High up in the Canadian Rockies, inhabitants of Kananaskis awoke yesterday to news that the G8 summit of world leaders would be held in their isolated resort village next year, with all the attendant security.
Most are furious, according to residents contacted by telephone.
"People have a contempt for them coming to Kananaskis," said Rick Allison, manager of the Peregrine sports shop. "We don't want them here. They will probably shut down all the hotels and shops."
"This is supposed to be a national wild life reserve," said Tony, an assistant in the golf shop at one of two country clubs in this pristine region of Alberta. "It's going to be a mess."
An hour's drive from Calgary on Highway 40, the highest engineered road in Canada, Kananaskis is not so much a village as a scattering of resort buildings and trailers. It has two hotels, a couple of gift and sports shops and 300 residents, most dependant on summer tourism for a livelihood.
The resort has only one road in and out and - up to now - a couple of Canadian Royal Mounted Police officers to provide security. The location was chosen by Canadian Prime Minister Mr Jean Chretien to isolate the next meeting of the leaders of the seven industrialised nations and Russia after the riots which engulfed Genoa during the G8 summit at the weekend.
The resort and its golf course were carved out of pristine Aspen parkland in 1988 to host the Winter Olympics downhill events, said Barry Zwueste, representative of the management company which runs the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge. It has since become popular for hiking, biking, fishing, camping, rafting and skiing.
There are grizzly bears in the woods but they will not bother the world leaders as "they don't quite like people", said Mr Zwueste.
The G8 leaders will likely be housed in the Mountain Lodge - Mr Zwueste's comment that he could not "confirm or deny" this sort of gave the game away. This will put the mountain retreat firmly on the map, but the inhabitants see few benefits from the expected invasion of police and protesters.
"Everyone is going to be screwed," said Mr Allison, who has lived in Kananaskis for three years. "I have a criminal record, just a bunch of little things when I was young, no violence or drugs, but I am probably going to be shipped out when they come. Part of our lives will be put on hold."
"Everyone is mad," complained a resident who did not want her name published. "There are really only three months to make a living up here and they will probably shut the whole valley down for a while, and we will all have to get security screening." Marge at the Country Club agreed: "Definitely people are angry," she said.
