2006 Aboriginal Population Profile for Regina

by Thomas Anderson

Introduction

This report examines the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the Aboriginal population living in the census metropolitan area (CMA) of Regina.¹ 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 141,890 Aboriginal people lived in Saskatchewan, representing 15% of the provincial population.

The census metropolitan area of Regina, with 17,110 Aboriginal people, had the second largest Aboriginal population of any city in Saskatchewan in 2006—only Saskatoon had a larger Aboriginal population, at 21,535.

In 2006, 9% of the total population of Regina was Aboriginal. By comparison, Saskatoon, with a larger total population, also had an Aboriginal population that accounted for 9% of its total population, while Prince Albert had 13,570 Aboriginal people, which accounted for more than a third (34%) of that city’s total population.

Between 2001 and 2006, the Aboriginal population in Regina grew by 9%, from 15,685 to 17,110 people. The First Nations population grew by 3%, while the Métis population grew by 20%.

First Nations—largest Aboriginal group in Regina

In 2006, 9,495 persons identified as First Nations people accounting for more than half (55%) of the city’s Aboriginal population, another 7,185 identified as Métis, and 20 as Inuit. The Métis accounted for 42% of the Aboriginal population while Inuit accounted for less than 1%. Another 2% reported multiple or other Aboriginal responses.²

Of those who identified as First Nations people in 2006, almost all (94%) 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 Regina is younger than the non-Aboriginal population. In 2006, the median age³ of the Aboriginal population in Regina was 22 years, compared to about 39 years for the non-Aboriginal population.

In 2006, more than half (56%) Aboriginal people were under the age of 25, compared to 32% of non-Aboriginal people. Furthermore, only 2% of Aboriginal people were 65 years and over, compared to 13% of the non-Aboriginal population. More than one-third (35%) of Aboriginal people in Regina 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 17% of the census metropolitan area’s children. Four in 10 (40%) First Nations people were 14 years of age and under, compared to over one in four (27%) Métis.

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

Aboriginal children more likely to live with a lone parent

In 2006, four in 10 Aboriginal children aged 14 and under (39%) lived with both parents. Compared with their non-Aboriginal peers, Aboriginal children were more likely to live with a lone mother (45% versus 16%), a lone father (7% versus 3%), a grandparent (with no parent present) (4% versus less than 1%) or with another relative (5% versus less than 1%) (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 Regina had lower school attendance rates than their non-Aboriginal counterparts (57% versus 65%). However, Aboriginal people have a slightly greater tendency to return to school later in life than do non-Aboriginal people. For example, 10% of Aboriginal men and 14% of women 35 years of age and older⁴ were attending school in 2006, compared to 5% of non-Aboriginal men and 6% of women (see table 3 in the appendix).

Aboriginal people less likely to complete postsecondary and secondary schooling

Aboriginal men (40%) and women (46%) aged 25 to 64 were less likely to have completed a postsecondary education than their non-Aboriginal counterparts (58% and 61%, respectively). Postsecondary education includes a trades certificate, a college diploma or a university certificate, diploma or degree. Among Aboriginal men who completed a postsecondary education, the largest number did so with a trades credential while Aboriginal women were more likely to obtain a college diploma. The non-Aboriginal population was more likely to obtain a university certificate, diploma or degree (see text table 1).

In 2006, about one-quarter of Aboriginal men (26%) and Aboriginal women (23%), aged 25 to 64 years, had less than a high school education, compared to 13% of non-Aboriginal men and 10% of non-Aboriginal women.

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

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

In Regina, 13% of young Aboriginal women aged 25 to 34 reported having a university degree, compared to 9% of their male counterparts. (This includes all certificates, diplomas or degrees at the bachelor’s level or above.) Furthermore, older Aboriginal women (35 to 64 years of age) were also more likely to have a university degree than Aboriginal men 35 to 64 years of age (14% versus 10%) (see chart 2).

Regardless of their age group or sex, Aboriginal people living in Regina 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, Regina, 2006

Higher unemployment rates

In 2006, the unemployment rate⁵ for the Aboriginal core working age population (aged 25 to 54) in Regina was four times higher than that of the non-Aboriginal population (12.0% compared to 2.9%). The unemployment rates for First Nations people (20.1%) and Métis (5.5%) were also higher than that of the non-Aboriginal population 2.9%).

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

Youth unemployment

Unemployment rates were higher for Regina’s young people than for those of core working age (25 to 54 years), across all identity groups. In 2006, 30.9% of First Nations youth aged 15 to 24 years were unemployed, as were 13.4% of Métis youth, and 9.8% of non-Aboriginal youth (see table 4 in the appendix).

