta's Child
Beautiful place. It hasn't been on the map since the last winter olympics held in Canada.
We went through there on the way to Banff & Lake Louise in the 90's. I hope the global trash doesn't land on your front step.
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To: Alberta's Child
My guess is that the typical anarchist at next year's G-8 summit will look like this:
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To: Roebucks
If you went through Kananaskis Village on the way to Banff, then you must have come up Highway 40 from Longview. It's a beautiful ride during the three months of the year when you can do it!
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To: Alberta's Child
Its been awhile but Hwy 40 sounds right. We stayed overnight and then moved on. The hotel owner told us how you'd just had the winter olympics there.
I want to say we were there the following summer. Can't recall the year. I've always wanted to come back.
My only complaint about Canada is you guys don't drink iced tea in the summer. If you ask them, they'll go boil some water, let it steep, throw a few ice cubes in the hot tea annd serve it. I learned my lesson. LOL.
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To: Alberta's Child
Two global protesters.
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To: Alberta's Child
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To: Alberta's Child
These people are really stupid, why announce a year in advance to the public. What morons, why not give the protestors the layout of the fascilities too why you're at it.
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To: niceguy
those aren't black block. they are probably "Tutte bianche" (aka, wombles or white overalls) or Ya Basta.
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To: Alberta's Child
Delightful, they will just trash Calgary instead,
Although if I am back in Calgary a year from now, I will be able to watch communists eat gas from the safety of a plus-15 or if I am lucky an office in Bankers Hall!
Lets see, what is there for them to trash, obviously Stephen Ave, the shopping mall at Bankers Hall, Gulf Canada Square, If they can get into the giant inter-connected shopping mall they could do alot of damage,
I wonder if they will setup their tent city in the devonian gardens in T.D. Square
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To: Roebucks
The alpine skiing events for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary were held at the Nakiska ski resort, which is next to Kananaskis Village. I don't know about the iced tea -- most places I go have it on the menu. They probably learned their lesson from you!
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To: illini1
What facilities?
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To: Alberta's Child
Now, I have that photo or one just like it. Is that lake a drive up or a hike in? What's the name of that mtn?
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To: Roebucks
It's Upper Kananaskis Lake, which can be reached by car according to my maps. I don't know the name of the mountain. If I knew exactly where the photo was taken from I could probably figure it out.
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To: Alberta's Child
i hope they supply plenty of fire extinguishers!!!