Archaeology Challenged – Lessons from Twenty Years Ago   With the recent furor over Bill 66 and anticipated changes to Ontario’s Housing Supply Policy, newer archaeologists and heritage managers might think we’re living in unique and uncertain times. While perhaps uncertain, recent events resemble a similar sequence from 20 years ago. We are, in fact, re-living the past in many ways and that past turned out to be not so bad for standardizing archaeological practice in Ontario. In 1995, the Mike Harris Progressive Conservatives (PCs) swept to power in an election that displaced Bob Rae’s New Democratic Party (NDP). Then, as now, the PCs campaigned on a platform of fiscal constraint and so-called “red tape reduction,” the reduction of bureaucracy. To that end, Mike Harris convened the Red Tape Review…

Ontario Bill 66: Red Tape Rewind As with any significant changes in political leadership, those of us within the environmental assessment field are interested in any potential changes to regulations based on the incoming administration’s agenda. The recent election of the Progressive Conservatives in Ontario is one such event. With the recent introduction of Bill 66, the PC government is seeking to create a new tool for municipalities, in the form of a new class of by-law (open-for-business by-laws). If enacted, open-for-business by-laws would allow land development proponents to avoid a range of planning considerations and restrictions. Specifically, Schedule 10 of Bill 66 amends the Planning Act to add a new Section 34.1, which allows municipalities to pass open-for-business planning by-laws. These by-laws involve the municipality’s powers under Section 34…

2018: Provincial Legislation and Indigenous Peoples Participation Beginning in mid-2018 TMHC began posting blogs about a wide variety of topics related to Indigenous participation in the practice of archaeology in the province. Topics included the Provincial Policy Statement (2014), shared territories, community representative participation, the discovery of human remains, and community specific requirements for archaeology.  The common thread in these posts relates to how legislation and policies in Ontario do not reflect the principles or values of the current context of UNDRIP and Truth and Reconciliation.  As we approach the end of 2018 we look back at some of the legislation as a way of looking forward into 2019. [caption id="attachment_2941" align="aligncenter" width="2532"] Government of Canada map identifying First Nations communities in Ontario[/caption] Ontario Heritage Act (R.S.O. 1990) The Standards…

Understanding Cemetery and Burial Site Investigations in Ontario Inside a cemetery is Bereavement Authority of Ontario, outside a cemetery is the Ministry of Government and Consumer Service (MGCS) – or is it that simple?  Generally speaking, burial site investigations are the jurisdiction of the Registrar for Burial Sites at MGCS until the site is declared a cemetery and registered.  Cemeteries assessments are often required to satisfy the development approval condition or under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act (2002) if within the limits of a cemetery.  If a cemetery assessment uncovers human remains located outside a registered cemetery, then the process follows that for burial site investigations.  Each situation is unique, but there are some general guidelines that can be followed when determining who to contact when addressing cemetery…