Housing Conditions

 

 

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-645-x/2010001/housing-logement-eng.htm

• The census in 2006 showed that the Aboriginal people were highly likely to live in houses that were in desperate need of repair.
• 29% lived in homes that needed repair.
• Inuit people showed to have the largest increase in the people who lived in homes that needed fixing.
• Nearly half of First Nations people were living on reserves where houses were in need of repairs.
• “Until I die.” That’s how long an Indigenous woman says she’ll go without food while living out of a makeshift camp in protest of poor housing conditions on First Nations people in Canada.

Overall, First Nations people’s housing on reservations are in critical conditions for need of repairs. The indigenous woman standing up and speaking publically shows the severity of how poor their living conditions are on the reservations.

Suicide

Suicide

First Natoins

Vs.

Non- Aboriginal

1. First Nations Male rate  126/100,000

First Nations Female rate 35/100,000

Non-Aboriginal Male 35/100,000

Non-Aboriginal Female 5/100,000

The suicide rate for First Nations vs. Non-Aboriginal is a lot higher, first nations have a higher rate of suicide.

2. First Nations are also more likely to contemplate suicide

3.  A report from 2000 from the Canadian institute of health, said suicide for youth first nations aged (15-24) was higher than non-aboriginals youth in canada by 5-6 times

4. 21.4 and 25.8 percent of men and women living off reserves but still first nations have a high rate of suicidal thoughts.

5. First Nations in 2008-10 show nearly one quarter of them who are adults at some point reported suicidal thoughts. And 50.7% first nations have high levels of stress and the rest of the population has 33.5%

Citations

CBC. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/

    first-nations-hit-hard-by-suicide-contagion-1.1379506.

Shulman, Micheal, and Jesse Tahirali. "Suicide among Canada's First Nations: Key

    numbers." CTV News, MIcheal Shulman, 11 april 2016, www.ctvnews.ca/health/

    suicide-among-canada-s-first-nations-key-numbers-1.2854899. Accessed 11

    Apr. 2016.

Child Poverty on Reserves in Canada

Works Cited

Denette, Nathan. Indigenous Children Play in Water. 19 Apr. 2016. Toronto Sun, www.torontosun.com/2016/05/17/60-of-first-nation-children-on-reserve-live-in-poverty-report. Accessed 22 Dec. 2016.

Child Poverty on Reserves in Canada is a growing issue. This issue has not been thought to be resolved by the Canadian government. The Child Poverty on Reserves is issued by underfunded schooling and child welfare services straining these children from their opportunities. Canada’s gains in the economy are not shared to benefit these poor conditions established on the reserves. The reserves are being overlooked by the Canadian Government and economy. The way Canada is viewing these conflicts are ‘unimportant’. These children’s future is on the line. The children are the future generation and can help Canada grow economically and socially. Changes need to be made to solve these issues.

The Rez Sisters Research Assignment #1

       Missing Aboriginal Women

http://www.amnesty.ca/blog/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls-understanding-the-numbers

According to the report, over 1,017 Indigenous women and girls were murdered between 1980 and 2012- A homicide rate landing about 4.5 times more than other women in Canada. In addition to that, in November 2013 alone, 105 Indigenous women and girls remain missing with their cases barely looked at, and unsolved. Many of these cases are foreign to the public. Barely anyone is aware of the police negligence that is involved in these cases. Innocent women and girls are disappearing with little to nothing being done about it and more innocent people are being convicted of committing these crimes, just so that the cases can be closed. Until this issue is broadcasted, it will simply just continue.

Water Conditions on First Nation Reservations

The Rez Sisters Assignment #1

Water Conditions on First Nation Reservations

For over ten years, two thirds of first nations living on reserves in Canada have had at least one unclean water advisory. Who knew that the First Nations are living in third world conditions in Canada? The longest running unclean water advisory is in the Neskantaga reserve, where they have been under an unclean water advisory for twenty years. Everyday the people on the reserve have to boil their water so they can actually use it. A water treatment plant has been put into the reserve to remove the arsenic in the water, but there is a problem with the plant and it doesn’t filter the water properly. The fact that this crisis on this reserve has been going on so long reflects on the Canadian government and show’s how little they care about the first nation’s of Canada’s health.

Citation:

Levasseur,, Joanne, and Jacques Marcoux. "Bad water: 'Third World' conditions on

    First Nations in Canada." CBC News Manitoba, 15 Oct. 2014, www.cbc.ca/news/

    canada/manitoba/

    bad-water-third-world-conditions-on-first-nations-in-canada-1.3269500.

