Those who engage in extorting people will be held accountable, “regardless of their personal circumstances,” B.C. Premier David Eby said.
The Premier was on several Lower Mainland-based South Asian radio networks on Wednesday morning (Feb. 4), where he announced the chair of a new community advisory group that’s been set up to liaise with the B.C. Extortion Task Force. He also took questions from the different networks.
Shere E Punjab Radio asked Eby if the extortion violence is “a reaction from young people who feel wronged by their own community members” – as there have been reports in the South Asian community that the extortions may be linked to people exploiting those in the community and Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) fraud.
“There’s no excuse for shooting at someone’s house. There’s no excuse for threatening families in their homes,” Eby said. “I know that people have a tough time out there sometimes, but they need to be accountable for their actions and the decisions they make.”
Those involved in extortions will be deported or arrested, charged, convicted and jailed, Eby said.
At a previous B.C. extortion task force press conference, a reporter asked Assistant Commissioner John Brewer a similar question regarding extortion and LMIA’s.
While Brewer did not address LMIA fraud directly, he said, “Initially, they were targeting people working on the fringes of the law. It’s now expanded,” he said. “But once that group had been used as much as they could, they’ve moved on to other citizens.”
Eby added Wednesday that “there is a group of vulnerable people south of the Fraser who were brought in temporary resident status, who are very vulnerable to being recruited into organized crime or into extortion.”
The province has been working with the federal government to implement changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to ensure that people who come to B.C. are not exploited.
“We also hope that the actions of a few don’t poison the attitude of British Columbians and Canadians towards immigration, which is foundational to our country. It is a challenging time, and we need to provide support to people who are being exploited,” Eby said.
All levels of government are working together to tackle the ongoing extortion crisis affecting cities across B.C. and Canada.
There have been 46 reports of extortion, 11 extortion-related shootings and 29 victims (17 of whom are repeat) in Surrey in 2026 alone, Surrey Police said Monday (Feb. 2).
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