Indigenous woman recounts incident of racist threats on remote stretch of British Columbia highway

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Rhonda Ned works from this mobile medical station to service multiple remote work sites. (Rhonda Ned – image credit)

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

A Sylix woman who was the victim of a frightening and threatening incident on a remote stretch of the British Columbia highway last week speaks of the all-too-common threats faced by Indigenous women and girls.

Rhonda Ned works for the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project as a medic near Jasper, Alberta, just across the border from British Columbia.

She spends her workdays parked on remote, mountainous stretches of highway in a truck-mounted motorhome that serves as a mobile medical post. She tends to injure herself on several scattered worksites or to passing drivers. She works alone.

While on duty Friday just before 6:15 p.m. MT, a large lifted pickup truck pulled up behind her vehicle and parked on the BC side.

Rhonda Ned

“As a doctor, my first thought is someone needs help. But this particular vehicle stopped, almost hit the back of my vehicle with its high beams on,” Ned said in an interview.

“That’s when my intuition kicked in knowing something was wrong.”

She locked her doors. Two men carrying flashlights got out of the truck and headed for its driver’s side and passenger’s side doors.

She said they started knocking on her doors and windows, insulting her and demanding that she get out of the vehicle.

They called it a racial slur targeting Indigenous women and threatened to add her to the list of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

“They wanted to hurt me,” Ned said. “And my gut was telling me if they came in, I wouldn’t be there. Or I’d be really, really hurt.”

Rhonda Ned

Ned had a satellite phone and a two-way radio to reach his colleagues. She was able to call for help. She said the men left before anyone came.

RCMP are investigating the incident.

Ned says she hopes sharing her story will draw attention to the threats faced by Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people.

“For so many years it was pushed aside and not talked about,” she said.

“We paint this picture of joy and happiness and [that] Canada is loving and peaceful. However, there is this dark side that people need to know about, that people need to talk about.”

The story continues

Urge others to be vigilant

RCMP confirmed their investigation into the incident but said little else.

“The investigation is ongoing but no details can be made public at this time,” the Staff Sergeant said. Kris Clark wrote in an email.

“There is currently no information to suggest this is a recurring issue or that there is an ongoing risk to the public.”

Trans Mountain largely deferred to police when asked for comment.

“Ms. Ned followed procedure by submitting a report to the RCMP,” a spokesperson wrote. “Trans Mountain’s first priority is the safety of its workers and the communities in which we operate. We take all incidents of this nature very seriously.”

Ned says since the incident, policies at her workplace have changed and she and the other doctors no longer work alone.

She says she understands that no one can ever be arrested.

She couldn’t see the license plate or the make of the vehicle the men were in because of the snowy weather.

She said one man was wearing a ski mask and the other had his hood up over his head, and all she could see was that he had a short beard.

‘Strength and Power’

In the days following the incident, Ned spoke to Kukpi7 Judy Wilson of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, a longtime advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women, for help.

Wilson says the ordeal Ned went through is all too common and they are often not taken seriously.

“They slip through the cracks,” Wilson said. “So I think it’s worth sharing this incident. So it might serve as a warning to other women and girls and two-spirit [people].”

Ned said she also wants victims of crimes like this to know they are not alone.

“I want to say something,” Ned said, “and give them enough strength and power to say something.”

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