2006 Aboriginal Population Profile for Val-d'Or

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by Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division Analysts

Introduction

This report examines the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the Aboriginal population living in the census agglomeration (CA) of Val-d'Or.¹ The census agglomeration (CA) of Val-d'Or includes the Nation Anishnabe Lac Simon (Lac-Simon [IRI]). 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

A total of 1,172,790 people in Canada identified themselves as an Aboriginal person in the 2006 Census, accounting for 3.8% of the total population of Canada.

In 2006, a total of 108,430 Aboriginal people lived in the province of Quebec representing 2% of the provincial population.

There were 1,970 Aboriginal people living in the CA of Val-d'Or in 2006, making up 6% of the city's total population.

Between 2001 and 2006, the Aboriginal population in Val-d'Or grew by 24%, from 1,590 to 1,970 people. The First Nations population grew by 22%, while the Métis grew by 44%.

First Nations - largest Aboriginal group in Val-d'Or

In 2006, 1,675 persons identified as First Nations people, accounting for 85% of the city's Aboriginal population. Another 280 persons identified as Métis, accounting for 14% of the Aboriginal population. About 1% reported multiple or other Aboriginal responses.²

Includes people who reported more than one Aboriginal identity group and those who reported being Registered Indian and/or a band member without reporting an Aboriginal identity.

A young population

The Aboriginal population living in Val-d'Or is younger than the non-Aboriginal population. In 2006, the median age³ of the Aboriginal population in Val-d'Or was 21.7 years, compared to 40.7 years for the non-Aboriginal population.

In 2006, more than half (56%) of Aboriginal people were under the age of 25, compared to 30% of non-Aboriginal people. More than one-third (37%) of Aboriginal people in Val-d'Or were under the age of 15, compared to 18% 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 12% of the city's children. About four in 10 (38%) of the First Nations population was 14 years of age and under, compared to 30% of Métis.

Chart 1 Population pyramid for the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations, Val-d'Or, 2006

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

In 2006, the majority of Aboriginal children aged 14 and under (65%) lived with both parents. Compared with their non-Aboriginal peers, Aboriginal children were more likely to live with a lone parent (30% versus 19%) (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 Val-d'Or had lower school attendance rates than their non-Aboriginal counterparts (56% versus 66%). Aboriginal people aged 25 to 34 had a greater tendency to return to school than did non-Aboriginal people. For example, 41% of Aboriginal women aged 25 to 34 were attending school in 2006, compared to 16% of non-Aboriginal women in the same age group (see table 3 in the appendix).

Majority have not completed high school

In 2006, two-thirds (66%) of Aboriginal men and half (48%) of Aboriginal women 25 to 64 years of age had less than a high school education, compared to 28% and 23% of non-Aboriginal men and women.

One in four Aboriginal men (25%) and 36% of Aboriginal women aged 25 to 64, in Val-d'Or had completed postsecondary education compared to 54% of their non-Aboriginal counterparts. Postsecondary education includes a trades certificate, a college diploma or a university certificate, diploma or degree (see text table 1).

Text table 1 Highest level of educational attainment of people aged 25 to 64 years, by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal identity and sex, Val-d'Or, 2006

Higher unemployment rates

 In 2006, the unemployment rate⁴ for the Aboriginal core working age population (aged 25 to 54) in Val-d'Or was higher than that of the non-Aboriginal population (14.3% compared to 6.2%).

Chart 2 Unemployment rates for the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations aged 25 to 54 years, Val d'Or, 2006

Métis more likely to be employed than First Nations

Another measure of labour market performance is the employment rate.⁵ In 2006, while Métis men (63.6%) aged 25 to 54 living in Val-d'Or were less likely to be employed than non-Aboriginal men in this age group (85.5%), their employment rate was higher than that of First Nation men (37.0%). The employment rates of Métis and non-Aboriginal women of core working age were comparable (75.0% and 77.2%, respectively), while that of First Nations women was 42.9% (see table 4 in the appendix).

