Ontario Gives Police Sweeping Powers During G20 Summit in Toronto
Broad powers of arrest and search without warrant given to police during the G20 Summit only became public knowledge after the first arrest was made
Arthur Weinreb , Bio and Archives--June 26, 2010
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Before Dave Vasey, 31, was arrested and detained for a few hours on June 24, 2010, very few people knew about the vast powers of search and arrest that police were given for the G20 Summit being held in Toronto on June 26 and 27.
After Vasey’s story became public, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair held a news conference where he explained that the law was neither new nor passed in secret. It was done just as much to protect protesters as other people. He was correct in saying that the law under which these enhanced powers of arrest and detention were granted was not new; it has been around for years. But, as far as the regulation that applies specifically to the G20 Summit weekend in Toronto, it was secret for all those who don’t make looking at new Ontario government regulations on the Internet part of their daily routine. More...
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Arthur Weinreb——Bio and Archives
Arthur Weinreb is an author, columnist and Associate Editor of Canada Free Press. Arthur’s latest book, Ford Nation: Why hundreds of thousands of Torontonians supported their conservative crack-smoking mayor is available at Amazon. Racism and the Death of Trayvon Martin is also available at Smashwords. His work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com.