A collaborative approach to cancer reporting: Linking data and Indigenous knowledge

Press Release

March 5, 2026 — When the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA) started work on a new report about cancer in First Nations communities in the Sioux Lookout area, they knew that building a comprehensive picture of cancer trends in the region would mean navigating complex and fragmented data from a variety of sources. They also knew that the numbers alone would not be enough to improve culturally relevant, timely care in the region.

Through a collaborative approach with the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) that went beyond simple access to data sets — and alongside a steering committee made up of First Nations community leaders who guided the storytelling of the report from start to finish — SLFNHA released a context-rich, Indigenous-led report on cancer care and outcomes in August 2025.

The report, Kayamowemakak Ahkosiwin Tipacimowin: Cancer in Sioux Lookout Area First Nations, 2006–2022 (PDF), led to the establishment of a 10-year cancer strategy rooted in Indigenous knowledge and community priorities, as well as a series of recommendations aimed at improving screening, diagnosis, treatment and after care.

Building a clearer picture through data

Health data for First Nations communities in rural and remote regions is fragmented. To further complicate matters, data points aren’t always recorded in the same way across sources. To report on cancer incidence in Sioux Lookout–area First Nations communities, SLFNHA accessed multiple databases from a variety of organizations, as well as local nursing stations and cancer registries.

“CIHI was the most important source for the quantitative data in our report,” explains Dr. Nghia Nguyen, Epidemiologist, SLFNHA. “We were fortunate to work with the team at CIHI to formulate our research questions and figure out what we really wanted to know. CIHI provided structure and let us know what data they had and how it could contribute to the report. The collaboration was more important than just the access to the data, as it helped us to interpret the numbers.”

The people and families behind the numbers

Though CIHI helped SLFNHA to interpret data — supporting comparisons over time, across populations and between cancer types — SLFNHA knew from the inception of their report that the lived experience of community members was the key to improving cancer care for individuals and families in the population.

“Our aim was to ensure that the narrative that community members experience is given equal importance as the quantitative data in the report, and to really humanize the data,” shared Candi Edwards, Director, Approaches to Community Wellbeing, SLFNHA. “The stories themselves shaped the recommendations that came out of the report. The numbers alone don’t tell us what it is that we can do to make the experience of screening, diagnosis, treatment and post-cancer care better — the people do.”

The importance of culturally safe and relevant care

Many of the findings and recommendations to come out of the report emphasize the importance of health equity. While data illustrates where inequities exist — such as access to timely screening and care in rural and remote regions compared with in larger cities — it was the storytellers who really drove home the importance of culturally safe and relevant care.

“An important use of the report is to advocate for health equity and resources in northern First Nations communities,” said Ms. Edwards. “There have been times when we’ve had to charter planes to take eligible people out of community. Patients are away from their families, communities and traditional medicine practices for long periods of time.”

The stories in the report revealed the need for programs that support patients during and after treatment and that involve families and community. As Dr. Nguyen described it, “the quantitative data is the skeleton. The qualitative data — the stories — are the muscle and skin that give the report life.”

“We are committed to working with our First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners in ways that advance their health and wellness data priorities, so it is so meaningful to see how our collaboration led to such an impactful report,” said Karennahá:wi McComber, Director, Indigenous Health, CIHI.

Together, CIHI and SLFNHA are showing what’s possible when data is not just collected, but respectfully interpreted, contextualized and used in service of the communities it represents.

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