BURST
Premier David Eby, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and Surrey Coun. Mandeep Nagra expressed alarm Wednesday after B.C. RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer labelled the city’s recent extortion-related shootings “not a crisis,” warning the comment undermines public confidence amid escalating gun violence.
“It’s hard to think of a situation where you’re unable to do business, you don’t feel comfortable in your own home, you’re facing gunshots, and where residents in their homes are shooting back at people who are shooting at their homes, as anything other than a crisis,” Eby said.
He added that if Brewer does not feel the urgency, “perhaps he is not the right person to head up this task force.”
“The reason we established this task force … was to respond to a crisis,” Eby emphasized at a news conference, stressing that Brewer’s remarks could erode public confidence.
The controversy arose as Surrey faces a surge in extortion-related violence. Police reported 132 extortion attempts in 2025 — 49 involving shootings — and eight more so far this year.
Brewer, the head of the B.C. Extortion Task Force, made the controversial comment at a news conference on Tuesday after being asked whether police had lost control of public safety in Surrey.
“This is not a crisis. A crisis is what’s happening out there with drug overdoses — that’s a crisis, people are dying,” he added. “This is a threat to public safety, absolutely, and I take it very seriously.”
Brewer’s comments came hours after Surrey police reported the city’s 35th suspected extortion case of 2026, involving a shooting at a business earlier that morning. Brewer acknowledged Tuesday that there has been an “uptick” in extortion-related gun violence so far this year.
On Wednesday afternoon, Brewer walked back his remarks.
“I want to apologize for challenging the term ‘crisis’ yesterday, as it has become the focus and called into question the RCMP’s commitment to addressing extortions in B.C. That was not my intention. The opportunity to provide an update and reassure the public has instead impacted public confidence.
“The task force’s commitment to addressing the ongoing threats and violence has not wavered. Our efforts have never been limited because of a term. Extortions remain one of our highest priorities.”
A provincial task force was formed in September, including the RCMP, municipal police agencies, transit police, and the Canada Border Services Agency. Task force investigators have handled 32 cases across the Lower Mainland, according to an RCMP news release.
Charges have been approved against seven people, some Canadian and some not, while 111 foreign nationals are under investigation for potential inadmissibility to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, RCMP said. To date, nine of those individuals have been removed from Canada.
In the Lower Mainland, extortion cases have mostly targeted South Asian communities, with victims threatened with violence if they do not meet demands for money.
Earlier in the week, Surrey police said people targeted in an extortion-related shooting on Saturday tried to shoot back. Brewer urged people not to take matters into their own hands, saying, “We are now actively hunting these extortionists. We will root them out from every dark corner they try to hide in, and we will either put them before the courts, or they will be deported.”
Surrey’s elected leaders weighed in with criticism.
Mayor Brenda Locke said that residents and business owners are living in constant fear, and communities “cannot wait any longer.”
“Police are working hard, but we need a coordinated, nationwide approach that prevents these crimes and protects Canadians,” Locke said in a statement.
The mayor urged Ottawa to appoint a national extortion commissioner to address the root causes of extortion and implement immediate solutions.
“Canadian law enforcement tools are not enough to protect the public from the magnitude of extortion and violence we are experiencing. We need strong federal leadership to protect Canadian communities and restore public confidence.”
Surrey Coun. Mandeep Nagra said Wednesday that Brewer’s statement that extortion-related shootings were not a crisis was “tone-deaf, outrageous and insulting.”
“There has been one extortion shooting per day since the start of the year,” Nagra said. “Businesses shot up. Families terrorized. Victims arming themselves. And the RCMP Task Force says it’s not a crisis?”
Nagra is demanding that the province instruct the RCMP to prioritize extortion in Surrey and boost funding and resources for the Surrey Police Service.
“Surrey is paying the price for a broken RCMP policing model and provincial neglect,” Nagra said. “The RCMP has failed Surrey. The province has failed Surrey. And now we know why, because they don’t even think this is a crisis.”