Finding enough rooms at the inn is proving no mean feat for Japanese government officials set to attend the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis next month.
The Asian country’s foreign affairs staff are almost certainly not alone in scrambling to find suitable lodging in a Calgary region that’ll also be hosting about 20,000 Rotary International Convention delegates immediately after the G7 gathering from June 15 to 17 G7.
Both are happening just as the summer tourism season in the Calgary-Banff region begins, and shortly before the July 4- to 13 Calgary Stampede
“It’s competitive but I think we’ll be able to do it,” said a staffer with the consulate general of Japan in Calgary.
His office said the demand for rooms in the mountains is so great, some of the officials’ accommodation is being sought in an also soon-to-be busy Calgary.
In the past few days, Suguru Hayashida has been making the rounds in Banff, Canmore and Kananaskis to size up the venues, accommodations and logistical challenges facing his country’s delegation, which will include 200 government officials.
Another 100 Japanese journalists based in their home country and elsewhere will also converge on Banff-Kananaskis for G7, he said.
“You have to make sure there’s lots of backup contingencies in case things change,” said Hayashida, a native of Nagasaki who’s been stationed in Ottawa for the past 2-1/2 years.
But the diplomat said he’s been impressed with those in the hospitality sector in Calgary and the mountain communities to the west.
“People are so kind and open-minded, it’s well-organized” said Hayashida, adding the majestic mountain setting for the gathering of leaders of the U.K., Germany, Italy, France, the U.S., Japan and host Canada is ideal.
“It’s perfect from the point of view of security, it’s very quiet and (its beauty) is one of the most important elements as an icebreaker (for delegates) and for a fresh mind,” he said.
Having previously visited the Canadian Rockies on a family vacation, Hayashida said he was happy to hear the 2025 G7 would be held in Kananaskis.
But the summit’s idyllic setting will be subjected to a tight security cordon, with areas surrounding Kananaskis Village blocked off to all except those permitted to enter the security zone.
An estimated 5,000 Canadian soldiers and up to 1,500 RCMP personnel guarded the closed access area, where even the movements of grizzly bears were monitored.
On Thursday, it was announced the Royal Canadian Air Force would soon begin conducting preparatory security flights over the Kananaskis region, with low level sorties flown by CF-18 Hornet fighters and, later in the month, CH-147F Chinook and CH-146 Griffon helicopters.
“The public can expect to see and hear Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft flying in and around the region, sometimes at lower altitudes and in formations of multiple aircraft, as aircrews practise procedures and familiarize themselves with operating in the region,” said RCMP, who are spearheading the Integrated Safety and Security Group for the G7.
Two reasons for that tight security are figures such as U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the latter having been invited by Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Prime topics to be discussed in Kananaskis are the Russian-Ukraine war, international relations and economic stability amid the Trump-instigated trade war, and threats against NATO allies.
While he’s not authorized to speak about politics, Hayashida said the host country’s proximity to and relationship with the U.S. means Canada will be closely scrutinized.
“Everyone in the Japanese government is paying great attention to Canada,” he said.
“It’s a very different G7.”
The diplomat who’s done a stint in Russia said he’ll likely be too busy to sample and rate the Calgary-Banff region’s Japanese cuisine.
“If I have time, I’d like to try more — maybe as a visitor another time,” he said.
A meeting of the G7 finance ministers is scheduled for May 20 to 22 in Banff, after a summit of the countries’ foreign ministers in Charlevoix, Que., two months ago.
When Kananaskis hosted the G8 summit in 2002, it went off largely without incident.
BKaufmann@postmedia.com
X: @BillKaufmannjrn
AloJapan.com