June Update

The CCRA Steering committee has been making steady progress. 

Despite the start of another busy field season, several of the Ontario CRM experts within the CCRA Steering Committee came together last month to draft a letter to the Ontario Premier’s office in response to the proposed Bill 5.

We expressed our concerns about the impacts of the proposed regulatory changes and exemptions from the Heritage Act on Indigenous rights, values and interests, Indigenous participation in heritage management, and on the future of the CRM sector in Ontario.

We also shared our opinion that many of the proposed changes would be counterproductive to the government’s stated intent to reduce project timelines. In particular, a shift toward reactive responses to heritage finds, including burials, rather than proactive efforts to identify and manage risks, would lead to more disturbance and more delays from emergency recoveries.

We encouraged the Ontario government to work with the CCRA, the OAS and First Nations to find solutions to the capacity and process issues currently impacting project review timelines, rather than attempt to exempt projects from the process altogether.

We’ve also been moving forward with establishing the CCRA as a functioning Trade Organization, committed to advancing Cultural Resource Management regulations and business practices in Canada. We’ve incorporated and registered as a National Non-Profit, approved our founding bylaws and directors, set up our banking, and are preparing to officially call for members.

If you want to get involved as a member, or participate in our steering committee, please email canadianCRassociation@gmail.com.

Watch our socials for more information on membership and our other efforts.