Moving Forward Together

Building Better Relationships Between Aboriginal People and the Ontario Government

Aboriginal People in Ontario

According to 2006 Census data, Ontario has the largest Aboriginal population in Canada.
An estimated 296,500 Aboriginal people live in Ontario, representing 21 per cent of Canada's total Aboriginal population.
In Ontario, Aboriginal people make up about two per cent of the general population.
Those who identify themselves as First Nations or as having First Nations ancestry make up 65 per cent of the Aboriginal population; Métis make up 30 per cent; and Inuit, 0.8 per cent. Others, including those who identify with more than one Aboriginal group and those who are registered members of a First Nation but do not claim Aboriginal identity, make up 3.5 per cent.
The Aboriginal population in Ontario is growing. While the general population increased by 6.6 per cent between 2001 and 2006, the total Aboriginal population in Ontario grew by 28.7 per cent.
The increase in the Aboriginal population of Ontario may be attributed to an increase in the birthrate and the number of people identifying themselves as Aboriginal or as having Aboriginal ancestry.
The First Nations population in Ontario increased by 20.4 per cent from 2001 to 2006.
The Métis population in this province increased by 52 per cent between 2001 and 2006. Again, this may be attributed to more people identifying themselves as Métis.
The Aboriginal population in Ontario is young. Approximately 27 per cent are 15 years or younger, compared to about 18 per cent in the rest of the population.
There are 133 First Nations communities in Ontario as identified by the Chiefs of Ontario.

(Source: 2006 Census. Note that several First Nations chose not to participate in this census and some were incompletely enumerated. Additional information was obtained from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and First Nations websites. The total Aboriginal population includes an estimated 54,000 First Nations people who did not participate in data collection by Statistics Canada.)

First Nations in Ontario

The above map shows the locations of First Nations in Ontario (PDF). The information contained in this map has been compiled from various sources and includes First Nations not defined as a "Band" within the meaning of the Indian Act. The map is provided as a general visual aid only and should not be used or interpreted as a representation of the boundaries of First Nations' reserves or a complete list of First Nations. The Government of Ontario accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors, inaccuracies and/or omissions in this data.

Jeremiah Mason, Aboriginal Artist

Jeremiah Mason is Oji-Cree from Kee-way-win First Nation in northern Ontario and currently lives in London, Ontario. He comes from the Kakepetum/Mason family and is of the Wolf Clan.

Jeremiah started drawing and painting at a young age, working mainly with black acrylic ink on cold press paper. Over the years, he has incorporated colours into his art that represent the earth, sky, sun and moon. Jeremiah credits his uncle, and other family members who are artists, as his inspiration.

This painting represents cooperation, unity, direction and time. The four main colours – red, yellow, black and white – represent unity. The faces represent cooperation or the idea of people working together with one mind to achieve a goal. The feathers represent the four directions: north, south, east and west. The circle of sweetgrass represents time – the direction in which life flows.

Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs
160 Bloor Street East
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M7A 2E6

www.ontario.ca/aboriginal

ISBN 978-1-4249-9583-7 (Print)
ISBN 978-1-4249-9584-4 (HTML)
ISBN 978-1-4249-9585-1 (PDF)