I have a real issue with police closing off public streets and demanding an explanation before people can gain admission to part of the city. Yes, security is important. We have to avoid the rioting seen elsewhere. But the Queen's Highway is the Queen's Highway and wars have been fought to prevent the need for us to have "passcards".
Condo behind security fence during G20 summit
Getting home will become a lot more complicated for residents of 33 University Ave.
The 28-storey financial district condominium is the only residential building slated to be stuck inside a fenced security perimeter when the G20 summit touches down in Toronto next month.
The only way in and out will be through police checkpoints.
"It's definitely an inconvenience," said Duyen Briggs, who lives at The Empire Plaza at University Ave. and Wellington St. "I guess that week I'll feel like I'm going to be blocked inside my house for a while."
As security details for the G20 summit continue to trickle out, downtown residents and businesses are beginning to understand how their lives will be affected.
Empire Plaza residents discovered over the weekend their homes will be enclosed within a security fence expected to go up about two weeks before the summit opens at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on June 26.
Residents will have to apply for advance security clearance to receive a special ID card to gain express access to their building.
The general public will be allowed to enter the fenced-in area — the borders of which haven't yet been disclosed — but will be subject to on-the-spot security checks by police and will have to explain why they need to enter the area.
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