VICTORIA, BC: With Surrey Police now handling a historic 26 extortion files—up from 10 just weeks ago, based on both new and historic reports—Official Opposition Critic for the Attorney General and MLA for Richmond–Queensborough Steve Kooner says the crisis is worse than previously understood, and the province’s updated mandate letters show a shocking lack of urgency, even as the safety and livelihoods of families and businesses are under threat.
“Police are doing their part. Crime Stoppers is doing its job. Victims are stepping forward, thanks in part to a private citizen who helped organize the community, and to our calls for stronger trust and relationship-building,” he continued. “Everyone’s doing their part. Everyone except the province.”
Kooner says the government’s inaction is all the more troubling given Premier David Eby’s public statements that extortion is being taken seriously.
“But if that’s true, why did neither the Attorney General Niki Sharma nor the new Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger receive a single directive to address extortion in their updated July 17 mandate letters?” he asked. “That’s not just an oversight, it’s an insult to the communities affected and the severity of the issue.”
“These letters are supposed to reflect the government’s priorities. But even with this crisis growing, extortion doesn’t get a single mention,” said Kooner. “That says everything about this government’s approach.”
Kooner warned the economic impacts are growing alongside the threat. “South Asians make up roughly 10 percent of this province. They’re entrepreneurs, homebuilders, business owners. If they don’t feel safe, they stop expanding, hiring, working, and investing. This isn’t just a public safety failure, it’s threatening local economies.”
He concluded: “You don’t solve a crisis by pretending it’s under control, or by leaving it off your list of priorities.”
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Media contact: Francesca Guetchev, Communications Officer Francesca.Guetchev@leg.bc.ca +1 (672) 922-0948