Extortion-plagued B.C. city calls for national state of emergency

Mayor Brenda Locke said the surge of extortion-related violence requires urgent federal action, arguing the city has done everything within its power.

Following a sharp increase in extortion-related incidents in Surrey, B.C., city councillors have called on the federal government to declare a national state of emergency over the crimes.

A motion from Mayor Brenda Locke urging federal officials to make the declaration was unanimously approved at council Monday night.

The motion argues the plague of extortion-related shootings and other violent intimidation tactics “exceeds the capacity of municipal government and conventional policing responses,” and requires more intervention from Ottawa.

For many Surrey residents, the problem has become more urgent amid a recent spike in the threats. At least 35 extortion-related incidents have been recorded this month alone, compared to 132 through all of 2025.

“This is a national and transnational crime, and therefore it’s really crucial that the federal government take the lead,” Locke told CTV News on Tuesday.

“This is not just a policing issue—this is an immigration issue, this is a citizenship issue.”

Among the measures suggested by Locke are the appointment of a Commissioner for Extortion Violence Against Canadians, and the expedited removal of non-citizens convicted—or even just charged—in connection with extortion-related activities.

B.C.’s Extortion Task Force, which was set up in September, has already referred 111 foreign nationals to the Canada Border Services Agency.

“Extraordinary circumstance require extraordinary visible and co-ordinated action at all levels of government to restore public confidence and disrupt organized criminal activity,” Locke’s motion reads.

The city also previously asked the B.C. government to allow local police to approve charges, as they do in other provinces, to speed up the criminal justice process. The province instead allocated additional resources to Crown counsel to expedite charge approvals.

Locke said her motion is not about “pointing fingers,” but that she believes more leadership is needed at the federal level.

“We’re really all in this together,” she said. “All of the MPs and all of the MLAs and everyone that is in a leadership role in Surrey cares deeply about this.”