Ottawa, March 17 (IANS) The rising extortion threats faced by Punjabi builders in Canada’s Vancouver are a clear warning that unchecked organised crime does not remain confined to a suburb or group but spreads across communities, erodes trust, stifles growth, and weakens the nation, a report highlighted on Tuesday.
According to a report in Khalsa Vox, what began as isolated incidents in Surrey city, involving cash demands often communicated via phone calls, social media, or letters, has metastasised into a broader issue.
“Builders in Vancouver are now pulling down job-site signs, scrubbing phone numbers and addresses from websites, delaying projects, and living in fear that their success makes them prime targets. These are not abstract threats: they come backed by the real risk of violence — shootings, arson, drive-by attacks — that has already claimed lives and shattered families in the region,” the report detailed.
“One builder, speaking anonymously to media, captured the dread: many believed the problem was confined ‘south of the Fraser,’ yet extortion calls are now reaching deep into Vancouver’s Punjabi business community, forcing entrepreneurs to hide their identities and scale back operations,” it added.
The report noted that this is not just a ‘community issue’ — but a warning sign of organised crime infiltrating and exploiting Canada’s openness, with transnational networks — often connected to groups like the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, designated a terrorist entity by the Canadian government — operating with impunity.
“These criminals exploit diaspora ties, use cryptocurrency for untraceable payments, and escalate to gunfire when demands go unmet. The result? A surge in extortion cases that has seen hundreds reported in B.C. alone in recent years, with spikes of over 200 per cent in some areas since the mid-2010s. Similar patterns plague Brampton, Edmonton, and Toronto, where Punjabi and South Asian business owners face the same terror,” it mentioned.
“Canada’s reputation as a safe, welcoming nation is eroding before our eyes. Successful immigrants who came here to build lives and contribute to the economy — through construction, real estate, and small businesses — are now fleeing cities or curtailing their ambitions out of fear. Projects stall, economic activity slows, and entire neighbourhoods live under a shadow of intimidation. When law-abiding citizens must erase their public presence to avoid becoming victims, something fundamental has failed,” it stated.
The report underscored the urgent need for decisive action before “more lives, livelihoods, and the Canadian dream itself are held hostage”.
–IANS
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