Author: Karen Bartko
Darren Robinson had some very important news to tell U.S. president George Bush and José María Aznar, the prime minister of Spain: the pro shop was open.
Aznar had told Robinson, general manager of the Kananaskis Country Golf Club in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains, that he wanted to visit it.True to his word, Robinson walked over to the two world leaders on a patio and interrupted their conversation.“What was probably only 10 seconds felt like 10 minutes,” Robinson recalled of the G8 leaders’ summit in 2002 in Kananaskis.He said the pair paused their discussion, and Bush waved over British prime minister Tony Blair. The four then talked about golf, running, the mountains, as the other leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, chatted ahead of a dinner at the golf club. Story continues below advertisement
“I’m like, somebody pinch me. It’s really happening,” Robinson said.Twenty-three years later, Robinson is again teeing up to possibly host some of the world’s most powerful people for the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis set for June 15-17.
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The golf club is included in the tightly controlled perimeter that will be closed to public access during the summit and is one of two primary locations the leaders could use.
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The summit is being hosted by the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, a short drive from the course.There’s speculation U.S. President Donald Trump, with his known affection for golf, could tee off on the scenic course that sits at the foot of Mount Kidd.Trump even owns Kananaskis Country Golf Club merchandise. Prime Minister Mark Carney gifted the president a hat and gear from the club during his first White House visit in early May. Story continues below advertisement
Requests for comment to the White House and the Prime Minister’s Office about whether Trump or Carney would get in a golf game at the summit were not returned.The summit’s itinerary hasn’t been shared publicly. And if history informs Robinson’s expectations, any activities involving leaders at the course would be spontaneous.
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Robinson remembers one afternoon in 2002, when he mentioned to Jean Chrétien, touring the club before an upcoming dinner, that it was a shame the prime minister didn’t have time to play.“(Chrétien) says, ‘Who says I don’t have time?’ And he starts taking off his tie and jacket,” said Robinson, mimicking Chrétien’s French accent.Chrétien hit two clean shots on his way to the putting green, said Robinson. But on the third shot, a short chip to get on the green, the prime minister accidentally nicked a divot out of the grass before making contact with the ball.
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“Before the ball even stops rolling, he reaches into his pocket, drops another one, hits that nicely onto the green,” Robinson said.“And then he looks at me and says, ‘I call that a Clinton.’”
Chrétien, after dropping the reference to former U.S. president Bill Clinton, played three more holes before getting back to work, said Robinson.
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RCMP unveils security operation plans for G7 summit
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Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is resisting an Opposition call to bring in the military to combat wildfires that have forced thousands from their homes.
Moe’s office, in a statement Thursday, said they recognize the Canadian Armed Forces can play a key role in specific areas, such as aerial evacuations, but said that’s not what Saskatchewan needs right now.“Currently, Saskatchewan’s greatest areas of need are for water bombers and firefighting resources, which the military is not able to provide,” it said.His office noted it is keeping in touch with the federal government and is getting help from other provinces to fight the fires, along with supports from the Canadian Red Cross. Marshals are patrolling evacuated communities to prevent looting.Earlier Thursday, the Opposition NDP called on Moe to call in the military – as has been done in Manitoba. Story continues below advertisement
“Every available resource in our country must be deployed to fight these fires. We cannot afford to leave help on the table,” NDP Leader Carla Beck wrote in a letter to Moe.Saskatchewan is battling 25 active fires and estimates 400 structures have burned.
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Steve Roberts, with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, said there has been little rain for a month, and rain is what’s needed.“Weather continues to be problematic,” Roberts told an online news conference Thursday. “Rain will be a big turning point for these fires but until then we’re dug in doing the best we can.”
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More than 30,000 people in Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been forced to flee their homes ahead of scores of wildfires in recent days, more than 18,000 from Manitoba alone. Story continues below advertisement
Smoke from the Prairie wildfires has drifted as far east as Newfoundland and Labrador and as far south as Florida in recent days, prompting health warnings in some regions.The major evacuation zones are in and around La Ronge, Sask., where 7,000 have been forced out, and in the city of Flin Flon, Man., where all 5,000 city residents along with another thousand in the surrounding vicinity have had to leave.The fires have also displaced about 6,700 in the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in northcentral Manitoba.
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Pimicikamak Chief David Monias said additional help is coming to his community after he joined other First Nations leaders in calling for adequate equipment and resources.Monias said in a post on social media a crew of 30 to 35 structural firefighters, along with six pumpers, tankers and command teams, are being deployed to the community. Story continues below advertisement
Manitoba has 27 active wildfires, a third of which are out of control. Provincial officials said weather and firefighters from Manitoba and elsewhere are keeping the fires from overrunning communities for now.“The weather over the last couple of days has improved our ability to get some pretty good progress done on these fires,” said Kristin Hayward with the Manitoba Wildfire Service.
