Schedule 7 of the Bill…

Schedule 7 of the Bill proposes to exempt developments from archeological assessments if the
Ontario government is of the opinion that an exemption “could potentially advance one or more of
the following provincial priorities”:

Transit
Housing
Health and Long-Term Care
Other Infrastructure; and
Such Other Priorities as May Be Prescribed.

By exempting infrastructure and housing projects from archeological assessments - the
Ontario government will be backtracking on Indigenous reconciliation progress made since
the Ipperwash crisis of 1995 as well as the 2006 standoff in Caledonia in 2006.
Archeological (and environmental) assessments often trigger the duty to consult with
Indigenous communities and First Nations governments. Undertaking archeological
assessments processes is also one of the ways that governments uphold the Honour of the
Crown. Destroying undisturbed Indigenous historic sites in the name of economic progress
would set Ontario back decades in Indigenous and economic reconciliation.

I suggest that the proposal to exempt development from archaeological assessments be deleted from this bill.