Barriers remain for Surrey’s growing Indigenous population: report – CBC
Many feel cut off from traditional lands, lack access to cultural events, report finds
Feb 27, 2018
Surrey’s Indigenous population is one of the fastest growing in B.C., but many feel disconnected from their traditional lands and language, according to a new report from the Surrey Cares Community Foundation (SCCF).
The report found that only one per cent of the city’s 13,000 Indigenous residents speak their traditional languages, while up to half feel disconnected from their territories. The population has grown by 76 per cent since 2001.
Findings from the report, titled First Peoples: Perspectives on Urban Belonging, are based on a series of survey research, Statistics Canada and census data, interviews, and data gathered from the municipality, local health authorities, and the school district.
According to Shirley Wilson, the project manager behind the report, much of the disconnect stems from a lack of cultural spaces and services within the city limits.
