[interchange42]

You can view the page at http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2010/06/daily-poll-june-4-2010-how-do-you-feel-about-toronto-hosting-g20

 

[Redroom Studios]

its going to be a real intereference with tourism as well as for the everday lives of people who live here. I feel sorry for tourists visiting the city at that time who are unaware of this event. Can you imagine coming to Toronto and not being able to visit the CN Tower? I hope there is not too much violence from either protesters or police.

 

[Edward]

I'd rather they spend the billion extending the subway.

 

[Mikiey]

I think it's going to feel like we're a city under siege. Under siege by Stephen Harper who has finallhy found a use for us.

 

[lead82]

I think it's going to feel like we're a city under siege. Under siege by Stephen Harper who has finallhy found a use for us.

This is a stupid and wasteful event like any other G20. Stop wasting tax-payers dollars on photo-ops and useless gatherings. They fly in 20 world leaders on private jets with all their staff and security to talk about economics and environment? How bout thinking about all the jet fuel they wasted and billions of dollars for 2 day security.

Just use a webconference and discuss issues over technologies like Cisco's telepresence and get on with doing actual work instead of endless debates about nothing.

To all those morons that think this will bring tourist dollars to Toronto: DEAD wrong, this will do more damage to tourist industry rather than improve it as I'm afraid that the protesters will destroy parts of downtown and the city will end up on the hook for clean-up for any damage caused.

They should have the G20 meeting in the middle of Gulf of Mexico floating on the patch of oil that is polluting the gulf and killing wildlife. Maybe then they'd get serious about pollution.

 

[EnviroTO]

It is harmful to the economy, is a benefit to only a few, takes tax dollars from the many, and could have been replaced by a high tech teleconference rooms installed in each country as a one time expense. If we need a G20 summit surely there is a better place to put it besides downtown in the largest financial center and the hub of the railway network. A billion dollars could build a new UN like building in Iqaluit to hold these events every year rather than a one time blow on security and bailing out the businesses being impacted.

G20 in downtown does bring media exposure but so did SARS. Harper has basically signed us up for the equivalent of SARS willingly.

 

[BananaIsland]

The G20 Summit is a complete waste of time and money to host in a large metropolis like Toronto. At over $1B for 15 hours worth of meetings (that's $1M a minute), they will resolve NOTHING! Look at the banking crisis the global economics have had on all nations and you will have the answer to what previous summits have produced. This is one giant weekend vacation for these political heads of states and their entourage on taxpayers dime. The party will be spoiled with protesters and likely some violence (though probably not to the extent of some previous summits). The best place for them to host such a monster event is on an island... for a billion dollars, I understand Alcatraz Island is in need of some renovation money and best of all, they can keep them all there for 20 years or more.

 

[old boy]

While it's somewhat consoling that Toronto is getting centre stage treatment for once, the extraordinary costs in security and lost revenues from cancelled local venues for this momentary event dulls the shine considerably. The big event, plunked right in the heart of this city, has a lot of people keeping their fingers crossed that we just get through this thing. Any lasting benefit to Toronto's reputation will be a bonus.

 

[Irishmonk]

SARS, the garbage strike and now this. Is Toronto ever going to catch a break? Oh yeah, the Pan Am games in 2015. Almost forgot.