For a meeting that is supposed to make the world safer and more secure, the combined G8/G20 summit in Huntsville, Ont., and Toronto seems to entail an enormous amount of destruction and dislocation.
Ontario’s Muskoka cottage country has been turned into a walled security zone. The most valuable few acres of real estate in the country—downtown Toronto—will be isolated and protected for the benefit of 20,000 international dignitaries, delegates and journalists. And keep in mind the $1.2-billion price tag only represents taxpayers’ costs to host the summits.
It is kind of ironic that well over a billion dollars (including a new man-made lake!) is being spent on a get-together one of who’s major points is to discuss global fiscal problems. It seems to me that every year after these summits the news reports revolve around the rioting in the streets. Of course, that’s not to say that important matters aren’t being solved by these world leaders hanging out for a weekend, just saying that from the perspective of a “small person,” it all seems rather extravagant.
