1 A Snapshot of Life in Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 Nadia Ferrara, PhD Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Sustainable Communities Directorate FNSDS Conference 2011 Fairmont Waterfront Hotel – Vancouver, BC

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 2 Remote Communities’ Project INAC, through its last Sustainable Development Strategy, committed to developing an understanding of the quality of life in remote communities south of 60 th parallel 3 year project focused on engaging Aboriginal people in defining what life is like in remote communities Community workshops were held in 6 communities and an analysis followed on the values, meanings, and interpretations that they apply to their understanding of quality of life

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 3 Community Workshops Douglas First Nation (British Colombia) Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach (Quebec) Fond du Lac Denesuline Nation (Saskatchewan) God’s Lake First Nation (Manitoba) Kasabonika Lake First Nation (Ontario) Fort Chipewyan Métis Association (Alberta)

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 4 Lessons Learned Community workshops allowed us to summarize some lessons learned: strengths of these communities, challenges they have to face, foundational elements of quality of life, how life at its best could look like in remote communities. People within remote communities expressed: their pride about where they live, their strong roots in the communities, and a solid foundation to help improve their quality of life.

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 5 Common Challenges and Limits Theme Common Challenges / Limits to Quality of Life Dependencies/Linkages Inadequate HousingOvercrowding -Limited housing funding limited further by high costs of remote building -Lowers health and wellbeing Lack of access to healthy foods -High transportation costs -Geography and location limits local food source options Family and Community Disconnected from history, culture, generations Lack of parenting skills -Substance abuse -Past and present trauma (residential school, domestic abuse) HealthcareLimited access to nurses and doctors -Quality of care suffers -Harsh staff conditions -Lower pay Issues Health and Wellness Poor food choices Soft infrastructure Hard infrastructure

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 6 Common Strengths/Benefits Theme Common BenefitsDependencies/Linkages CultureMore culturally connected More opportunity for cultural activities and traditions -Family and community connections -Role of Elders Closer to traditional territory and nature -Community cohesion -Historical situation regarding Treaties, governance LanguageStrong languageHigh frequency of use -Existence of programs that promote traditional language in community (i.e. school, radio, TV) -Number of speakers Family/ Community One big familyClose ties, better support, cultural transmittal -Good / poor family relationships or history

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 7 Common Quality of Life Tree

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 8 Fundamental Components of Quality of Life

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 9 Quality of Life Tree

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of Quality of Life at its Best Common sub-rootsCommon leaves (vision) LanguageBigger community FamilyStrong language fluently spoken EducationClean environment Traditional ActivitiesHealthy families and people Community ActivitiesWellness – no drugs, alcohol, abuse Healthy foodsSelf-government NaturePaved road Fish and animalsMore houses WaterJobs for everyone / no social assistance Alcohol and drug freeFuture economic development HousingEveryone helping each other JobsEveryone getting along

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of A Community-based Conceptual Framework on Quality of Life in Remote Communities

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of 60 12

Remote Aboriginal Communities South of Policy Recommendations Community participants raised a number of core recommendations throughout the research process. While these recommendations are particularly relevant to the six remote Aboriginal communities that participated in the research process, they are likely also relevant to other remote and non- remote Aboriginal communities. The recommendations include: Simplification of funding protocols and reporting requirements; Role of comprehensive community planning; Development of tools in INAC and other departments; and How communities access services through INAC and other government departments