The Cost of the Toronto G20: A billion dollars well spent?

Estimated costs: $933 million

The security budget for the G8/G20 summits is now estimated to be roughly $933 million. The itemized amounts will not be disclosed until after the summit is over.

Precedents: The security costs at G20 summits in London and Pittsburgh last year reportedly cost $30 million and $18 million, respectively. The cost for the combined G8/G20 summit in Huntsville and Toronto will dwarf even the most expensive summit to date, the 2008 G8 held in Japan where security costs totalled $381 million.

Ward Elcock, the Privy Council’s security coordinator for both the Vancouver Olympics and the G8/G20, has claimed that other countries lowball their security expenses for international summits and events in order to minimize media attention.

The Mark News called the City of Pittsburgh but city lawyer John Doherty declined to comment, saying: "The City of Pittsburgh is in litigation concerning the G20 and we are not commenting on any litigation filed or threatened." The American Civil Liberties Union is suing the Pittsburgh police for alleged violations to demonstrators’ First Amendment rights.

By comparison, security during the 17-day Vancouver Olympics came to roughly $833 million. That amount covered the cost of 6,000 police officers wrangled from 118 police agencies across the country and 4,800 private security guards.

Quick Facts: Media reports claim that security in Toronto will be carried out by roughly 10,000 police officers from across the country and 1,100 guards from a private security firm. The Financial Post reported in March that the RCMP booked 5,500 hotel rooms in Toronto for nine nights. Canadian Forces will also be present.

The Toronto Star writes that private security guards will be working alongside police officers at transit checkpoints starting approximately a week before the event.

Quotable Contributor

"There’s only one word to describe the cost of security for the upcoming G8-G20: insane! The Government selected the worst possible location from a security standpoint, forcing police to deploy more robust measures. All these actions are much more in reaction to previous violent demonstrations than to prevent a terrorist attack. Since Seattle 1999, a minority of misguided rhetorical ideologists has been hijacking legitimate demonstrations, abusing the concept of 'diversity of tactics' as a demagogic pretext for their egocentric actions (i.e. violence). If violence erupts in Toronto, important messages will, again, be lost, and the insanity will be allowed to continue." Michel Juneau Katsuya