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Objectives: To describe screen time levels and determine their association with socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among preschool-aged First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children. Method: Data were taken from the Aboriginal Children's Survey, a nationally representative survey of 2–5-year-old Indigenous children in Canada. Socioemotional and behavioural difficulties were defined using parent/guardian reports on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted separately for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit participants, and statistically adjusted for child age, child sex, and parent/guardian education. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.002 to adjust for multiple comparisons. Results: Of these 2–5-year-old children (mean [ M ] = 3.57 years) 3,085 were First Nations (53.5%), 2,430 Métis (39.2%), and 990 Inuit (7.3%). Screen time exposure was high among First Nations (M = 2 h and 58 min/day, standard deviation [ SD ] = 1.89), Métis (M = 2 h and 50 min [ SD = 1.83]), and Inuit children (M = 3 h and 25 min [ SD = 2.20]), with 79.7% exceeding recommended guidelines (>1 h/day). After adjusting for confounders, screen time was associated with more socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among First Nations (total difficulties β = 0.15 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.19]) and Métis (β = 0.16 [95% CI, 0.12 to 0.20]) but not Inuit children (β = 0.12 [95% CI, 0.01 to 0.23]). Conclusions: Screen time exposure is high among Indigenous children in Canada, and is associated with more socioemotional and behavioural difficulties among First Nations and Métis children. Contributing factors could include enduring colonialism that resulted in family dissolution, lack of positive parental role models, and disproportionate socioeconomic disadvantage. Predictors of poor well-being should continue to be identified to develop targets for intervention to optimize the health and development of Indigenous children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the sub-sample of First Nations adults from the 2017 Aboriginal Peoples Survey and non-Indigenous adults from the 2017 Canadian Community Health Survey (N = 35,390), we examined inequalities in self-reported general and mental health, diagnosed asthma, and diagnosed diabetes between non-Indigenous people and First Nations adults living off-reserve in Canada. The Blinder–Oaxaca approach was used to decompose the inequalities of each health outcome into the differences in characteristics and differences in returns. We found that First Nations adults experienced health outcomes 5–10 percent worse than those of non-Indigenous populations, with non–Status First Nations adults reporting poorer health than Status First Nations adults, with the exception of diabetes. Our findings also revealed that observable characteristics accounted for 20–45 percent of the inequalities in general health, mental health, and diabetes. Socio-economic factors, such as employment status, income, and educational attainment, explained 10–25 percent of the differences in self-rated general health, mental health, and diagnosed diabetes for both Status and non–Status First Nations peoples compared with the non-Indigenous population. Although we were unable to assess other critical pathways through which various aspects of colonialism continue to affect First Nations peoples, our findings suggest that improving the socio-economic status of off-reserve First Nations peoples could potentially narrow the health inequalities between them and the non-Indigenous population in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the founding and financing of national Indigenous organizations during the shift in Canadian politics towards the ideal of participatory democracy during the late 1960s and early 1970s. It investigates the emergence of two separate organizations, the National Indian Brotherhood (nib) for "status Indians" and the Native Council of Canada (ncc) for "non-status Indians" and Métis, following the collapse of the pan-Indigenous National Indian Council (nic) in 1968. It highlights the key role that funding played in the structuring of national-level Indigenous politics but argues that accepting federal funding did not simply equate to government control. Instead, both the nib and ncc successfully resisted and – in limited ways – shaped federal policies towards Indigenous peoples. The issue of federal funding opened questions regarding Indigenous rights and self-determination, concepts that were employed in differing ways by the leaders of these organizations and federal officials. While marking a stark shift away from the earlier suppression of Indigenous political movements, federal funding was used to integrate different Indigenous groups as citizens into the Canadian settler state. Nevertheless, federal funding served not only to limit, but also to expand, the practical possibilities of Indigenous organizing, with political leaders recasting government money as the right of Indigenous peoples and a tool for self-determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cet article propose une mise en récit réflexive et analytique du projet doctoral de recherche-création Des histoires à raconter : d'Ani Kuni à Kiuna déposé à l'Université Concordia en 2021, afin de proposer une rencontre avec la posture réflexive que nous sommes tous invités à déployer au sein du processus de rencontre entre les peuples autochtones et allochtones du territoire. Le bricolage méthodologique proposé s'inscrit ainsi au sein du courant émergent des comics-based research. Il s'inspire plus spécifiquement de la praxis de bédéistes autochtones et allochtones dont la production vise à pallier le manque éducationnel en matière d'histoire culturelle et coloniale. À travers le processus de construction d'une bande dessinée conversationnelle et relationnelle cocréée par une cinquantaine de contributeurs et contributrices autochtones et allochtones (également publiée par les Éditions Écosociété sous le titre de « C'est le Québec qui est né dans mon pays! » : Carnet de rencontres, d'Ani Kuni à Kiuna), il vise à explorer deux questions principales : 1. De quelles façons la production de mémoires graphiques (ou de BD) peut-elle s'inscrire en tant qu'outil de recherche au service de la rencontre avec les peuples autochtones et allochtones ? 2. Comment l'intégration de méthodes associées à la recherche-création au sein de la recherche qualitative permet-elle de rejoindre les principes et valeurs associés aux méthodologies autochtones ? