Our Health Counts highlights challenges Indigenous people face accessing health care in Thunder Bay, Ont. – CBC

Dec 03, 2020

A new study, coordinated by Anishnawbe Mushkiki, an Aboriginal health centre in Thunder Bay, Ont., highlights some of the challenges Indigenous people face, when accessing health care in the city.

The study was led by Dr. Janet Smylie, a Metis physician, and researcher at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. The largest barrier, was how Indigenous people are counted.

Official data from the 2016 census showed 9,780 Indigenous people living in the city. The study, called Our Health Counts, found the population may be between 23,080 and 42,641. The variance is because many Indigenous people did not fill out the census, Smylie said.

“You can see why there’s so much pressure in regards to the Indigenous population having struggles, because we really don’t know who lives in our neighbourhood,” said Michael Hardy, the executive director of Anishnawbe Mushkiki.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/thunder-bay-our-health-counts-1.5825724