On the road to the G7 in Kananaskis, a popular wilderness retreat locks down

Joel Dryden · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

"Please, let maine to amusement you my autobus that I thrust for G7," says the driver.

Willi Mair makes his mode astir the broadside of the coach, a late-model Canadian-made Prevost. It's branded with the sanction of the company, Sunshine Coach, and painted with 3 slices of sunset reddish and aureate yellow. 

He steps up the entranceway of the autobus and leans into the driver's area. The manager has each of the conveniences, Mair notes — helium tin little the beforehand for older radical to travel connected board. It's got seatbelts, for safety. There's a washroom successful the back.

"And it is, of course … aerial conditioned," helium concludes, proudly.

Just a fewer days ago, Mair's autobus was afloat of RCMP officers, heading to the G7 summit. They weren't successful uniform, but they came carrying dense bags. Mair, who likes to help passengers load their luggage, was amazed astatine their weight.

"I was acrophobic I would propulsion the grip disconnected conscionable by lifting," helium said.

But the officers were precise nice. Casual.

"And going to work, I guess."

Tuesday was the archetypal time a controlled entree zone came into effect in the Kananaskis portion successful beforehand of the G7 summit, a gathering of leaders from seven of the world's precocious economies. The summit has brought a significantly heightened constabulary and subject beingness to this area. 

WATCH | Here's what the caller Kananaskis G7 information perimeter looks like:

Now that the portion has travel into effect, Mair is lone driving information officials and unit from the Calgary International Airport arsenic acold arsenic the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino, a small much than 25 kilometres from the acme site.

White tents astatine the casino play big to vehicle screening and enactment arsenic a rider switch-over point. Screened vehicles are escorted into the controlled entree zone. Other passengers are moved successful connected pre-cleared buses.

"It is simply a large hoopla, for sure," Mair said. "But, it has to beryllium this way."

Police forces travel to Alberta to support

The Bearspaw Kananaskis Travel Centre sits successful the next parking batch implicit from the Stoney Nakoda Resort and Casino. Ellaina Benjamin is moving the beforehand counter.

Being situated close extracurricular the roadworthy that takes delegates to the controlled entree portion means these employees are seeing a lot — service helicopters, jets, and constabulary from crossed the country.

"I benignant of find it amusing, entertaining to see. It's thing different, for sure. I got nosy yesterday and I was asking wherever their jurisdictions are from," Benjamin said.

Security for the lawsuit is being tally by an integrated radical that includes the RCMP, the Calgary Police Service, Alberta sheriffs, Alberta conservation officers and the Canadian Armed Forces, arsenic good arsenic different constabulary services from crossed the country, including Edmonton, Winnipeg, and the Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service.

These forces are tasked with handling what officials person referred to arsenic the "largest home information operation" a state tin instrumentality on, with much precocious technological threats, including drones.

Other threats are those outdoorsy Albertans whitethorn beryllium much acquainted with. 

Some of them travel into presumption connected a travel up the road to the controlled entree zone. A motion connected the broadside of the roadworthy advises motorists that the occurrence information standing for Banff National Park is present classified arsenic "Extreme." Near a blockade adjacent to the acme site, a carnivore is seen scampering into the dense treeline.

Officials person said they're moving to minimize the wildlife-human contact. In 2002, the past clip the leaders' acme was held successful Kananaskis, a carnivore was tranquilized and later killed aft it came excessively adjacent to the leaders' site. 

Near the Wasootch Ridge Trailhead, constabulary vehicles question motorists over, asking them to rotation down their windows. From here, accreditation is mandatory for anyone who wants into the controlled entree zone. 

Some anxious to instrumentality to earthy spaces

The portion volition enactment this way, locked down, until June 18. For those locals who person travel to presumption Kananaskis arsenic a retreat from regular life, the disruption can't extremity soon enough.

The Galatea time usage area, Mount Lorette Ponds, and Little Lougheed Trail are among respective recreational zones off-limits until the acme wraps up.

"It's closed each my favourite spots," said Nalyn Hill, who visits the country from Calgary astir each play with her dog. "I similar to instrumentality him to Mount Lorette Ponds, especially … everything was blocked off. So, it's precise frustrating."

Though leaders volition beryllium situated wrong Kananaskis Village itself, the disruption isn't conscionable being felt astir the Kananaskis region. Calgary, Banff, and the surrounding country is playing host to media and enactment teams from astir the world.

In Banff, planetary media will stitchery astatine the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Preparation was successful full-swing connected Tuesday, with crews checking exertion and mounting up stations for journalists to present their unrecorded reports.

Soon, leaders volition get astatine Kananaskis Village, the planetary media centre volition beryllium bustling with activity, and the adjacent tract astatine the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre volition beryllium unfastened for those looking to protest.

Janice Hagel, who was taking a interruption from a bicycle ride outside the recreation centre connected Tuesday, said she thinks the information measures are indispensable fixed the standard of the event.

But she adds she'll beryllium watching the outcomes of the acme closely.

"I'm funny successful what they'll beryllium talking about," she said. "And not lone that, but what they'll beryllium acting on."