'I was scared to be thrown out of the cab': First Nation woman says Winnipeg taxi driver demanded deposit mid-trip

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A First Nations woman from Northern Manitoba is speaking out after she says a taxi driver in Winnipeg stopped midway in the drive and demanded she pay a deposit—a move she believes was a case of racial profiling.

Loretta Caribou, who lives in Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, says she was in Winnipeg and had been taking a cab to a hotel on the evening of Feb. 15, 2022. However, Caribou said midway through the driver of the cab pulled over.

"He asked for a cash deposit. He said, 'I need a cash deposit or get out of my cab,'" Caribou told CTV News.

"I asked him why he needed the cash deposit, and he just demanded I give him the cash deposit. And then I started recording him."

She said she took pictures of the taxi and began videoing the interaction with the cab driver. Caribou said she had shown the driver the cash she had and said she would pay for her cab, but she alleges the driver continued to demand she pay a deposit or get out.

"I wasn't familiar with the area so I was scared to be thrown out of the cab so I just gave him the cash deposit," she said, adding the driver then took her to her destination.

Caribou feels she was racially profiled because she is a First Nations woman.

"When I think about it I'm still very upset about it, and I feel fear," she said, adding she reported what had happened to Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO).

"MKO continues to have concerns about the safety of First Nations citizens using taxis in Winnipeg. I encourage anyone who has witnessed or experienced unsafe incidents in taxis to file a report with the Winnipeg Police Service,” MKO Grand Chief Settee said in a news release.

"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."

Caribou said she is in the process of filing a complaint with Unicity Taxi over the incident. She says she has not yet heard from the taxi business.

Unicity Taxi has not responded to CTV's request for comment.

On its website, Unicity Taxi said drivers may ask for fare in advance. However, a spokesperson with the City of Winnipeg said according to the vehicle for hire bylaw, drivers are not permitted to stop a taxi and ask for a deposit or fare mid-trip.

"Drivers are permitted to ask for pre-payment; however, they should only be asking for pre-payment in cases where there is a known history of non-payment of fares. Otherwise, they are not supposed to ask for pre-payment," the spokesperson told CTV News in an email.

They said passengers can report any violations to 311, adding the city investigates all complaints and if substantiated the driver could face a fine.

Caribou said she is sharing her experience publicly in hopes of preventing this from happening to others.

"I think about the women that that will not speak up or report incidents that happened," she said.