Northern, rural, and remote child welfare practice

Poverty is prevalent in some Northern, rural, and remote communities. In general, Canadian rural communities have higher unemployment rates and lower incomes than urban populations. According to data compiled by Campaign 2000, eight of the 10 federal ridings in Northern Ontario have a child poverty rate above the national average (17.4%). These ridings include Kenora, Timmins–James Bay, Algoma–Manitoulin–Kapuskasing, Thunder Bay–Rainy River, Thunder Bay–Superior North, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and Nipissing–Timiskaming. Only Parry Sound–Muskoka and Nickel Belt have rates lower than the national average at 17.1% and 10.7%, respectively. Kenora, at 34.7%, has the second highest child poverty rate in the province.

Indigenous communities experience significant structural barriers and inequities, particularly in remote First Nations communities. As documented in the Safe with Intervention report – which investigated the deaths of 12 young people, eight of whom were from First Nations communities in Northern Ontario, the majority of which were remote communities – Indigenous young people in these communities can experience inadequate shelter, water, and food and do not have equitable access to education, health, or social services. Structural barriers and a lack of resources in Indigenous communities can lead to young people being placed far away from their home communities which in turn makes it difficult for them to stay connected to their families and cultures and have their spiritual needs met.

Women, girls, and LGBTQ2S+ people may be more at risk of gender-based violence and other issues. Police-reported intimate partner violence rates in rural areas are almost double what they are in urban areas while violent crimes against young women and girls in Canada's provincial North and territories are nearly triple what they are in the South. There are unique challenges and barriers for survivors of violence in these communities such as isolation and a lack of services. Similarly, LGBTQ2S+ youth living in rural communities report having less access to inclusive and affirming services and resources which contributes to feelings of alienation and unsafety. One report looking at Two-Spirit health found that Two-Spirit people "frequently move from rural areas or reserves to larger city centres to flee from homophobia and to find a more accepting queer community." The lack of transportation options available in rural and remote communities – and how this contributes to risk for women, girls, and LGBTQ2S+ people – was also referenced in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Children, youth, and families face more intense health challenges when compared to their counterparts in urban and/or Southern Ontario. People living in Northern Ontario experience significant health disparities compared to the rest of the province such as having shorter life expectancies and a greater likelihood of having two or more chronic conditions. According to Ontario's rural and Northern health care framework/plan and a 2006 national study of rural Canadian health, urban residents tend to have better health and socio-economic outcomes and less health-related risk factors than those living in rural communities. For example, urban populations have longer life expectancies at birth, lower smoking rates, and less adults reporting they are overweight. The most recent report of the Paediatric Death Review Committee and Deaths Under-Five Committee also concluded that there was an apparent overrepresentation of child and youth deaths with Society involvement in Northern Ontario, possibly due to factors such as challenges with accessing healthcare and higher mortality rates that increase with the degree of remoteness of one's place of residence.

There are greater mental health and addictions needs in Northern Ontario and its First Nations communities. Provincial reports have found higher rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome and suicide among children and youth in Northern Ontario. Mental health issues are further exacerbated by issues specific to Northern communities such as the lack of access to mental health services and supports, the stigma of seeking out care, and the ripple effect of trauma in smaller communities following a suicide. Many Indigenous communities also experience the effects of historical and intergenerational trauma due to residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), and other colonial policies and abuses of Indigenous rights.

Human trafficking and opioid use are emerging areas of concern. Despite misconceptions that it is only an urban issue, human trafficking is a growing problem for rural communities. The lack of dedicated social services addressing trafficking in rural communities, as well as the fact that the issue may be exacerbated due to fragmentation or lack of service coordination, resulted in the Ontario government providing funding for improving rural services for victims/survivors of trafficking in December 2018. And while data on opioid-related deaths and opioid poisoning hospitalization rates indicate that problematic opioid use is higher in medium population centres (30,000+ people) than in rural communities, Northern cities like Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie have some of the highest rates of opioid poisoning hospitalizations in the country.  When adjusted for population, the Thunder Bay District had the highest rate of opioid-related deaths in the province between July 2017 and June 2018.