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“We have had cooler temperatures, a little bit higher humidity (and) winds generally have been low to moderate. We are expecting that general trend to continue.”In Winnipeg, police say they will help out to protect evacuees who are unfamiliar with large urban centres and could be prey for exploiters or scammers.The leader of the organization that represents the northern First Nations that have been evacuated said some of the main concerns are around drug and human trafficking and sexual violence.“This is proactive effort and not reacting until after it happens. This is making that step to make sure our people are protected,” said Grand Chief Garrison Settee of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak.
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Manitoba and Saskatchewan declared states of emergency last week to allow various levels of government to co-ordinate resources and support. Story continues below advertisement
In northern Alberta on Thursday, the approximately 1,300 residents of the town of Swan Hills were allowed to return to their homes about a week after fleeing from a wildfire.But about 340 kilometres west in the County of Grande Prairie, people were ordered out.Earlier this week, officials with the Municipal District of Opportunity, which covers a dozen small rural communities in northern Alberta, confirmed that roughly half of the structures in Chipewyan Lake had been destroyed by a wildfire on the weekend.Marcel Auger, reeve of the district, said on social media Tuesday that 38 structures were destroyed, including the community health centre, water treatment plant and homes.Chipewyan Lake has 75 people.Liam Buchart, a fire weather specialist with Natural Resources Canada, says wildfires on the Prairies became severe more quickly than normal this week.“The second half of May dried out slightly earlier than normal across a lot of the Prairies,” he said. “We’re at our second-largest area burned for this time of year in the last decade at least.”— With files from Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg and Jack Farrell and Fakiha Baig in Edmonton
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she has invited Prime Minister Mark Carney to watch an Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup final game.
Speaking to The Canadian Press in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Smith said she’s waiting to see if Carney will join her for Game 5, which could take place next weekend ahead of the G7 conference in Kananaskis, Alta.Carney, who grew up in Edmonton, made his allegiance to the home team clear when he stopped at Rogers Place to skate with the Oilers in March. That was his first visit to the city after being sworn in as Liberal leader, replacing Justin Trudeau.
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PM Carney practices with Edmonton Oilers
“I am pleased to see that we at least have a prime minister who knows what team to root for,” Smith said. Story continues below advertisement
“I’m game. We’ll see if we can go together.”
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The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. In response to a request for further details, Smith’s press secretary Sam Blackett offered a brief statement.“Let’s see if the series goes to five games first,” he said.It would be the first game Smith has publicly acknowledged planning to attend during this year’s Oilers NHL playoff run.Last year, the premier and some of her cabinet members faced criticism for accepting free luxury box tickets to playoff games.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, front second left, and B.C. Premier David Eby, front right, watch the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers play Game 2 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series in Vancouver on May 10, 2024.
Darryl Dyck/ The Canadian Press
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At the time, Smith defended their attendance, saying Albertans expect their elected representatives to support the team. Story continues below advertisement
While Smith said the tickets she accepted were courtesy of a provincial Crown corporation, a few ministers were given tickets by a private businessman whose contracts with the Alberta government are now part of multiple broader investigations into government health-care contracts.The premier has said that she and her ministers’ moves were above board, and broke no ethics rules.Subsequent allegations of bloated sweetheart deals from the former head of Alberta Health Services sparked investigations from the RCMP, Alberta’s auditor general and a former Manitoba judge hired by the government.Peter Guthrie ultimately resigned from cabinet as infrastructure minister over the government’s handling of the contract scandal, and he was later booted from the United Conservative caucus altogether over his criticism.Smith has denied any wrongdoing, insisting her government is fully co-operating with all investigations.— with files from Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington, D.C.
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Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on Wednesday there’s been a “breakthrough” in conversations with Americans on Canada’s role in the United States’ quest for energy dominance as President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to cause uncertainty for the bilateral relationship.
“We’ve managed to make a breakthrough on the discussion about energy dominance and how Canada can lend itself to that, whether its our oil, our gas, critical minerals, uranium from Saskatchewan, electricity from many of our provinces,” Smith said in an interview with The Canadian Press at the embassy in Washington, D.C.“I feel like there’s a real understanding of that.”
Trump returned to the White House set on boosting America’s energy production. Smith said that while the energy argument has seen success, conversations around other industries are ongoing.The Alberta premier was in the United States capital for meetings and a forum on energy this week as Trump doubled his tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Story continues below advertisement
Canada is a major supplier to the U.S. and Canadian industry says 50 per cent levies will be devastating.
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Carney slams Trump’s steel tariffs as ‘unlawful, illogical’
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