2006 Aboriginal population profile for Prince George

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by Shelly Milligan

Introduction

This report examines the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the Aboriginal population living in the census agglomeration (CA) of Prince George.¹ The First Nation reserve community of Fort George (Shelley) 2 of Lheidi T'enneh is located within the census agglomeration area boundaries of Prince George. The 2006 Census and 2006 Aboriginal Peoples Survey (APS), which provide an extensive set of data about Aboriginal people, are the data sources.

The report focuses on the Aboriginal identity population, which refers to those people who reported identifying with at least one Aboriginal group, that is, North American Indian, Métis or Inuit, and/or those who reported being a Treaty Indian or a registered Indian as defined by the Indian Act of Canada, and/or those who reported they were members of an Indian band or First Nation.

The term 'First Nations' is used throughout the report to refer to people who identified as North American Indian. The term 'Aboriginal population' is used to refer to the Aboriginal identity population.

Setting the context

There were 1,172,790 Aboriginal people in Canada in 2006, accounting for 3.8% of Canada's total population.

In 2006, a total of 196,075 Aboriginal people lived in British Columbia, representing 5% of the provincial population.

There were 8,855 Aboriginal people living in the census agglomeration area of Prince George which represented 11% of the total population of Prince George. By comparison, the census metropolitan area of Vancouver, with 40,310 Aboriginal people, had the largest Aboriginal population of any city in British Columbia in 2006, but the Aboriginal population only represented 2% of that city's total population.

Between 2001 and 2006, the Aboriginal population in Prince George grew by 11%, from 7,985 to 8,855 people. The First Nations population grew by 9%, while the Métis grew by 11%.

First Nations—largest Aboriginal group in Prince George

In 2006, 4,505 persons identified as First Nations people accounting for half (51%) of the city's Aboriginal population. Another 4,000 identified as Métis. And accounted for just under half (45%) of the Aboriginal population. Those reporting multiple or other Aboriginal responses² accounted for 4%.

Of those who identified as First Nations people in 2006, almost three-quarters (73%) reported being a Treaty Indian or a registered Indian as defined by the Indian Act of Canada.

A young population

The Aboriginal population living in Prince George is slightly younger than the non-Aboriginal population. In 2006, the median age³ of the Aboriginal population in Prince George was 26 years, compared to 39 years for the non-Aboriginal population.

In 2006, almost half (49%) of Aboriginal people in Prince George were under the age of 25, compared to 32% of non-Aboriginal people. Furthermore, only 3% of Aboriginal people were 65 years and over, compared to 10% of the non-Aboriginal population. Almost one-third (31%) of Aboriginal people in Prince George were under the age of 15, compared to 18% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts (see chart 1). For more details on the age distribution, see table 1 in the appendix.

Aboriginal children aged 14 years and under represented 17% of the census agglomeration's children. About one-third of the First Nations population (32%) as well as the Métis population (31%) were 14 years of age and under.

Chart 1 Population pyramids for the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations, Prince George, 2006

Aboriginal children more likely than non-Aboriginal children to live with a lone mother

In 2006, over half of the Aboriginal children aged 14 and under (58%) lived with both parents. Compared with their non-Aboriginal peers, Aboriginal children were more likely to live with a lone mother (31% versus 15%), a grandparent (with no parent present) (5% versus under 1%). Aboriginal children were equally as likely as non-Aboriginal children to live with a lone father (both at 4%) (see table 2 in the appendix).

Aboriginal youth equally as likely as non-Aboriginal youth to be attending school

Overall, in 2006, Aboriginal youth aged 15 to 24 living in Prince George were equally as likely to be attending school as their non-Aboriginal counterparts (63% versus 64%). Furthermore, Aboriginal people had a slightly greater tendency to return to school later in life than did non-Aboriginal people. For example, 17% of Aboriginal women 35 to 44 years of age attended school in 2006, compared to 14% of non-Aboriginal women in the same age group (see table 3 in the appendix).

About half of Aboriginal people in Prince George have completed postsecondary education

Just under half of Aboriginal men (43%) and Aboriginal women (46%) aged 25 to 64 had completed a postsecondary education compared to about just over half of their non-Aboriginal counterparts, 55% and 54% respectively. Postsecondary education includes a trades certificate, a college diploma or a university certificate, diploma or degree. Aboriginal men (6%) and women (9%) were less likely than their non-Aboriginal male and female counterparts (14% and 17%, respectively) to have obtained a university certificate, diploma or degree (see text table 1).

In 2006, about one-third (33%) of Aboriginal men and just over one-quarter (26%) of Aboriginal women 25 to 64 years of age had less than a high school education, compared to 20% and 13% of their non-Aboriginal male and female counterparts.

Text table 1 Highest level of educational attainment of people aged 25 to 64 years, by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal identity and sex, Prince George, 2006

Aboriginal people were less likely to have a university degree than the non-Aboriginal population

Regardless of their age group or sex, Aboriginal people living in Prince George in 2006 were less likely than their non-Aboriginal counterparts to have a university degree. (This includes all certificates, diplomas or degrees at the bachelor's level or above.)

