British Columbia is undertaking a $600,000 expansion of the province's forensic firearms lab, a move the government says is a direct response to the recent rash of extortion violence.
The funding comes a day after Premier David Eby criticized the head of B.C.'s anti-extortion task force for not characterizing the recent violence as a crisis, comments for which RCMP Assistant Commissioner John Brewer has since apologized.
A statement from the Ministry of Public Safety says the latest funding will be used to increase the lab's efficiency and capacity in delivering forensic results on cases related to gun violence.
It says the lab expansion will allow for the prioritization of testing in "crucial investigative files and expedite extortion-related charge approvals," while producing the necessary data for co-ordinating policing strategies.
The lab, created in 2021, handled almost 870 exhibit submissions in 2024 — up from 625 the year prior.
Recent shootings and other extortion violence include 34 such cases in the Metro Vancouver city of Surrey over the last three weeks, prompting Mayor Brenda Locke to send a letter to Ottawa urging the appointment of a national extortion commissioner to combat the crimes.
B.C. Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger says the province hopes the lab expansion provides part of the equation to combating extortion.
"We are ensuring that police have the tools, resources and intelligence support they need to hold these offenders accountable," Krieger says in a statement.
Brewer had apologized one day earlier for his comments having "impacted public confidence" after opting not to characterize the violence as a crisis.
Eby had criticized Brewer, saying the officer should "step aside" if he did not feel the urgency needed to resolve the situation.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
