Woman says Winnipeg taxi driver's demand for deposit mid-ride made her feel unsafe
MKO warns First Nations taxi riders to take safety measures after February incident
A Cree woman from a community in northern Manitoba says she felt unsafe and afraid when a Winnipeg cab driver told her she'd have to pay a cash deposit or get out of his taxi mid-ride.
Loretta Caribou is from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, but was in the city visiting her niece on Feb. 15. She requested a Unicity taxi take her from a home on Aberdeen Avenue to the Sandman Hotel. She says after driving a couple of blocks the driver stopped the car and demanded she give him $10 in cash or get out.
"Right away, I thought of racial profiling," Caribou said. "Being an Indigenous woman, I thought I was a target."
In a video Caribou recorded with her phone, she asks the driver, "You don't trust me because I'm First Nation?" and he responds "I asked you for the deposit, can you give me some money?"
CBC contacted Unicity Taxi for comment Wednesday, but did not receive a response.
WATCH | Cabbie insists on cash deposit before continuing:
While cab drivers can negotiate pre-payment before taking a fare, the City of Winnipeg Vehicle for Hire Office has told CBC previously that drivers cannot stop in the middle of a ride and ask for payment.
Caribou says she was afraid when her driver stopped the car because she wasn't familiar with the area and it was cold outside. She was worried the driver might take the cash and kick her out, but she says she didn't feel like she had a choice, so, she paid him.
"I just gave him the deposit because I felt fear," she said. "I didn't want to be thrown out of the cab in the middle of nowhere."
Caribou texted her husband to tell him what happened. She says she spent the rest of her 15-minute ride in tears.
MKO warns of 'unsafe incidents'
Caribou's experience prompted Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. to issue a warning to First Nations people.
Grand Chief Garrison Settee is quoted in the written statement urging First Nations people to be vigilant when taking cabs in Winnipeg.
MKO previously issued a warning in Oct. 2021 after two taxi drivers faced charges for alleged violence against their passengers.
"We continue to call on all taxi companies and the City of Winnipeg to step up to ensure First Nations people can access safe taxi services," Chief Settee said in the statement.
CBC Manitoba reported on a similar incident in October 2021. Robert Paul, a Cree man from The Pas, Man., said a Unicity Taxi cab driver stopped driving and insisted he pre-pay his fare, and then left him stranded.
That incident was also recorded on camera.
If First Nations people must take a taxi, MKO suggests they take precautions. The organization representing 26 First Nations in northern Manitoba says passengers should take measures to protect themselves like sitting in the back seat, letting someone know where they are, and taking a photo of the cab number and licence plate.
Changes needed, say advocates
Indigenous people should not have to consider safety tips before taking a cab in Winnipeg, says one advocate.
"Obviously there's a problem," said Rachel Sansregret, the CEO of the Winnipeg Indigenous Friendship Centre and a member of the city's vehicles-for-hire advisory board.
"It's great that MKO is being proactive in assisting with safety tips," she said. "But the fact that this is necessary is absolutely unacceptable."
Sansregret wants to see the policies and bylaws governing taxi services changed to discourage misconduct.
The city's public service has recommended changes to the vehicles-for-hire bylaw, including a $250 fine for sexually harassing, insulting, abusing, or threatening a passenger.
But the public works committee voted to postpone making any further decisions until its Mar. 8 meeting.
Beyond deterrents like fines, Sansregret says she wants a better reporting process for incidents in taxis. She says people are often afraid to report incidents and when they do, sometimes they aren't taken seriously.
The city's vehicles-for-hire manager, Grant Heather, has previously told CBC News that anyone with a complaint about an experience in a limo, taxi or ride-hailing vehicle should call 311 to report it. He said viable complaints will be investigated by the city's team and could result in a fine to the driver.
Caribou says she thought about reporting the incident to Unicity but didn't think it would go anywhere, so she reported her experience to MKO.
She says she has experienced a lot of racial profiling and usually just lets it go, but this time she thought about how speaking up could help others.
"Some women don't speak out because they're afraid, they fear or don't want to say anything," Caribou said. "If I don't make a voice for these women that don't speak up for themselves, then who will be the next victim?"
The final report of the National Inquiry into MMIWG calls governments to provide safe and affordable transportation for Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2S+ people.
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