In its current form Bill 5…

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.

The province should 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 of Ontario. 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.