Dear Minister McGregor, I am…

Dear Minister McGregor,

I am submitting this in response to the request for comment on proposed updates to the Ontario Heritage Act in Bill 5, Schedule 7.

As a professional archaeologist I support the Province’s notion to defend the sovereignty of Canada through initiatives that will protect and grow our economy. But is the province really willing to destroy Ontario’s heritage in pursuit of this sovereignty? In its current form Bill 5 will enable the destruction of Indigenous and
Settler heritage. Archaeological requirements are not red tape. Good archaeology does not have to cause delays and should be viewed as an asset to any project. When brought in early, archaeologists can employ sophisticated predictive modelling and screening techniques to help avoid and protect critical
archaeological sites. Instead, I request that the province view archaeological requirements as a tangible way to ensure all citizens of Ontario can benefit from these priority projects. We live and build upon lands that have witnessed thousands of years of human occupation. The Indigenous people who lived here for at least 13,000 years before settler occupation, have left a non-renewable legacy for all Ontarians to
learn from. Indeed, Ontario Canada would not exist at all without Indigenous communities who helped stave off American expansionism during the War of 1812. Settlers have added to this archaeological legacy since the early 1600s.

Surely the Province would prefer to have support from all descendant communities for these priority projects and especially to have Indigenous leaders as allies in the threat to our sovereignty. We need to learn from past lessons. Indigenous participation and community support are key to the future ofOntario. Ensuring archaeology has an important voice in a project – rather than remove it all together – is the only path forward. I therefore ask the Province to reconsider its proposal to exempt provincial priority projects from archaeological requirements. A more proactive and constructive approach to addressing any perceived concerns about “efficiency” or “delay” would be seeking measures whereby the Province can improve its own internal regulatory and review operations as they relate to archaeology.

Yours Sincerely, an Ontario Archaeologist