Friday, June 25, 2010

More questions...

Drawing on POGGE and Greg, there's another set of questions around the G8/20 security Frankenstein that haven't been addressed and probably won't.

How did the powers that be come up with the $1.2 billion, Constitution trumping gong show that we're watching unfold?

It didn't come out of thin air, people had to do a security analysis and figure out what resources they would need, and how they ought to deploy them. Who does this? And how? Oh.

The Office of the Coordinator for the 2010 Olympics and G8 Security coordinates the Government's response to the security tasks of hosting three major international events:

  • The 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver-Whistler
  • The 2010 G8 Summit in Huntsville, Ontario
  • The G20 Summit in Toronto

The Office of the Coordinator works closely with the various federal departments and agencies involved in these security efforts. It also serves as a central point of contact between provincial and federal agencies, as well as international partners.
In this role, the Office:

  • Coordinates security planning with relevant federal, provincial and municipal players
  • Ensures testing of operational readiness and interoperability of security plans
  • Establishes a coordinated approach to communications
  • Identifies and coordinates funding requirements among federal departments and agencies
  • Provides advice and recommendations to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and other ministers
  • Coordinates bilateral discussions between Canadian departments and agencies, and with international partners (notably the U.S)

I'm probably not alone in wondering just how their planning meetings went. Whose views won the day and under what rationale? Because turning downtown Toronto into 1970s Belfast without a serious threat does not happen in a vacuum.

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