Unlike in 2002, Alberta won't rely on federal prisons to free up space in Calgary jails for G7

Joel Dryden · CBC News

· Posted: May 22, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Federal prisons won't beryllium utilized to location inmates displaced by the G7 acme successful Alberta successful June. The state says it doesn't program to negociate its situation populations the aforesaid mode it did the past clip satellite leaders met successful Kananaskis, Alta.

In 2002, the Calgary Correctional Centre was cleared retired successful the weeks starring up to the G8 summit, truthful that it could service arsenic a holding centre for detained protesters. Inmates were sent to the medium-security national situation successful Drumheller, which had precocious been rebuilt aft a riot.

Dave Bronconnier, then-mayor of Calgary, warned protesters astir repeating the violent confrontations successful Italy the twelvemonth prior, cautioning that they could spend the acme astatine the Spyhill jail. 

The thoroughfare protests successful Calgary ended up being largely peaceful.

This clip around, Correctional Service Canada says it hasn't been contacted by immoderate outer agencies to marque arrangements to location radical arrested during the upcoming summit.

"There are nary discussions oregon plans underway for Correctional Service Canada to accommodate existent inmates of Calgary Correctional Centre oregon radical arrested during the G7 Summit successful CSC facilities," the national bureau said successful a connection to CBC News.

Alberta's correctional facilities volition proceed to run concern arsenic usual, and determination are nary plans to make further capableness oregon bare Calgary facilities.

A spokesperson with Alberta's Ministry of Public Safety and Emergency Services said the state would "implement due operational responses should services beryllium disrupted owed to nationalist demonstrations."

She added the ministry, including the Alberta Sheriffs, is moving intimately with national and municipal instrumentality enforcement agencies to enactment information and information planning.

"Inmate colonisation absorption is portion of regular and strategical readying for Alberta Correctional Services, and operations crossed each provincial correctional facilities volition proceed uninterrupted for the duration of the G7," manager of communications Sheena Campbell wrote successful an emailed statement.

"For information reasons, we are incapable to supply further details astir operations and planning."

Virtual bail courts, aforesaid apprehension processing facility

The state said individuals arrested during G7 protests successful Calgary would beryllium taken to the Calgary Police Service's apprehension processing facilities astatine Spyhill, arsenic is modular procedure.

Court appearances would beryllium held virtually done Alberta's provincial hearing office, either by video oregon phone, and further bail courtrooms volition beryllium added "as required" to code G7 arrests.

Doug King, a transgression justness professor at Mount Royal University successful Calgary, noted that the past clip the G8 was held successful Kananaskis, it was successful the aftermath of terrorist attacks successful New York City and Washington, D.C., connected Sept. 11, 2001. 

"I deliberation a batch of what happened successful 2002 was successful effect to that. And it whitethorn person been warranted, oregon it whitethorn person been conscionable overprotection that was taking place. We don't spot that now," helium said.

Today, determination whitethorn beryllium little interest astir large-scale demonstrations, peculiarly due to the fact that the acme is being held successful a distant location, King said.

"They amended beryllium cautious, though, due to the fact that retrieve the G20 successful Toronto … there were immense protests," King said, adding that the Calgary Remand Centre is "absolutely packed" close now.

He added that constabulary are present utilizing much blase information and quality gathering techniques compared to 2002.

"There indispensable person been a calculation … that they conscionable didn't request to bare out prison facilities to clasp protesters. They indispensable person made that calculation. It wouldn't person been an oversight," King said.

Leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada, arsenic good arsenic the European Union, volition be this year's summit, which is scheduled from June 15 to 17.

The past clip Kananaskis hosted the summit, its terms tag was estimated astatine $300 million. When Canada past hosted the acme successful 2018, successful La Malbaie, Que., it budgeted $600 million.