Manitoba pledges $100K to Punjabi Chamber of Commerce for extortion helpline

The Punjabi Chamber of Commerce is setting up a hotline to combat extortion with $100,000 in provincial funding.

The Manitoba government has promised $100,000 for the Punjabi Chamber of Commerce to strengthen outreach and support for Punjabi business owners, following a surge in extortion cases reported across the country.

Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced the funding Friday ahead of an extortion summit that afternoon with representatives from various levels of government, the Winnipeg Police Service, the RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency.

“We’ve heard clearly from the community that extortion is not just a financial crime. It creates fear, real fear, and real impact, and destabilizes daily life for so many,” Wiebe said during a news conference. “It also threatens Manitoba’s economic integrity.”

The funds are intended to create an extortion helpline in collaboration with law enforcement, where victims can report incidents and get support, Wiebe said.

The minister noted that many victims are often afraid to report instances of extortion out of fear of retaliation or immigration consequences.

“We do have an issue here in the City of Winnipeg. The past two years, we have seen an escalation in extortion with respect to the South Asian community,” said Cam Mackid, a deputy chief with the Winnipeg Police Service.

“It’s very concerning to us… Our numbers are certainly less than what we see in other provinces, but we want to get ahead of it,” Mackid said.

The summit provided information about available support for affected or at-risk businesses and families, according to the province.

The meeting comes one day after the federal government announced measures to support law enforcement against “detecting and disrupting extortion.”

The national plan includes deploying liaison officers from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada to work alongside police in select regions across the country.

“Extortion harms not only individuals and families but entire communities. Addressing it requires collaboration,” Wiebe said.