Surrey city council urges Ottawa to declare extortion a federal emergency

Surrey city council unanimously approved a motion asking the federal government to declare a state of emergency over rising extortion, citing dozens of suspected incidents this month and 132 attempts in 2025. The mayor will put the requests in writing and is scheduled to raise the issue with federal officials while city staff report developments to council within 30 days.

Surrey city council has asked the federal government to declare a state of emergency in response to a rise in extortion. The motion was introduced by Mayor Brenda Locke and passed unanimously at a public hearing. Council cited dozens of suspected incidents this month and reported 132 extortion attempts in Surrey in 2025. The motion seeks extraordinary federal measures and coordination across agencies. Key points: - City council unanimously passed a motion requesting that Ottawa declare a federal state of emergency over organized extortion in Surrey. - Council cited 35 suspected incidents this month and 132 extortion attempts in Surrey during 2025. - The motion asks for measures such as appointing a national extortion commissioner, deploying additional federal organized crime units, and changes to immigration rules related to extortion cases. - The mayor will put the requests in writing, plans to raise the issue with federal officials in Ottawa, and city staff were instructed to report developments to council within 30 days. Summary: Surrey officials described an acute and escalating problem of organized extortion and have requested federal emergency powers and a coordinated national response. The immediate next steps are that the mayor will formalize the requests in writing and discuss them with federal officials, while city staff will provide updates to council within a month.