Communities involved in the research project.

Cities listed below were selected for the purpose for carrying out this research for several reasons: A) Cities selected have large Aboriginal and Inuit populations; B) Many of the services urban Aboriginal communities draw upon are administered by provinces so the capital city or largest city in the province seemed like a good choice; C) The arts community is very active in each of these cities (some more than others); D) In order to show a true Canadian perspective from north to south, east to west.

Note: These are very low estimates as numbers do not reflect the homeless population, nor do they represent the entire Aboriginal population. For example, in 2004, Native Social Services and Aboriginal health services for the city of Toronto report numbers of Aboriginal clients which exceed by far the estimated 27,000 Aboriginal people that live in Toronto according to Statistics Canada. In some cases, estimated Aboriginal populations are double and triple the numbers reported by Statistics Canada. The reality is that Statistics Canada figures can only report on the information people provide when filling out the census. People who do not participate in the census obviously are not counted.

Highlights of 2006 census data on the country's Aboriginal population, released Tuesday, January 22, 2008 by Statistics Canada:

For the first time, more than one million Canadians identified themselves as Aboriginal. The census counted 1,172,790 Indian, Métis and Inuit people.

About 1.7 million Canadians reported having at least some aboriginal ancestry. Statistics Canada defines "aboriginal ancestry" as the ethnic or cultural origin of a person's ancestors, usually more distant than a grandparent.

The aboriginal population increased by 45 per cent between 1996 and 2006. This growth can be attributed to a number of factors: higher birth rates than the non-aboriginal population, more people identifying themselves as aboriginal, census enumerators got better co-operation from some reserves this time.

The reported Métis population -- those of mixed Indian and European ancestry -- has almost doubled since the 1996 census. Those who identified themselves as Indians increased by 29 per cent, while the Inuit population went up by 26 per cent.

About four per cent of Canada's total population is aboriginal. That's the second highest total in the world, second only to New Zealand where Maoris make up 15 per cent of that country's population.

Fifty-five per cent of the status Indian population lives off reserve, up from 54 per cent in 1996.

More than half of the country's aboriginal people (54 per cent) live in urban areas. For those who don't live on reserves, the urban figure climbs to 72 per cent.

Some of Canada's largest cities have significant aboriginal populations, including Winnipeg (10 per cent), Regina and Saskatoon (both nine per cent).

The aboriginal population in Canada is considerably younger than the non-native citizenry, with a median age of 27 compared to 40. Almost half (48 per cent) of the aboriginal population is under the age of 25.

The census indicates that there has been some improvement in overcrowded housing conditions for Aboriginals since 1996, but nearly one in four respondents said their homes needed of major repairs.

There has been a decline in the use and knowledge of Inuktitut, the major language of the Inuit, and less than three per cent of Métis under the age of 45 can speak an aboriginal language. However, there are indications that some First Nation groups are trying to retain their ancestral tongues: 12 per cent of those who spoke Cree in 2006 learned it as a second language.

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_18590.aspx      

Jan 22, 2008