Employment among Aboriginal people

Another measure of labour market performance is the employment rate⁶. In 2006, First Nations people aged 25 to 54 living in Regina had lower employment rates (51.4%) than the non-Aboriginal population (86.9%). The Métis employment rate was 82.2%. In 2006, Aboriginal men (73.2%) had higher employment rates than Aboriginal women (60.1%) (see table 5 in the appendix).

Aboriginal people less likely to be working full time full year

Just over three in 10 (31%) Aboriginal people who lived in Regina were working full time full year⁷ in 2005. This percentage is lower than that of the non-Aboriginal population (44%).

Men were more likely than women to be full-time full-year workers. More than one-third (35%) of Aboriginal men and half (50%) of non-Aboriginal men worked full time full year compared to 27% of Aboriginal women and 39% of non-Aboriginal women.

Métis men (43%) in the Regina labour force were more likely than Métis women (34%) and First Nations men (27%) to be working full time full year in 2005. First Nations men (27%) were also more likely to be working full time full year than First Nations women (21%) (see text table 2).

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

Occupations in ‘sales and services’ 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 two most common occupational categories⁹ for both the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal experienced labour forces in Regina were ‘sales and service’ and ‘business, finance and administrative’. However, the kinds of jobs people hold differ for men and women. Men were more likely than women to work in ‘trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations’ while women were more likely to work in ‘business, finance and administrative occupations’. This holds true for both the Aboriginal and the non-Aboriginal populations in Regina.

In 2006, Aboriginal men were somewhat more likely than their non-Aboriginal counterparts to work in ‘trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations’ (31% versus 25%). Aboriginal women were somewhat more likely than non-Aboriginal women to have ‘sales and service’ jobs (35% versus 27%) (see table 6 in the appendix).

Earnings gap remains constant

In 2000, the median earnings¹⁰ of full-time full-year Aboriginal earners in Regina (measured in 2005 dollars) were about $33,700. By 2005, this had increased to approximately $35,400. However, despite the increase in earnings among Aboriginal people who worked full time full year in 2005, they continued to earn less than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. In 2000, Aboriginal people in Regina working full time full year earned 84% of what their non-Aboriginal counterparts were earning. By 2005, this percentage had not changed (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, Aboriginal people with income in Regina (19%) were less likely than the non-Aboriginal population (36%) to have a total income of $40,000 and over. In 2005, Aboriginal women had a lower median income ($17,017) than Aboriginal men ($19,160) (see table 8 in the appendix).

Additionally, in Regina, 10% 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).

Percentage of Aboriginal people in Regina living below the low income cut-off greater than non-Aboriginal population

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 Regina over four in 10 (43%) of Aboriginal people were living under the LICO, compared to 11% of non-Aboriginal people. In addition, more than half (52%) of Aboriginal children (aged 14 years and under) in Regina were living under the LICO, compared to 13% of non-Aboriginal children (data not shown). These data are based on the before-tax LICO.

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

Almost two-thirds of Regina’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 17,110 Aboriginal people living in the census metropolitan area of Regina. This count does not include all of the Aboriginal people who may have lived in Regina at some point during the year, but only those who were living in Regina 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 Regina, in 2006, about one-third (35%) of the Aboriginal population had lived at the same address five years ago, compared to 61% of the non-Aboriginal population. From 2001 to 2006, 44% of Aboriginal people had moved at least once within Regina while 21% had moved to Regina from another community. A community may refer to another municipality, or a reserve, or a rural area (see table 9 in the appendix).

Decrease in the number of Aboriginal people living in homes requiring major repairs, while the number of those in crowded dwellings has increased

In Regina, more than one in eight (14%) Aboriginal people lived in homes requiring major repairs¹⁴ in 2006, compared to 17% in 2001. In comparison, the share of Regina’s non-Aboriginal population living in dwellings in need of major repairs was unchanged at 7% in both 2006 and 2001 (see table 10 in the appendix).

The share of Aboriginal people living in crowded¹⁵ homes increased to 9% in 2006 from 6% in 2001. The comparable rates for the non-Aboriginal population were about 1% in both 2006 and 2001.

Notes:

1. The geographic area covered in this report is the census metropolitan area of Regina. 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 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. A new version of the school attendance question was used in the 2006 Census. Studies on data certification showed important variations with previous censuses and with the Labour Force Survey. It appears that the 2006 Census could have overestimated the school attendance for the population aged 45 years and over. We recommend users of the attendance at school variable interpret the 2006 Census results with caution. For more details on the changes to the questionnaire for the Education module, see: Census questions on education: Some important changes.
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 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.