British ColumbiaThe Law Society of B.C. sent out a notice to its members saying lawyers have been targeted with threats to their physical safety. It’s urging victims to contact police. Conservative MLA says threats against lawyers jeopardize integrity of provincial justice systemDarryl Greer · The Canadian Press · Posted: Nov 14, 2025 7:59 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Law Society of B.C. says some of its members have been receiving extortion threats — prompting a call for more enforcement. (Peter Scobie/CBC)The Law Society of British Columbia says it has become aware of lawyers receiving extortion threats for “substantial sums of money.” The legal profession regulator sent out a notice to its members that says lawyers have been targeted with threats to their physical safety and it urges victims to contact police. Society spokesperson Vinnie Yuen said in a statement that the reports the Law Society received are confidential and it could not reveal the nature or number of threats to lawyers, but “at the moment the issue is not widespread.” The notice was sent to Conservative MLA Steve Kooner, the Opposition attorney general critic, who’s a lawyer and a member of the society. He released a statement Friday calling for extortion to be made a terrorism offence under the Criminal Code. 🚨 BREAKING: Lawyers have now become extortion victims in BC.Premier @Dave_Eby and Attorney General @NikiSharma2 need to answer for this mess.B.C.’s extortion crisis is now targeting lawyers — the very officers of our courts and protectors of our justice system.Will the… pic.twitter.com/HLsZmOXnmF—SteveKoonerKooner said that lawyers being threatened represents a “disturbing escalation” of what he calls the province’s “extortion crisis.” B.C. has set up an extortion task force to investigate dozens of extortion attempts and subsequent shootings — many of them aimed at South Asian business people — that have terrorized several communities in the province.Kooner said in an interview Friday that he was “shocked” to learn of threats toward lawyers, and had never heard of legal professionals being targeted in his nearly two decades practising law. WATCH | CBC News’ town hall reveals frustration over extortion crisis:Police, politicians respond to public’s concerns over extortion crisisCommunity members expressed frustration as public officials acknowledged shortcomings in their response to the crisis, at a town hall hosted by the CBC on Nov. 13, 2025. The Early Edition looks at highlights from the event in Surrey, B.C., which brought together the public, business owners, police, and politicians to discuss the issue.”We’ve heard about this extortion crisis targeting business owners, homeowners, and bystanders,” he said. “Now it’s targeting legal professionals, it’s targeting the lawyers who are officers of the court. They are the protectors of our legal system.” He said the federal government should move urgently to classify extortion as a terrorism offence.”People are being terrorized, and now lawyers are being terrorized,” he said. WATCH | Extortion cases pile up in Surrey:Extortion cases are piling up in Surrey — but what can be done?CBC News continues its extensive extortion coverage with a look at how police are responding. Investigators say there’s been an explosion of cases since June 2025. As CBC’s Jon Hernandez reports, many community leaders and residents say they want to see more arrests — but B.C.’s top cops say investigations take time.He said threats against those who uphold the justice system represent an attack on the system as a whole, highlighting the need for a stronger response. “Why this could be even more concerning is certain lawyers may not want to be anywhere around extortion related offences or charges,” he said. “They may not want to represent or they may not want to act on these types of offences fearing for their own safety.” The Ministry of Attorney General said in a statement that it was aware of the Law Society’s notice sent to its members.”The safety and integrity of lawyers are essential to the justice system, and we stand with members of the legal profession during this challenging time,” the statement said. “The Law Society has correctly directed its members to available resources, and we encourage anyone facing threats to report them to the police immediately.” Sgt. Vanessa Munn, a spokesperson for the B.C. RCMP, said police are also aware that the Law Society had notified members of extortion threats.”However, we are not able to confirm whether or not there are any active investigations where a lawyer is the victim,” Munn said in an emailed statement. “We encourage anyone who is receiving extortion threats not to pay and to immediately report to their local police.”
B.C. lawyers are being threatened with extortion, regulator says, prompting calls for enforcement
