Surrey, B.C., is calling on Ottawa to declare a federal state of emergency over the rise of extortion, with 35 suspected incidents of the crime recorded in the city this month alone.
City council passed the motion brought by Mayor Brenda Locke at a public hearing Tuesday night.
“The City of Surrey is experiencing an acute and escalating crisis of organized extortion, intimidation, and targeted shootings resulting in fear, trauma, and economic harm to residents and business owners,” said Locke, reading the motion.
Extortion is a rising issue in some Lower Mainland cities, including Surrey, Abbotsford and Delta, where residents in predominantly South Asian communities are receiving threats and demands for money.
There were 132 extortion attempts in Surrey in 2025, 49 of which involved shots fired at homes and businesses. Dozens of others cases were reported in Abbotsford and Delta.
The Tuesday night motion directs the mayor’s office to formally request the Government of Canada to declare a federal state of emergency “or invoke equivalent extraordinary federal measures to address the organized extortion crisis.”
The request will ask Ottawa to appoint an extortion commissioner to lead the response to extortion crime in the country, deploy more RCMP federal organized crime units to Surrey, and to expedite the removal of non-citizens who are charged or convicted of extortion, firearm offences or participation in extortion crimes.
Surrey city council is also asking the federal government to change the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to prevent refugee claims related to extortion-related criminal investigations.
It also wants Ottawa to help permit the identification of people charged, deported or wanted for extortion-related offences “in order to enhance public awareness and deterrence.”
The motion asks that the federal government “report to Canadians on a quarterly basis on the severity of the extortion-related activities and the progress in resolving this crisis.”
It received unanimous support from council, with councillors speaking about the frustration of trying to stem the tide of extortion and the effect it was having on residents.
“As a Surrey resident and a Canadian, I kind of feel like the federal laws have held us hostage … in the city that we love,” said Coun. Pardeep Kooner.
“It’s kind of hard to move through life always looking over your shoulder.”
CBC News has asked Canada’s Department of Public Safety for a response to the motion.
In September, the Canada Border Services Agency joined a provincial task force to strengthen investigations into extortion threats in B.C.
In late November, the Department of Public Safety held a trilateral summit over the scourge of extortion, where leaders discussed the role of all levels of government and enforcement agencies in responding to the crime.
“Working together, we will strengthen enforcement, victim support and prevention,” said Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree at the time.
“We are committed to disrupting organized crime networks, expanding resources for victims, and ensuring that help is accessible to everyone.”
The federal government has provided $500,000 over two years for victim support and $200,000 to help investigate extortion cases that fall outside of the provincial task force’s main investigations.
Ottawa has also said its proposed Bill C-14, the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, would crack down on extortion by making bail harder to get and toughening sentences for offences involving extortion.
