"The Ontario government has quietly given itself the power to override archaeological protections on development sites. It's a shift that, for the first time, places millennia-old Indigenous history under direct political control and raises the alarm among experts and First Nations that cultural and burial sites could be erased in the name of economic growth. Since 1983, Ontario's archaeological system has depended on professional judgment and arms-length expertise,"
"recent amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act through Bill 5 have upended that framework in favour of a model where heritage decisions can be made or unmade by elected officials behind closed doors. Section 66.1 of the revised Ontario Heritage Act allows the provincial cabinet to grant sweeping exemptions from mandatory archaeological assessments for projects deemed to advance "specified provincial priorities." This effectively moves the power to protect or destroy historical sites from scientific experts to political decision-makers."
Since 1983, Ontario's archaeological protections relied on professional judgment and arms-length expertise. Amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act through Bill 5 transfer authority by allowing the provincial cabinet to grant exemptions from mandatory archaeological assessments under Section 66.1. The exemptions can be applied to projects that advance "specified provincial priorities," including housing, transit and other infrastructure. The government frames the changes as a way to streamline development, maintain oversight, safeguard Indigenous access to artifacts and clarify rules for developers. Archaeologists and First Nations warn that political control could let significant Indigenous cultural and burial sites be erased before discovery, deepen conflicts with developers, and undermine Indigenous heritage rights.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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