Manitoba bolsters fight against extortion

The Manitoba government is providing $100,000 to the Punjabi Chamber of Commerce to combat escalating incidents of extortion.

“We’ve heard clearly from the community that extortion is not just a financial crime,” Justice Minister Matt Wiebe said Friday before a summit with members of the Punjabi community.

“It creates fear, real fear, and real impact and destabilizes daily life for so many. Our goal is to ensure the community voices, help guide the solutions that we’re developing as government.”

Wiebe said the funding will bolster efforts by the Punjabi chamber to equip business owners with anti-extortion resources, including a hotline, where victims and witnesses can report incidents.

Representatives from the Winnipeg Police Service, RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency attended the summit. The Punjabi chamber could not immediately be reached for comment.

City police arrested four men and one woman this month and said they were searching for two others in connection with a wave of extortion and arson incidents that primarily targeted core-area businesses owned by members of the South Asian community.

On Thursday, the federal government announced that Fintrac, Canada’s financial intelligence agency, will add resources to tackle extortion.

“I’ve seen first-hand what extortion does to people in my own community, and it is frightening,” said Ruby Sahota, the federal secretary of state for combating crime.

“Families are uprooted, people separate from loved ones to keep them safe. They spend enormous sums trying to protect themselves, often feeling isolated and overwhelmed.”

Ottawa is launching a “countering extortion partnership” with banks, credit unions, virtual asset service providers, and partners such as the RCMP and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions that will strengthen information sharing and best practices.

Financial intelligence liaison officers will be embedded with police in the most-affected areas; targeted indicator profiles will be used to help financial institutions quickly identify and report suspicious transactions; strategic intelligence on how criminals launder extortion proceeds will be published to help detect and disrupt extortion efforts.

“Taken together, these measures will help ensure Canada is not a safe haven for financial or physical crime, for those who seek to exploit our system to commit serious crimes, like extortion,” Sahota said.

Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, who was in Ottawa recently to lobby for a co-ordinated, nationwide strategy to combat the rising threat of extortion, called both the federal and provincial announcements “good first steps.”

He said tackling the problem requires multiple agencies to work together.

“Any investment that can be made, anything that can be done to remove the barriers that would prevent people from reporting extortion is a good step,” he said.

Gillingham, who was a part of Friday’s summit, said extortion will not be tolerated.

“Anyone who thinks that they can extort individuals and businesses within Winnipeg, we’re not going to put up with it,” he said.

Deputy police chief Cam Mackid said Friday extortion in the city is on the rise, particularly against residents from the South Asian community.

“It’s very concerning to us,” Mackid said, adding that financial extortion is the primary motivator. “The community is very alarmed. They’re living with a sense of fear and anxiety.”

He said it’s not at the level that has occurred in other provinces, such as B.C. and Ontario, but said police here want to get ahead of it.

“The forum today is an excellent opportunity for us to speak with all three levels of government, law enforcement and with Canadian Borders Services Agency, and with the community to sort of build those connections,” Mackid said.

Winnipeg police did not have an update on the two men being sought in connection with the wave of extortion and arson.

Canadawide warrants have been issued for Farhan Nabil, 29, and Jermaine Weekes, 40, both of whom are believed to be in Ontario.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca