World leaders began arriving in Calgary for Sunday’s start of the G7 summit as hundreds of boisterous protesters demonstrated downtown amid a heavy security presence.

Throngs of people chanted and waved signs at designated protest zones, many directing their anger at U.S. President Donald Trump and other dignitaries attending the summit an hour away in Kananaskis.

Several groups totalling about 400 people held rallies outside Calgary City Hall, including demonstrations for Indigenous water rights, peace in Kashmir and an end to violence in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Hundreds of pro-Palestine supporters also joined a procession that marched through downtown, blocking traffic on Macleod Trail and prompting additional road closures.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is hosting Trump and other leaders of the world’s richest democracies for three days of talks at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, where the 2002 G8 gathering was held.

“It’s just awesome to see there’s so many different causes being called attention to,” said Leanne Mackenzie, who carried a sign at the city hall rally targeting Trump.

“I’m going to take this opportunity to come here today to call attention to the rest of the G7 world that’s here,” Mackenzie added. “I chose to specifically target fascism and keeping it out of Canada, and showing that this is what we’re going towards in the U.S. That’s terrifying to me.”

Carney is scheduled to meet with Trump early Monday morning. The meeting will take place ahead of the official G7 welcoming ceremony at the Pomeroy Kananaskis Mountain Lodge.

Summit officials erected a sign informing demonstrators the rallies were being live-streamed to the G7 summit Kananaskis site “for the purpose of allowing individuals to be seen and heard.”

City officials designated three protest zones to accommodate demonstrations — at city hall, Enoch/East Victoria Park and another near the Calgary airport.

Banff is also bracing for demonstrators, with a rally planned for the town’s designated protest site on Monday afternoon.

World leaders arrive in Calgary

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was the first to arrive Sunday at Calgary International Airport, followed two hours later by Carney and the Canadian delegation.

Carney met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Ottawa Sunday morning before the two left for Calgary.

At the airport, Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Premier Danielle Smith and First Nations representatives greeted leaders from the G7 nations and invited non-member countries as they arrived. Smith will also host an evening reception in Calgary on Monday and hold bilateral meetings throughout the summit.

Other G7 members include France, Germany, Italy and Japan, along with the European Union.

Also attending at Carney’s invitation are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with Albanese, and the leaders of Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.

The prime minister was scheduled for back-to-back meetings with Albanese and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in Calgary before leaving for Kananaskis, where he was to meet with Treaty 7 First Nations leaders and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Arriving G8 leaders received a traditional Calgary white-hat welcome ahead of the 2002 summit as they were handed a Smithbilt hat on the airport tarmac by then-mayor Dave Bronconnier.

Delegates arriving Sunday did receive a trademark hat and other gifts, but security concerns meant there was no ceremony of western hospitality for the VIP visitors.

Protesters in Calgary ‘very proud to exercise our rights and privileges to protest’

Law enforcement officers from across Western Canada have descended on Calgary to help support the security effort for activities relating to the summit.

Officers from Vancouver have patrolled the streets of downtown Calgary near city hall, while members of the Tsuut’ina Nation, Edmonton and Winnipeg police services are also expected to assist, working alongside the Calgary Police Service, Alberta Sheriffs and RCMP.

In Kananaskis Country, where U.S. military aircraft circled overhead Sunday, the RCMP has established a large, controlled access zone around key summit venues, which lasts through June 18.

NORAD deployed two CF-18 fighters Sunday morning to intercept a private, fixed-wing, civilian aircraft violating the no-fly zone over the G7 summit site, officials said.

Around 11:05 a.m., the unauthorized aircraft entered restricted airspace, triggering a tactical response, the G7 Integrated Safety and Security Group said in a news release Sunday evening.

“After multiple steps were taken to gain the pilot’s attention, CANR (NORAD’s Canadian region) employed final warning measures to contact the pilot and have them safely land under their own power,” the ISSG said.

A spokesperson for the security group couldn’t go into details about the rules of engagement, but did say the warning was visual in nature.

“That warning was essentially the last before we’d have to move to something more lethal, frankly,” said Fraser Logan of the G7 Integrated Safety and Security Group.

Temporary no-fly zones over Kananaskis and Calgary have been in effect since June 14 because of the G7 summit and will remain until June 17 at 11:59 p.m.

In Calgary, Raven McLaren was among a group of protesters at the city hall rally who welcomed the opportunity to protest the visit of Trump, who was the last of the G7 leaders to land in Calgary at around 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

“I’m here in protest today showing my Canadian unity in the face of Donald Trump‘s threats and attacks against my country,” McLaren said. “Now that he’s here in my country, I feel compelled to be here.

“He’s made himself to be the enemy of Canada, and the enemy is in our country,” McLaren added. “We’re a nation of diversity, equity and inclusion, and (Trump) can’t take that away from us.”

McLaren was joined by Tiffany Junghans, who echoed his sentiments. “The G7 is a very important conference. We’re lucky there are so many eyes here,” she said. “We’re very proud to be Canadian and very proud to exercise our rights and privileges to protest.”

As protesters ventured outside the designated demonstration zone into the streets of downtown, CPS expressed concern, writing on social media: “An unauthorized march has occurred and we (are) working with demonstrators to comply with traffic safety rules.”

The demonstration interfered with Calgary fire responses, according to Calgary police: “We’ve been made aware that two calls for service for Calgary Fire Department were impacted by the demonstration,” CPS wrote on social media.

By 3:15 p.m., all roads in downtown had reopened and demonstrators had returned to City Hall, according to CPS.

“Several demonstrations occurred in downtown Calgary. Some were lawful, most were peaceful & officers worked to keep everyone safe,” CPS posted in a later update.

“However, some behaviour from demonstrators was not in compliance with the Traffic Safety Act & interrupted emergency services. We will be reviewing all evidence gathered today to determine if any further action is required.”

Road closures in Calgary

Calgary police warned all road users to be mindful of motorcades in Calgary and area throughout the duration of the G7 summit.

The City of Calgary is warning drivers to expect road closures and delays around the Calgary International Airport and downtown core as leaders and delegates arrive for the summit.

The airport tunnel is closed until June 18, meaning commuters from northeast Calgary will need to find alternate routes. The off-ramp from 19th Street to eastbound Airport Trail N.E. is also closed during this period, though the rest of Airport Trail remains open.

A security checkpoint has been set up at the north end of McCall Way N.E., restricting access to airport employees and business traffic only.

The city also noted that additional rolling closures may occur as motorcades transport delegates to and from the airport.

Meanwhile in Banff, visitors and locals noticed an influx of security in the mountain town by Sunday.

Despite excitement from some around the G7, the town itself wasn’t any busier than usual, according to one tourist.

“I’ve seen Banff a lot busier than this . . . I’ve been here almost five, six times,” said Joanne Morgan, who was visiting Banff with her two sisters from Ireland.

Patrick O’Connor, who works in Banff, said the crowds have been normal for this time of year, despite the exciting potential of world leaders visiting Banff.

“It’s exciting to know that the top seven leaders of the world economies are here in the area to talk about the world economy,” he said.