Furthermore, older Aboriginal women (35 to 64 years) were more likely (9%) to have a university degree than older Aboriginal men (6%)(see chart 2).

Chart 2 Percentage of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people 25 to 64 years of age with a university degree, Prince George, 2006

Higher unemployment rates for Aboriginal people in Prince George

In 2006, the unemployment rate⁴ for the Aboriginal core working age population (aged 25 to 54) in Prince George was higher than that of the non-Aboriginal population (13.7% compared to 6.0%). Unemployment rates were slightly higher for men in Prince George than they were for women (see table 4 in the appendix).

Chart 3 Unemployment rates for people aged 25 to 54 years, by Aboriginal identity group and sex, Prince George, 2006

Métis and First Nations employment rates were lower than those of the non-Aboriginal population

Another measure of labour market performance is the employment rate.⁵ In 2006, Métis women aged 25 to 54 living in Prince George had an employment rate (69.4%) that was lower than that of non-Aboriginal women (78.2%). In comparison, the employment rate of Métis men (81.8%) was similar to that of non-Aboriginal men (87.1%). The employment rates of First Nations men (66.3%) and women (55.8%) were also lower than the non-Aboriginal population (see table 5 in the appendix).

Men more likely to work full time full year than women among Aboriginal people and the non-Aboriginal population

About three in 10 (29%) Aboriginal people living in Prince George were working full time full year⁶ in 2005. This percentage was lower than that of the non-Aboriginal population (40%).

Men were more likely than women to be full-time full-year workers. Just over one-third (35%) of Aboriginal men and 47% of non-Aboriginal men worked full time full year compared to 24% of Aboriginal women and 33% of non-Aboriginal women.

Métis men (40%) in the Prince George labour force were more likely than Métis women (28%) to be working full time full year in 2005. First Nations men (29%) in the Prince George labour force were more likely than First Nations women (21%) to be working full time full year in 2005 (see text table 2).

Text table 2 Percentage of full-time full-year workers, by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal identity and sex, Prince George, 2005

Occupations in 'sales and services', 'trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations' and 'business, finance and administrative' most prevalent

In studying the labour market of a given area, it is helpful to examine its occupational⁷ make-up. In 2006, the three most common occupational categories⁸ for both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal experienced labour forces in Prince George were 'sales and service', 'trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations' and 'business, finance and administrative'. However, the kinds of jobs people hold differ for men and women. Women were more likely to work in 'sales and service' as well as 'business, finance and administration' while their male counterparts were more likely to work in 'trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations'. This comparison between men and women holds true for both the Aboriginal and the non-Aboriginal populations in Prince George.

In 2006, Aboriginal women were more likely than non-Aboriginal women to have 'sales and service' jobs (44% versus 32%). Aboriginal men were slightly more likely than their non-Aboriginal counterparts to work in 'trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations' (36% versus 35%). Aboriginal women were slightly less likely than non-Aboriginal women to work in 'business, finance and administrative' positions (26% versus 28%) (see table 6 in the appendix).

Aboriginal people continue to earn less than the non-Aboriginal population

In 2000, the median earnings⁹ of full-time full-year Aboriginal earners in Prince George (measured in 2005 dollars) were about $36,100. By 2005, median earnings had increased to approximately $37,400. Aboriginal people who worked full time full year in 2005 earned less than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In 2000, Aboriginal people in Prince George working full time full year earned 75% of what their non-Aboriginal counterparts were earning. By 2005, this percentage had increased to 79% (see table 7 in the appendix).

Total income lower for Aboriginal people

The census collects a number of measures of income that help in understanding the economic situation of a population. Earnings data have been provided for the population working full time full year in 2005. It is also useful to look at total income¹⁰ as sources of income go beyond that of employment. In 2005, just over two in 10 (21%) Aboriginal people with income in Prince George had a total income of $40,000 or over compared to over one-third (37%) of their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In 2005, Aboriginal women had the lowest median income ($16,000), whether compared to Aboriginal men ($23,200) or to non-Aboriginal men ($41,400) or non-Aboriginal women ($21,200) (see table 8 in the appendix).

Additionally, in Prince George, 9% of the Aboriginal population aged 15 years and over and 4% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts reported having no income in 2005 (data not shown).

Over one-third of Aboriginal people in Prince George living below the low income cut-off

Statistics Canada uses the concept of low income cut-off (LICO)¹¹ to indicate an income threshold below which a family will likely devote a larger share of its income on the necessities of food, shelter and clothing than the average family. In 2005, in Prince George about one-third (33%) of Aboriginal people¹² were living under the LICO, compared to 11% of non-Aboriginal people. In addition, over one-third (38%) of Aboriginal children (aged 14 years and under) in Prince George were living under the LICO, compared to 12% of non-Aboriginal children (data not shown). These data are based on the before-taxLICO.

