Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments on the proposed changes to the Ontario Heritage Act. Halton Hills Town staff understand that due to current geopolitical events, it is important that the province of Ontario strives toward continuing to be a center of innovation, economic growth and activity within Canada. Town staff offer the following comments for the proposed Act:

Staff have reviewed the proposed legislative amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA) and have no significant concerns with the majority of the proposed changes.

However, concerns have been raised with the introduction of new section 66.1, which would allow for provincial priority projects to be exempt from archaeological assessment. While the proposed amendments would not directly impact current Town projects, Town staff are concerned that the exemption process could undermine the protection of significant cultural heritage resources. Additionally, Town staff have concerns regarding the insufficient engagement and consultation with Indigenous communities in relation to the proposed amendments.

Given these concerns, Town staff recommend that the Province reconsider the proposed amendment to exempt provincial priority projects from archaeological assessment. Should the proposed amendment be adopted, it is further recommended that the Province establish criteria to ensure that any future exemptions do not inadvertently affect potential Indigenous artifacts, and that meaningful consultation with Indigenous groups is undertaken as part of the exemption process and the development of the criteria.