Community members pack meeting to talk about safety following killing of Brampton man

Members of the South Asian community packed a town hall meeting on Sunday to talk about public safety following the death of a Brampton man who was gunned down in Mississauga this week.

The killing of Harjeet Dhadda, 51, has sparked concerns about violence in the community.

Peel Regional Police say Dhadda was shot several times in a parking lot near Tranmere Drive and Telford Way, near Pearson International Airport, on Wednesday shortly before noon. Paramedics performed CPR before he was rushed to a local hospital, where he died.

Gurlin Dhadda, his daughter, called for justice for her father at the meeting at the Dixie Gurdwara, also known as the Ontario Khalsa Darbar. The gurdwara is on Dixie Road near Derry Road in Mississauga.

Growing violence, including gun violence, and rising crime rates are troubling the community, she told the gathering.

"We are here to ask: Who is responsible? Why is nothing done?" she asked.

"My father, Harjeet Singh Dhadda, was an honest man. He worked hard every single day and followed the law for the past 27 years. He was not only a loving father, but he was a pillar to this community," she said.

Gurlin said her father launched food drives during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide free meals to people in need, and helped many people start their trucking businesses.

"That was the kind of man he was — always giving, always serving," she said. "He did not deserve this. No family deserves the pain that we are going through."

Gurlin said the community needs to demand better laws and better protection to keep Canada safe.

"Today, it is our family. Tomorrow, it could be yours. We are not just mourning a life lost. We are raising our voices to demand justice and real change," she said.

'I've lost my dad, my hero,' daughter says

In an interview after the meeting, Gurlin said her father received a call on Dec. 10, 2023, during which the caller demanded $500,000 and told Dhadda he would be killed if he didn't give them the money. The threat was reported to police. Security was provided for a week and later police patrolled around his office and house, but then it stopped.

On the social media platform LinkedIn, Dhadda is described as a commercial insurance broker.

Gurlin said the laws governing gun violence should be strengthened.

As for her father, she said: "He was a leader. He was a very nice man. He was always there for everyone, and I want everyone to be there for him and get justice for him."

She added: "I've lost my dad, my hero. It's like my heart was ripped away. But I know he would want me to be strong, which I will. That's why I'm fighting for him."

Gurlin and her brother, Tanveer Singh Dhadda, have said in social media posts that their father had received repeated threats and extortion calls in recent years. They said the threats were reported to police.

Peel police have not confirmed whether they received reports of threats against Dhadda. They have said they believe the shooting was targeted but have not announced any arrests or named any suspects.

'Everyone is scared,' Brampton West MP says

 Amarjeet Gill, the Conservative MP for Brampton West, told the meeting that crime is a major problem in Peel Region and that law-abiding citizens are frustrated with crime rates, which he called unacceptable.

"Everyone is scared whether it's car theft, whether it's house-breaking, whether it's extortion calls," he said. "These are not the things we want to see in our society."

Gill said people want to secure the best life possible for their children and that the crime rates are distracting them from that goal.

Extortion threats a problem in B.C.

In British Columbia, a number of South Asian business owners also say they have been targets of extortion threats in recent years.

Jas Arora, the owner of Highway King Transport, a trucking company in Abbotsford, said he has faced threats since 2023 and they have frightened him. He said he has received more than 100 extortion calls.

"This has been two years since I started getting calls in the nighttime from different numbers," he said. "All they're saying is, that if I don't give them a million dollars, they will kill me and my kids."

The RCMP launched a national alliance of various police forces across Canada last year, called the RCMP National Coordination and Support Team, to combat extortion.

But Kash Heed, a former police chief and solicitor general in B.C., said there have been few results from that alliance for the community most affected.

"I don't think we've hit the mark on preventing these from taking place, and certainly we have not hit the mark for the South Asian community feeling comfortable that law enforcement has this in hand," Heed said.