Canada has had its own biker massacres; could it happen again?
he Sunday biker massacre in Texas is eerily reminiscent of Ontario's own Bandidos massacre, when the bodies of eight men who belonged to an offshoot of the outlaw gang were found in cars parked in a farmer's field near London, Ont., in 2006, all shot to death. Even bigger biker bloodbaths played out in Quebec between 1994 and 2002, when Hells Angels and the Rock Machine were at war.
We spoke to Julian Sher, senior producer at CBC's The Fifth Estate, who is an investigative journalist and co-author of several books on biker gangs in Canada.
What is the current state of biker activity and turf wars in Canada?
We've had our Wacos. We've seen 160 deaths in Montreal in the 1990s, we've seen the biggest single massacre in Ontario history. We've seen the consequences.
The good news for Canada is that the Hells Angels won the biker wars in Canada -- they quashed the Bandidos or absorbed them. Canada is Hells Angels territory -- they control it -- so there's no immediate threat of biker wars.
How is that good news?
Hells Angels have a monopoly -- that's both good news and bad news. That's like saying it's a good thing the Mafia controls Sicily. Now, the Bandidos pretty much control Texas, and the violence probably came because they were worrying about smaller gangs encroaching. That could happen here -- and the Hells Angels would strike back.
Are the Bandidos involved in the Texas shootout affiliated with the ones responsible for the 2006 Ontario massacre?
Yes. They have about 1,000 (members) in the U.S. and maybe another 1,500 in 14 countries, according to law enforcement. They are second only to Hells Angels. I don't know of any formal chapters still alive in Canada, partly because they shot themselves in the foot, they eliminated their own chapter in Ontario. They were crushed out of Quebec, and some joined over to Hells Angels in Alberta.
How does biker gang violence in Canada compare to that in the U.S.?
This is one of those rare instances where Canadians can tell Americans we've seen violence like that. Americans are reeling in horror over nine dead bodies, where we've had dozens. Canada has had a much more violent history than they have in the States over the years. We don't have a lot of the illusions the Americans have about who the bikers are.
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