OTTAWA — A new study released by Statistics Canada shows Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately affected by wildfires, with evacuations, disrupted access to the land and lasting mental and cultural impacts among the consequences.
The study, released Tuesday, examined wildfire experiences among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit, drawing on survey, census, wildfire and air-quality data.
While Indigenous people represented about five per cent of Canada’s population in the 2021 census, 42 per cent of wildfire evacuations in 2023 involved communities where more than half the population was Indigenous. Statistics Canada also noted 16 communities were evacuated at least five times between 1980 and 2021, with all but two being First Nations reserves.
Wildfires ranked among the most disruptive extreme weather events experienced by Indigenous Peoples. In 2024, 13 per cent of First Nations people living off reserve and 10 per cent of Métis identified wildfires as the event causing the most severe disruption to their daily lives. The figure was eight per cent among Inuit.
Evacuation was the most commonly reported short-term impact among Indigenous respondents who identified a wildfire as their most disruptive extreme weather or natural disaster experience. Fifty-eight per cent reported being forced from their homes, while 51 per cent experienced an inability to use local roads or transportation.
The effects extended beyond the immediate emergency. Twenty-seven per cent reported losing access to hunting, fishing, trapping or gathering wild plants for more than six months.
Statistics Canada says those activities are closely connected with cultural identity, relationships with the land, food security and emotional and spiritual well-being.
Twenty-two per cent reported a long-term loss of contact with family, friends or neighbours, while 21 per cent experienced lasting psychological consequences.
The study also highlighted the scale of wildfire exposure in northern Alberta during Canada’s record-breaking 2023 fire season.
More than 82 per cent of the Fox Lake 162 reserve was burned, with 300 structures destroyed and 141 families requiring new homes following the fire.
Smoke also had a significant impact. First Nations people in the Hay Lake 209 reserve and Métis residents of Rainbow Lake experienced 137 days when air quality posed a high or very high health risk in 2023. Fox Lake 162 experienced 103 such days.
Statistics Canada says wildfire smoke can have heightened effects on Indigenous populations because of disproportionate exposure, existing health disparities and the remote location of many communities.
The study found 71 per cent of Indigenous respondents who identified a wildfire as their most disruptive extreme weather or natural disaster experience had encountered the fire within the previous five years, reflecting the increasing severity of recent wildfire seasons across Canada.
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