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although present in Aboriginal communities since the early 1930s, Jehovism among Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States has not yet been the subject of any published ethnographic, sociological, or historical study. This article presents the result of the first ethnographic study with Jehovah's Witnesses among Aboriginal peoples in Canada. From an online field of research spanning over a period of 10 months with Anishinabe (Algonquin) Witnesses from Kitigan Zibi (Outaouais, Quebec), I explore the motivations behind the decision to become a Jehovah's Witness for the latter. I also show that the first conversions in Kitigan Zibi are mainly due to a dual historical context that created a fertile ground for conversion. Finally, I propose the concept of 'small-scale conversion' as another way to conceive the intergenerational transmission of religion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Indigenous women in Canada (61%) experience intimate partner violence (IPV), which is significantly worse than the high rate of 44 percent for other women in Canada. Despite the great risk for IPV, only three unfunded second-stage shelters for more than 600 First Nation reserves exist in Canada to provide First Nation women and their children a safe home. Second-stage housing offers IPV survivors transitional homes for an extended period that provide safety and renewal after their initial emergency shelter stays. This article documents the need for safe, nurturing, and culturally appropriate second-stage shelters for Indigenous women and their families to heal and rebuild. The authors provide two second-stage prototype designs based on domestic environmental analysis and concepts of houselessness, home, and co-housing. We discuss how these designs are one step in an action plan to protect Indigenous women and stop the genocide of Indigenous Peoples by supporting cultural, economic, health, and social development. The literature review and design concepts form an agenda to have design goals for housing IPV survivors that answers the "Calls to Justice for Murdered and Missing Women" and expands this needed service to every reserve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mino Bimaadiziwin Homebuilders postsecondary education pilot project built Indigenous youth capacity and houses in two remote Anishinini reserves--Garden Hill and Wasagamack. To evaluate this community-led project, a sustainable livelihood assessment holistically measured the impact on 45 of the 70 (64%) Homebuilder students and the community. The community benefited by gaining three culturally appropriate houses built from local lumber and employment opportunities for Anishinini instructors. A longitudinal survey found five of the six livelihood assets improved statistically and significantly, including satisfaction with social relationships, cultural awareness, income and ability to pay bills, housing safety, and human development. Students reported better relations with their families and neighbourhood. Most (85%) of the 70 Homebuilder students earned postsecondary certificates either in forestry, homebuilding, or both while obtaining a training stipend, which elevated their incomes. These positive outcomes occurred despite project underfunding, COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, climate change events, and inequitable housing policies under the Indian Act. Based on this project's success, we recommend investing in Indigenous-led postsecondary education in community homebuilding projects. However, to attain equitable housing and human rights, a plan is needed to overturn the Indian Act keeping Indigenous people "wards of the state" and their land in trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Indigenous Peoples are much more likely than non-Indigenous Peoples to be seriously injured or die in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). This study updates and extends a previous systematic review, suggesting that future research ought to incorporate social--environmental factors. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published and grey literature on MVCs involving Indigenous Peoples in Canada between 2010 and 2020. We focussed on personal (e.g. driving an old vehicle) and community social--environmental--economic factors (e.g. prevalent low socioeconomic status). Results: Eleven comparative cohorts that resulted in 23 at minimum, age-standardised, mortality or morbidity rate outcomes were included in our meta-analysis. Indigenous Peoples were twice as likely as non-Indigenous Peoples to be seriously injured (rate ratio [RRpooled] = 2.18) and more than 3 times as likely to die (RRpooled = 3.40) in MVCs. Such great risks to Indigenous Peoples do not seem to have diminished over the past generation. Furthermore, such risks were greater on-reserves and in smaller, rural and remote, places. Conclusion: Such places may lack community resources, including fewer transportation and healthcare infrastructural investments, resulting in poorer road conditions in Indigenous communities and longer delays to trauma care. This seems to add further evidence of geo-structural violence (geographical and institutional violence) perpetrated against Indigenous Peoples in yet more structures (i.e. institutions) of Canadian society. Canada's system of highways and road-ways and its remote health-care system represent legitimate policy targets in aiming to solve this public health problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The food security crisis and disproportionately high burden of dietary related disease amongst northern Indigenous populations in Canada continues to be a troubling reality with little sign of improvement. The Government of Canada is responding by developing programs to support local food initiatives for northern isolated communities. While such investments appear commendable, the impact of local food harvesting to improve food security has yet to be determined. While there are clear nutritional and cultural benefits to traditional food sources, communities face considerable barriers acquiring it in sufficient amounts because of historically imposed lifestyle changes that have increased food insecurity rates. This study responds by providing a novel multidisciplinary approach that draws from firsthand experiences working with First Nations community members in a remote subarctic region in northwestern, Ontario, to estimate their community's total food requirement and the amount of wild animal food sources needed to sustain yearly food intake. This transferrable energy demand approach will be critical for policy makers to put into perspective the amount of wild food needed to have an impact on food security rates and ultimately improve dietary related diseases. Novelty: Provide government policy makers information about current harvest yields in a remote northern First Nation to understand the potential contribution of traditional food to improve local food security. Provide Indigenous communities a means to assess local food resources to measure the caloric contributions of traditional foods toward household food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonization impacts Indigenous Peoples' way of life, culture, language, community structure and social networks. Links between social determinants of health and physical activity (PA) among Indigenous Peoples in Saskatchewan, with 16% Indigenous residents, are unclear. This cross-sectional study, guided by Indigenous Community Advisors, compared moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA), traditional Indigenous PA and musculoskeletal PA with social determinants of Indigenous (n = 124), including First Nations (n = 80, including 57 Cree/Nehiyawak) and Métis (n = 41), adults in Saskatchewan. Participants completed Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time PA, Social Support Index and traditional Indigenous PA participation questionnaires. Regression associated positive perception of social support with MVPA (R = 0.306, p = 0.02), while residential school experiences (R = 0.338, p = 0.02) and community support (R = 0.412, p = 0.01) were