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On Tuesday, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke called on the federal government to declare a national state of emergency and step in to help the B.C. city grapple with an escalating wave of extortion involving shootings and arsons linked to organized crime. The appeal follows a series of violent incidents in which bullets were fired into homes, businesses were torched after refusing extortion demands, and families were targeted with video-recorded threats seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What police once described as episodic gang violence has hardened into a sustained campaign of intimidation, increasingly affecting law-abiding residents and business owners across the city.
Locke has called on Ottawa to provide enhanced federal policing support, stronger tools to disrupt transnational criminal networks, and tougher measures to address extortion operations directed from abroad.
Extortion cases in Canada have exploded over the past decade, mainly in B.C., Ontario, and Alberta, rising more than 300 percent nationwide in the last decade and nearly 500 percent in B.C. alone. In cities like Brampton, Ontario, and Surrey, threats, arsons, and shootings tied to extortion have become routine. The crisis has grown so severe that some families are choosing to leave Canada entirely, returning to India to escape the violence.
The Hub spoke with Ron Chhinzer, a recognized national expert in gang prevention who served for more than 20 years as a police officer in Toronto and Peel Region, including with Toronto’s Guns and Gangs Task Force, to better understand the scope and drivers of this escalating situation.
Here are five key takeaways from the conversation:
1. Extortion has evolved from domestic organized crime to transnational gangs:
The nature of extortion in Canada has fundamentally changed over the past decade. Chhinzer explained that while extortion traditionally involved established organized crime groups demanding protection money from businesses, the current wave involves something different and more dangerous.
“What we’re seeing now is transnational gangs targeting individuals and families,” Chhinzer said, noting that these operations are often connected to conflicts and criminal networks based overseas. In the case of the Brampton family—where gunshots were fired outside their home while they slept, while the incident was filmed and the video sent to them with a $500,000 demand—illustrates the brazen nature of these crimes.
2. South Asian communities in Brampton, Surrey, and Calgary are ground zero
Brampton and Surrey have experienced the most dramatic increases in extortion cases, with Calgary also emerging as a hotspot. All three cities have substantial South Asian diaspora populations that Chhinzer says are primarily being targeted by other individuals within the communities.
“These gangs are leveraging community ties and knowledge to identify targets and carry out operations,” he explained.
“These extortions are being committed by young South Asian males, predominantly Sikh, against Sikh families,” Chhinzer said. “And our suspects or accused persons are generally between the ages of 20 and 30. They’re either here on student visas, expired visas, or other types of permits.”
The transnational criminal organizations, with roots in India and Pakistan, understand the community dynamics, making it easier to identify vulnerable wealthy targets and apply pressure.
3. The Bishnoi gang represents a significant transnational threat in Canada
Canada designated the Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organization in late 2023, recognizing the severity of the threat it poses. The gang, which originated in India, has established deep operational roots in Canada.
Remarkably, the gang’s leader Lawrence Bishnoi continues to orchestrate operations from prison in India, directing criminal activities across international borders.
“They’re looking for anywhere between $50,000 to $500,000. What they’re doing now is that they’re shooting bullets at their houses and at their businesses…they’re sending text messages, letters, video messages, proxy messages to extort these families,” Chhinzer said.
While the Bishnoi gang is just one of several transnational criminal networks operating in the country, Chhinzer noted that they represent a significant proportion of the extortion activity in Canada.
4. Families are leaving Canada due to the extortion crisis
Perhaps most alarming is the impact on community confidence and safety. Chhinzer revealed that the situation has deteriorated to the point where families are making the extraordinary decision to leave Canada entirely.
“Families from both of these communities are choosing to leave Canada and return back to India,” he said.
The fact that some families view India—a country with its own significant security challenges—as safer than Canada speaks volumes about the severity of the crisis and the perceived failure of Canadian authorities to protect law-abiding citizens.
5. The criminal justice and immigration systems need reform
While police have established task forces and made arrests, the criminal justice system has failed to deliver meaningful consequences, Chhinzer said, with few successful prosecutions.
This failure to secure convictions undermines deterrence and emboldens criminal networks. When asked about policy solutions, Chhinzer emphasized the need for reforms at both the provincial and federal levels to strengthen the justice system’s ability to prosecute these cases effectively.
“Number one is we need to repeal Bill C-75, the Liberal bail reform brought in in 2019,” Chhinzer said. “Because the problem we have is we have criminals knowing that they’re going to come into Canada, commit crimes, get bail, claim refugee status. It’s a matter of fact, it’s not even up for contention.”
In October 2025 the federal government introduced the Bail and Sentencing Reform Act, a major legislative package designed to tighten bail rules and toughen sentences for repeat and violent offenders, including those charged with violent extortion and organized crime.
Chhinzer also cited poor vetting by the immigration system.
“If we’re just relying on our Canadian systems to be able to vet them through something like the CPIC, which is a Canadian Policing Information Centre, as well as RCMP or CSIS data, well, we’re only running about 50 percent of the gamut,” he said.
This commentary draws on a Hub video. It was edited with the use of AI. Full program here.
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Extortion in Canada has surged dramatically, with a 300 percent national increase and nearly 500 percent in British Columbia over the past decade. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke has called for a national state of emergency due to escalating violence, including shootings and arsons linked to organized crime. Expert Ron Chhinzer explains this shift from domestic to transnational gangs, often targeting South Asian communities in cities like Brampton and Surrey. The Bishnoi gang is identified as a significant transnational threat. The crisis is so severe that some families are leaving Canada, and Chhinzer advocates for reforms in the criminal justice and immigration systems.