2006 Aboriginal population profile for Vancouver

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by Shelly Milligan

Introduction

This report examines the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the Aboriginal population living in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver.¹ The following First Nation reserve communities are located within the census metropolitan area boundaries of Vancouver: the Burrard Inlet 3 of Burrard; Musqueam 2 and 4 of Musqueam; Katzie 1, 2 and Barnston Island 3 of Katzie, Semiahmoo of Semiahmoo, Coquitlam 1 and 2 of Kwikwetlem First Nation; Mission 1, Capilano 5 and, Seymour Creek 2 of Squamish, Tsawwassen of Tsawwassen First Nation; Whonnock 1, Langley 5 and, McMillan Island 6 of Kwantlen First Nation; and, Matsqui 4 of Matsqui. 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.

The census metropolitan area of Vancouver, with 40,310 Aboriginal people, had the largest Aboriginal population of any city in British Columbia in 2006—almost four times the Aboriginal population living in Victoria (10,905), this being the city in British Columbia with the second largest Aboriginal population.

In 2006, only 2% of the total population of Vancouver was Aboriginal. By comparison, Prince Rupert, with 4,660 Aboriginal people, was the city in British Columbia with the largest proportion (35%) of Aboriginal people.

Between 2001 and 2006, the Aboriginal population in Vancouver grew by 9%, from 36,855 to 40,310 people. The First Nations population grew by 4%, while the Métis grew by 21%.

First Nations—largest Aboriginal group in Vancouver

In 2006, 23,515 persons identified as First Nations people, accounting for just over half (58%) of the CMA's Aboriginal population. Another 15,075 identified as Métis and 210 as Inuit.² The Métis accounted for just over one-third (37%) of the Aboriginal population while Inuit accounted for under 1%. Those reporting multiple or other Aboriginal responses accounted for slightly fewer than 4%.³

Of those who identified as First Nations people in 2006, over half (65%) 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 Vancouver is slightly younger than the non-Aboriginal population. In 2006, the median age⁴ of the Aboriginal population in Vancouver was 31 years, compared to 39 years for the non-Aboriginal population.

In 2006, just over four in 10 (41%) Aboriginal people were under the age of 25, compared to 30% of non-Aboriginal people. Furthermore, only 4% of Aboriginal people were 65 years and over, compared to 12% of the non-Aboriginal population. Nearly one in four (24%) of Aboriginal people in Vancouver were under the age of 15, compared to 16% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts (chart 1). For more details on the age distribution, see table 1 in the appendix.

Aboriginal children aged 14 years and under represented 3% of the census metropolitan area's children. Just over one in four (26%) of the First Nations population was 14 years of age and under, compared to 22% of Métis.

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

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

In 2006, just over half of Aboriginal children aged 14 and under (53%) lived with both parents. Compared with their non-Aboriginal peers, Aboriginal children were more likely to live with a lone mother (31% versus 12%), a lone father (6% versus 3%), a grandparent (with no parent present) (2% versus under 1%) or with another relative (7% versus less than1%) (see table 2 in the appendix).

Aboriginal youth less likely to be attending school

Overall, in 2006, Aboriginal youth aged 15 to 24 living in Vancouver had lower school attendance rates than their non-Aboriginal counterparts (57% versus 70%). However, Aboriginal people had a slightly greater tendency to return to school later in life than did non-Aboriginal people. For example, 16% of Aboriginal women 35 to 44 years of age attended school in 2006, compared to 13% of non-Aboriginal women in the same age group (see table 3 in the appendix).

About half of Aboriginal people have completed postsecondary education

Nearly half of Aboriginal men (48%) and just over half of Aboriginal women (56%) aged 25 to 64 had completed postsecondary education compared to about two-thirds (67% and 66%, respectively) of their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Postsecondary education includes a trades certificate, a college diploma or a university certificate, diploma or degree. Aboriginal people were more likely to have completed their postsecondary schooling with a trades credential or with a college diploma whereas the non-Aboriginal population was more likely to have obtained a university certificate, diploma or degree (see text table 1).

In 2006, one-quarter (25%) of Aboriginal men and one in five (20%) Aboriginal women 25 to 64 years of age had less than a high school education, compared to 10% 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, Vancouver, 2006

Young Aboriginal women in Vancouver more likely to obtain a university degree than their male counterparts

In Vancouver, 16% of Aboriginal women aged 25 to 34 reported having a university degree, in the 2006 Census, compared to 9% of their male counterparts. (This includes all certificates, diplomas or degrees at the bachelor's level or above.) Furthermore, young Aboriginal women (25 to 34 years of age) were also slightly more likely to have a university degree than older Aboriginal women 35 to 64 years of age (16% versus 11%) (see chart 2).

Regardless of their age group or sex, Aboriginal people living in Vancouver in 2006 were less likely than their non-Aboriginal counterparts to have a university degree.

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

Higher unemployment rates

In 2006, the unemployment rate⁵ for the Aboriginal core working age population (aged 25 to 54) in Vancouver was higher than that of the non-Aboriginal population (9.7% compared to 4.5%). Unemployment rates were higher for women than they were for men, regardless of the population group.

