The City of Whitehorse is a major stakeholder when it comes to improving safety for women in taxis, says the executive director of the Yukon Status of Women Council.

Aja Mason appeared before council at its meeting Monday to talk about taxi safety and the need for a lot more work to address the issue.

Violence or sexual advances against women in Whitehorse taxis is not new, Mason pointed out.

“It’s been around for years,” she said.

The women’s council conducted a survey to get a better understanding of the issue.

It prompted 174 responses, of which 160 were from women.

The initial Facebook post triggered a wave of online disclosures of sexualized violence, harassment and racism.

“In nearly every category of incident, Indigenous respondents reported proportionally higher rates of violence, harassment or encounters that made them feel unsafe or targeted,” says the Taxi Safety Report, presented to council Monday evening.

Respondents were asked if they experienced things said or asked that made them feel uncomfortable.

Eighty-two per cent of Indigenous respondents said they have experienced things said or asked that made them uncomfortable.

Sixty-two per cent of non-Indigenous respondents said they had as well.

Twenty-two per cent of Indigenous respondents said they had experienced offers, threats, coercion or demands to exchange fares for sex.

Twelve per cent of non-Indigenous respondents said they had experienced it.

Ten per cent of Indigenous respondents said they had been touched or assaulted in a sexualized way while seven per of non-Indigenous respondents said it had happened to them.

The report says the majority of women – more than half – were not aware of the ability to report incidents to the city’s bylaw department, which is responsible for overseeing local taxi services.

The vast majority of respondents indicated they were aware they could report criminal activity to the RCMP, the report indicates.

Mason said some women feel if they report it nothing will be done or they will not be treated fairly.

The women’s council is recommending the creation of a transportation safety committee to address taxi safety.

The committee could be made up of a city representatives from the city’s traffic and street sign committee and bylaw services, along with an RCMP officer and a representative of the women’s council.

The report notes that with funding, the committee could look at what other jurisdictions are doing to address gender-based violence in the transportation sector, in particular taxis.

“The City of Whitehorse should conduct a public awareness campaign targeted at informing residents of the role that Bylaw Services plays in regulating the taxi industry,” says the report.

It says the city should make taxi safety one of the items in the city’s list of strategic priorities.

The issue of taxi safety should be a standing item at council’s committee meetings, says the report.

Council heard that Whitehorse taxis are officially inspected twice a year, in May and November.

But there are also unscheduled inspections to check if things like the onboard camera is operational.

The city has issued five tickets, for $2,500 each, for camera equipment that is not working properly.

Mayor Laura Cabott told her colleagues on council she will be connecting with Yellowknife officials to see how they are dealing with sexualized violence in taxis. Yellowknife is dealing with a similar issue, she noted.