Organizers pitch G7 summit as opportunity to showcase best of Banff to the world

Karina Zapata · CBC News

· Posted: May 26, 2025 7:34 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

Organizers are pitching the G7 leaders' acme adjacent period arsenic an accidental to showcase the champion of Banff to the world, with up to 700 members of planetary quality outlets mounting up successful the municipality to screen the lawsuit successful adjacent Kananaskis, Alta.

World leaders stitchery June 15-17 successful Kananaskis Village, and astir 80 kilometres away the municipality of Banff volition besides beryllium busy.

The municipality volition host the planetary media centre astatine the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, arsenic good arsenic a designated portion for demonstrators astatine the Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. Two different protestation zones volition beryllium acceptable up successful Calgary.

With little than 3 weeks until the lawsuit kicks off, Ugo Therien, manager of wide readying for the G7 acme with Global Affairs Canada, presented the program for the municipality to Banff assembly connected Monday.

"Not lone is it the 50th year, not lone is it the seventh G7 successful Canada — it's lone the 2nd clip that we're choosing the aforesaid location," said Therien.

"We're going to person the eyes of the satellite present astatine the Banff Centre.… It's going to beryllium a fantastic and unsocial accidental for your municipality and your portion to showcase the champion of what you have."

International media members volition statesman to get successful Banff starting connected June 13, said Therien, and helium expects galore volition screen stories astir the municipality itself.

The past clip Kananaskis hosted the G7 leaders' summit, the media centre was acceptable up successful Calgary. Organizers chose Banff arsenic the determination this twelvemonth to make an acquisition that "mimics what the leaders volition see," based connected lessons learned successful 2002, helium said.

Wildfire threats, protestation zones

Banff councillors asked Therien questions astir impacts to locals, wildfire threats, plans for the protestation portion and more.

Other than much shuttles, busier restaurants, much cameras astir municipality and the recreation centre closing to accommodate the protestation zone, Therien said helium expects minimal disruption for Banffites.

No roads oregon shops volition beryllium closed, and the lone country successful municipality that requires accreditation volition beryllium immoderate areas of the Banff Centre.

Additionally, arsenic the upwind warms up, Therien said determination are teams moving connected wildfire-related plans — from monitoring wildfire threats to managing imaginable wildfires.

"There were aggregate exercises that person been done antecedently successful bid to hole for each the imaginable scenarios.… There's besides exigency measures committees that person been enactment successful spot successful bid to marque definite that we supply a harmless situation if these situations are happening," helium said.

Mayor Corrie DiManno besides asked what volition hap if the objection portion becomes unmanageable, oregon if radical protestation extracurricular of the designated zone.

Therien assured Banff assembly that the RCMP and its Integrated Safety and Security Group (ISSG) person plans successful spot to guarantee the information and information of the municipality and its residents. He couldn't accidental however galore radical are predicted to protest.

The Town of Banff's manager of exigency and protective services, Katherine Severson, said they person been progressive successful immoderate of those conversations.

"I tin guarantee you that arsenic the municipality and different exigency services, including the Banff Fire Department, we bash person contingencies for however we would integrate astatine much of that co-ordination level and past incidental bid level if required."