Making these changes to the…

Making these changes to the Ontario Heritage Act will provide the ability to eliminate the requirement for archaeological work for development projects in Ontario. These changes are part of the “Protect Ontario by Unleashing the Economy Act.” Many issues exist with the proposed changes, and none address the heart of the problem. Delays in development approval from the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism (the regulators of archaeological work) are most often the direct result of the provincial governments' underfunding and lack of "Meaningful First Nation Consultation".

If these changes are met, they will potentially eliminate the requirement to identify ancient First Nations archaeological sites, which are the people's ‘history books’. The changes also have the potential to disregard and not require archaeological work on residential schools, burials, and significant archaeological sites. Further, they are proposing to introduce an immunity clause, which may mean that there would be no ability to pursue legal action against the province or developers for developing without undertaking archaeological work.

This is a direct insult to Michipicoten First Nation and all First Nation peoples. It suggests that a subdivision or any development is more important than the history of the province's first people, who have a legacy of over 10,000 years. The province may say that it would only be used occasionally, but even having this ability means that any area with the potential to have burials or archaeological sites is at risk.

Michipicoten First Nation rejects this proposal to the fullest.