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Indigenous people more likely to die in a fire than non-Indigenous: Statistics Canada

OTTAWA — A Statistics Canada study says Inuit are more than 17 times more likely to die in a fire than non-Indigenous people.
The Canadian Press
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A woman and a young boy walk through the streets in the northern Ontario First Nations reserve in Attawapiskat on Monday, April 16, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

OTTAWA — A Statistics Canada study says Inuit are more than 17 times more likely to die in a fire than non-Indigenous people.

The agency also says that, overall, Indigenous people are five times more likely to die in a fire and First Nations members living on reserves are 10 times more likely.

The agency used data from a 2011 census.

The study was commissioned by the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council Project and was funded by Indigenous Services Canada.

The safety council says the study also found First Nations people are more than four times more likely to be hospitalized because of a fire-related injury compared with people who are not Indigenous.

The council says in a news release that fire protection for Indigenous peoples is a concern as there is no national code that enforces fire safety standards on reserves.