associated with traditional Indigenous PA participation. Among Métis, discrimination experiences were associated with traditional Indigenous PA participation (R = 0.459, p = 0.01). Traditional Indigenous PA participation was associated with community support among First Nations (R = 0.263, p = 0.04), and also foster care placement (R = 0.480, p = 0.01) for Cree/Nehiyawak First Nations specifically. Among Cree/Nehiyawak, family support (R = 0.354, p = 0.04), discrimination experiences (R = 0.531, p = 0.01) and positive perceptions of support (R = 0.610, p = 0.003) were associated with musculoskeletal PA. Greater community, family and perceived social support, and experiences of discrimination, residential school and foster care are associated with more PA for Indigenous Peoples. Novelty: Positive support perceptions predict physical activity among Indigenous Peoples. Family support, discrimination experiences and positive support perceptions predict physical activity for Cree/Nehiyawak First Nations. Traditional physical activity was predicted by residential school experiences and community support (Indigenous Peoples), discrimination experiences (Métis), community support (First Nations), and foster care experiences (Cree/Nehiyawak). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship of COVID-19 rates to community infrastructure is explored through a literature review, mapping, and an ecological-level statistical analysis in this paper. The analysis was undertaken with data from Manitoba, Canada, for 23 of 63 First Nations and 67 non-First Nations communities. COVID-19 community-level per capita rates were estimated by dividing total cases, including active cases,--obtained from the COVID-19 Manitoba Open Data portal of the Public Health Information Monitoring System, PHIMS--for the community areas of Regional Health districts by the community 2021 Manitoba population report numbers. The geographical areas for COVID-19 data were identical to the census subdivision levels available from Statistics Canada, used for housing and other infrastructure data. COVID-19 per capita rates in Manitoba communities have a positive significant strong relationship with community rates for (a) overcrowded housing (r = 0.532, p < 0.05), (b) unsuitability of housing (r = 0.623, p < 0.05), (c) houses needing major repairs (r = 0.561, p < 0.05), (d) no access roads (t = 2.281, p <0.05), and (e) lack of hospitals (t= 2.024, p<0.047). The highest rates for COVID-19 and the worst infrastructure are located in First Nations, particularly in special access communities. This preliminary research signals a need to improve infrastructure in First Nations reserves to realize health equity. Further research on built environment conditions in all Manitoba communities with age- and sex-adjusted analysis of COVID-19 data is needed to comprehend the role of infrastructure more fully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Les caries de la petite enfance sont un problème de santé publique, et le fardeau considérable subi par les enfants autochtones met en lumière les inégalités en matière de santé buccodentaire au sein des populations au Canada. Les obstacles sont le manque d'accès aux soins de santé buccodentaire et l'absence d'une promotion de la santé buccodentaire culturellement adaptée. Cette étude visait à déterminer où et comment les parents, les familles et les membres des collectivités des Premières Nations et des Métis apprennent à prendre soin de la santé buccodentaire des jeunes enfants, et quelles idées et suggestions ils ont sur la façon de diffuser l'information et de promouvoir la santé buccodentaire des jeunes enfants au sein des collectivités autochtones. Méthodologie. Les cercles de partage et les groupes de discussion ont mobilisé huit groupes de participants (n = 59) échantillonnés par choix dans quatre collectivités du Manitoba. Une approche relevant de la théorie ancrée a guidé l'analyse thématique des données enregistrées sur bande audio et transcrites. Résultats. Les participants ont dit avoir tiré leurs connaissances sur la santé buccodentaire de parents, de la famille et d'amis, de fournisseurs de soins primaires, lors des programmes prénataux, dans les écoles et en ligne. Certains utilisaient des remèdes traditionnels. Les recommandations des participants ont été de transmettre de l'information qui soit culturellement adaptée par l'entremise de programmes et d'ateliers communautaires et prénataux, des écoles et des garderies, d'affiches, de dépliants envoyés par la poste et de communications téléphoniques (appels et textos) aux parents et aux familles, et au moyen des médias sociaux. Il a été recommandé, afin d'encourager une bonne hygiène buccale, de distribuer des produits d'hygiène buccale interactifs et attrayants pour les enfants. Conclusion. De l'information et des ressources sur la santé buccodentaire fondées sur des données probantes et adaptées aux collectivités des Premières Nations et des Métis pourraient, si elles étaient fournies de façon stratégique, atteindre un plus grand nombre de familles et modifier la trajectoire actuelle de la santé buccodentaire des jeunes enfants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study research documented 15 interviews with inner-city residents of Winnipeg, Canada, concerning their experience of food swamps and struggles for food sovereignty. Community members from diverse cultural backgrounds reported coming together to adopt practices towards food sovereignty in their urban environment of West Broadway, historically characterized with inadequate housing, crime and poverty. This community and community organizations like West Broadway Community Organization (WBCO) response to the lack of access to healthy food choices in their neighbourhood but also to build community and agency. The programs of WBCO include community gardens, Farmer’s Markets, good food boxes and local farm field trips, which positively impacted the citizens of West Broadway. ‘Community spirit’ is forming in a community that only years earlier was known more for violence and crime. Many participants made positive comments about grassroots initiatives and advocated for more community gardens. WCBO is connecting people to grow, share and organize around food, as well as connect them with farmers and the food system to provide many elements of food sovereignty. However, to address food insecurity and health in West Broadway more needs to be done to provide better food infrastructure in boarding houses and local healthy grocery stores. Furthermore, action for food sovereignty requires more programming and organizing for community food planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: First Nations communities are known to have high rates of diabetes. The rural First Nations communities in northwest (NW) Ontario are particularly affected. Regional studies in 1985 and 1994 found a high prevalence of diabetes. More recently, they are estimated to have the highest prevalence in Ontario at 19%, double the provincial norm. The purpose of this study is to examine the epidemiology and prevalence of diabetes in the total population and cardiovascular comorbidities in the adult population of 25 First Nations communities in NW Ontario. Methods: This retrospective diabetes prevalence study used primary care electronic medical record data for a 3-year period, 1 August 2014--31 July 2017. Diabetes prevalence was calculated for both the total