2016 Census

SUILC Census Data Report 2016

SUILC's first demographic report that contextualizes Indigenous people living in the City of Surrey

Our Community is Growing

The City of Surrey is the second largest city in British Columbia (BC), with a fast-growing population of over 500,000 (City of Surrey, 2018). Surrey is composed of six communities including Cloverdale, Fleetwood, Guildford, Newton, South Surrey, and Whalley, as well as the City Centre. Surrey has a diverse population including a young and growing Aboriginal population that is expected to grow exponentially over the next 15 years. In 2015-2016, a report on the profile of Surrey’s Aboriginal population was prepared to help inform the development of the All Our Relations Strategy . This report, titled A Profile of the Aboriginal Population in Surrey, BC, (hereafter known as the 2011 profile report) retrieved data from Statistics Canada’s 2011 Census and compared statistics for Surrey’s Aboriginal population to those of Surrey’s general population and other relevant populations. The report included statistics on Surrey’s Aboriginal population including size, age, family characteristics, language, education, employment, commuting,

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All Our Relations: Honouring the Host Nations

Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee's work takes place on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, including the Katize, Kwantlen, and Semiahmoo First Nations. We recognize their connection to this land and acknowledge that we are newcomers to Surrey like everyone else. Our group, the Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee does not represent these land-based First Nations and we are careful not to speak on their behalf. Instead, we represent urban Indigenous people that have moved here from all over BC and Canada to make Surrey their home. Our focus is making Surrey a great place for Indigenous people living in the city — regardless of where they come from, their legal status, or their particular culture heritage. As we do this, we endeavour to live in a good way with the land-based First Nations that have called this land their home since time immemorial.