Summit costs hit $1.1B

The cost of hosting the G8 and G20summits next month in Ontarionow stands at$1.1 billion and further outlays are likely, federal documents show.

The price tag includes $160 million for hospitality, infrastructure, food safety and extra staffing. That amountis in additionto the $933-millionsecurity bill the Tories revealed earlier this week.

"This might be the most expensive 72 hours in Canadian history," Liberal MP Mark Holland said.

But Public Safety Minister Vic Toews defended the costs for security, saying Canada has an obligation to make sure world leaders are safe while visiting Toronto and Huntsville, Ont.

Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff blamed the Conservative government's "poor management" for the ballooning cost estimates.

Ignatieff said Wednesday that Canadians can't understand howthe government'sinitial earmarking of $179 million for security has multiplied in the space of a couple months.

"These numbers are off the scale with other G8s and G20s,"Ignatieff told reporters outside his party's weekly caucus meeting in Ottawa.

"We're three weeks away from the event where Canada will be on the world stage, and I want to be proud of Canada. For now, I'm embarrassed."

Not a costoverrun: Toews

Inan interview with CBC News earlier in the day, Toews defended thesecurity estimate as the "most efficient and effective" use of public money for Canada's "unprecedented" hosting of back-to-back international summits. He alsoinsisted the estimate was not acost overrun.

"This has been budgeted for, and the money is released as it is required," Toews said.

The estimated cost for security overthe course ofseven days in June dwarfs the amount spent at previous international summits and is expected to surpass the $898 million spentduringthe Vancouver Olympics which spanned 14 days.

The official price tag for securityat last year's G20 summit in Pittsburgh was listed at $18 million US, according tomunicipaland U.S. federal officials.

ButToews said comparing the costs for security at this year'ssummitswiththe amount spent at theOlympics is likecomparing "apples and oranges" because the G8 and G20 meetings, with so many heads ofcountries visiting at once, require a very "different type" of security.

"Granted there were some heads of nations at the Olympics, but nowhere in the configuration or the numbers that are going to be here," Toews said."I don't think you can say, 'Well, because it's seven days instead of14 days, it should be half the price.'It simply doesn't work that way."

The face-to-face meetings,Toews said, allow leaders to deal with issues that simply can't be handled over the phone or by video-conference.

When asked by the Liberals during Wednesday'squestion periodto explain the costs, Toews said the government believes the experts when they say such a level of security is necessary.

"I understand that the Liberals don't believe in securing Canadians or the visitors here," Toews told the House. "We're different."

NDP Leader Jack Layton said the Conservatives have "quadrupled" funding for security, and some of that money could have gone to the government's G8 maternal health initiative. Laytonthen chastised the Conservatives for refusing to include abortion in its maternal health plan.

"You can do a lot of things with a billion dollars," Layton told the House.

In response, Prime Minister Stephen Harper repeated the government's position that Canadians do not want a debate on this matter.

Single venue would have saved money: Liberals

G8 leaders will gather in Huntsville, Ont., late next month, then join other world leaders for the G20 summit in the heart of downtownToronto. The security money will be used for planning, accommodation, information technology and working with security partners to protect leaders and their delegations.

The additional $160 million in costs includes about $100 million for office and meeting spaces and pre-summit meetings. Another $1.2 millionisto ensure the food served to dignitaries is safe and healthy, while $10 millionhas beenspent on infrastructure and about $50 million has been paid tospruce up the Huntsville area.

Ignatieff ridiculed the Conservatives for switching the G20 meeting venue from Huntsville to Toronto months into the planning stage.

"At first they said Huntsville, then they said, 'Oops, Huntsville is too small and too many flies. Let's high-tail it down to Toronto,'" he said. "This is the confusion we're talking about."

Holland said the government could have reduced security by hosting both summits at a single location, instead of the "logistical nightmare" oftwo separate venues hundreds of kilometres apart. But Toewssaid the dates of the summits wereactuallymoved closer together to save money.

Holland said security for the summits is critical, but the government shouldn't be handed a blank cheque.

"We're not talking about cutting corners; we're talking about proper planning," Holland told CBC News on Wednesday. "They tried to force a round peg into a square hole."

Security plans for theG20 meeting in Torontofeaturetwo fenced areas an outside fence that will close off a large section of the downtown anddisrupt access to homes and workplaces,and an inner fence that will control access to hotels and the convention centre.

Later Wednesday, Chris McCluskey, a spokesman for Toews, accused Ignatieff of failing to understand the cost of the summits.

"Hiscomments indicate he has no understanding of the parliamentary budget process, no understanding of the reality of providing security to world leaders, and no understanding of what it takes to have Canada take its rightful place on the world stage,"he said in an email.

"The only embarrassment here is Mr. Ignatieffs ill-informed commentary on an event he should be supporting."