Aboriginal people less likely than the non-Aboriginal population to be working full time full year

Fewer than one in five (18%) Aboriginal people living in Val-d'Or were working full time full year⁶ in 2005. This percentage is half that of the non-Aboriginal population (36%). The gap between men and women who worked full year full time was narrower among Aboriginal people (19% and 18%, respectively) than the non-Aboriginal population (42% and 30%, respectively) (see text table 2).

Text table 2 Percentage of full-time full-year workers, by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal identity and sex, Val-d'Or, 2005

Occupations in 'sales and services' most prevalent

In studying the labour market of a given area, it is helpful to examine its occupational⁷ make-up. In 2006, the most common occupational category⁸ for both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal experienced labour forces in Val-d'Or was 'sales and service'. Among the Aboriginal population it was closely followed by 'occupations in social science, education, government service and religion', whereas among the non-Aboriginal population the second most common category was 'trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations' (see table 5 in the appendix).

Earnings gap widening for men and disappearing for women

In 2000, the median earnings⁹ of full-time full-year Aboriginal earners in Val-d'Or (measured in 2005 dollars) were about $25,700. By 2005, this had increased to approximately $30,000. However, there are differences between the sexes. While the earnings of Aboriginal women working full time full year increased from 2000 to 2005, those of Aboriginal men decreased in that same period.

In 2000, Aboriginal men in Val-d'Or working full time full year earned 67% of what their non-Aboriginal counterparts were earning. By 2005, this percentage had decreased to 57%. During this same period, the gap had reversed among women. While in 2000 Aboriginal women working full time full year earned 75% of what their non-Aboriginal counterparts were earning, in 2005 Aboriginal women earned more than their non-Aboriginal counterparts ($31, 200 versus $29,600) (see table 6 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, fewer than one in 10 Aboriginal people (9%) with income in Val-d'Or had a total income of $40,000 or over compared to nearly three in 10 (29%) of their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In 2005 Aboriginal men had the lowest median income($8,057), whether compared to Aboriginal women ($16,164) or to non-Aboriginal men ($32,869) or non-Aboriginal women ($18,404) (see table 7 in the appendix).

Additionally, in Val-d'Or, 14% 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).

Nearly three in 10 Aboriginal people in Val-d'Or 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 Val-d'Or nearly three in 10 (29%) Aboriginal people¹² were living under the LICO, compared to 12% of non-Aboriginal people. In addition, about three in 10 (32%) Aboriginal children in Val-d'Or were living under the LICO, compared to 10% of non-Aboriginal children (data not shown). These data are based on the before taxLICO.

Chart 3 Proportion of persons living below the before tax low income cut-off (LICO) by Aboriginal identity group and sex, Val-d'Or, 2005

Almost half of Val-d'Or'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 1,970 Aboriginal people living in the census agglomeration of Val-d'Or. This count does not include all of the Aboriginal people who may have lived in Val-d'Or at some point during the year, but only those who were living in Val-d'Or on that particular day.¹³

Moreover, many 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 Val-d'Or, in 2006, more than half (55%) of the Aboriginal population had lived at the same address five years ago, compared to 62% of the non-Aboriginal population. From 2001 to 2006, about three in 10 (32%) Aboriginal people had moved at least once within Val-d'Or, and the rest (14%) had moved to Val-d'Or from another community. A community may refer to another municipality, or a reserve, or a rural area (see table 8 in the appendix).

One in six Aboriginal people live in homes needing major repairs

In Val-d'Or, about one in six (17%) Aboriginal people lived in homes requiring major repairs¹⁴ in 2006, compared to 18% in 2001. In comparison, the share of Val-d'Or's non-Aboriginal population living in dwellings in need of major repairs was 7% in 2006 and 8% in 2001.

The share of Aboriginal people living in crowded¹⁵ homes was 21% in 2006, down from 29% in 2001. The comparable rates for the non-Aboriginal population were less than 1% in 2006 and in 2001 (see table 9 in the appendix).

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Notes:

1. The geographic area covered in this report is the census agglomeration (CA) of Val-d'Or. A census agglomeration must have an urban core population of at least 10,000. For maps, see: Map.
2. Of the 320 people who identified as Inuit, 200 were in the 15 and over age group.
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 (LICO) 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 (LICO) 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, studentswho 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. Data on health is not available for Val-d'Or, so provincial level data has been provided.
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.