John Ivan McCaw
Winnipeg, MB / Jan. 26, 1980
Early Saturday morning on January 26, 1980, a motorist found John MccCaw's taxi stuck in a ditch along Hall Road between Wilkes Avenue and Roblin Boulevard on the city's southwest outskirts. McCaw, 69, was lying about 100 yards away. He had been assaulted and robbed and run over by his car. Although his wallet was missing a money clip containing the night's fares was still on his body.
Police arrested a 17-year-old male and charged him with murder. A 20-year-old deaf woman was arrested as a material witness and later released on a $500 bond.
McCaw was a native of Griswold, Manitoba and had worked for many years at the Bank of Montreal. On his retirement he began driving part-time for Moores (later Unicity) Taxi. His wife Betty had died in October. They had three adult children and four grandchildren.
McCaw, tall and bespectacled, was characterized by acquaintances as a man who took no unnecessary risks. "John was a quiet guy, unassuming -- wouldn't harm a flea," said one of them.
About 200 people attended McCaw's funeral. About 100 cabs lined the street outside the chapel.
McCaw's death provoked discussion of the need for safety devices in cabs, including Plexiglas shields, automatic door locks and armoured seat backs.
The president of the Winnipeg Taxi Cab Association dismissed the need for such devices. "You can't lock yourself up like a rat in a cage," he said. "We're not New York. This happens once in 25 years."
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