Preserving Indigenous land and artifacts found during recent construction is crucial

Almost 1,3000 Indigenous artifacts were recently found at the hamlet of Newport. Since the discovery, the County of Brant has cancelled their construction project until future excavation projects are completed. However, the county should leave the site alone, even after they finish excavating the area. 

On March 24, 2022, councillors from the County of Brant approved a $325,000-plan to create a Grand River access point on Newport Road. Despite the expensive fees, the councillors approved the project to address the “speeding issue” along Newport Road, which runs off Cockshutt Road.  

Kathy Ballantyne, Brant’s director of parks and facilities, said the county will implement several strategies to address safety issues, including speed reduction sign installations. This plan includes a drop-off zone for canoe and kayak paddlers on the riverside of Newport and a parking space nearby, so they don’t have to carry their equipment. 

In addition, the county also planned to install a parking lot for 37 vehicles, an information kiosk, a picnic area, portable washrooms, lighting, gates and landscaping. 

 The project was set to receive $100,000 from the Brant Waterways Foundation and $10,000 from the Hamilton Halton Brant Regional Tourism Association. The remaining funds will come from the county, which is $215,000. 

The county said they hoped the new access point would provide a new trail and create capacity for those who enjoy paddling the Grand River. 

Although a lot of time and money has been spent on the project, it would still be disrespectful to develop over land possessing historical artifacts that date back 9,500 years, as reported by Archaeological Consultants Canada.  

The findings from the unoccupied riverside property included projectile points, pottery, ire nails, ceramics and clothing buttons used by nomadic hunters and gatherers in the early and middle Archaic periods. 

Paul Racher, a management and senior review principal at the Archaeological Research Associate, said these artifacts make Newport a great site because it’s difficult to find artifacts that date far back into the past. 

Even though Brant is famously known for possessing many archaeological sites, such as the base point site located near the Grand River in Brant County, that doesn’t mean there are great sites that preserve Archaic artifacts. It’s even harder to preserve much older artifacts found there because the artifacts are too delicate to handle. 

If this were the case, then it would be better to avoid developing the site where these artifacts are to respect the Indigenous communities living in the area and ensure that undiscovered artifacts don’t get damaged by human interference. 

Ballantyne said the point of the excavations is to “bring awareness to truth and reconciliation and be respectful of our Indigenous neighbours,” reaffirming the county’s belief that they should preserve the history left behind by these discovered artifacts. 

Gary Warwick, a retired Wilfrid Laurier University professor in the archaeology and heritage studies department, said a small population of Indigenous tribes lived in southwestern Ontario during the Archaic period. He estimates that only 200 to 300 Indigenous individuals lived in the area. 

He said getting rid of the site after excavating the artifacts would be “a real loss, especially from an Indigenous perspective because it’s a loss of their ancestor’s mark on the landscape.” 

Also, he said the county is correct in their actions, by discontinuing its plans to develop the site where they discovered the artifacts.  

Warwick believes that leaving the land unused would help the county save money to build another access point somewhere else along the Grand River.  

“When it comes to site protection, it’s not that hard. The province will register the area, so everyone will know which site has protection,” said Warwick. 

There aren’t any plans to create new access points, and the county hasn’t decided what they would do with the land after completing the excavation. It would be better to leave the land alone to respect the local indigenous communities. 

This article was originally published in print Volume 24, Issue 1 on Thursday, August 29.