Canada has a large and important Aboriginal population that requires diverse and culturally safe healthcare. Milligan (2010) reports that in 2006 there were 1,172,785 identified Aboriginal people residing in Canada. British Columbia is home to 196,075 Aboriginal people, the second largest provincial population in Canada, with 7,050 individuals of this Aboriginal population reported residing in Kamloops. This large provincial population of Aboriginal people represents approximately 5% of British Columbia's total population and therefore it is critical that disparities in both access and outcomes of health care-related gaps, which are widely publicized, are addressed. One major health problem, the prevalence of which has gradually increased within this vulnerable population over the past decades, is diabetes. Health Canada reported in 2000 that the prevalence of diabetes among Aboriginal people is at least three times higher than that of the non-Aboriginal population in Canada. This increased risk of diabetes can be attributed to numerous factors such as genetic predisposition (Thouez et al. cited in Health Canada, 2000) or reduced access to education or services that benefit Aboriginal people (Barton, 2008). This article will analyze the effects of environmental dispossession as a determinant of health, while simultaneously linking intervention strategies with current practices. Definitions For the purposes of this article, it is important to define several key terms that we will use. The term Aboriginal will include individuals who identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis people. While there is statistically significant variation in the degree of diabetes risk, it is important to recognize that enviro...... middle of paper ......ada. (2000). Diabetes among Aboriginal people in Canada: the evidence. Ottawa: Health Canada. Johnson, J.A., Vermeulen, S.U., Toth, E.L., Hemmelgarn, B.R., Ralph-Campbell, K., Hugel, G., . . . Crowshoe, L. (2009). Increasing incidence and prevalence of diabetes among urban and rural Aboriginal populations in Alberta, 1995-2006. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 100(3), 231-236. Raphael, D., Curry-Stevens, A., & Bryant, T. (2008). Barriers to addressing the social determinants of health: Insights from the Canadian experience. Health Policy, 88(2-3), 222-235.Richmond, C. A., & Ross, N. A. (2009). The determinants of First Nation and Inuit health: A critical approach to population health. Health and Place, 15(2), 403-411.Shelly, M. (2010). 2006 Aboriginal population profile for Kamloops. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.