# The Toronto G20 Summit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 26, 2010, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580 "2010-06-26T09:01:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/181 "2010-06-28T05:27:16Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I knew the mortician at the Wing On Funeral Home who was convicted of robbing the dead. His younger brother was a buddy of mine. Spadina Avenue is … interesting. I always thought that was the most appropriate name for a funeral home. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/182 "2010-06-28T05:29:39Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > I didn’t say it would make it better. I was just pondering why we trained that way and not any other way. What country’s military was that? ---
**Author:** ![Baffle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/183 "2010-06-28T05:33:05Z")
I’m watching Muffin’s link now; thanks for the updated news. My internet is so finicky that I’ve been getting news from the radio, thus the 680 News cites; I think it’s fixed now, which would be nice. I haven’t heard any information yet on this about the cop who threatened arrest for ‘conspiracy to commit mischief’ but I’ve grown accustomed to police lying to trick members of the public, so I shouldn’t be surprised that they were arrested on a different charge than the one with which they were originally threatened. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/184 "2010-06-28T05:43:37Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > \ > > Be warned, however, that do-it-yourself legal research is risky if you don’t know how to do it right. \ It can be entertaining for the peanut gallery, though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/185 "2010-06-28T05:44:21Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > I haven’t heard any information yet on this about the cop who threatened arrest for ‘conspiracy to commit mischief’ but I’ve grown accustomed to police lying to trick members of the public, so I shouldn’t be surprised that they were arrested on a different charge than the one with which they were originally threatened. Breach of peace or mischief – either or both would be applicable to a group of people blocking traffic for an extended period. Charges are added or dropped as appropriate as a case proceeds. Lying or tricking does not come into it. I think that penning in the group was a poor move on the part of the police, but it was legal. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/186 "2010-06-28T06:00:22Z")
Forget the G20 kerfuffle. Just imagine what would happen if the Leafs were to beat the Habs for the Cup in Montreal! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/187 "2010-06-28T06:29:07Z")
> [@Baffle](#): > > The crowd got thicker as I moved north, passing a drumming circle, as I moved towards the head of the rally. There was a pow-wow on a reserve in Ontario this weekend, attended by many Chiefs. A member of that reserve threatened to protest at the pow-wow, so the reserve’s councilors passed a band council order exiling the protester from the reserve, on the grounds that the reserve has the power as a sovereign nation to make such an order. You might also give pause to think about how fortunate we are to be able to protest as you reflect on the ability of an aboriginal group to protest in Toronto while an aboriginal was exiled from that aboriginal’s own commumity for proposing to protest the reserve’s leadership. If you want to get into the constitutionality of the right to protest, and the powers of the state used to stifle protest, you might find this much more interesting territory. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/188 "2010-06-28T09:32:22Z")
Some people tried shit like this at the Copenhagen Climate Summit last December. So the police boxed them in, hosed them down with water and forced them to sit still on the icy street for a few hours. Fuckers got a lot more peaceful after that. Take -20°C, add some nice cold wind from Siberia, add a good helping of cold water, bake for two hours = well behaved demonstrators. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/189 "2010-06-28T12:32:07Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Breach of peace or mischief – either or both would be applicable to a group of people blocking traffic for an extended period. Charges are added or dropped as appropriate as a case proceeds. Lying or tricking does not come into it. > > I think that penning in the group was a poor move on the part of the police, but it was legal. Considering that a principal tactic of the Black Bloc is disguising themselves as peaceful protesters, I’m not even sure if was a poor move on the part of the police. This might have been seen as the last chance to sort the the sheep from the ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’. I have no solution as yet, but there has to be some way to demonstrate that doesn’t provide a shield for these goons. Hell, we managed it on the day of the anti-prorogation rallies! ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/190 "2010-06-28T13:26:24Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Forget the G20 kerfuffle. Just imagine what would happen if the Leafs were to beat the Habs for the Cup in Montreal! [massive, earth-wrenching hijack] ♫ Beautiful dreamer, awaken to me… ♫ Coulda happened in '93 but for a blown call on Gretzky for high-sticking Doug Gilmour. [/massive, earth-wrenching hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/191 "2010-06-28T13:59:45Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Take -20°C, add some nice cold wind from Siberia, add a good helping of cold water, bake for two hours = well behaved demonstrators. Good idea. Next time we host, it’ll be in Yellowknife in January. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/192 "2010-06-28T14:11:17Z")
