G8 & G20 SUMMITS

People First! We Deserve Better!

May 26, 2010  The G8 and G20 Summits taking place in Huntsville and Toronto will last only three days, but will come at great cost to all of us.  While official events will exclude labour groups, grass roots organizations and community activists, OPSEU will be participating in having these crucial voices heard through a rally, events such as an open forum and a billboard campaign.

Close to 20,000 attendees are expected at the G8 and G20 Summits as well as 5,000 media personnel and 15,000 police and security officers. The cost to Canada of hosting this massive event now stands at 1.1 billion dollars, significantly more of our tax dollars than the 933 million dollar security bill revealed by the Conservative party.

The security measures being taken for the Summits are unprecedented in Ontario. A huge portion of Toronto's downtown core will be sealed off by a three meter fence and five-tier system of security. There will be untold disruption to traffic, businesses and residents.

Safety of protestors is a concern and all participants in the G20 events should take precautions. Most recently, ‘Sound cannons’ also known as long range acoustic devices (LRADs) have been purchased by police for the event. These can be used as weapons, and are known to cause permanent hearing damage if used improperly.

While economic policies are being formed behind closed doors, protest events are being held simultaneously to democratically address the real issues such as good jobs, poverty and climate change. Join OPSEU members and other activists at these planned G8 and G20 protests. See more information below.

The G20 Summit

Finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries plus the European Union have been invited along with representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to gather in Toronto on June 26 and 27 for the fourth G20 Summit.

The Group of Twenty (G20) was formally established in Berlin at the 1999 G7 meeting of Finance Ministers, and the first G20 Summit was held in Washington in 2008. The primary focus of G20 dialogue is economic and financial policy issues.

The G8 Summit

The 2010 G8 Summit will be held on June 25, in Huntsville, Ontario at the Deerhurst Resort. The G8 includes representatives of Canada, France, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Japan, and Italy. While at first the G8 originally largely addressed macroeconomic issues it now has a broader agenda, including dialogue about international economic, political, and social issues.

The 2010 People’s Summit

The 2010 People’s Summit is civil society’s alternative “counter Summit” to the G8 and G20 Summits. Diverse local and international movements will democratically organize to advocate and educate for global justice. 

For more information about the People’s Summit taking place from June 18 to June 20, please visit http://peoplessummit2010.ca

For more information about the G8 and G20:

Labour’s response to the G20 Summit, please visit the Canadian Labour Congress site at http://www.canadianlabour.ca/action-center/g8-g20

People’s Summit taking place from June 18 to June 20, please visit http://peoplessummit2010.ca

Robin Hood Tax, please visit  http://robinhoodtax.ca/. http://www.makefinancework.org

G20 Summit updates in the alternative press:

Rabble.ca
http://rabble.ca/issues/g8-g20

Council of Canadians
http://www.canadians.org/index.html

The Media Co-op
http://www.mediacoop.ca/

g20.this.org by This Magazine
http://g20.this.org/

Toronto Community Mobilization Network
http://g20.torontomobilize.org/

Downloads:

Download OPSEU G20 poster

Download poster of transit shelter graphic

Download rally event poster