Ottawa needs to let law enforcement agencies access electronic data like WhatsApp messages to help stop a wave of extortion crimes from spreading “to every city in Canada,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says.

In an op-ed for the National Post and in posts online this week, Brampton’s mayor continued to urge lawmakers to take more action against criminals threatening Canadians in Ontario, B.C., Alberta and beyond.

The extortions usually start with a phone call or text message, sometimes over WhatsApp, from potentially violent criminals making threats for protection money. Some of the threats have turned violent, and Brown himself has been the target of multiple alleged threats.

But Brown says police and border agents need “stronger tools” to fight extortionists, like the controversial lawful access provisions in the Liberal’s now-split Bill C-2 proposal.

“Right now, requests can take 45 days or more, by which time evidence disappears and investigations stall,” Brown said. “In extortion cases, where threats can turn deadly overnight, this delay is a serious barrier — it ties officers’ hands and gives criminals the upper hand.”

The bill, which has since been split and reworked, would have allowed police to access subscriber information and transmission data from WhatsApp more quickly.

RELATED: Liberals introduce second border bill as they look to pass some measures quickly

The newly proposed border bill, Bill C-12, would expand both Canada Border Services Agency and Canadian Coast Guards’ authority, and give CBSA the authority to search exports for smuggled drugs, weapons and stolen cars.

It also promises to tighten the immigration rules, giving the government authority to cancel or suspend immigration documents in public interest.

An internal RCMP report found the Indian-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang – recently declared a terrorist organization in Canada – is linked to extortions and murders in Canada, and is “acting on behalf” of the Indian government.

Brown says it’s time local anti-extortion law enforcement task forces banded together, or risk the extortion wave spreading from “hotspots” like Brampton “to every city in Canada.”

The number of extortion-related crimes in Peel Region has spiked since 2020, with 490 crimes reported in 2024. There was a slight drop-off in extortion incidents in 2025, but the number of businesses targeted continues to climb, with 172 incidents reported so far in 2025.

Bishnoi gang members have claimed responsibility for the killing of Brampton businessman Harjeet Singh Dhadda, who was gunned down in a Mississauga parking lot on May 14. The gang has also taken credit for the murder of Brampton rapper Sidhu Moose Wala.

The gang’s leader is currently behind bars in India, but authorities there say he continues to operate his crime and terror syndicate in that country and through connections in Canada.

Officials from Ontario have been invited to an extortion summit in B.C. amid the multi-province crime wave.


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