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

Unemployment rates were higher for Vancouver's young people. In 2006, 17.7% of First Nations youth aged 15 to 24 years were unemployed, as were 13.6% of Métis youth, and 10.9% of non-Aboriginal youth (see table 4 in the appendix).

Métis employment rates resemble those of non-Aboriginal population

Another measure of labour market performance is the employment rate.⁶ In 2006, Métis men and women aged 25 to 54 living in Vancouver had employment rates (79.5% and 73.2%, respectively) that were slightly lower than those of non-Aboriginal men (85.9%) and non-Aboriginal women (74.9%). The employment rates of First Nations men (72.3%) and women (60.6%) were also lower than the non-Aboriginal population (see table 5 in the appendix).

Aboriginal people slightly less likely to work full time full year than the non-Aboriginal population

About three in 10 (32%) Aboriginal people living in Vancouver were working full time full year⁷ in 2005. This percentage was slightly lower than that of the non-Aboriginal population (35%).

Men were more likely than women to be full-time full-year workers. Just over one-third (36%) of Aboriginal men and 42% of non-Aboriginal men worked full time full year, compared to 29% of Aboriginal women and 29% of non-Aboriginal women.

Métis men (40%) in the Vancouver labour force were more likely than Métis women (33%) to be working full time full year in 2005. First Nations men (34%) in the Vancouver labour force were more likely than First Nations women (26%) 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, Vancouver, 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 occupational⁸ make-up. In 2006, the three most common occupational categories⁹ for both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal experienced labour forces in Vancouver 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 Vancouver.

In 2006, Aboriginal women were somewhat more likely than non-Aboriginal women to have 'sales and service' jobs (35% versus 30%). Aboriginal men were somewhat more likely than their non-Aboriginal counterparts to work in 'trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations' (36% versus 23%). Aboriginal women were somewhat less likely than non-Aboriginal women to work in 'business, finance and administrative' positions (26% versus 28%) (see table 6 in the appendix).

Earnings gap closing

In 2000, the median earnings¹⁰ of full-time full-year Aboriginal earners in Vancouver (measured in 2005 dollars) were about $39,200. By 2005, this had decreased to approximately $37,400. Aboriginal people who worked full time full year in 2005 continued to earn less than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In addition, the gap between median earnings widened slightly. In 2000, Aboriginal people in Vancouver working full time full year earned 88% of what their non-Aboriginal counterparts were earning. By 2005, this percentage had decreased to 86% (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 income¹¹ as sources of income go beyond that of employment. In 2005, slightly over two in 10 (22%) Aboriginal people with income in Vancouver had a total income of $40,000 or over compared to about one-third (32%) of their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In 2005, Aboriginal women had the lowest median income ($16,800), whether compared to Aboriginal men ($20,300) or to non-Aboriginal men ($30,800) or non-Aboriginal women ($20,800) (see table 8 in the appendix).

Additionally, in Vancouver, 7% of the Aboriginal population aged 15 years and over and 5% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts reported having no income in 2005 (data not shown).

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

Statistics Canada uses the concept of low income cut-off (LICO)¹² 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 Vancouver over one third (35%) of Aboriginal people¹³ were living under the LICO, compared to 21% of non-Aboriginal people. In addition, over one-third (39%) of Aboriginal children (aged 14 years and under) in Vancouver were living under the LICO, compared to 23% 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, Vancouver, 2005

Three in 10 of Vancouver'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 40,310 Aboriginal people living in the census metropolitan area of Vancouver. This count does not include all of the Aboriginal people who may have lived in Vancouver at some point during the year, but only those who were living in Vancouver on that particular day.¹⁴

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 Vancouver, in 2006, just under half (45%) of the Aboriginal population had lived at the same address five years ago, compared to 53% of the non-Aboriginal population. From 2001 to 2006, about three in ten (30%) Aboriginal people had moved at least once within Vancouver, and the rest (25%) had moved to Vancouver 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 Vancouver, the share of Aboriginal people living in homes requiring major repairs¹⁵ was 15% in 2006, compared to 18% in 2001. In comparison, the share of Vancouver's non-Aboriginal population living in dwellings in need of major repairs was 6% in 2006 and 8% in 2001 (see table 10 in the appendix).

The share of Aboriginal people living in crowded¹⁶ homes was 4% in 2006, compared to 5% in 2001. In comparison, the share of Vancouver's non-Aboriginal population living in crowded homes was 5% in both 2006 and 2001.

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Notes:

1. The geographic area covered in this report is the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Vancouver. A census metropolitan area is a large urban centre. Census metropolitan areas are formed by one or more adjacent municipalities centered on a large urban area (known as the urban core). A census metropolitan area must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the urban core. For maps, see: Map.
2. Of the 210 people who identified as Inuit, 170 were in the 15 and over age group.
3. 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.
4. The median age is the point where exactly one-half of the population is older and the other half is younger.
5. 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).
6. The employment rate refers to the number of employed people, in a given group, as a percentage of the total population in that group.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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).
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. Chronic conditions were those that had lasted or were expected to last six months or more and had been diagnosed by a health professional.
18. Respiratory problems include asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.