The Saskatchewan community of Pelican Narrows is faring little better than they were almost ten years ago, when the federal government gave the reserve a score of 42 out of 100 on their Community Wellbeing Index.
The index used census data to evaluate First Nations, Inuit, and other communities in the areas of housing, income, education and labour force activity and then give an overall score out of 100.
Scores were meant to show how communities compared to each other, but obvious disparities between the groups did little to advance any change, especially in Pelican Narrows.
Paul Mkandawire is a statistician and professor of economics, international development and health geography at Carleton University. He says that despite the fact that such indicators are important when evaluating wellbeing, there is always more to the story.
“The notion of using quantitative indicators to capture qualitative dimensions of life is, in the first place, debatable.”
“For example, what kind of education are they talking about? Within the aboriginal context, it’s not just formal education, but also education in terms of awareness of traditional values, ways of dealing with illnesses, proper feeding practices, that are part and parcel with culture.”
Education scores were calculated using only the proportions of populations that had completed a high school or university education.
Pelican Narrows scored 30, well below the national average of 48.
Peter A. Beatty is the Chief of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, of which Pelican Narrows is a part. He says the community can thank the federal government for the low scores.
“The federal government’s budget allocations have a long term effect in terms of the social problems on the reserve and the low score there,” he says.
The band was once funded to keep parity with the province in terms of teacher’s wages, so that communities were able to recruit better teachers on longer contracts. That funding is no longer.
“Now the federal government has cut that funding to support education. It’s beyond me. Why would you cut that funding when nationally, you’re talking about enhancing education and trying to provide better education on reserve?” Beatty says.
“We won’t be on par with the province anymore. We won’t be able to afford it.”
It is for this reason, among others, that Peter Ballantyne and three other bands in Saskatchewan have not yet signed their funding agreements.
Of course, it’s not just teachers that are difficult to keep in school. 2011 Census data shows that of 1,105 students aged 15 and over, 735 do not obtain any kind of certificate, diploma or degree.
One incentive the community tried to keep youth in school was the hot lunch program.
But when the workload for the community’s two social workers exceeded 1,000 cases, the hot lunch program was cut in order to redirect money into social assistance.
Listen to Beatty discuss the importance of the program here:
“What they did was reallocate that money, the money that goes towards lunch programs for kids going to school, and said ‘we’re giving you new money.’”
Beatty says that this practice of repackaging funds has become all too familiar.
“You know the minister’s announcement of new monies for education across Canada? That’s not new money. That is money that has been cut from education programs, from social programs, and been reallocated to make it look like it’s new money.”
Whether new or old, funds remain scarce at Pelican Narrows. The index revealed an income score of 37, and in 2010 the majority of households had an annual income of less than $30,000.
Regardless, Beatty says in terms of income, Pelican Narrows has reason to be optimistic.
He says that the impending diamond mine at Deschambault Lake is promising, and Peter Ballantyne is taking steps to arrange impact benefit and labour force agreements on their own.
“The stereotype of an Indian is that they don’t want to work. Well, that’s hogwash,” Beatty says.
“You’ve got enough people here, develop that resource. That human resource is there. But if you keep those people under your thumb, on social assistance, they’re going to remain that way for the rest of their lives.”
Average Education Score, Organized by Province and Community Type
Source: Statistics Canada Analysis by Mara Selanders
Average Wellbeing Score, Organized by Province and Community Type
Source: Statistics Canada Analysis by Mara Selanders
Pelican Narrows 2011 Census Information: Education
Pelican Narrows Education 2011 Census (Text)
Pelican Narrows 2011 Census Information: Household Income