Standards and Guidelines For Consultant Archaeologists
Simplified from the 2011 Ministry of Tourism and Culture Guide:
Consultant archaeologists: “an archaeologist who enters into an agreement with a client to carry out or supervise archaeological fieldworks on behalf of the client, produce reports for or on behalf of the client and provide technical advice to the client.”
Under the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990 c. 0.18, anyone how is going to conduct archaeological field work in the province of Ontario must:
– Have a license from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture
– File a report regarding the details of their fieldwork done for each project and any other information to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture
Consultants are able to:
– Carry out and document archaeological fieldwork in the land use development context, with the goal of ensuring that archaeological conversation is consistent and appropriate.
– Flexibility to exercise professional judgement, based on experience and research, and work beyond the minimum standards and/or respond to local conditions specific to a particular project
– Will have a clear understanding of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture’s expectations and responsibilities, which will help ensure that the review process if efficient and timely.
In order to see if a site or property holds any archaeological potential, four key stages will be assessed before fieldwork can be completed.
Stage 1: Background Study and Optional Property Inspection
Stage 2:Property Assessment
Stage 3: Site-Specific Assessment
Stage 4: Mitigation and Development Impacts
For complete and official detail please see http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/publications/SG_2010.pdf
Southwestern Ontario Community-Based & Consultation Archaeology Project 