Sekoh, good morning, everyone.
Thank you for the introduction. She:kon.
It is an honour to be here with you today on behalf of the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council, TASSC, which is a coalition in Toronto made up of 18 not-for-profit indigenous-led organizations.
Thank you for the introduction of our president, Larry Frost, who joins us today. We are also joined in spirit by those other 17 leaders who represent the Toronto Aboriginal Support Services Council. They're behind me, as you can see.
I want to begin by saying that, since 1995, TASSC has been a coalition of strength, a group of agencies that came together to collaborate, plan and undertake the work of research policy and advocacy toward building a better Toronto for urban indigenous people. Since 1995 they have done and continue to do that extremely well. Each TASSC member represents a unique mandate. We have child welfare, justice, education, employment and a whole host of other services and programs across the spectrum.
You likely know this, but Ontario is the most populous province in the country based on the data from the 2016 census, and Toronto is the most populous area in Ontario. There are an estimated 80,000 urban indigenous people in Toronto, yet there are fewer than 30 indigenous-led non-profits serving the needs of thousands of indigenous people in our city.
It is also estimated that approximately 90% of indigenous children are living below LICO, the low-income cut-off, which would assume that they then are living in poverty.
There's considerable work that these agencies are undertaking individually and collectively to respond to the many needs that our city faces. I will say that the TASSC member agencies, independent of TASSC, are really carrying their responsibility for the people for an entire city. TASSC is a coalition that showcases strength, resilience and the fortitude of indigenous leadership and community agencies with a focus on community, unity and services for people.
At the onset of this pandemic, TASSC member agencies responded without hesitation to the needs of the community. We quickly mobilized and organized to support the community in extraordinary ways. From food hampers to PPE to virtual programming, we have done and continue to do it all. The work has not stopped for any of us. TASSC and its members have risen and will continue to rise to the occasion. We have collectively morphed into a central source of information, coordination, strength and support to the indigenous community. We have elevated our profile, advocacy and fundraising efforts to demonstrate that, despite the enormous challenges presented by this pandemic, we will prevail together.
From the onset of the crisis, we did not wait for instructions or permission. We acted and we acted swiftly and responsibly. In a time when the world is recoiling, we have emerged stronger than ever. We have taken stock of what this virus is teaching us because, make no mistake, it is here to teach us something. The old way was not working; something needs to change. It is here to remind us to act selflessly and to extend our love, kindness and gratitude to all of life and to fulfill our roles and responsibilities with courage.
We honour and stand in solidarity with all those who have worked in the service of others during this challenging time, and we will continue to act without hesitation. We need for our friends, allies and governments at all levels to act swiftly and committedly, as we have done and continue to do. We cannot do this alone. We need you to emerge as change-makers and champions alongside us. We need support in the capacity to plan, coordinate and implement this work in partnership.
It is estimated that there are over 6,000 indigenous-led non-profits across the country in urban areas serving the needs of what, again, is estimated to be near 80% of us living in urban areas across the country.