A protester holds a sign with a sentiment most were hoping for throughout the weekend. (Submitted by Jackman Chiu via Flickr)

By Amil Niazi, CBC News

Most Torontonians were unsure of what to expect during the G20 summit held in the city from June 26-27. Residents watched as a fence went up, dividing parts of the downtown core into security zones, and a heavy police presence began marking the area around the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Many businesses in the financial district took precautions in the week leading up to the event and set up satellite offices or kept workers at home. Stores began boarding up their windows, preparing for the worst.

And right here, our team of CBC reporters and citizen bloggers relayed on-the-ground reports showing a city transforming and transformed.

Demonstrators gather at Jimmie Simpson Park on Friday, June 25, 2010. (Submitted by Richard Gottardo via Flickr)

From Friday's protest that began at Jimmie Simpson Park and made its way downtown, to the calm before the storm on Saturday as peaceful demonstrations broke off into riots, the CBC News G20 Street Level blog featured reports as they happened.

Riot police in Toronto on Saturday, June 26, 2010. (Submitted by Y'amal via Flickr)

Our live blog captured minute-by-minute updates, helmed by politics blogger Kady O'Malley, and at its peak had just over 150,000 readers.

A team of CBC News correspondents alongside our citizen bloggers provided up-close glimpses of the city as it was in turn brimming with chaos or eerily quiet.


A photographer observes as a police car is burned during protests on Saturday, June 26, 2010. (Submitted by robingartner)

And our CBC community was fully engaged, providing us with photos and video.

Watch video of Saturday's protests submitted by Ron Dubuc.


Damage on Yonge Street following riots on Saturday, June 26, 2010. (Submitted by edvanwest)

The CBC News G20 Flickr pool has nearly 2,500 images from the weekend - providing incredible views of Toronto leading up to and during the summit and our CBC News Your Voice gallery also features striking shots captured you.



Images from the protests on Saturday, June 26, 2010. (Submitted by warphotographer)

View more images on our Flickr gallery.
View more images on our CBC News Your Voice gallery.

It was a weekend of big moments and fascinating characters, and thanks to our G20 Street Level team and you, we managed to provide a unique picture of the global summit.

Read through the blog to see all the entries and get a feel for the event that captivated Toronto for days.

Related: Meet the team