The man in charge of B.C.’s Extortion Task Force might not be the right person for the job if he doesn’t feel it’s a crisis, said B.C.’s premier.
Premier David Eby, during an unrelated press conference on Wednesday (Jan. 21) in Prince George, was asked to respond to RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer’s categorization of the ongoing extortion violence in Surrey as not being a crisis.
“I’ll speak bluntly if, if Mr. Brewer does not feel that urgency, does not feel that this is a crisis, then perhaps he’s not the right person to head up this task force,” Eby said. “The reason we established this task force with the Canadian Border Services Agency, the RCMP, with local police of jurisdiction, the Surrey Police, was to respond to a crisis.”
At a news conference Tuesday (Jan. 20), RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer made his now-controversial comments in response to a reporter who characterized recent events – including multiple shootings in Surrey over the past week – as “shootings galore.”
“I know people are upset, I know people are scared. My job is to assure them that every police officer in this province, especially in the Lower Mainland and part of this task force, is working around the clock to ensure their safety,” Brewer said. “There’s not a crisis. A crisis is what’s happening out there with drug overdoses. That’s a crisis. People are dying. This is a threat to public safety, absolutely, and I take it very seriously.”
Eby added that, “It’s hard to think of a situation where you’re unable to do business, you don’t feel comfortable in your own home, you’re facing gunshots, and where residents in homes are shooting back at people who are shooting at their homes, as anything other than a crisis.”
According to the latest Surrey Police Service numbers, reported Monday (Jan. 19), there have been 34 reported extortions, seven extortion-related shots-fired incidents, and 21 extortion-related victims (16 repeat victims) so far in Surrey in 2026.
“We need them to bring that urgency to this job and to do it quickly and effectively. For the people of Surrey and the people south of Fraser, that is what they expect, it’s what they demand, and that’s what I expect,” Eby said.
Although Brewer stated that the extortion situation is not a crisis, he said police are working on the extortion files.
B.C.’s Extortion Task Force has taken conduct of 32 files from jurisdictions across the Lower Mainland since launch day four months ago. Investigators are analyzing physical, digital and forensic evidence “to establish linkages and advance investigations towards enforcement into identified cluster groups,” the news release said. The Task Force has more than 1,000 exhibits and hundreds of hours of CCTV footage being “meticulously analyzed to find every vital piece of evidence,” Brewer said.
About the Author: Anna Burns
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