David Sharpe to Appeal Ontario Capital Markets Tribunal Decision Citing Regulatory Overreach, Charter Violations, and Abuse of Process

TORONTO, June 20, 2025 /CNW/ - David Sharpe, a nationally recognized First Nations legal and economic leader will appeal the findings and sanctions imposed in the recent decision of the Ontario Capital Market Tribunal.
Mr. Sharpe, a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, former Chair of the First Nations University of Canada and past CEO of Bridging Finance Inc., did not participate in nor was he present during the course of the hearing. He adopted this position in light of the summary dismissal of his motion to stay the proceedings which ignored the Tribunal's finding that OSC staff had unlawfully disclosed his compelled testimony causing irreversible harm to his career and reputation.
Brian Greenspan, counsel on behalf of Mr. Sharpe noted that "This appeal not only relates to Mr. Sharpe—it engages the right of every Canadian to be protected from abuse of state power. When a public agency violates the statute which governs its operation, admits the violation and yet no remedy or accountability is provided, fundamental fairness and confidence in the adjudicative process is jeopardized."
The appeal also raises issues of systemic discrimination including the failure of the OSC to investigate Mr. Sharpe's written complaint of racism. The focus of the appeal is whether "public bodies can break the law and then change the law after the fact to justify their actions. That is not how the rule of law should work in a democracy."

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• Toronto Star

Mark Carney promises to consult with Indigenous communities in choosing projects under controversial Bill C-5

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The Province

an hour ago

• The Province

Few B.C. arrests in heightened extortion battle frustrating for Surrey residents, officials

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Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors RCMP Supt. Adam MacIntosh said there is a high level of 'competence and cooperation' between SPS and RCMP officers investigating the series of extortions targeting South Asian businesses. His team was created in the fall of 2023 to increase coordination between police departments in Canadian cities, such as Brampton, Edmonton and Surrey, which were all seeing a rise in extortion cases at that time. Since then, police in Brampton and Edmonton have made arrests, while the attacks in Surrey appear to be ramping up again, with two more shootings this week, including one at Surrey's Nijjar Trucking and another at the Maple Ridge home of a Punjabi music producer. Bullet holes and boarded-up windows at a residence in Maple Ridge June 19, 2025. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG MacIntosh was unable to comment on any possible links between the extortions in Brampton and Edmonton and those in Surrey, including the suggestion that the Bishnoi gang, an organized crime group based in India, might be connected to the violence in Surrey. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Earlier this week, B.C. Premier David Eby asked the federal government to classify the gang as a terrorist group. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said Thursday the lack of clarity on who is behind the extortions is frustrating. 'That's why I'm calling on the province and our national police, the RCMP, to really put their shoulder into this,' she said. The possibility of international organized crime involvement means 'it's going to take our national police.' Speaking at a public safety forum last weekend, the mayor said a single national dashboard that flags extortion incidents within hours, not weeks, is needed. She also wants a joint provincial-federal task force to audit the impact of the Surrey police transition on 'organized crime activity with the authority to redirect resources on the spot.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG 'Policing is not an experiment,' she said in reference to the transition. 'We are not getting the kind of service and attention that we need in order to keep our citizens safe. Not just from Surrey Police Service and not just from E-division RCMP, but the entire nation. What happens right now in Surrey falls squarely on the province's shoulders. How it is fixed — and make no mistake, it must be fixed — falls squarely on the provincial government.' MacIntosh said timely information about extortions is being shared between police departments. He encouraged the public to continue to report extortion attempts to police. While he was not able to comment on links between extortions across Canada, he said it is clear organized crime groups are motivated by profit, and some groups see 'extortion as an easy way to make a profit.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. One way to counter that is to take away the profitability, whether through arrests, or by reporting attempts to police, he said. 'If people are paying and not telling us, that works in the favour of organized crime.' As reported by CBC News Edmonton this week, court records show an extortion scheme that targeted South Asian homebuilders in Alberta for several months in 2023 and 2024 had links to B.C.'s Brothers Keepers gang. A Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued for Maninder Dhaliwal in 2024. Photo by Shaughn Butts / Shaughn Butts Edmonton Police Service arrested six people in July 2024 as part of Project Gaslight, a special investigation into 34 extortions, which included arsons and shootings. A seventh person, Maninder Dhaliwal, who was suspected of orchestrating the attacks from abroad, remained at large for several months until he was arrested in the United Arab Emirates on separate charges. Earlier this year, Edmonton police applied to have him extradited to Alberta to face charges, although Canada does not have an extradition treaty with UAE. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Divnoor Singh Asht, one of the men arrested last summer as part of Project Gaslight, recently pleaded guilty to arson, extortion and conspiring to commit extortion. An agreed statement of facts in the case said some of the group behind the Edmonton extortions were members of Brothers Keepers, although there was no evidence Asht was one of them, according to the CBC. He admitted to 'assembling and instructing the lower members of the group to carry out the extortion and related arsons. These actions were based on the direction and instruction of Maninder Dhaliwal and Harpreet Uppal, prior to his death.' Uppal's death in 2023 shocked many across Canada as his 11-year-old son was gunned down alongside him. The court records reported by CBC identified Uppal as a key part of the extortion scheme and a member of Brothers Keepers. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. In a statement to Postmedia on Friday, Edmonton police spokesperson Cheryl Voordenhout said police are still investigating the extortion scheme, but cannot share details. Edmonton police are in close contact with police in B.C. and across Canada 'as we increasingly manage transnational crime groups.' She confirmed they are still pursuing Dhaliwal's extradition. During their investigation, Edmonton police enlisted the public's help to identify suspects, putting out several news releases on their progress and releasing surveillance photos of suspects buying and filling gas containers. The team had a dedicated tip line and email address. Police in B.C. have not linked the extortion scheme to the Brothers Keepers. The B.C. gang, which was started in about 2016 by the late Gavinder Grewal, has been locked in an eight-year gang conflict against shifting rivals including in the BIBO gang and the United Nations. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The extortions in Ontario appear to be linked to organized crime as well. On Monday, Peel police said they had dismantled a crime group involved in extortion and insurance fraud, arresting 18 people as part of Project Outsource. Nijjar Trucking in Surrey was shot at, which points to an extortion-motivated shooting. Photo by Jason Payne / PNG As reported by CTV News Ontario this week, the investigation was launched in 2023 after a sharp rise in extortions targeting the South Asian business community. 'The threats escalated into a variety of different offences, including drive-by shootings, arsons, a variety of acts of violence that spread fear and insecurity,' Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah said at a news conference this week. Police were able to link a Brampton-based crime group to the extortions, as well as a scheme where they allegedly staged dozens of collisions on Greater Toronto roads in an effort to defraud insurance companies. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Police seized four high-end personal vehicles, five stolen vehicles, six firearms, 600 rounds of ammunition, two bulletproof vests, and $45,000 in Canadian currency as they laid almost 100 charges, with more expected. Although the Bishnoi gang was not mentioned by police in the recent arrests, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown said he was supportive of Eby's request to designate the gang as a terrorist group. Brown said Peel police told him a terrorist designation 'would be helpful' and the gang is involved in 'serious criminal activity' in Ontario. 'We're talking about extortions and murders in our region.' 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Vancouver Sun

an hour ago

• Vancouver Sun

Music streamer Spotify tells CRTC not to regulate it like radio

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