The security fence in front of Union Station in Toronto. (Bob Dunkin)

By Bob Dunkin, G20 citizen blogger

Welcome to my little corner of the G20 summit.  Make sure you have your coffee, snacks and water ... we're gonna be here for a while.

My name is Bob Dunkin and I live in the area surrounding the primary security zone for the G20 Summit here in Toronto.  I work in the entertainment field primarily in the City of Toronto, but also out in Mississauga. I use public transit for most of my day-to-day travels. Going to Mississauga, I usually take a GO bus from Union Station.  I walked by Union Station today, it's a mess down there.  Not one fence, but two. Even as a pedestrian, the area isn't that easy to navigate. As it is there are two officers down there to assist people crossing the street to the Royal York hotel and also in and outbound passengers for Via Rail and GO Transit.  

For me, this next week is going to be a mess.  I've basically turned down all work outside of the city, and there may not be much for me in the city to do over the next week.  But that's okay.  There will be much to see and do in the city.  Area businesses seem to be hit or miss as to whether they will be open or not. I went for a haircut earlier today at Top Cuts and they weren't sure if they were going to be open next week or not. Most of their clients either drive in, or work in the area, and if they're not coming in, there really is no point in being open. Food vendors on the University of Toronto campus have told me the same thing. They're not going to be coming in if their main source of income has been moved off site.  

Like most people, I'm upset that this is being held in the downtown core of Toronto.  Much money was wasted by holding it here, as opposed to somewhere else in the city, and there's really no need for it, since the delegates likely won't be touring the area on foot.  

This next week is going to showcase Toronto and Canada, for good or for bad, we will be in the limelight and this is going to be talked about for months to come.

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