Digging up the Medicines: Urban Métis Women’s Identity and Experiences with Health and Social Services in Toronto, Ontario
My PhD research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Doctoral Research Award. The aim of this research was to give space, gather stories, and explore urban Métis women’s perspectives on identity and their experiences with health and social services in Toronto, Canada. It was nested in the project, Our Health Counts (OHC) Toronto, a longitudinal cohort study that has developed population-based health status and health care utilization databases profiling urban Indigenous Peoples’ health and well-being across four Ontario cities, including Toronto. This work was co-led by the Well Living House (WLH) and Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto (SGMT). My full thesis is accessible here.
10 facts about Métis people who are accessing your services in Toronto.
In an effort to improve access to health and social services that are culturally safe for Métis Peoples in Toronto, I co-developed a fact sheet based on research results, and in partnership with the Toronto Métis community.
Some publications that came out of my PhD
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“I would prefer to have my health care provided over a cup of tea any day”: recommendations by urban Métis women to improve access to health and social services in Toronto for the Métis community
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“I Guess I Shouldn’t Come Back Here”: Racism and Discrimination as a Barrier to Accessing Health and Social Services for Urban Métis Women in Toronto, Canada
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“It’s not like I’m more Indigenous there and I’m less Indigenous here.”: urban Métis women’s identity and access to health and social services in Toronto, Canada
Artwork by Jade Huguenin
I commissioned Métis artist Jade Huguenin to develop artwork that was reflective of my research findings. Upon sharing the results on my PhD, Jade developed the below, with the following description:
“The Métis womxn holds sweetgrass onto Toronto’s cityscape. The CN tower is replaced by a partially braided strand of sweetgrass; it is an acknowledgement of the womxn’s journey weaving into the city. The red blanket coat signifies the power of womxn and the presence of culture in everyday living. The city is masked in hues of purple, a beautiful colour seen at the base of the fresh sweetgrass.”
