Ontario invited to B.C. extortion summit amid multi-province wave

B.C. Premier David Eby said officials from B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario will meet in Surrey within two weeks to coordinate on ongoing extortion cases, and Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to provide additional federal resources for the RCMP in B.C.

B.C. Premier David Eby announced that officials from four provinces will meet in Surrey to discuss a series of extortion cases. He said the meeting will include B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario and is expected to take place within two weeks. Eby said Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to commit additional federal resources to support RCMP work in B.C. Surrey's council recently asked the federal government to declare a national state of emergency over the extortion situation. Key points: - Officials from British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario are scheduled to meet in Surrey within two weeks to coordinate investigations into reported extortion cases. - Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged additional federal resources for the RCMP in B.C. to assist anti-gang investigators, according to Eby. - Surrey city council passed a motion urging Ottawa to declare a national state of emergency related to the extortion situation. - The head of B.C.'s anti-extortion task force reported investigators are actively pursuing suspects across multiple files in the Lower Mainland. Summary: Officials say the meeting is intended to close information gaps and align resources so investigations can proceed toward arrests and prosecutions. The interprovincial meeting is planned within two weeks; other outcomes, including any federal declarations or further deployments, remain undetermined at this time.