Urban Indigenous

Programming in

Toronto

Minister’s Briefing Assignment for PPG1007

Team members: Rupinder Bagha, Katerina Stamadianos,

Nicole Winger, Tony Yin

Draft of March 21, 2018

2

A Changing Reality

Over the last 10 years, off-reserve Indigenous peoples constitute the fastest growing

segment of Canadian society

Since 2006, the Aboriginal population overall has grown by 42.5% -- more than four

times the growth rate of the non-Aboriginal population

Canada’s urban Toronto’s

Aboriginal Population Aboriginal Population

Since, 2006, the number of Indigenous people living in urban areas has increased

by 59.7%

867,415 46,315

3

Toronto’s Urban Population

Indigenous Torontonians are diverse:

• Their median age is 32

• 22% are under the age of 15

• Around 65% are of First

Nations descent - a group

that includes 617 Nations

Canada-wide

• Around 30% are Metis

• Many identify as LGBT or Two-

Spirited

4

Indigenous Programming in Toronto

Indigenous people face persistent, systemic, and underlying

forces of inequity, especially in urban centres. As such, the need

for Aboriginally-oriented programming is clear.

According to the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services

Council, programming in the Greater Toronto Area

falls short in the areas of:

- Providing sufficient Indigenous housing

- Fostering Indigenous health

- Ensuring accessibility to services by indigenous

peoples

- Facilitating employment

Most urban

Indigenous

programming comes

from Aboriginal

Service providers.

These initiatives face

limited funding and

resources.

5

Services Provided by Indigenous organizations within

the Boundaries of the City of Toronto, 2015

Some of these organizations

include:

• Anishnawbe Health Toronto

• Native Child & Family

Centres

• Ontario Federation of Indian

Friendship Centers

• First Nation School of Toronto

6

The Intergovernmental Context What is already being done?

The City

of

Toronto

The

Province

of Ontario

Indigenous

Services

Canada

7

The City of Toronto’s Approach

The City of Toronto’s current initiatives are

focused on internal City practices (ex. The

Aboriginal Employment Strategy, 8 Calls to

Action), more loosely based commitments (The

Aboriginal Health Advisory Circle), or works in

progress (integrated service model for Aboriginal Children).

In 2017, the City of Toronto announced their

intention to establish an Indigenous Affairs

Office which will aim to liaise between city administration and Indigenous communities.

There is a concern that there may be a lack of

support from the City Manager’s Office which

would hinder the Office’s impact.

Current Initiatives

8

The Provincial

Approach

The Ministry of Indigenous Relations

and Reconciliation is working alongside

other departments and with urban

Indigenous partners to develop an

Urban Indigenous Action Plan.

Ontario has coordinated an Urban

Indigenous Policy Engagement Table

with Ontario Federation of Indigenous

Friendship Centers, Metis Nation of

Ontario and Ontario Native Women’s Association to inform the Action Plan.

•Supported Anishnawbe Health Toronto

in developing an Indigenous Community

Hub in Toronto

•$30 million from 2016-18 to expand

community care services through 25 sites

for Indigenous peoples province-wide

•$70 million from 2016-18 to enhance

existing and new child care and family

programs province-wide

•$11.5 million in upgrades to the First

Nations School of Toronto (TDSB)

Other Commitments: Current Initiatives

9

The Federal

Approach

Current Initiative:

Urban Programming for Indigenous People (UPIP)

UPIP, established in 2017 is designed

to assist First Nations (status and non-

status), Inuit and Metis living in or

transitioning to urban centers.

→ Budget 2017 invests $118.5 million

over 5 years towards four broad streams of funding:

Research and

Innovation

Organizational

Capacity

CoalitionsPrograms and

Services

The mandate of Indigenous

Services Canada has focused

largely on assisting the on-

reserve indigenous populations-

- leading to a disregard of the

changing reality of Indigeneity

in Canada which is becoming increasingly urban.

10

The Problem with UPIP

By design, UPIP’s broad approach to funding ignores the intersectional

needs of urban Indigenous peoples.

- UPIP does not target specific programming, treating the urban Indigenous population as homogenous

- UPIP does not have a method of measuring success

- UPIP does not have a built in mechanism to ensure that the broad needs of urban Indigenous groups are being reached

In so doing, UPIP allows for gaps in the delivery of urban Indigenous

programming.

11

Our Proposal:

The Toronto Indigenous

Coordination Office (TICO)

12

The Toronto Indigenous Coordination Office (TICO)

Establish the Toronto Indigenous Coordination Office (TICO) as a sub-regional body of

Indigenous Services’ Ontario Regional Office.

TICO will act as a coordinating body for the federal government’s urban strategy in Toronto. It will do so in two ways:

1. It will coordinate funding to specific urban programming based on a set of steering

criteria (to be outlined below)

2. It will act to coordinate federal, provincial, and municipal initiatives as they related to

urban Indigenous issues in Toronto

TICO - the belief that coordinated

and targeted initiatives can fill the gaps in the status quo.

13

A regional approach to urban programming will bridge the

gap between Indigenous Torontonians and the federal

government, which can often seem distant and bureaucratic.

Groups will be able to voice their ideas and influence

programming within the Toronto context.

Targeting programming based on a set of criteria will ensure

that Indigenous Torontonians receive services that are unique

to them, in line with the understanding that these groups

require programming distinct from the general population’s.

Regional

Targeted

14

What would TICO look like?Office Makeup, Funding Steering Criteria,

Adoption Timeline and Intergovernmental Capacity

15

Organizational

Structure

16

TICO Office Breakdown Funding Allocation Unit Intergovernmental Unit Research & Evaluation Unit

Responsibilities Calls for applications for

programming initiatives

within the GTA.

