Highway protests won't be tolerated during G7 summit in Kananaskis, head of security says

Robson Fletcher · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

The caput of information for the upcoming G7 leaders' acme successful Kananaskis says his radical is inactive moving with the Town of Banff connected the precise determination of a "demonstration zone" for protesters to explicit their opinions, but it's already been determined wherever demonstrators won't beryllium allowed — connected highways.

"We're not going to beryllium capable to tolerate a protestation connected a highway," Alberta RCMP Chief Supt. David Hall told The Homestretch on Thursday.

"It's not harmless for motorists; it's not harmless for the protesters, themselves. And truthful that's thing that we would look to rapidly determination disconnected of a highway, successful the lawsuit that a protestation established connected the highway."

In summation to his relation arsenic a Mountie, Hall is information manager for the RCMP-led Integrated Safety and Security Group (ISSG) for the G7 event. The radical includes unit from galore law-enforcement agencies arsenic good arsenic the military.

The Town of Banff has expressed concerns astir the group's archetypal program to acceptable up a "demonstration zone" successful Banff's Central Park, which is connected the banks of the Bow River with a engaged pedestrian span connected 1 broadside and the Banff Avenue span connected the other. 

"The Town of Banff commends the efforts to facilitate state of code and the close to peaceful protest, but we consciousness it would beryllium much due to let demonstrators to congregate successful places wherever the G7 leaders whitethorn beryllium capable to spot and perceive their message, portion decreasing the interaction connected traffic," municipality manager Kelly Gibson told the Rocky Mountain Outlook in April.

He noted the G7's planetary media centre volition beryllium located astatine the Banff Centre connected Tunnel Mountain, astir a two-kilometre thrust from Central Park.

"This volition beryllium a engaged clip for visitation, and radical who are enticed to travel present by a objection portion volition look challenges with parking, accommodation, and they whitethorn ne'er beryllium seen by the leaders oregon media they privation to reach," Gibson said astatine the time.

International journalists are expected to question by autobus regular betwixt the Banff Centre and the acme tract successful Kananaskis, helium noted, which is astir an hour's thrust away.

Hall said Thursday the RCMP-led information radical inactive plans to enactment a objection zone in Banff but is moving with the municipality to find the nonstop location.

"It's a champion signifier to to enactment with organizers of protestation and effort to promote them to usage a abstraction that allows them to person visibility successful presumption of delivering their connection but is simply a abstraction that the constabulary are capable to safely manage," helium said.

"I'll admit the Banff tract is simply a existent interest for section businesses and residents, and those are concerns we've heard, and we proceed to enactment with the assemblage successful presumption of identifying wherever that tract volition be."

The politician of Banff declined an interrogation petition Thursday, pending confirmation of wherever the objection portion volition go.

"We are besides waiting to perceive erstwhile a nationalist accusation league astir G7 is to beryllium scheduled, and the G7 organizers person been invited to contiguous to Banff municipality council," the town's communications manager, Jason Darrah, told CBC News successful an email.

Hall said akin objection zones volition beryllium established successful Calgary.

The leaders' acme successful Kananaskis is acceptable for June 15 to 17.

Accreditation volition beryllium required to participate and exit a "controlled entree zone" astir the summit location from June 10 to 18.