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Extortion-plagued B.C. city calls for national state of emergency
Surrey council calls for federal emergency amid 132 extortion attempts in 2025, including 49 involving shootings, citing fear and economic harm to South Asian communities.
- On Tuesday night, City of Surrey directed Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke's office to ask the Government of Canada to declare a federal state of emergency, passing the motion unanimously with calls for an extortion commissioner and more RCMP federal organized crime units.
- This month police say Surrey logged 35 suspected extortion incidents amid shootings; 2025 saw 132 attempts, 49 involving shots fired, mostly targeting South Asian communities.
- Since Sept. 17, 2025, the provincial task force obtained 100 judicial authorizations and approved charges for seven people, while officers on proactive patrols stopped a vehicle, seized a loaded handgun and charged two men, both foreign nationals.
- Council is urging immigration-law changes plus quarterly reporting and public identification of those charged, while requesting an extortion commissioner, RCMP deployments, and expedited removal of non-citizens; Ottawa has proposed Bill C-14 and provided $500,000 over two years and $200,000 for investigations.
- Some residents at rallies urged 'castle' and 'stand-your-ground' laws and arming themselves as police can't always respond quickly, while criminologist Wade Deisman and Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko warned that vigilantism risks more violence under Section 34 of the Criminal Code.
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The City of Surrey adopted a motion on Monday night in the face of a resurgence of extortion.
·Montreal, Canada
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Winnipeg Free Press+9 Reposted by 9 other sources
Surrey, B.C., calls for a national state of emergency regarding extortion
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
·Winnipeg, Canada
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources15
Leaning Left9Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution64% Left
Bias Distribution
- 64% of the sources lean Left
64% Left
L 64%
C 29%
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