and the adult (18+) populations and comorbid hypertension and dyslipidaemia were identified in adults. Results: The age-adjusted diabetes prevalence for the total population was 15.1% versus a Canadian prevalence of 8.8%. The age-adjusted adult prevalence was 14.1%, double Canada's average of 7.1%. The average age of adults with diabetes was 52 years (±14.9); 57% were female. Comorbid hypertension (58%) and dyslipidaemia (73%) were common. Metformin was the most commonly used medication (58%), followed by insulin/analogues (23%) and sulphonylureas (13%). Conclusion: The diabetes prevalence in the First Nations population of NW Ontario is double Canada's norm. Addressing it will require addressing relevant social determinants of health, including poverty and food security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality of life is often touted as the main benefit of building smart cities. This, however, raises questions about the extent to which the public is engaged as part of the "smart" development process, particularly given the significant financial investments often required to meaningfully design smart city projects. To better understand approaches to public engagement in the context of smart city development, we draw upon three selected finalists of Infrastructure Canada's Smart City Challenge, which invited municipalities, regional governments, and Indigenous communities to enter a competition where the winning proposals would be awarded federal financial grants to complete their projects. Prizes of $5 million, $10 million, and $50 million were awarded. Specifically, we compare the public engagement experiences of the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (Quebec), the City of Guelph, and the Region of Waterloo. We carried out semi‐structured interviews and reviewed documents in each community to better understand how finalists in each category engaged residents in proposal development. The paper addresses how communities are approaching public engagement in smart city development and the implications of these approaches. We conclude that, despite earnest attempts to publicly engage and become citizen‐centric, municipal governments continue to see civic participation as a top‐down tool. Key Messages: The Smart City Challenge's focus on citizen engagement highlights tension in municipal smart city design processes between top‐down and bottom‐up policymaking.Using the IAP2 Spectrum for Public Participation to evaluate proposals of three finalist communities suggests varied approaches to engaging residents in smart city design.We conclude that, despite earnest attempts to publicly engage and become citizen‐centric, municipal governments continue to see civic participation as a top‐down tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Diabetes in pregnancy confers increased risk. This study examines the prevalence and birth outcomes of diabetes in pregnancy at the Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre (SLMHC) and other small Ontario hospitals. Methods: This was a retrospective study of maternal profile: age, parity, comorbidities, mode of delivery, neonatal birth weight, APGARS and complications. Data were compared to other Ontario hospitals offering an equivalent level of obstetrical services. Results: Type 2 diabetes mellitus in pregnancy is far more prevalent in mothers who deliver at SLMHC (relative risk [RR]: 20.9, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 16.0-27.2); the rates of gestational diabetes (GDM) are double (RR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.7-2.3). SLMHC mothers with diabetes were on average 5 years younger and of greater parity with increased substance use. Neonates largely had equivalent outcomes except for increased macrosomia, neonatal hypoglycaemia and hyperbilirubinaemia in GDM pregnancies. Conclusion: Patients with diabetes in pregnancy at SLMHC differ substantially from mothers delivering at Ontario hospitals with a comparable level of service. Programming and resources must meet the service needs of these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis is based on two clusters of adolescent and young adult suicides, the first in a First Nations village and the second in a traditional Quebec community. The methodology includes a confirmation of the cases by the coroner's report and interviews with parents, closed friends, professionals and local leaders on the events preceding the deaths, the links between suicides and macro-social factors. The material shows closed links between suicides in both villages with a coordinated planning in some of them. There can also be a period of many months separating a suicide and a previous one to which it is linked without the first being considered as the trigger. In both sites, informants point out breaks in the intergenerational communications as an explanation, targetting the commodification of exchanges and sexual abuse among the First Nations girls. These problems can produce co-dependency among young people, leading to a chain of acting out. In both sites, there is a freezing of the transition process to adult life due to a low employment outlook. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to review the origin and the factors that contributed to the development of collaborative processes that enabled the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok to engage in forest planning activities on their traditional lands, over the past 30 years. Based on an historical, inductive, and qualitative approach, we analyzed data from written sources (reports, minutes of meeting, etc.) and semi-structured interviews with representatives from the Nehirowisiwok communities, the forest industry, and the Quebec government. Results show that in the early 1990s, the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok had little input in forest planning, despite their willingness to do so. By the end of the 1990s, the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok and the forest industry were able to set up a harmonization process aiming to reconcile occupation of the land and forestry activities. Then, the Haïda and Taku River (2004) decisions and the adoption of new forest legislation (2010) resulted in the provincial government playing a more significant role in the harmonization process. The implementation of a new forestry regime (2013) reversed the relationships between the groups, obliging the Atikamekw Nehirowisiwok to collaborate with the provincial ministry, which had become responsible for forest planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use the 2012 Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies to examine the relationship between information-processing skills, educational attainment, and labour market outcomes among Indigenous peoples in Canada. Relative to the non-Indigenous sample, we find negative earnings differentials, higher unemployment, and lower employment and labour market participation among Indigenous peoples, as well as important differences between First Nations, Métis, and Inuit workers. First Nations peoples show larger gaps in terms of earnings and employment outcomes. Moreover, Métis peoples show worse employment outcomes and negative earnings differentials in the upper part of the distribution. First Nations peoples also show sizable gaps in literacy, numeracy, and technology skill relative to the non-Indigenous sample. Not surprisingly, there