Surrey city council has unanimously passed a motion introduced by Mayor Brenda Locke calling on the federal government to declare a national state of emergency over the extortion crisis.Nearly 40 extortion-related incidents have been reported in Surrey this month alone, many of them violent."Surrey is facing a serious and growing crisis of organized extortion, intimidation and targeted shootings," Locke said. "Residents and business owners are living in constant fear. Public safety is at risk, and the social and economic impact is real. The federal government needs to act now to give authorities the additional tools we need to keep our residents safe."The motion also calls for the appointment of a Commissioner for Extortion Violence Against Canadians to oversee a number of "key measures." Chief among them is the "immediate deployment of additional RCMP, federal organized crime units, and intelligence resources to Surrey."Also on the list are the formation of a joint federal-provincial-municipal task force with "authority to act rapidly," "expedited removal of non-citizens" involved in extortion or firearms offences, a review of the "legislative gaps" in the arrest, charging, and prosecuting of offenders, and a public quarterly progress report..Additionally, Surrey is seeking the expansion of immediate detention and inadmissibility powers under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, financial investigations of extortion crimes, and "the public release of information that identifies individuals charged with or deported for extortion-related offences to increase public awareness and deterrence.""Surrey is entering the third year of this crisis. Despite police and provincial efforts, these transnational crimes are not stopping, and we need a full-scale national effort," Locke added. "We need to restore public safety, protect our community, and take organized crime off our streets.".BC RCMP assistant commissioner apologizes for saying rise in extortion-related crime 'not a crisis'.In September 2025, the BC Extortion Task Force was established to combat the rise in crime. It has since taken over 32 files from Lower Mainland police. A total of 100 judicial authorizations have been obtained, seven people have been charged, and 111 foreign nationals have been investigated over alleged Immigration and Refugee Protection Act-related offences. Of those, nine have been deported.
