ON February 22, The Kids Play Foundation hosted a Drugs, Gangs and Extortion Forum at the Westfield Country Club in Surrey. The forum included speakers from the provincial government, the municipal government, community leaders, and former local gang members.

Ministers Jessie Sunner and Jagrup Brar along with parliamentary secretaries Amna Shah and Garry Begg all spoke on the work the provincial government has been doing to address this important issue.

The Surrey BC NDP MLAs highlighted the strong action their government is taking to combat extortion-related violence by equipping police with enhanced tools, intelligence, and surge resources, including through the dedicated BC Extortion Task Force. Alongside proactive enforcement and coordinated investigations, victims are being supported with specialized services and safety planning.

Sunner, Brar, Shah and Begg assured the community that their government’s efforts are delivering results, with arrests made, charges laid, and foreign nationals connected to these crimes being removed from Canada.

The Kids Play forum, a non-profit organization founded by Kal Dosanjh, was in partnership with Foundation for Path Forward and Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers.