2006 Aboriginal Population Profile for Halifax

by Shelly Milligan

Introduction

This report examines the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the Aboriginal population living in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Halifax.¹ The following First Nations reserve communities are located within the census metropolitan area boundaries of Halifax: Sheet Harbour 36, Beaver Lake 17 and Cole Harbour 30 of Millbrook and Shubenacadie 13 of Shubenacadie. 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 24,175 Aboriginal people lived in Nova Scotia, representing 3% of the provincial population.

The census metropolitan area of Halifax, with 5,320 Aboriginal people, had the largest Aboriginal population of any city in Nova Scotia in 2006—more than four times the Aboriginal population living in Truro (1,250), which had the third largest Aboriginal population.

In 2006, 1% of the total population of Halifax was Aboriginal. By comparison, Cape Breton, with 4,675 Aboriginal people, had the largest proportion (4%) of Aboriginal people.

Between 2001 and 2006, the Aboriginal population in Halifax grew by 51%, from 3,525 to 5,320 people. The First Nations population grew by 28%, while the Métis grew by 120%.

First Nations—largest Aboriginal group in Halifax

In 2006, 3,000 persons identified as First Nations people, accounting for 56% of the CMA’s Aboriginal population. Another 1,755 identified as Métis and 150 as Inuit. The Métis accounted for about one-third (33%) of the Aboriginal population while Inuit accounted for 3%. Those reporting multiple or other Aboriginal responses accounted for 8%.²

Of those who identified as First Nations people in 2006, about four in 10 (43%) 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 Halifax in 2006 was younger than the non-Aboriginal population. The median age³ of the Aboriginal population in Halifax was 30 years, compared to 39 years for the non-Aboriginal population.

Close to four in 10 (41%) of the Aboriginal people in Halifax were under the age of 25, compared to three in 10 (30%) of non-Aboriginal people. Furthermore, only 4% of Aboriginal people were 65 years and over, compared to 12% of the non-Aboriginal population. Slightly more than two in 10 (22%) Aboriginal people in Halifax 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 2% of the CMA’s children. Close to one-quarter (24%) of the First Nations population was 14 years of age and under, while 19% of the Métis population were in this same age group.

Chart 1 Population pyramid for the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations, Halifax, 2006

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

In 2006, almost two-thirds of the Aboriginal children aged 14 and under (65%) lived with both parents, whereas the proportion was 78% among non-Aboriginal children. Compared with their non-Aboriginal peers, Aboriginal children were more likely to live with a lone parent in Halifax (32% versus 21%) (see table 2 in the appendix).

Aboriginal youth slightly less likely than non-Aboriginal youth to be attending school

Overall, in 2006, Aboriginal youth aged 15 to 24 living in Halifax were slightly less likely to be attending school than their non-Aboriginal counterparts (65% versus 69%). Furthermore, Aboriginal people had a slightly greater tendency to return to school later in life than did non-Aboriginal people. For example, 12% of Aboriginal women 35 to 44 years of age attended school in 2006, compared to 10% of non-Aboriginal women in the same age group (see table 3 in the appendix).

Over half of Aboriginal people in Halifax have completed postsecondary education

Over half of Aboriginal men (62%) and of Aboriginal women (64%) aged 25 to 64 had completed postsecondary education, similar to their non-Aboriginal counterparts (66% and 69% respectively). Postsecondary education includes a trades certificate, a college diploma or a university certificate, diploma or degree. Aboriginal men and women were more likely to have obtained a trade or college credential than their non-Aboriginal male and female counterparts. However, Aboriginal men (16%) and women (17%) were less likely than their non-Aboriginal male and female counterparts (28% and 31%, respectively) to have obtained a university 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, Halifax, 2006

Young Aboriginal men more likely to obtain a university degree than older Aboriginal men

In Halifax, 23% of Aboriginal men aged 25 to 34 reported having a university degree, in the 2006 Census, compared to 16% of their female counterparts. (This includes all certificates, diplomas or a degree at the bachelor’s level or above.). Aboriginal men of 25 to 34 years of age were more likely to have a university degree (23%) than older Aboriginal men of 35 to 64 years of age (12%). On the other hand, Aboriginal women 25 to 34 years of age were less likely to have a university degree than older Aboriginal women of 35 to 64 years of age (16% compared to 17%) (see chart 2).

Regardless of their age group or sex, Aboriginal people living in Halifax 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 34 and 35 to 64 years of age with a university degree, Halifax, 2006

Higher unemployment rates for Aboriginal people in Halifax

In 2006, the unemployment rate⁴ for the Aboriginal core working age population (aged 25 to 54) in Halifax was higher than that of the non-Aboriginal population (8.1% compared to 4.7%). The First Nations population had an unemployment rate of 6.2%, while the unemployment rate for the Métis was 10.4%. Unemployment rates were slightly higher among Aboriginal women (8.9%) than men (6.8%), while the unemployment rates for non-Aboriginal women and men were similar (4.8% versus 4.5%) (see chart 3).

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

Unemployment rates were higher for Halifax's young people. In 2006, 17.3% of Aboriginal youth aged 15 to 24 compared with 14.2% of non-Aboriginal youth (see table 4 in the appendix).

First Nations employment rates for men and women resembled those of their non-Aboriginal counterparts

Another measure of labour market performance is the employment rate.⁵ In 2006, the employment rate for the total Aboriginal population aged 25 to 54 living in Halifax was 76.1%, while the rate for the non-Aboriginal population was 82.8%. First Nations men and women aged 25 to 54 living in Halifax had employment rates (81.6% and 74.1%, respectively) that most resembled those of non-Aboriginal men (86.8%) and non-Aboriginal women (79.0%). The employment rates were lower for Métis men (76.8%) and women (69.3%) than the non-Aboriginal population (see table 5 in the appendix).

Men more likely to work full time full year than women

About four in 10 (41%) Aboriginal people living in Halifax were working full time full year⁶ in 2005. This percentage was similar to that of the non-Aboriginal population (42%).

Men were more likely than women to be full-time full-year workers. Half (50%) of Aboriginal men worked full time full year compared to about one-third (34%) of Aboriginal women. Likewise, 48% of non-Aboriginal men and 36% of non-Aboriginal women worked full time full year in 2005. This was also the case for Métis men (56%) and women (33%), as well as First Nations men (41%) and women (35%) (see text table 2).

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

Occupations in ‘sales and services’ and ‘business, finance and administrative’ were prevalent

In studying the labour market of a given area, it is helpful to examine its occupational⁷ make-up. In 2006, common occupational categories⁸ for both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal experienced labour forces in Halifax included ‘sales and service’ (33% versus 27%), and ‘business, finance and administrative (21% versus 20%) (see table 6 in the appendix).

Aboriginals working full time full year earn less than the non-Aboriginal population

Since 2000, Aboriginal people who worked full time full year earned less than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In 2000, the median earnings⁹ of full-time full-year Aboriginal earners in Halifax (measured in 2005 dollars) were about $35,100, less than the amount the non-Aboriginal population earned ($39,400). While the median earnings remained constant for the Aboriginal population ($35,100) in 2005, the median earnings of non-Aboriginals rose to approximately $40,300 in 2005.

In 2000, Aboriginal people in Halifax working full time full year earned 89% of what their non-Aboriginal counterparts were earning. By 2005, this percentage had decreased to 87% (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 under one-quarter (24%) of Aboriginal people with income in Halifax had a total income of $40,000 or over compared to close to one-third (32%) of their non-Aboriginal counterparts.

In 2005, Aboriginal women had a lower median income ($18,100) than Aboriginal men ($26,000) (see table 8 in the appendix).

Additionally, in Halifax, 6% 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).

One in four Aboriginal people in Halifax 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 Halifax one in four (25%) Aboriginal people¹²were living under the LICO, compared to 14% of non-Aboriginal people. In addition, 30% of Aboriginal children (aged 14 years and under) in Halifax were living under the LICO, compared to 16% of non-Aboriginal children (data not shown). These data are based on the before-tax LICO (see chart 4).

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

Over half of Halifax’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 5,320 Aboriginal people living in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Halifax. This count does not include all of the Aboriginal people who may have lived in Halifax at some point during the year, but only those who were living in Halifax 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 Halifax, in 2006, 50% 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, just over three in 10 (31%) Aboriginal people had moved at least once within Halifax, while 19% had moved to Halifax from another community. A community may refer to another municipality, or a reserve, or a rural area (see table 9 in the appendix).

About one in eight Aboriginal people lived in homes needing major repairs

In Halifax, the share of Aboriginal people living in homes requiring major repairs¹⁴ was 12% in 2006, compared to 16% in 2001. In comparison, the share of the non-Aboriginal population living in dwellings in need of major repairs was 7% in 2006 and 8% in 2001 (see table 10 in the appendix)

The share of Aboriginal people living in crowded¹⁵ homes was 1% in 2006 and 2% in 2001. In comparison, the share of the 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 metropolitan area of Halifax. A census metropolitan area (CMA) 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. Includes people who reported more than one Aboriginal identity group and those who reported being a registered or Treaty Indian and/or a 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 retirements savings plans (RRSPs) and registered 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.