OTTAWA — The federal government says it will give Peel Regional Police up to $1 million to support the force’s efforts to fight extortion, provide services to victims and build on the work of a task force.
The police service, which serves the Ontario cities of Brampton and Mississauga, created the Extortion Investigative Task Force in 2023 in response to threats against members of the South Asian business community.
Ottawa says criminal networks use intimidation tactics and threats to fund and exert control over illegal markets for drugs, automobiles and firearms.
The federal government said Tuesday it is also setting up a Regional Integrated Drug Enforcement Team in partnership with Ontario and local authorities. The effort will be backed by $4 million in federal money over four years.
Ottawa says the enforcement team will bring together law enforcement resources from various agencies and jurisdictions to disrupt organized crime groups that control the illegal drug market and fuel extortion.
Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree made the announcements in Brampton following a meeting on battling extortion that included Ontario Solicitor General Michael Kerzner and other political representatives and police officials.
Anandasangaree said he was deeply moved by the emotional stories he heard from people who have received threats of extortion.
It is a “cowardly act” that’s meant to create fear in individuals, he said.
“All of us here today agree that we have to stop extortion and deal with the bad actors who are doing it,” he said.
The extortion attempts often involve a message asking for money with a threat of violence to the individual, their business or family if the cash is not handed over, said Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah.
Acts of violence related to the threats have included arson and shots being fired into businesses, homes and vehicles, he said.
One element “that we’re seeing here, particularly in Peel, is an increase specific to businesses and business owners themselves,” he added.
Ruby Sahota, secretary of state for combating crime and MP for an area riding, said the effects of extortion-related crimes on people’s lives and livelihoods can be devastating.
Sahota said she hears at least once or twice a week “from people who get that call that they have been dreading. For people in Peel, it’s not a matter of if, it’s become a matter of when.”
The meeting Tuesday followed one last November in Surrey, B.C., where extortion has also become a major source of concern.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2026.
— With files from Fatima Raza in Brampton, Ont.
Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press
