Calgary police preparing to assist RCMP with Kananaskis G7 summit security

The Calgary Police Service says it's readying for the next G7 leaders' summit, which is set to take place in Kananaskis, Alta., in 2025.

At Wednesday's Calgary Police Commission meeting, CPS said it will assist the RCMP in providing security for the summit, where Alberta will host world leaders and policymakers.

Canada has hosted six G7 summits. The last time it was held in Kananaskis was 2002.

Supt. Joe Brar told the commission that CPS will find a balance between fulfilling its regular responsibilities in the city while sharing resources to help police the summit west of Calgary.

"This event will bring a national lens to the city of Calgary and Kananaskis," Brar said.

"One of the challenges with events of this type is there is a huge security threat and there is also the potential for demonstrations."

He added that with so many eyes on the city and the community of Kananaskis, there is a risk of reputational damage if things go wrong.

"We want to ensure that this event goes smoothly," he said, adding officers will prioritize minimizing disruptions to the daily lives of Calgarians.

CPS says it's looking at past G7 summits that were held in Canada to learn from mistakes that were made.

Asked about how CPS will avoid a situation similar to what Montreal saw during last week's anti-NATO protests, Brar said Calgary police are in contact with Montreal law enforcement to learn how those demonstrations unfolded.

Brar said costs surrounding security for the G7 summit are still being finalized, but they will be covered federally by Public Safety Canada.

"We are currently working with Public Safety Canada, our security partners and other City of Calgary business units to assess what our needs will be for the summit," he said. 

"The planning team, based on what we've seen, based on intelligence, have together [created] a budget that we believe would cover all that. And at this point, there has been no pushback from our partners over at Public Safety Canada."

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld said costs associated with policing the G7 summit are not likely to impact the city budget.

"It's something that's actually administered and governed separately from us and the commission, other than our submission. So, it's a bit of a different animal than the regular budget," Neufeld said.

CPS will request mutual aid from other law enforcement agencies across Canada in order to fill in gaps created by the increased demand on officers during the summit.

Brar added that as security plans come together in the months ahead, CPS will have a better idea as to how many officers from other jurisdictions will be needed.

Around the same time as the G7 leaders' summit, police will have to worry about security at the Calgary Stampede and the 2025 Rotary International Convention, which will be held in Calgary.

Brar said CPS does not anticipate any interruptions to regularly scheduled events in the city, but the service is being mindful of police officer burnout.

"As such, when we go through our planning, we will be having a contingent of Calgary Police Service officers and officers from other jurisdictions to support us so we don't experience that burnout," he said.

Asked about where designated demonstration areas will be, given Olympic Plaza — a popular location for protests — will be shut down during the summit, Brar said CPS is working with the city to determine appropriate locations, although nothing has been finalized yet.