Burlington has Largest Indigenous Population in Halton Region: 2021 Census

Earlier this month, Burlington Council received a memo from staff on the 2021 Census Release: First Nations People, Métis and Inuit and Housing Data for the City of Burlington.The memo was jointly prepared by Burlington Economic Development and Community Planning to present the latest data in one comprehensive document while providing some analysis.BackgroundOn Sept. 21, 2022, Statistics Canada released the 2021 Census data on First Nations People, Métis and Inuit People in Canada & Canada’s Housing Portrait. This was the fifth release of the 2021 Census data. The final census releases were published on Oct. 26 (Immigration, place of birth and citizenship, Ethnocultural and religious diversity, Mobility and migration) and Nov. 30 (Education, Labour, Language of work, Commuting, Instruction in the official minority language).The Census of Canada commenced in May 2021 during a global pandemic, with Statistics Canada reporting an overall response rate of 98.3% for Ontario.First Nations, Métis, and Inuit PeoplesIn 2021, there were 2,385 Indigenous People living in Burlington, making up 1.3% of the total population. Between 2016 and 2021, the rate of growth in Burlington’s Indigenous population (+20.8%) was significantly higher than the non-Indigenous population (+2.0%), although both have slowed since the last census period.The majority of Indigenous People reported a single Indigenous identity – either First Nations, Métis, or Inuk (Inuit). Of the Indigenous population in Burlington, 59.7% (1,425) were First Nations, 35.2% (840) were Métis, and 0.6% (15) were Inuit.In addition to those who reported a single Indigenous identity, 25 people reported more than one Indigenous identity, and 85 identified with an Indigenous identity that was not included elsewhere.The Indigenous population of Burlington is younger than the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous children aged 14 and younger represented 18.2% of the total Indigenous population, while non-Indigenous children of the same age group accounted for 16.2% of the non-Indigenous population. The average age of the Indigenous population in Burlington was 37.5 years compared to the non-Indigenous average of 43.3 years.Compared to the rest of Halton Region, Burlington has the largest Indigenous population, with the city accounting for more than 40% (2,385) of Halton Region’s Indigenous population of 5,900 people.The city with the largest proportion of Indigenous people, however, is Halton Hills at 1.8% (1,145 people). Overall, Halton Region’sIndigenous population makes up 1.0% of its total population. This is significantly smaller than the rest of Ontario (2.9%) and Canada (5.0%).Staff will use the 2021 Census First Nations People, Métis and Inuit & Housing data as well as other data sources to support any growth-related studies and initiatives that would benefit from this data.Mayor Launches Indigenous Talking CircleTo advance the first principle of Reconciliation as Relationship, I announced in Nov. 2022, the formation of a Burlington Indigenous Talking Circle of urban Indigenous residents to begin meeting in 2023.The goal of the Circle is to foster relationship building and dialogue between the Mayor's Office, City Council, staff, and urban Indigenous residents in Burlington, to take action on Reconciliation.