{"id":482703,"date":"2026-02-18T09:29:49","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T09:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/482703\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:29:49","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T09:29:49","slug":"extortion-crime-wave-could-spread-to-every-city-in-canada-without-border-bill-changes-brampton-mayor-brown-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/482703\/","title":{"rendered":"Extortion crime wave could spread ‘to every city in Canada’ without border bill changes, Brampton Mayor Brown says"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ottawa needs to let law enforcement agencies access electronic data like WhatsApp messages to help stop a wave of extortion crimes from spreading \u201cto every city in Canada,\u201d Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown says.<\/p>\n

In an op-ed for the National Post and in posts online this week, Brampton\u2019s mayor continued to urge lawmakers to take more action against criminals threatening Canadians in Ontario, B.C., Alberta and beyond.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But Brown says police and border agents need \u201cstronger tools\u201d to fight extortionists, like the controversial lawful access provisions in the Liberal\u2019s now-split Bill C-2 proposal.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, requests can take 45 days or more, by which time evidence disappears and investigations stall,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIn extortion cases, where threats can turn deadly overnight, this delay is a serious barrier \u2014 it ties officers\u2019 hands and gives criminals the upper hand.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

RELATED: Liberals introduce second border bill as they look to pass some measures quickly<\/a><\/p>\n

The newly proposed border bill, Bill C-12, would expand both Canada Border Services Agency and Canadian Coast Guards\u2019 authority, and give CBSA the authority to search exports for smuggled drugs, weapons and stolen cars.<\/p>\n

It also promises to tighten the immigration rules, giving the government authority to cancel or suspend immigration documents in public interest.<\/p>\n

An internal RCMP report found the Indian-based Lawrence Bishnoi gang \u2013 recently declared a terrorist organization in Canada \u2013 is linked to extortions and murders in Canada, and is \u201cacting on behalf\u201d of the Indian government.<\/p>\n

Brown says it\u2019s time local anti-extortion law enforcement task forces banded together, or risk the extortion wave spreading from \u201chotspots\u201d like Brampton \u201cto every city in Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The gang\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Officials from Ontario have been invited to an extortion summit in B.C.<\/a> amid the multi-province crime wave.<\/p>\n


\n INsauga’s Editorial Standards and Policies <\/a><\/p>\n

Last 30 Days: 65,403 Votes<\/p>\n

All Time: 1,228,950 Votes<\/p>\n

2609 VOTES
\n Should bike lanes stay or be removed? <\/p>\n

\tWIN A $100 GIFT CARD<\/p>\n

Subscribe to INsauga\u2019s daily email newsletter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ottawa needs to let law enforcement agencies access electronic data like WhatsApp messages to help stop a wave…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482704,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194339],"tags":[51759,49,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-482703","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brampton","8":"tag-brampton","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/482704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}