Ottawa expects to spend at least $833 million on security for next month's G8 and G20 summits, according to government documents released Tuesday.
In March, the federal government had allocated $179 million for its security budget. But under new estimates, these costs should increase by $654 million to a total of $833 million.
Public Safety Minister Vic Toews told CTV's Power Play Tuesday evening that costs could rise by another $100 million, and so the government has budgeted up to $930 million on a "medium-threat basis."
"When I first looked at it I think the reaction would have been the same as any ordinary Canadian looking at those costs," Toews said. "You say, ‘How much money is this costing us?' But I'm satisfied that the experts have been very careful in their assessment."
"We don't want to have a security incident," Toews added. "Security is the biggest concern that we have in putting these summits on."
Toews said the government won't know the total security costs until after the completion of the summits.
The new costs are included in the Supplementary Estimates (A), 2010-11 -- the first of several documents used to inform Parliament about spending requirements that are not included in the Main Estimates of the annual budget.
According to a copy of the Supplementary Estimates (A), 2010-11, that has been posted to the Treasury Board of Canada website, the additional $654 million will be split among the following departments:
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police -- $321.5 million
- Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness -- $262.6 million
- National Defence -- $63.1 million
- Others - $6.7 million
The document says the additional funding will be used to:
- design, plan, coordinate and implement security operations for the summits
- provide the RCMP and its security partners with accommodation facilities for the G8 and G20 Summits
- procure information technology and portable communication assets
- work with federal, provincial and municipal security partners responsible for providing Summit security
- ensure the safekeeping of all International Protected Persons attending the summits
The G8 will be held in Huntsville, Ont., from June 25-26.
The G20 will take place in Toronto, from June 26-27.
CTV's Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife said the cost of holding G8 and G20 events has increased over time, and as such meetings have become more and more security conscious.
"That's the way these summits are now," he told CTV News Channel on Tuesday afternoon. "They never ever actually see anybody in the public any more, they are behind very secure barriers and there is very, very tight security."
Toews said the two summits had to be held in Toronto and Huntsville, rather than in a more remote location that may have saved security costs, because hotel space is needed for the attendees.
Toews also pointed out that while holding the two summits back-to-back is "unprecedented," piggybacking them together "in fact saved the taxpayers some money."
With files from The Canadian Press
