The Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS) was established in 1998. It recognizes the need to improve services to the growing number of urban Aboriginal people in Canada.
Budget 2003 provided $25 million for the UAS for a three-year period. With this money, UAS will develop pilot projects to test new ideas on how to better respond, through partnerships, to the local needs of urban Aboriginal people. Partners will include provincial and municipal governments, local Aboriginal organizations, non-government organizations and the private sector
While it is too early to provide many details, the pilot projects will take place in eight cities: Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, and Thunder Bay. Rather than being "one-size-fits-all", these pilot projects will use flexible approaches that reflect the unique realities of each community, and that build on local knowledge and experience.
These projects will try to find local solutions and will also provide the Government of Canada with valuable knowledge about how to address urban Aboriginal issues in the longer-term.
Find out more about the Urban Aboriginal Strategy online,
or call 1-800 O-Canada (1 800 622-6232), (TTY: 1 800 465-7735).
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