is a positive relationship between information-processing skills and wages. However, the returns to skills are very similar for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. That is, we find no evidence of economic discrimination. Once these skills are conditioned on, the earnings differentials decline. We also find that education can reduce skill and wage gaps, although the additional impact is small. The results imply the need to consider barriers to education faced by Indigenous peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative article examines the controversies surrounding the Energy East pipeline in New Brunswick and the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. It analyzes four key texts, one from an Indigenous leader and one from an elected or business leader in each place. It employs a heuristic tool that describes speakers' frames as "scenes of thought" to discover the assumptions underpinning each group's worldview about (1) the actors involved in the controversies and (2) their spatial and temporal relationships to each other. Two pictures emerge. The first is of two groups—Native and non-Native leaders—with incommensurable perspectives on the continuity (or discontinuity) of time and space. From within their worldviews, the other group's arguments appeared unconvincing or incomprehensible. The second is of two modes of engagement, shaped by Canadian and US approaches to securing consent for resource extraction, that prompted different forms of interaction between Indigenous peoples and the companies that wanted to lay pipeline across their land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main issues facing the evaluation of research--as well as collaborative ethics--involves the negotiation of power. Heeding the Voice of Mishtameku describes our field experience, which consisted of implementing shared collaborative ethics in a team we formed to evaluate certain research activities. In this context, our team also experimented with a collaborative evaluation process in Innu and Atikamekw territory. This field experience story is complemented by our reflection on the manner in which some of the issues and challenges specific to collaborative ethics in the evaluation of research in Aboriginal contexts may be identified. This experience allowed us to gain more insight into the role of evaluation in collaborative ethics and the potential of a collaboration agreement as a research evaluation tool. Through an approach aimed at creating conditions favourable to the realization of a multi-voice evaluation process equitable to every actor, is it possible to rebalancing the scales of power? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Indigenous peoples constitute one of the most socially, economically, and politically marginalized groups in the world, relatively few quantitative social scientists have studied the broader public's views of this ethnicity globally or in Canada. To help isolate the roots of such attitudes, this research note investigates why ordinary British Columbians decided 1. to vote in; and 2. to vote "yes" on the controversial 2002 Aboriginal Treaty Negotiations Referendum. The essay examines the theoretical literature on attitudes toward ethnic minorities in the abstract, which suggests that support for the measure might have been rooted in various forms of realistic group conflict. To evaluate this theory, the research note next examines data from the April 2002 BC Reid Express Poll as well as official census and voting results. Cross-tabulations of the Reid Poll and Gary King-method ecological-inference analysis of the election statistics indicate that regional and ethnic differences but not individual economic circumstances seem to have motivated much of the conflict over this measure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Colombia, the school system of the Nasa people integrates directly into their curriculum practical and theoretical aspects of their indigenous communitarian economy so as to contribute to their survival. This educational model calls on high school students to take charge of economic projects involving environmental and community solidarity. The Community Educational Project (PEC) is central to the Nasa educational experience that also integrates Nasa philosophy and directly supports their economic model. This case study results from fieldwork for a master's thesis in social work in one of the Nasa high schools. Data collection methods comprised direct observation and interviews with stakeholders, including community leaders, educators, parents and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay analyzes Aboriginal and settler landscapes within what became the Treaty #3 area of northwestern Ontario, during the late nineteenth century and after, and the tensions that exist between those landscapes. The Aboriginal landscape served the First Nations within their local framework but also included the international network of the fur trade. The settler landscape was created by people interested in expanding Canada, from Ontario into the West, through a road or railroad network, and in the development of the natural resources within the newly acquired territories in ways that represented the loss of control of the First Nations over their lands. This essay situates itself within William Turkel's ideas of continuity in change, meaning that while the colonial landscape came to dominate, the preceding Aboriginal landscape continued into the present day--a point that must be acknowledged and respected, if the current tensions over land that exist between First Nations and settler societies are to be resolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 20 years after treaty-making recommenced in British Columbia, only four treaties have been fully ratified. All but one of these treaties provoked legal challenge due to overlapping claims. The British Columbia Treaty Commission has identified overlapping claims as a critical challenge to finalizing negotiated agreements. Through a study of several cases, we discuss the causes and implications of such contestations. We underscore the role of diverse and dynamic Indigenous socio-spatial identities of varying temporal depth. We argue the need for change to the current approach to treaty negotiation that may privilege some indigenous groups to the detriment of others, and invites indigenous groups fighting among themselves and in conventional courts for recognition of territorial jurisdiction. By offering a detailed consideration of causes and implications of the "overlap problem," we hope to provide a foundation for considering alternative approaches that provide more just solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to understand Indigenous social enterprise in a "current state snapshot" and in a complex historical context. Specifically, the authors begin by placing into theoretical context social enterprises serving Indigenous communities. The framework for Indigenous social enterprise is related to theories of Indigenous entrepreneurship and "quadruple bottom line" organizations. The authors explain the role of culture as an underresearched element and as a critical component of Indigenous social enterprise. The article also highlights gender leadership of social enterprise in Indigenous communities. Finally, the article provides three case studies that exemplify Indigenous social enterprise in Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We sought to evaluate a translation of anxiety-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to a First Nations children's mental health provider in rural Ontario and to enhance our understanding of CBT challenges and adaptations unique to the First Nations context. Methods: The study was conceptualized as a mixed methods sequential explanatory approach using a quasi-experimental (before and after) design with quantitative and qualitative components. Data were produced in two ways: questionnaires completed by therapists, parents and clients pre- and post-training, and through a focus group with therapists working with First Nations clients. Participants of this study were a subset of a larger knowledge translation study involving ten agencies, and comprised nine therapists (two males and seven females), and seven children (six males and one female) from a single First Nations agency. The mean age of children was 11.8 years (±2.71), comparable to children in other agencies. Results: First Nations therapists' scores on a child CBT knowledge questionnaire post-training did not differ from those of therapists in other agencies when controlling for initial values, suggesting comparable training benefit. Children did not differ between groups on any key measures, and all key measures showed improvement from pre- to post-training. Four key themes emerged from therapist focus groups: client challenges, value of supervision, practice challenges, and Northern/rural/remote challenges. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of delivering a culturally appropriate CBT program to First Nations populations in Northern Ontario, and provides preliminary evidence of its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the exhibition Man Turned to Stone: T'xwelátse and how through a combination of contemporary visual art, alternative history and community collaboration, it established a critical dialogue that challenged a dominant cultural narrative. The author utilizes Russian literary theorist Mikhail Bakhtin's (1981) concept of dialogue and his theory of how we incorporate other people's thoughts in our daily conversations to reveal conflicting voices and make visible varied and opposing world views, in this case, in the exhibition. The author also examines how through the exhibition, The Reach Gallery Museum Abbotsford was temporarily transformed into a public space that stimulated social interaction, dialogue, debate, and exploration of community issues relevant to First Nation and non-First Nation communities in the Fraser Valley, situated in southwestern British Columbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlike the historic settlement of the rest of Canada, treaties with the First Nations originally occupying most of present-day British Columbia have never been finalized. Since 1993, the federal government of Canada, the provincial government of British Columbia, and approximately two-thirds of the First Nations in British Columbia have been engaged in treaty and land claim negotiations under a unique British Columbia treaty process. To date the process has produced only five agreements, three of which are fully ratified, one of which is in the ratification process, and one of which was rejected by the First Nations membership. This article reviews the history of treaties in British Columbia and uses exploratory illustrative case studies to examine two of these recent treaty negotiations-the Lheidli T'enneh First Nations and the Tsawwassen First Nations. These case studies demonstrate that treaty negotiations are very complex processes and do not always achieve mutual agreement, yet features of governance and land ownership included in these agreements have implications for land use policy and planning that affect all First Nations people in British Columbia, in Canada, and around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine conservation is a global challenge and marine protected areas (MPAs) are one means of addressing this challenge. Progress in MPA designation is slow, partially due to objections to MPA establishment by local stakeholders and Indigenous peoples. This article suggests that a values-based paradigm to conservation that emphasizes active management and further engagement of First Nations, as rights-holders, should be given more emphasis. The re-introduction of clam gardens into Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (GINPR) is used as an example of this approach. Clam gardens were constructed by First Nations on the Pacific Coast to augment the productivity of clam growth. Several former clam gardens are within GINPR. The primary mandate of national parks is to protect ecological integrity, potentially forbidding the re-introduction of clam gardens. The literature suggests that there would be minimal ecological impacts at the park level from the re-introduction of clam gardens. There could also be significant advantages both for conservation and First Nations communities. With a greater degree of decision-making input and the opportunity to re-introduce cultural practices, a values-based paradigm may contribute to the acceptability of coastal PAs and promote the expansion of conservation values in the landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community resilience in first Nations includes ties to people both inside and outside the community, intergenerational communication, the sharing of stories, and family and community connectedness. This study, based on a survey of Internet users in the Sioux Lookout region of Northwestern Ontario, explores the link between social networking sites and community resilience. The region is home to some of the most isolated First Nation (indigenous) communities in Canada. Cultural and familial links between these communities are strong, yet until recent use of the Internet, maintaining regular communications to strengthen cultural ties was challenging. This study examines the links between travel and communication online, the ways in which social media are used to preserve culture and maintain communication, and the implications of social networking for community resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the use of traditional environmental knowledge (TEK), the impacts of climate change on the Fort Albany First Nation community are explored. Thirty-nine community members were interviewed using a semi-directive interview format to gather knowledge about their observations of local environmental and climatic change and the significance of these changes. Thematic analysis, cluster analysis, and concept mapping were applied to analyze interview transcriptions. A second round of interviews was conducted to obtain feedback on the themes and concepts that emerged from the first round of interviews. Community members indicated that there have been noticeable changes in the timing of seasons, snow type, and total snowfall, with an increase in extreme weather events. These changes have impacted animal behaviour, traditional harvesting activities, and the winter road, which have led to socio-economic and well-being issues. The community has exhibited strength in adapting to ongoing changes in the environment; however, their ability to adapt to climate change in the future is not certain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Les blessures constituent une cause importante de deces et de