Page 14 - Walking_The_Red_Road

North Bay at a glance
North Bay’s Aboriginal population is diverse and growing
Aboriginal peoples have been part of the larger community of North Bay since before it was incorporated as a town in 1891. In the 2011 Census, Aboriginal people made up 7.9% of North Bay’s population, well above the Ontario average of about 2%2. The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and the North East Local Health Integration Network show higher numbers, up to 9.7%, reflecting the fact that resources based in North Bay have funding and service catchment areas that include Aboriginal people living in
the surrounding area. Overall, the Aboriginal population in the North Bay area is increasing and young people between the ages of 14 and 19 make up the largest and fastest growing part.3
Many Aboriginal community members are from local First Nations communities of Nipissing and Dokis. Still, there is a great deal of diversity within our urban Aboriginal community: at one event held at the Friendship Centre, there were over 40 languages or cultural backgrounds represented including Ojibwa, Oji-Cree, Cree,
Inuit, Algonquin, French and Métis4. Community service providers believe that upwards of 75%
of their clients are from the James Bay coastal communities and are primarily young single moms with families, who speak English as a second language. Responding to the needs of this diverse and mobile population poses unique challenges to housing and social services.
Historically, North Bay experienced growth through strong lumbering and mining
sectors, three railways and the military.
North Bay’s Labour Market Group reports
that telecommunications, retail-grocery and manufacturing are the major private employers today5. The Labour Market Group also
suggests that North Bay’s current employment opportunities result in, “a predominance of contingent, seasonal, lower-paying jobs, with few benefits and little job security.”6
North Bay is also home to the recently established North Bay Regional Aboriginal Mental Health Centre. Opened in January 2011, the health centre provides services to clients from across northeastern Ontario. The health centre, along with the university and college, are “...the current engines driving North Bay’s economy” along with provincial government services.7
North Bay is considered a gateway community, offering many unique opportunities for tourism and travel industries as well as community development. The Maamwi Kindaaswin Festival & Powwow, the Canadore Powwow, and National Aboriginal Day events offer important opportunities for the local Aboriginal community and visitors to participate in traditional ceremonies and celebrations, promoting and sharing Aboriginal culture, knowledge and traditions among Aboriginal and non-aboriginal peoples.
2About Ontario, Government of Ontario. 3North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit. 4U-ACT Survey 5North Bay’s Labour Market Group. 6North Bay’s Labour Market Group 7Wikipedia.
Walking the Red Road | REPORT OF THE URBAN ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES THRIVE PROJECT | 14