> [@CBEscapee](#): > > Just the type of answer I expected from my racist little hypocrite. Wow. You _expect_ even racist little hypocrites to make perfect sense; to be smarter than you. Interesting. Of course you could have threw in _some_ meat. You know, responded to the answer you asked me for. But you’re just too much of a myopic, racist ass to know how to get out of your own way. You certainly bring new levels of dumb to these boards. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/193 "2010-06-28T14:31:54Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > What country’s military was that? Canada’s in the early 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/194 "2010-06-28T14:35:18Z")
> [@Uzi](#): > > Canada’s in the early 80’s. Well that sure fills me with warm and fuzzy feelings. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/195 "2010-06-28T14:47:05Z")
[Here’s](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/toronto/caught-in-the-storm-penned-in-at-queen-street/article1621255/)an account by a Globe and Mail journalist of being hemmed in at Queen and Spadina. > [@](#): > > - Thank you so much everyone for your concern. > > - I was not let go because I was media. They didn’t even look at my credentials before cuffing me. No one looked at them once. > > - I was released with everyone else who was being detained on my particular bus. I gather they did the same with other buses. > > - The most shocking thing to me was 90% of the people I talked to at Q&S were there taking pictures/grocery shopping/being pedestrians. > > - And the protesters that were there were not provocative. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/196 "2010-06-28T15:07:54Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > Forget the G20 kerfuffle. Just imagine what would happen if the Leafs were to beat the Habs for the Cup in Montreal! Now, please, let’s not deal in impossible hypotheticals here. 😛 Will someone please remind me again…who the fuck thought it was a great idea to have the G20 in Toronto? I’ve lived in Toronto too, and off the top of my head I’m struggling to think of a worse place to have it. OK, maybe in the median of the 401, but Toronto is a real close second. The one thing the G8/15/20/whatever got right was that some years back they decided to have it on an island off the coast of South Carolina. Brilliant…only one entrance/exit, and the place was quiet enough that only a few thousand residents were inconvenienced, instead of a few million. Of course, an idea that good couldn’t possibly be replicated. I guess lack of four-star hotels is what dooms that plan. We were thinking about suggesting our own island as a future G20 host. Only two bridges connect the island to the mainland, and there are more than enough hotel rooms (though hardly of the four-star variety). If some world leader wants to bring a bigger entourage, there’s always the local KOA Kampground too. Day trips could go to the local amusement park, Da Falls, or the Anchor Bar. Plus, it would make up for the UN passing us up for New York City as the UN headquarters. I’m totally seeing this happening. I’ll have my people talk to their people this week. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/197 "2010-06-28T15:23:23Z")
Thanks, Matt. Were you there by any chance? If so, I’d like to hear what you observed. BTW, CTV had a lengthy vid in which the reporter who was penned in and who got her arrested cameraman released was interviewed, along with a couple of sports fans who left a bar after watching a World Cup match only to find themselves penned in. Like I said, a poor move on the part of the police. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/198 "2010-06-28T15:42:26Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > Now, please, let’s not deal in impossible hypotheticals here. 😛 > > Will someone please remind me again…who the fuck thought it was a great idea to have the G20 in Toronto? I’ve lived in Toronto too, and off the top of my head I’m struggling to think of a worse place to have it. OK, maybe in the median of the 401, but Toronto is a real close second. The PM Harper. To say the least, he is ham fisted. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/199 "2010-06-28T15:46:22Z")
Vancouver Island would make a lovely choice to host, too - no bridges at all, a nice, long, soothing ferry ride for protestors from the mainland, beautiful scenery, various locations for differing levels of inconvenience for locals. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580/200 "2010-06-28T16:04:11Z")
Anarcho-terrorists tend to be urban types, so I’m for having such conferences in the boonies. Give 'em a couple of dozen Prospector canoes, drop 'em off in the North via Twin Otters, and let them work it out from there, says I. It’s what that great canoe tripper Pierre Elliot Trudeau would have done. Unfortunately, that would not play well given the need to house and feed large numbers of people including delegations, police and press. The federal government said that [“A number of factors contributed to the selection of the MTTC as the G20 venue, including:”](http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?m=/index&nid=513959) > [@](#): > > •Accessible location: within walking distance of more than 12,000 hotel rooms; > •Facility size: two million square feet of flexible space to accommodate the meeting, work areas, and dining needs of 10,000 delegates; > •Security experience: long-standing working relationships with high-security teams, including the RCMP, Toronto Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police and the United States Secret Service; > •Proximity to the airport: the MTCC is a 20-minute drive from Pearson International Airport; and > •Technology: state-of-the-art technology and telecommunications infrastructure with a skilled team of technology specialists. That bit about walking distance is rather ironic. I wonder if Harper’s crew figured that wherever they held it, the anarchists would go on a tear in the closest urban area? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-toronto-g20-summit/544580.md?page=11)