Mayor Gondek wants 'clear line of sight' on province's role in repaying Calgary for G7

Costs associated with the G7 won't become publicly available until after the leaders' summit, happening in Kananaskis from June 15 to 17, but Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has concerns around those funds in the meantime.

Under the current arrangement with G7 organizers, expenses incurred by the city are set to be reimbursed by the federal Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, also known as Public Safety Canada.

According to Gondek, what should be a straightforward process has been complicated by provincial legislation barring municipalities from making any deals directly with the Government of Canada.

"What typically happens when you host an event like this that is federally funded is the municipality that's hosting would be made whole, or get reimbursed, by the federal government for any expenses that we incur," said Gondek. 

"But we have a small problem in that legislation that was passed by the provincial government prohibits us from dealing directly with the federal government."

Provincial government spokesperson Hunter Baril said in a statement to CBC News that the Provincial Priorities Act does not prevent municipalities from dealing with the federal government but does require all formal agreements to be approved by the province.

"Alberta's government is currently engaged in discussions the City of Calgary and Calgary Police Service to conclude a reimbursement agreement for expenses incurred related the G7 summit," he said.

During a G7 presentation to council on Tuesday, the city's chief operating officer Stuart Dalgleish confirmed that the funds will need to flow through the provincial government, and that a deal between the city and the province is in the works.

"We've had a conversation with them as early as [Monday] about the importance of this agreement," said Dalgleish, adding the city is monitoring the situation "on a daily basis" as it works to get a deal with the province finalized.

During that presentation, Calgary Police Service lead strategic planner Sheldon Scott said that to his knowledge, the city was directly reimbursed by the federal government when the G8 summit was held in Kananaskis in 2002.

Gondek said there "shouldn't be anything preventing us from getting this money," but she is "seeking some confidence that the provincial government has the funds from the federal government and they will be giving them to us."

The mayor says she's wary of the reimbursement process potentially being slowed down by the province.

"It may be the case that the federal government has offered to put the money forward to pay us back, but it's being held up somewhere in the province," she said. "Administratively, that means we are carrying costs that are not ours, and I don't want any of that to be the situation."

"I just want to have a clear line of sight on whether the provincial government is directly liaising with the feds on our behalf, or how this is working, because if we put out cash that we then don't get back, this doesn't work," Gondek said.

She added that this situation "will be one of the big tests of that legislation," referring to the province's ban on municipal-federal agreements made without provincial approval.

'An all-government approach'

According to Gondek, "if we don't get that funding quickly, or we don't get it at all, what it means is that your municipal government has paid out money to host an event that is not our event. It is a federal event."

The G7 leaders' summit is being led by Global Affairs Canada and the Prime Minister's Office, with the Government of Alberta and City of Calgary among a number of key partners and stakeholders involved.

Troy McLeod, the city's G7 corporate director, emphasized that the summit is a collaborative effort involving all levels of government.

"The federal government is covering all of our operational costs associated with the summit," he said. 

"The provincial government is also involved with a number of agencies supporting the event, so it's an all-government approach."

Reimbursement for expenses incurred by the city will be covered through the Major International Event Security Cost Framework, a federal program.

Eligible expenses will be those that fall under a Calgary Police Service budget approved by Public Safety Canada and endorsed by the RCMP, the summit's lead law enforcement agency. 

Calgary police will be in charge of local aspects of the G7, including demonstration and protest management in the city, securing the Calgary International Airport and handling events taking place in the city. CPS will also be supporting other law enforcement agencies with motorcades, traffic control, overall site security and more.

Their goal is "prioritizing the safety and security of Calgarians" while "minimizing disruptions to daily life throughout the G7 summit.''

McLeod said the city is working with local agencies like Tourism Calgary and the Calgary Downtown Association to show international delegates and journalists the best side of Calgary, including through infrastructure repairs and maintenance in popular areas.

"Normally, we do a lot of this right before Stampede," he said. "We're turning the calendar forward and we're doing these repairs early on so the delegates can see our best when they come to the city of Calgary."