Chart 4 Proportion of persons living below the before-tax low income cut-off by Aboriginal identity group and sex, Prince George, 2005

Over half of Prince George's Aboriginal population moved at least once between 2001 and 2006

The census counts people where they are living on one particular day. On May 16, 2006 (the date of the 2006 Census), there were 8,850 Aboriginal people living in the census agglomeration area of Prince George. This count does not include all of the Aboriginal people who may have lived in Prince George at some point during the year, but only those who were living in Prince George on that particular day.¹³

Moreover, census population counts may not reflect the possibility that people move between communities—for example, someone might move from a reserve community to a large city and back again within the same year. In Prince George, in 2006, almost four in 10 (39%) of the Aboriginal population had lived at the same address five years ago, compared to 59% of the non-Aboriginal population. From 2001 to 2006, four in 10 (40%) Aboriginal people had moved at least once within Prince George, and the rest (21%) had moved to Prince George from another community. A community may refer to another municipality, or a reserve, or a rural area (see table 9 in the appendix).

Slightly over one in eight Aboriginal people live in homes needing major repairs

In Prince George, the share of Aboriginal people living in homes requiring major repairs¹⁴ was 15% in 2006, compared to 13% in 2001. In comparison, the share of Prince George non-Aboriginal population living in dwellings in need of major repairs was 7% in both 2006 and 2001 (see table 10 in the appendix).

The share of Aboriginal people living in crowded¹⁵ homes was 3% in 2006 and 2% in 2001. In comparison, the share of Prince George non-Aboriginal population living in crowded homes was 1% in both 2006 and in 2001.

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Notes:

1. The geographic area covered in this report is the census agglomeration (CA) of Prince George. A census agglomeration must have an urban core population of at least 10,000. For maps, see: Map.
2. Includes people who reported more than one Aboriginal identity group and those who reported being a registered or Treaty Indian and/or member of an Indian band or First Nation without reporting an Aboriginal identity.
3. The median age is the point where exactly one-half of the population is older and the other half is younger.
4. The unemployment rate for a particular group is the unemployed in that group, expressed as a percentage of the labour force in that group, in the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to Census day (May 16, 2006).
5. The employment rate refers to the number of employed people, in a given group, as a percentage of the total population in that group.
6. The term 'full-time full-year workers' refers to persons 15 years of age and over who worked 49 to 52 weeks (mostly full time) in 2005 for pay or in self-employment.
7. Occupation refers to the kind of work persons were doing during the reference week, as determined by their kind of work and the description of the main activities in their job. If the person did not have a job during the week (Sunday to Saturday) prior to enumeration, the data relate to the job of longest duration since January 1, 2005. Persons with two or more jobs were to report the information for the job at which they worked the most hours.
8. Occupations contained within the categories can cover a broad range of skill levels. For example, the business and finance occupation category includes professional occupations requiring a university degree, as well as clerical occupations that require a high school diploma or equivalent.
9. Median earnings are earnings levels that divide the population into two halves, i.e., half of the population receiving less than this amount, and half, more. Earnings or employment income refers to the income received by persons 15 years of age and over during calendar year 2005 as wages and salaries, net income from a non-farm unincorporated business and/or professional practice, and/or net farm self-employment income.
10. Total income refers to the total money income received from the following sources during calendar year 2005 by persons 15 years of age and over: wages and salaries (total), net farm income, net non-farm income from unincorporated business and/or professional practice, child benefits, Old Age Security Pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement, benefits from Canada or Quebec Pension Plan, benefits from Employment Insurance, other income from government sources, dividends, interest on bonds, deposits and savings certificates, and other investment income, retirement pensions, superannuation and annuities, including those from registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs) and registered retirement income funds (RRIFs), other money income.
11. The low income cut-off is a statistical measure of the income threshold level below which Canadians are estimated to devote at least one-fifth more of their income than the average family to the necessities of food, shelter and clothing. For the 2005 matrix of low income before-tax cut-offs and additional information, please refer to the 2006 Census Dictionary, Catalogue no. 92-566-X.
12. For the purposes of low income statistics, certain populations, including persons living on Indian reserves, are excluded. This is because the low income cut-offs are based on certain expenditure-income patterns from survey data which are not available for the entire population (survey does not cover Indian reserves, the three territories and residents of institutions or military barracks).
13. For example, students who return to live with their parents during the year are included at their parents' address, even if they lived elsewhere while attending school or working at a summer job.
14. Dwellings in need of major repairs are those that, in the judgment of the respondent, require major repairs to such things as defective plumbing or electrical wiring, and/or structural repairs to walls, floors or ceilings, etc.
15. Crowding is defined as more than one person per room. Not counted as rooms are bathrooms, halls, vestibules and rooms used solely for business purposes.
16. Chronic conditions were those that had lasted or were expected to last six months or more and had been diagnosed by a health professional.
17. Respiratory problems include asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.