Over past months, reports have multiplied of Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) visits to the homes and even workplaces of people working for social justice. In addition to its longstanding and ongoing harassment and intimidation of indigenous peoples, immigrant communities, and others, the spy agency has become much more visible in its surveillance of movements for social justice. 

While the G8 and G20 meetings at the end of this month will focus on global austerity measures, foreign journalists will be getting the full Muskoka experience, sipping brewskies by a newly constructed man-made lake inside the luxurious G20 Media Center in downtown Toronto at the expense of $1.9 million from Canadian taxpayers.

If, like myself, this strikes you as odd, maybe you should consider getting out there to cover the events yourself -- as an independent journalist.

The leaders of the G20 countries, along with their central bank governors, the IMF, World Bank and the EU will be in Toronto in five weeks, on June 26-27, 2010. That's nearly 20,000 delegates, 15,000 armed police and 5,000 media personnel all descending to make it a very hot June weekend, indeed.

Pride Toronto has been moved from its original location but the tourists will also be here, as will thousands of protestors, activists and delegates. The real question is: will Toronto's residents and long-term social movements join them?

As the G8 development ministers prepared to meet in Halifax from April 26 to 28, the city's grassroots mobilized, with a colourful, festive community-based opposition rallying in public spaces.

Were it not for these protest speeches in the public parks, the large Sunday march in Halifax's downtown streets, and an early Monday picket, the G8 meeting in Nova Scotia would have gone largely undetected by the public.

The "G8 Welcoming Committee," as the coalition named itself, includes organized labour unions, First Nations groups, student organizations, women's groups, and environmental networks.