Torontonamo: The Dog Ate My Homework Version

Gee. Biiiiig surprise.

The only person charged under a controversial G20 regulation appeared in court Wednesday to discover his charges have mysteriously disappeared.

Dave Vasey, 31, was exploring the G20 security perimeter June 24 when he was arrested and charged under a temporary regulation. The regulation, which was quietly passed by the province under the 1939 Public Works Protection Act, designated the security zone around the Metro Convention Centre as a “public work” and empowered police to search anyone attempting to enter the perimeter.

So. He walks. There is no accountability, no explanation, no further opportunity for media coverage.

Move along. Nothing to see here.

Torontonamo, 30 Days Later (updated)

And it's still in the news. Carol Goar today in The Star does the arithmetic.

Thirty days after the summit, the gains look modest; the losses extensive. The balance could change, but it would take a strenuous effort by public authorities to fix what they broke.

And yesterday, CBC ran a story about a young woman who is suing the Toronto Police over injuries from rubber bullets.

Police claimed the shots were "muzzle blasts" — harmless blanks meant to scare protesters, not hurt them. They deny using rubber bullets.

But photographs of Gray's wounds taken by an emergency room doctor show she was indeed injured in the chest and arm.

There are over 900 comments, by far most of them in support of the protesters.

If you've got a few minutes, go do the 'thumbs up/down' thing. Or leave a comment. The media will keep covering it as long as we keep paying attention.

ADDED: From the lawnorder Toronto Sun. Yup, they lied.

Rubber bullets were fired at the crowd outside the Eastern Ave. set up during the G20 Summit, a Toronto Police spokesman said Tuesday — one day after releasing erroneous information.

Mark Pugash corrected a statement he made Monday to the Toronto Sun saying no rubber bullets were fired outside the temporary prisoner processing centre, saying he had received the wrong information.

The person who provided the mistaken information called him Tuesday and said that rubber bullets were fired outside the centre, Pugash said.

Slam-dunk for the gal with the lawsuit. Slam-dunk for more costs for the rest of us as all these lawsuits get swept under expensive carpets.

The Fiery Star

Now, this is what I call newspapering. Three pieces today in The Star on the G20 insanity in Torontonamo:

Make Our Police Accountable by A. Alan Borovoy, who needs no introduction to fans of civil and human rights.

An unsigned editorial demanding a full inquiry.

And an opinion piece by Dave Coles, President of the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union, and one of the people who outed the agents provocateurs at Montebello, Security Operation or Political Theatre?

Keep the pressure on. We bloggers will help.

And the bills keep rolling in

One of the attempted spins on how locating the G20 in the middle of Canada's largest city wasn't insane was that it would be good for business.

Well, the reports are coming in and hey, guess what? That was utter bullshit -- as anyone with more than one functioning neuron could have predicted.

In the restaurant biz, the effects of the event that's come to be known as Torontonamo were felt far beyond the downtown core.

The impact of the G20 Summit was felt well outside the downtown core, according to a survey of Toronto restaurant owners conducted by the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA). Ninety-three per cent of downtown respondents and 73 per cent in the rest of the city reported a "significant decrease" in sales between June 21 and June 30, compared to the same period in 2009.

"The impact of the G20 Summit on Toronto restaurants was far deeper and more widespread than many people expected," says Garth Whyte, CRFA president and CEO. "Our focus now is on ensuring that our members are fairly compensated for their business losses."

Look at these numbers:

• Sales at downtown restaurants dropped by an average of 55 per cent during the Summit week (June 21 - June 30) compared to the same period in 2009;
• 51 per cent closed their businesses during the Summit due to concerns about the safety of their staff and customers;
• 42 per cent reported that staff were unable to get to work due to Summit disruptions.
• One third of downtown respondents were not aware of the federal government's compensation program for losses related to the G20 Summit.
• Only 1 per cent reported a significant increase in sales during the G20 Summit.

And because the generous rules for compensation set out by our overlords stipulated that only businesses that stayed open are eligible, more than half will have no claim. Also, the rules do not yet indicate which areas of the city will be included.

To sum up: Nearly all restaurants in the core and most elsewhere had 'significant decreases' = lost income and wages. Half the restaurants closed = lotta low-wage workers -- probably largely students -- got no pay. Of the businesses that stayed open, 42% of their staff couldn't get to work = lost pay. Sales down by more than half = lost pay for those who work for tips.

"The Summit drove customers away and made it dangerous for many restaurants to stay open," says Whyte. "These businesses deserve fair compensation for their losses."

Not to mention a bunch of low-wage earners/students.

And there's more. Toronto Life, under the heading Toronto Shafted reports:

Now, 40 street vendors, who were forced to leave their spots around the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for 19 days as a result of the G20, are seeking compensation from the government.

Nineteen days' lost business -- one presumes in their busiest time -- is a helluva hit for a hot-dog seller.

I wonder if the cabbies and others who got fucked over will be organized to claim compensation too.

Who's gonna pay? Us of course. It probably won't be anything near what people deserve, but it's us who will foot this bill too.

And the ConBots bitch about the cost of an inquiry.

Torontonamo UPDATED

This afternoon, Toronto Police will release its G20 Ten Most Wanted List.

Gee. Wonder if it will include this famous yet anonymous guy in the expensive jacket.



In related news, there's another website devoted to collecting stories about the G20 police actions. This one has a great name: Torontonamo, a word we bloggers should help spread far and wide.

In more related news, the Facebook group is closing in on 54,000 members.

UPDATE: CBC story and from the comments, Mr. Looks-Like-A-Cop made the list.