Security measures take root in Quebec town as G7 nears

People who live in La Malbaie, Que.,arebeginning to see what it really means to inviteworld leaders to spend aweekend in their small municipality.

Heads of statefromGermany, France, Japan, Italy, the United States, United Kingdom and Canada will make their way to the coastal town nestled along the St. Lawrence River, about 150 kilometres east of Quebec City,for their annual Group of Seven Summit (G7) on June 8 and 9.

The meeting will alsomarkDonald Trump'sfirst official visit to Canada as U.S. president.

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While the G7 isstill months away, securitymeasures are already becoming more and more visible.

One that is hard to miss isthe roughly three-metre tallsecurityfence built aroundtheManoirRichelieu and the Casino deCharlevoix,where the summitwill take place.

The heavy fenceis being built inthe wooded area that surrounds both buildings. Anchored into the ground, it willblock all road access to the site.

Referred to as the interdiction zone,thefenced-in area will only be accessible toheads of state,their staff, police and people who work at both venues.

Children concerned with flyovers

"It's not the fence of the Summit of the Americas," said Corporal Isabelle Michaudof theRoyal Canadian Mounted Police(RCMP),referringto the barricade erected duringthe 2001 summit in Quebec City.

That fence was more than threekilometres longand was anchored by concrete blocks.

It was breached by anti-globalization protestersduring thesummit that made international headlines.

Corporal Michaudis with theG7'sIntegrated Security Unit (ISU), which includes two RCMPand two provincial police officers.

They'vebeen stationed in LaMalbaiesince September to answer people's questions and give information about the summit.

"We patrol a lot, we go to the mall, we go to every place we can reach people," saidMichaud.

Michaudsaid military ships andhelicopters have also started showing up in LaMalbaieto scope out the coastal town.

"Which is normal,to be ableto see the lay of the land,"Michaudsaid.

The flyovershave raised questions fromlocal children.That's why the ISU has been touring schools in the area to talk to hundreds of students.

"We've been through every primary school and we've done a presentation about the summit," Michaud explained.

Checkpoints for commuters

While the occasional ship and helicopterhasgarnered some concern from locals, Michaudsaidthe majority ofquestions sheand her colleagues arefielding have to do with the extendedsecurity perimeter aroundthe site of the G7.

Therectangular swath of landwhichwillbe underheightened surveillance is about 10 kilometres long and several hundreds meters wide.

Roughly1,000 residents live in the beltdubbed the restriction zone.

Theareawon't be fenced in, but will be equipped withseveral checkpoints during the summit.

That meanspeoplewho live and work in that area will require a special photo ID to enter and travel about.

That's the case for Danielle Amyot. She only found out this week that she'll need a pass to travel from her home in the restriction zone to her workplace in inSainte-Irne, about 15 kilometres away.

She admits theevent's security measureswill bring on some inconveniences when it comes to travelling, but shethinks the G7 will be good for business and tourism in the longrun.

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"Once they've seenCharlevoixand the way that we welcome people, I thinkthey will come back,"Amyotsaid.

She said overall all people arelooking forward to the summit, but also for the whole ordeal to be over.

"I think it willbe an interesting event."

Controversy over free speech zone

Heads of state and policy makers aren't the only ones who are expected to roll through town in June.

The ISUhas also announced the free speech zone meant to accommodate protesters will beroughly 1.5kilometres away from ManoirCharlevoix.

Located in the parking lot of the Muse de Charlevoix, within the restriction zone, the designated protestarea willbe enclosed by a 1.5-kilometre-long fence.

"This is the closest they could be," saidMichaud."That's the best option so far."

Groups that plan to protest the G7 say they have a betteridea where they should be allowed to protest.

"We think the whole country should be a free speech zone," said Brent Patterson,the political director of the Council of Canadians, a public interest group.

Patterson says having adesignated protest zonefar away from where the actualsummitis happening means leaders won't see protesters.

"Political leaders need to feel pressure, they need to know people care and to hear what people have to say," saidPatterson.

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Meanwhile, DanielleAmyotsays she's not concerned about people showing up in her town to demonstrate.

"We are allowed to protest in Canada, thank God, "Amyotsaid.

"We'll just hope thesecurity will be there to keep otherpeople, who are just coming here to be on TV, frombreakinganything."