Urban Aboriginal Strategy

Alberta is home to a large urban Aboriginal population. According to the 2006 census, sixty-three percent of Aboriginal people in Alberta live in major urban areas. The province is projected to have the second-largest urban Aboriginal population by 2017.

Aboriginal Relations works with federal and municipal governments, Aboriginal organizations, and the private sector and non-profit organizations to partner in the delivery of the federal Urban Aboriginal Strategy  in Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge.

The Urban Aboriginal Strategy works with local community partners to help improve social and economic opportunities for Aboriginal people living in urban centres. Here’s how the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations partners with the strategy in Alberta:

• In Calgary, provides operational support for the Calgary Urban Aboriginal Initiative  and assists with the Collaborative Granting process.

• In Edmonton, supports Edmonton’s Wicihitowin Circle of Shared Responsibility Society  with staff costs and the operational development of the society.

• In Lethbridge, supports the Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge  with a portion of operational costs and capacity-building initiatives.