Canadian town gears up for protests at North American summit

Buy an ad on DigitalJournal.com

The small resort town of Montebello, Quebec, was bracing for the arrival of thousands of protestors Monday and Tuesday when North America's three heads of state are to meet to discuss closer trade ties.

A 3-metre-high steel fence was erected to keep demonstrators at least a kilometre from the summit venue at the bucolic Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello resort, 80 kilometres north-east of Ottawa. Police said they will keep protestors inside two designated areas and arrest anyone who attempts to get into the resort.

Town workers have removed rocks from gardens and other items that could be used as projectiles.

US President George W Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon are to meet with 30 prominent business leaders to discuss ways to facilitate trade among the three nations while maintaining border security. They were expected to also discuss immigration issues and working conditions for migrant labourers in Canada, sustainable energy, the safety of toys made in China and global issues such as Afghanistan, the Middle East and Iran.

Other issues discussed on the sidelines could include US plans to help Mexico's war on illegal drugs and the question of sovereignty over Arctic waters as the ice cap melts.

A former US ambassador to Ottawa, Paul Cellucci, created a splash Sunday by siding with the Canadian government's claim to the North-West Passage. Washington claims the passage is international waters, but Celluci told Canadian television that the passage would be easier to protect from terrorist use if it were acknowledged as Canadian territory.

Protestors have denounced the summit as overly secretive, anti-democratic and subservient to the interests of big business. Thousands marched Sunday through the streets of Ottawa in a warm-up exercise.

Police have warned local residents that they would be stopped at roadblocks on the main street heading into Montebello and cars would be searched for explosives. All large truck traffic has been rerouted away from the site and a no-fly zone has been imposed over the region.

Boat traffic on the river flowing behind the resort would be escorted through the area by police.

Under Canadian law, the right for a protest to be seen and heard is guaranteed. Government officials are to provide a video feed from the demonstrators' venues so they can follow the protests.

Several business owners in Montebello are boarding up their stores, unwilling to take chances in case protests grow unruly.

The protestors include labour unions, social and environmental activists and human rights campaigners, who said they intend to disrupt the meetings by organizing a march to the hotel.

A community hall in a neighbouring town has been commandeered and turned into a makeshift detention centre, several media outlets reported.