Federal assistance in combating extortion crimes in Peel Region is being appreciated by residents, especially after numerous business owners have relocated due to safety concerns, according to Brampton’s deputy mayor.
“We’re witnessing an exodus of business owners in the region of Peel and the city of Brampton who are fearful for their safety,” stated Deputy Mayor Harkirat Singh.
Those impacted by extortion include long-time Brampton residents and businesses that form the “backbone” of the community, he noted.
On Thursday, federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne revealed that specialized financial intelligence experts will assist regions like Peel in tackling extortion crimes aimed at Canadian businesses and households.
“Behind every investigation is a person, a shop owner, a worker who depends on their job, a family that deserves to feel safe in their neighbourhood,” said Champagne.
“To those who have been targeted, I want to say you’re not alone. We stand with you, law enforcement stands with you and Canada stands with you.”
WATCH | Federal support announced Thursday to combat extortion crime:
Canadian intelligence experts to focus on extortion crime, federal minister says
Canadian financial intelligence experts will implement a ‘follow the money’ approach to address extortion crime, federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne explained during a news conference on Thursday. As CBC’s Tyler Cheese reports, these threats are impacting several communities across Ontario.
The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) will collaborate closely with local law enforcement while prioritizing more timely and relevant financial intelligence to pinpoint criminal networks and aid investigations, as mentioned by Champagne.
Singh along with other community members express concern over how slowly law enforcement typically investigates extortion cases; however they remain hopeful that federal backing combined with the “follow the money” strategy will “make a big dent” in these issues.
“The crimes are happening very fast, but getting the evidence and gathering intelligence isn’t happening as fast as the crimes themselves,” Singh added.
He pointed out that these offenses are particularly “devastating” because they affect entire families.
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Caledon’s mayor calls for feds to help combat extortion cases>As concerned victims seek answers, Caledon’s mayor states that their town lacks adequate resources for addressing international extortion issues and urges federal intervention. CBC’s Naama Weingarten provides further details.
This trend mirrors early patterns observed in auto thefts throughout the region according to him. >
“I often feel that Peel can be like a canary in the coal mine. We experience things first,” he stated. >
Certainly right now criminals view extorting as “high reward low risk,” which Milinovich hopes they’ll be able change by making it “incredibly risky” while offering low rewards instead.>
Their approach involves utilizing FINTRAC experts along with federal assistance aimed at “attacking rewards” linked back through criminals involved.>
“Follow the money and you’ll find out who’s responsible for organizing these [crimes],” Milinovich noted.>
A Conservative MPP Frank Caputo (Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola) commented on CBC Toronto saying this announcement “won’t do anything meaningful about violence occurring on our streets.”
“Criminals don’t comply with regulations; they will discover alternative methods for laundering illegal funds,” he argued. “FINTRAC already serves its primary purpose which is ‘following money’ using existing tools.”
“All that’s happened here is Liberals creating catchy slogans alongside new checkboxes meant merely for photo ops while ignoring root causes behind these problems.” >
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Canadian intelligence experts to focus on extortion crime, federal minister says
Canadian financial intelligence experts will implement a ‘follow the money’ approach to address extortion crime, federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne explained during a news conference on Thursday. As CBC’s Tyler Cheese reports, these threats are impacting several communities across Ontario.
The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FINTRAC) will collaborate closely with local law enforcement while prioritizing more timely and relevant financial intelligence to pinpoint criminal networks and aid investigations, as mentioned by Champagne.
Singh along with other community members express concern over how slowly law enforcement typically investigates extortion cases; however they remain hopeful that federal backing combined with the “follow the money” strategy will “make a big dent” in these issues.
“The crimes are happening very fast, but getting the evidence and gathering intelligence isn’t happening as fast as the crimes themselves,” Singh added.
He pointed out that these offenses are particularly “devastating” because they affect entire families.
A solution ‘urgently needed’: psychiatrist
The fear of becoming victims of extortionists has emerged as a common worry among his clients recently, remarked Dr. Maher Hussain, a psychiatrist at South Asian Canadians Health & Social Services. Two of his clients left Peel Region – one moved to the U. S., while another returned to India – after receiving threatening calls, he explained. “The police were also helping them, but they felt that help was not enough. They did not feel safe,” he shared. Hussain expressed “some hope” following the new federal announcement and emphasized that an urgent solution is necessary for residents to regain their sense of security. A total of 476 extortion crimes were reported in Peel Region in 2025 – a number which has risen over time according to Peel police Deputy Chief Nick Milinovich during an interview on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning Friday. The most frequent types of extortion cases seen in the area fall into three categories: incidents related to tow-truck violence, drug trafficking and those targeting business owners.> The latter category has sparked considerable concern within the community as cases have increased from affecting 50 businesses in 2023 up to 153 in 2024 and then reaching 192 in 2025.>WATCH | Caledon mayor called for federal support to address extortion crimes last year:>
Caledon’s mayor calls for feds to help combat extortion cases>As concerned victims seek answers, Caledon’s mayor states that their town lacks adequate resources for addressing international extortion issues and urges federal intervention. CBC’s Naama Weingarten provides further details.
This trend mirrors early patterns observed in auto thefts throughout the region according to him. >
“I often feel that Peel can be like a canary in the coal mine. We experience things first,” he stated. >
Certainly right now criminals view extorting as “high reward low risk,” which Milinovich hopes they’ll be able change by making it “incredibly risky” while offering low rewards instead.>
Their approach involves utilizing FINTRAC experts along with federal assistance aimed at “attacking rewards” linked back through criminals involved.>
“Follow the money and you’ll find out who’s responsible for organizing these [crimes],” Milinovich noted.>
A Conservative MPP Frank Caputo (Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola) commented on CBC Toronto saying this announcement “won’t do anything meaningful about violence occurring on our streets.”
“Criminals don’t comply with regulations; they will discover alternative methods for laundering illegal funds,” he argued. “FINTRAC already serves its primary purpose which is ‘following money’ using existing tools.”
“All that’s happened here is Liberals creating catchy slogans alongside new checkboxes meant merely for photo ops while ignoring root causes behind these problems.” >Source link