morbidite. Bien qu'aucun indicateur d'identite autochtone ne soit directement disponible dans les bases de donnees administratives nationales, cette etude porte sur les hospitalisations pour blessure non intentionnelle, selon la cause, dans les regions ayant un fort pourcentage de residents d'identite autochtone. Méthodologie: Nous avons calcule les taux d'hospitalisation normalises selon l'âge (THNA) et les rapports de taux pour 2004-2005 a 2009-2010, a partir de la Base de donnees sur les conges des patients. Résultats: Les chutes etaient la cause principale de blessure. Les THNA etaient plus eleves pour les hommes comme pour les femmes dans les regions ayant un fort pourcentage de membres des Premieres nations; dans les regions ayant un fort pourcentage de Metis, c'est chez les hommes de 20 a 29 ans que le THNA global etait le plus eleve, tandis qu'il etait le plus bas chez les hommes de tous les groupes d'age dans les regions a fort pourcentage d'Inuits. Certaines causes, telles que les chutes, etaient associees a un THNA eleve mais avec un rapport de taux semblable a celui observe pour toutes causes confondues; d'autres causes, comme les blessures par arme a feu chez les hommes dans les regions a fort pourcentage de membres des Premieres nations, présentaient un THNA relativement faible mais un rapport de taux eleve. Les residents des regions a fort pourcentage d'Autochtones présentaient un THNA pour blessure plus eleve que ceux des regions a faible pourcentage d'Autochtones. Conclusion: Les residents des regions a fort pourcentage d'Autochtones vivent dans des regions dont le statut socioeconomique etait faible, ce qui invite a une recherche plus approfondie a propos des differences de taux entre regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Province of Alberta in 2001 implemented the First Nations Gaming Policy (FNGP) to improve First Nations development potential by permitting the construction of reserve casinos. This article argues that during the policy development stages provincial and First Nations leaders failed to consider the geographic placement of reserve communities, both in terms of where casinos would be placed and how gaming revenues would ultimately be distributed. Therefore, a policy intended to assist with First Nations economic rejuvenation in Alberta has benefitted a small proportion of First Nations while exacerbating regional economic difficulties the policy was in part calculated to ameliorate. The authors recommend revisiting the FNGP to establish a more equitable revenue distribution formula, thus resulting in a greater distribution of gaming revenues to a larger number of First Nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores food-related activities and their impacts on sustainable livelihood assets, food sovereignty, and food security, and provides insight for future food-related community development. Analysis is based on community food assessments conducted in 14 Northern Manitoba communities and included a food security survey, price survey, and interviews. The lack of community control over development in First Nation and other Northern remote and rural communities in Northern Manitoba is found to undermine both food sovereignty and sustainable livelihoods, while creating high levels of food insecurity. According to logit models, sharing country foods increases food sovereignty and sustainable livelihoods, and has a stronger relationship to food security than either road access to retail stores in urban centres or increased competition between stores. The model predicts that rates of food insecurity for a community with a country foods program and with access to public transit and roads at 95% would be lower than the Canadian average of 92%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Une exploration des attitudes qu'adoptent les Hul'qumi'num, peuples autochtones Salish de la côte, devant la création de zones sans prélèvement dans les zones de protection marines de la Mer de Salish, Colombie-Britannique, Canada Le Gouvernement du Canada prévoit la création d'un réseau national de zones de protection marines (ZPM). La procédure engagée pour la création d'aires de protection marines dans la Mer de Salish (Détroit de Géorgie) en Colombie-Britannique progresse toutefois lentement car leur mise en place se heurte à l'opposition des Premières Nations. La raison est que les ZPM peuvent avoir des répercussions sur les droits des Autochtones. Portant sur les Premières Nations des Hul'qumi'num, cette étude de cas explore leurs façons d'envisager la conservation marine et leurs manières de concevoir dans une telle optique les zones sans prélèvement. Dans le but de promouvoir la participation active des communautés, un ensemble de moyens ont été utilisés dans cette étude, dont notamment l'établissement de relations personnelles, l'embauche d'un assistant de recherche Hul'qumi'num, la réalisation d'entrevues individuelles, la mise sur pied de groupes de discussion, et la tenue d'enquêtes de terrain. L'intervention des communautés locales des Premières Nations dans le cadre d'élaboration de plans de gestion pour les ressources halieutiques a fait l'objet d'une large adhésion et s'inscrit dans une démarche de conservation marine. De même, la dépendance des Premières Nations envers les ressources halieutiques pour répondre à leurs besoins alimentaires, sociaux et cérémoniaux et pour soutenir le développement économique est aussi considéré comme un fait établi. Si 35 pour cent des participants s'opposent à la création de quelques zones sans prélèvement permanentes, 48 pour cent d'entre eux se prononcent en faveur. L'énoncé qui a reçu le plus grand appui concernant les zones sans prélèvement se fonde sur le principe qu'elles ne respectent pas les droits des Autochtones. Cependant, l'idée que les zones sans prélèvement permanentes peuvent entraîner une diminution de la surpêche faisait l'unanimité (85 pour cent). La recherche permet de jeter un éclairage sur les intérêts que défendent les Autochtones dans la gestion des ressources halieutiques et sur l'efficacité des ZPM, dont la création est envisagée par le gouvernement, pour faire respecter les cibles et les conceptions de conservation des peuples autochtones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fort Severn First Nation is a remote fly-in community on Hudson Bay. Its lifestyle reflects a deep respect for and connection to the land. The Keewaytinook Okimakanak (KO) Tribal Council has developed the Keewaytinook Mobile (KM) service in remote First Nation communities in Northern Ontario. In November 2009, Fort Severn and KO established the KM service in the community. This study traces the history of KM and its implementation in Fort Severn and describes how and why community members are using the service. The analysis is based on interviews and discussions with community members during three research visits between March 2010 to March 2011. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 1930s, sanatorium directors and medical bureaucrats warned of the threat to Canadian society of ‘Indian tuberculosis.’ Long-standing government policy aimed to isolate Aboriginal people on reserves and in residential schools, while their access to medical care was limited by government parsimony and community prejudice. Characterized as ‘racially careless’ concerning their own health, Aboriginal bodies were seen as a menace to their neighbours and a danger to the nation. By the 1940s state-run racially segregated Indian hospitals institutionalized Aboriginal people who were not welcome in provincial sanatoria or in the modernizing community hospitals. The opening of the Charles Camsell Indian Hospital in Edmonton in 1946, one of the first acts of the newly created department of National Health and Welfare, was a very public demonstration of the state's commitment to define and promote ‘national health’ by isolating and institutionalizing Aboriginal people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on government archival sources, fieldwork and the historical perspectives, experiences and oral histories of Aboriginal peoples, this paper argues that late nineteenth and early twentieth century Indian policy, and more specifically the File Hills farm colony, was deeply influenced by betterment discourses. The presumption of this discourse was that Aboriginal peoples, who clearly were not vanishing as promised, could be transformed into something approaching white settlers by reshaping, controlling, and managing their environments, both private and public, and by altering their genetics and morals. While the betterment discourse and the File Hills colony have each been the focus of research, no one to our knowledge has focused on the importance of betterment thought in the establishment and application of Indian policy and its significance for the File Hills colony. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers an original review of research and reports about young Indigenous children's language development needs and approaches to meeting them. The review addresses not only children's acquisition of an Indigenous language but also their acquisition of other languages (e.g., English and French), because their progress in one linguistic domain affects their progress in others. Indigenous children have inequitable access to supports for optimal health and development and experience persistently high rates of academic failure. A search of peer-reviewed literature yielded no empirical studies that systematically assessed Indigenous children's language development and no controlled studies that evaluated the outcomes of early language facilitation programs or early interventions. Investments in culturally appropriate supports for optimal language development of young First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children are relevant to a range of policy areas, including Residential School healing programs, social justice, education, literacy, community development, employment, and literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to compare patterns of adiposity and soft tissue composition in First Nations and white Canadian women. A population-based cross-sectional study was performed. A random age-stratified sample of 206 urban First Nations women and 177 white women was recruited. Soft tissue composition was analyzed with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) models were used to assess ethnicity in models that adjusted for body mass, body mass index (BMI), and socio-demographic factors. Obesity (BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2) was more common in First Nations women (48.1%) than in white women (36.2%, Fisher’s exact test p = 0.012). Mean trunk fat tissue mass fraction and total body fat mass fraction (as a percent of soft tissue) were greater in First Nations women than in white women (p < 0.0001). Trunk lean tissue was also greater in First Nations women (p = 0.027), but total body lean tissue was similar. The mean trunk adiposity index was strongly related to ethnicity (First Nations +0.5% ± 2.5% versus white –1.7% ± 2.6%, p < 0.0001). Preferential fat accumulation in the trunk of First Nations women persisted after adjustment for body mass, BMI, and other socio-demographic variables (p < 0.0001). First Nations women differ from white women in terms of fat and lean tissue mass and distribution. First Nations women had a preferential increase in trunk fat and this may contribute to high reported rates of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses Bud Osborn's poetry collection, hundred block rock, which focuses on the lives of the homeless and disenfranchised in North America. It suggests that postcolonial theories can be fruitfully applied to the study of the North American homeless and indigent population, thereby shedding light on some of the processes through which that population is both constructed by and attempts to redefine its relationship with the hegemonic order that relegates it to a marginal position. Through a discussion of theories of internal colonization, this paper suggests that that term is more correctly applied to the world of the homeless and disenfranchised than to the groups it normally is used to describe. Through an engagement with theories of diaspora, the paper attempts to revise our understanding of this world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty-six drinking water systems on First Nations reserves in Alberta, Canada were evaluated for their ability to protect public health. A detailed survey form was used during each site visit to collect information necessary for the public health evaluation of the water supply system from source water to the end consumer, based on a variety of potential risk factors. For the 56 water systems evaluated, 50 of the water supply systems were ranked as high risk, 5 were ranked as medium risk, and there was 1 low risk site. The numerical scores ranged from a low of 7.5 to a high of 92.5 out of 100.0, with a higher score representing a water system better equipped to supply water meeting the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality. In addition to the unique cultural, political, social, and economic environment on First Nations reserves a major factor that made it difficult to comprehensively assess the level of potential risk at these sites was the lack of source water characterization for pathogens (especially protozoan parasites). A major challenge in these small communities was providing meaningful training to First Nations public works personnel in the context of their cultural beliefs so that they develop a feeling of responsibility and ownership in helping protect their community's health. Additionally, there were prevalent inadequacies in the bacteriological monitoring and testing programs on the reserves. Addressing these issues would allow for a better assessment of potential health risks on First Nation reserves in Alberta and allow these communities to better manage the risks to their drinking water systems on a continual basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on personal experience of the author, and use of anthropological theory, this paper examines small groups of urban 'street people.' While realizing that many of these people have substance abuse problems and are in general disadvantaged, the paper shows that they are far from powerless, and utilize many strategies in order to survive in the city. Networking is focussed upon here, in terms of ways that these individuals are connected in urban settings, as well as facilitating a connection between rural (often nearby reserve) and urban communities. Native and non-Native transients have important roles in subsistence strategies necessary in the process of First Nations urbanization,and these are often overlooked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]