Sit by the (fake) lake, sip on a free beer, watch World Cup Soccer and....

... Regurgitate the Harper press releases for the hometown crowd.

Great life if you can get it.

Summit organizers are building the pool inside Toronto's Direct Energy Centre to showcase the site of the G8 summit hundreds of kilometres to the north in Huntsville, Ont., from June 25-26.

The temporary media centre will host all but about 150 of the estimated 3,000 journalists from around the world covering the G8, as well as the G20 summit in Toronto's downtown core from June 27-28.

The source told CBC that when the G8 summit was first announced, the marketing "message" was to bring Muskoka to the world. The original plan was to create something at the media centre in Toronto called the "Muskoka corridor." That's when the idea of the fake lake was created as part of that marketing plan.

Or, more to the point, keep the media as far away as you possibly can. Tame photographers excepted.

Free beer? Yes, Madam/Monsieur Editor, your news-hound, hungry-for-a-real-story, foreign correspondents and political reporters will be toughing it out like overfed lions in a city zoo.

The 3,700-square-metre pavilion inside the media centre includes areas promoting Muskoka's connected "lifestyle" and Toronto's industrial and investment sides, plus a reception area with refreshments from all parts of Ontario.

Reporters covering the summits will be able to get free beer and wine, plus coverage of soccer's World Cup.

Mike Duffy must long for the days.

Oh yeah! Scott nails Peter Kent. Or more correctly, Kent nails his dink to the floor during a scrum. One can only suppose that the MEP didn't get to his hammock on time.

Media Question: What do you say to people who say this is kind of a ridiculous cost? A photo op for media?

Peter Kent: Well, no, I mean as you know, the media love friendly settings and good settings. I think it will probably... ask your international colleagues the week of the G8 and the G20.

Media Question: In your old job, you wouldn't have used a phoney background if you [were], you know, in the Middle East or wherever you might have been.

Peter Kent: I have been in Venice where a facility was created for the media, in Venice and it was quite appropriate, absolutely. I mean, at every G8, at every G20, there are facilities for the media and they can choose to use them or choose not to use them.

Media Question: There were fake gondolas in Venice?

Peter Kent: No, there were no fake gondolas.

What were those cheap Venetians thinking?!

Let's go global!! This is now an international story, thanks to Agence France-Presse.