    Accessed 22 Dec. 2016.  

Drinking Water Advisories on Canadian Reserves

Troubled Waters in First Nations Communities. 23 May 2011. The Council of Canadians, canadians.org/fn-water. Accessed 22 Dec. 2016.

From 2005 to the present, 80 First Nations communities have been under "boiled water advisories" and 21 communities are deemed to be at high risk for contamination. These advisories were put into place because of problems in the water systems on the reserves. The problems could be caused by line breaks, equipment failures, and poor filtration/disinfection during the water treatment. Nothing has really been done by the Government to help this issue. There has been no funding for urgent immediate drinking water and waste water treatment needs.

Troubled Waters in First Nations Communities. 23 May 2011. The Council of Canadians, canadians.org/fn-water. Accessed 22 Dec. 2016.

 Matthew Gordon

Native Children in Poverty

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/06/18/half_of_first_nations_kids_living_in_poverty_new_study_finds.html

Native children in Canada are twice as likely to live in poverty then non-native children, a total of 60% of all children. The highest rate of aboriginal children poverty is in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the highest rated cities are Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon. This increase is in direct correlation with the governments decision to take away necessary funding towards the native reserves. Even worse is that the children don’t receive a good education, only 10% of young adults finish high school with a diploma. This creates a poverty cycle where the uneducated parents can not get a job and then make no money to pay for there kids education and it continues. These children need more funding for them to succeed and to have a descent chance to grow up well educated and happy.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/institute-says-60-percent-fn-children-on-reserve-live-in-poverty-1.3585105

Rez Sisters Research Assignment

Works Cited

Thira, Sharon. “Aboriginal Youth Suicide prevention walk.” www.vancouversun.ca, Postmedia Network inc, 18 Dec. 2012, www.vancouversun.com/cms/binary/7717403.jpg.

Self inflicted injuries/suicide are the leading causes of death for first nation peoples up to 44 years old and its rate is among the highest in the world 11 times the national average. First nations people are faced with struggles many people do not have to worry about which can lead to mental health disorders like substance abuse and major depression. Their poor environments and limited resources are give many of these people little hope for a bright future. This can be stopped if the government supports our nation’s reserves and gives them the tools they need to  create a better life for themselves.

Incestuous Relationships in Indigenous Communities

“Aboriginal Family.” Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, www.vacfss.com/.

In Indigenous communities across Canada young children are being victimized by their family members through sexual assault and rape. Many of these victims are just coming forward twenty to forty years later, due to the lack of support from their community to pursue their allegations. The fear they once felt of being abandoned by their family and community is sparking a revolution with generations of incest survivors standing up to bring this ongoing issue into the eyes of the country.

Water Crisis on Canadian Reserves

Works Cited

âpihtawikosisân. “Dirty Water, Dirty Secret.” Apihtawikosisan, 8 Nov. 2016, apihtawikosisan.com/2012/11/dirty-water-dirty-secret-full-article/.

Due to bad pipe connections, low pressure systems, improper filtration, and bacteria build up, First Nations in Canada lack the basic necessities to survive. First Nations face appalling conditions on reserves in comparison to the rest of Canada. It is reported that 400 out of 618 aboriginal people across canada have encountered some type of water problem between 2004 and 2014. This occurs on most reserves including those in Saskatchewan, New brunswick, Alberta, and Manitoba. In some places even boil water advisories are needed as there is no filtered water or fresh water access. As a result of these problems, more help and attention is needed to reduce the crisis on many reserves. This is accomplishable by better communication between First Nations and the Canadian government.  

The Rez Sisters Research Assignment #1 - Housing on First Nations' Reserves

Rajotte, Coleen. A family in the First Nations community of Pikangikum in northwestern Ontario. CBC News, https://i.cbc.ca/1.2035743.1432723188!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/li-infrast-people620.jpg Accessed 20 Dec. 2016.

The complete lack of affordable, adequate housing and infrastructure is a constant plague that touches the lives of people on reserves, all across Canada. Lacking the proper funding, many First Nations’ people are living in squalor, without access to proper electricity and running water. According to Kazi Stastna, a reporter for CBC News, “nearly half of the houses on Canadian reserves require major repairs, and overcrowding rates are six times greater on reserve than off” (Stastna), while “bringing water and sewer systems on reserves up to standard and maintaining them that way for the next 10 years would cost about $10 billion” (Stastna). The solution? The federal government must allocate more funding to ensure that the near 400 000 people on reserves throughout Canada (The Canadian Encyclopedia) are able to meet the standards required for living.