[interchange42]

You cannot listen to the news currently without hearing about the upcoming G20 summit in Toronto.

How do you feel about this impending event? Please let us know through your answer to this poll, and please feel free to expand on that below!

 

[alklay]

I am for the summit but do not like where it is being held (it should have been done at the CNE)? There really is no voting option for me.

 

[savevp]

I believe that this is another good event to help put Toronto on the world stage. To be honest, I am excited about how Toronto is becoming more and more a first-rate global city.

 

[egotrippin]

The G20 summits don't really bother me, even as a taxpayer, citizen of the city, etc. What really bugs me is the idiotic protesters, vandals and shit-disturbers associated with them. No matter how strongly I feel for any given subject or cause, I hate protests, and I also hate protesters who escalate things to violence. It's domestic terrorism, just look at the bank in Ottawa. What is this accomplishing? Nothing, apart from turning otherwise neutral people against the side they're vehemently fighting for.

Also, what's going on down on Front St. today? On my drive home it was blocked off, the streets were a zoo and I could hear a lot of yelling in the distance. Some sort of protester warm-up?

 

[W. K. Lis]

I am for the summit but do not like where it is being held (it should have been done at the CNE)? There really is no voting option for me.

I too think it would have been better if it were held on the grounds of New Fort York, or as it is now called, Exhibition Place.

Unfortunately, there are no nearby hotels for the delegates nearby... yet. Other than that, the CNE would have provided much better security (Fort York Armoury is nearby). Unfortunately, the decision was made in far off Ottawa, not Toronto.

 

[Sepiraph]

Great waste of $ ... big government fail as usual ...

 

[Second_in_pie]

Hm, I guess that I'm kind of polar opposite to egotrippin.

The G20 summits bother me to no end. They're just giant photo ops. With the world working the way that it is now, nothing gets accomplished at these big meetings. Spending $1 billion to show arguably the worst of Toronto doesn't appeal to me.

I'm all for the protesters. People really need to get their opinions heard in this day and age, but people like the Harper government are labeling these people under the same title as insurgents or terrorist. Egotrippin, I'd like to ask you what you have against people voicing their displeasure with the way things are going. And it's not like they're being unreasonable. Is asking for economic equity, a healthy planet, and global happiness really a bad thing? I applaud the people that will stand up to authority to say that things are being done wrongly. That is the kind of thing that the world needs en masse right now. But it would seem that our government at least is quick to silence anyone who opposes the "norm" by labeling them as terrorists and planning to come in before things even heat up. Against free speech and democracy, and exactly the opposite of what should really be happening at these summits.

 

[BananaIsland]

I'm not sure who here has a good views of the G20 Summit but they must not know what is happening. Any time you have a 10 foot high fence, the full police force on high alert plus a security zone, it can't be good. These meetings are a waste of time and YOUR money. It's one big vacation for these leaders and their entourage which will have a more negative than positive impact on tourism and the locals. They will resolve nothing during their 15 hours of meetings ($1B of security works out to over $1M a minute). Inevitably, it will bring protesters (some follow these summits like groupies) and likely some undesirables (but hopefully not). The result of the past economic summits have produced our current state of world affairs with the banking fiasco we are presenting facing. Now you have the opportunity to thank them in person for their good work... protesting is useless and will fall on deaf ears. I just hope they don't damage any nice buildings.

 

[jn_12]

will have a more negative than positive impact on tourism and the locals.

Can you prove that?

 

[GenerationW]

Can you prove that?

During that weekend/week? Obviously a negative impact.

Weeks and months (and years?) after that? We'll see.