Significant number of Indigenous people in Kenora, Ont., experienced racism in past year, new study says

A new study has revealed that racism and other forms of discrimination are having significant, adverse effects on the health of Indigenous people living in or near Kenora, Ont., a city of about 15,000 people located almost 500 kilometres west of Thunder Bay.

Three in five study participants reported they'd been treated poorly or unfairly because of their Indigenous identity, with 75 per cent of those respondents saying they'd experienced racism in the past year.

More broadly, 72 per cent of the participants reported they see racism to be a problem in the northwestern Ontario city.

"It validated what we already knew from our lived experience, such as the high rates of racism and discrimination people face, which can lead to misdiagnosis or delays in seeking treatment, the high numbers of mental health and trauma experienced," said Serena Joseph, the executive director of Waasegiizhig Nanaandawe'iyewigamig (WNHAC), an Anishinaabe health agency serving the Kenora area and the community lead organization for the study.

The "Our Health Counts" community-based study — developed by Well Living House, a research centre focused on Indigenous health and well-being based in Toronto, and completed jointly with WNHAC — collected the life stories from 320 First Nations and Métis people aged 15 or older that were living or accessing services in Kenora. Participants were invited to take part in the survey using respondent-driven sampling methods.

"It also uncovered some things we didn't know, [such as] the degree to which we were undercounted," Joseph said, adding that one of the other significant findings is that the urban Indigenous population in or around Kenora is 2.6 to four times larger than what the 2016 census indicated.

While the 2016 census said there were 3,155 Indigenous people living in Kenora, the study estimates that the total Indigenous population living in the city is actually between 8,448 to 12,892.

This is the sixth community to have participated in the "Our Health Counts" study with Well Living House, all of which have demonstrated that Statistics Canada's national census is systemically undercounting Indigenous people, said Dr. Janet Smylie, a Métis family physician, director of the Well Living House and the Canada Research Chair in advancing generative health services for Indigenous populations.

"It's time to actually just acknowledge that First Nations, Inuit and Métis living in urban and related homelands actually are getting second rate information gathering. So the census is not working for them, and we need to look at other options," she said.

Study reveals health inequities in Kenora

The information shared by the participants of the study will help organizations in the area better understand the health needs of the urban Indigenous population, and develop strategies to address the health inequities.

Other findings of the study include:

• Poverty rates were almost five times higher among Indigenous adults than the general Kenora population, with 63 per cent living at or below the before-tax low-income cut-off.
• Almost seven in 10 Indigenous adults have not completed high school.
• Two in five participants reported speaking an Indigenous language, with 92 per cent reporting that speaking or learning a language was important.
• One-third of Indigenous adults do not have a regular place to go for health advice or when they are sick.
• About 40 per cent of Indigenous adults reported they had been treated unfairly by a health care professional because of their Indigenous identity, and 14 per cent reported avoiding health or social services due to discrimination.
• Almost one in three Indigenous adults reporting racism said it affected their overall health and well-being.
• Half of the study participants think there are inadequate mental health services, and nearly 40 per cent believe there are inadequate suicide prevention resources serving Indigenous people in Kenora.

While looking at the data, Smylie said she's amazed by the resiliency and close family relationships of Indigenous people in the region, adding that 55 per cent of respondents feel happy and are interested in life every day or almost every day.

"I'm just constantly inspired and astounded by the way that First Nations, Inuit and Métis people are able to find meaning in life, are able to keep up good spirits, even though there's these huge challenges that are happening, which include day-to-day experiences of racism and gaps in access to mental healthcare," she said.

Data must be used to inform policy

While this information is important, Joseph added, it must now be acted upon with new funding and services designed to address the social and health inequities that exist in the region. Those programs need to be created and led by Indigenous people, and funded by all levels of government, she said.

"Although we face a lot of challenges in terms of racism, discrimination and mental health as a result of the long-standing impact of colonialism, there is that great desire and connection to culture as well as healing and treatment," Joseph said.

But Smylie said non-Indigenous people — especially healthcare providers — also have to put in the work.

"People are dying because of this culturally unsafe care. It's not acceptable. So please sign up and take Indigenous cultural safety training," she urged healthcare workers.

"We need to have zero per cent Indigenous people experiencing culturally unsafe care."