Reviews applications

based on a set of

determined criteria.

Coordinates funding for

initiatives based on this

criteria.

Liaise with all orders of

government and non-for-

profit organizations on

issues that affect

Indigenous Torontonians.

E.g. How can the

National Housing

Strategy be used to

empower Indigenous

Torontonians?

Work to coordinate future

funding initiatives from

the City or the Province in

order to ensure that set

criteria is met.

External Review:

• Measures the impact

of programming under

TICO.

• Tracks rural to urban

migratory patterns.

Internal Review:

• Re-assesses the set

criteria to ensure it meets

changing demographic

and cultural needs.

Staff Two Policy Analysts

4-5 Indigenous

Professionals to act as an

approval board

Two Policy Analysts

3 Indigenous

Professionals to act in an

advisory capacity

2 Policy analysts

3 Program Analysts

5-6 Indigenous

Professionals

17

Funding Steering Criteria: Three Options

Option One:

The Identity-Based

Approach

Option Two:

The Service-

Based

Approach

Option Three:

The

Intersectional

Approach

Recommended

18

The Identity-Based Approach

Recognizing that strong Indigenous identity and pride is the basis for a

person's ability to equitably participate in urban life, and that

Indigenous peoples face intergenerational trauma that must be

considered and remembered.

CULTURE

COMMUNITY

GENDER/SEXUALITY

GROUP DISTINCTION

AGE

Living in urban areas can lead to an absence of a common

language on tradition and hence a lack of a defined indigenous

community.

Acknowledge that Indigeneity views gender and sexual diversity as

holistic and as such recognizing that the challenges faced by these

different identities must be respected and understood.

Age is an important part of Indigenous culture, from the youth-elder

relationship to should the distinct vulnerabilities youth face. Urban

programming acknowledge this importance.

The unique rights, interests and distinct urban experiences of First

Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples should be reflected in tailored

services and programming. All groups should have equal access to

program funding and services.

19

The Service-Based Approach

Address barriers to accessing health services - the complex web

of healthcare providers in urban centers, lack of access to

needed and tailored addiction and mental health services,

absence of follow-up care due to system unfamiliarity.

Build skill capacity to find homes in safe areas and foster an

understanding of the full rights and responsibilities of being a

tenant/homeowner.

Transportation (locational), cultural and gender barriers need

to be accounted for in service provision - services and

programs must be easily navigable within the city, accessible

and inclusive

Provide on-the-job and essential skills training

in demonstrable areas of employability and in

partnership with companies.

HEALTH

HOUSING

ACCESSIBILITY

EMPLOYABILITY

20

Recommended Option

The Intersectional Approach

We recommend that TICO allocates funding to

initiatives based on a consideration of both the identity and service-based criteria.

Funding would be based on an assessment of whether

programming is intersectionally targeted, meaning

that essential services are informed by culture,

community, gender and sexuality, and/or group distinction.

This approach is justified by the intersectional nature

of the Indigenous experience and urban Indigenous

needs, and based on the observed demand for targeted and informed urban programming.

In other words, allocating funding under this model

would best work to fill the current gaps in urban Indigenous programming.

COMMUNITY

GROUP DISTINCTION

HEALTH

GENDER/SEXUALITY

CULTURE

HOUSING

ACCESSIBILITY

EMPLOYABILITY

AGE

21

The Application Process

Application for TICO

The application for TICO will use the

same format as the application for

UPIP, with one major change:

One of the required supporting

documents will include a checklist of

the criteria established

Organizations will be asked to all

criteria that are incorporated in their

program/services for which they seek

funding

22

5-Year Roll-out Strategy

Year 1Set-up the Office, Units

& Programming

Years 2-5Implement Programs

Years 3 & 5Internally & Externally

Evaluate

• Hire staff internally and externally with the intent of attracting Indigenous professionals. Complete program and context-specific training for employees (3 months).

• Conduct roundtable consultations with Indigenous service organizations and communities to identify urban programming needs. Recruit and establish Indigenous Advisory Board (6 months).

• Incorporate findings into Office’s decision model and devise/apply risk mitigation strategy (3 months).

• Redistribute funding from Indigenous Services Canada to Toronto Indigenous Coordination Office.

• Send out calls for applications for programming initiatives within GTA.

• Review applications based on intersectional criteria and select successful applicants.

• When applicable, coordinate funding with the City and Province.

• The Research & Evaluation Unit will conduct internal and external program evaluations mid-way and in the final year of the pilot.

• External Assessments: cost-benefit analyses, stakeholder interviews, results assessments.

• Internal Assessments: re-assessment of core criteria to ensure it’s reflective of changing demographic and cultural needs.

23

Possible Shortcomings

Structural Challenges

It will be imperative to

effectively communicate

changes regarding the

organizational structure of ISC

and the funding application to

non-for-profit organizations

and provincial/municipal governments.

Stakeholder Resistance

Indigenous non-profits and

community groups may be

skeptical of another federal actor

in service provision. The TICO will

need to clearly communicate its

coordinating and advocacy role at the start of Year 1.

The TICO and the Ontario regional

office will need to clearly

delineate that funding is allocated

based on the intersectional

criteria incorporated in the proposed services/programming.

Increased Accountability

The TICO will increase the

accountability and

bureaucracy of the Ontario

regional office. Clear and

delineated communication

channels and regular check-ins

will be needed between the Office and its departments.

24

CONCLUSION

25

- More stakeholder engagement (Douglas Sanderson, more Friendship Centers)

- Risk mitigation slide

- Consider scaling opportunities

- Determine funding ballparks

- Determine a communication strategy (mail-outs)

- Appendix and pictures

To Do Before Final Presentation