Latest news with #HaudenosauneeDevelopmentInstitute
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
City seeks to resolve dispute about likely ancient Indigenous remains found in Toronto
The city of has provided an update on ancient Indigenous remains found on Withrow Avenue more than a year ago. As CBC's Lane Harrison reports, city crews found the remains during waterline work on the street. City staff are hoping to resolve a dispute over what are believed to be ancient Indigenous human remains found below a Toronto sidewalk. The remains were found on Jan. 5, 2024 on Withrow Avenue in Riverdale by a city contractor working on a water service line. The area has been known to be an archeological site since at least 1886, when it's reported that crews excavating the initial construction of Withrow Avenue found communal gravesites in the area. Will Johnston, deputy city manager for infrastructure services, said on Monday 10 out of 11 Indigenous groups consulted since then are on board with a plan on how to handle the remains and have agreed to help monitor the burial site process or to provide consent for it to proceed. Earlier this month on July 17, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI), which represents the interests of Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, threatened in a news release to shut down the construction activity at the site. The HDI says it has been denied access to the remains. Johnston told reporters at a news conference that the city is committed to having all 11 groups involved. "We recognize the need to conduct this process with the utmost sensitivity and respect and with meaningful communication and engagement with Indigenous and First Nations as a top priority," Johnston said. "After 19 months since this discovery, we need to resolve this matter. The ancestors deserve this." When the remains were found, work immediately stopped and the city contacted Toronto police, who took control of the site, Johnston and Lou Di Gironimo, general manager of Toronto Water, said. Police contacted the coroner's office. That office retained an anthropologist, who determined that the remains were human, ancient and likely of Indigenous origin. The provincial registrar for the funeral, burial and cremation services directed the city to protect the site and to investigate. The soil removed from the ground was put in a safe place, according to Di Gironimo. A view of the site on Withrow Avenue. There is a tent, fencing and security at the site. (Chris Langenzarde/CBC) As part of the order, the registrar contacted 11 Indigenous groups to notify them about the remains and invite them to provide advice on protecting the site. Di Gironimo said the city has worked with the First Nations to ensure Indigenous protocols are followed. City staff also hired a licensed archeological consultant to determine the origin of the site, he said. The city has since retained a second licenced archeological consultant, Archaeological Services Inc. (ASI). Once the investigation is completed, a report will be submitted to the city and registrar by this fall. "All 11 parties are welcome, and have always been welcome, to join the monitoring process associated with Withrow," Di Gironimo said. Haudenosaunee objects to process The HDI claims the remains are of the Haudenosaunee people. It said in its news release that it has been denied basic information and has been told in writing that the remains are sitting in a dump truck. "The Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) is prepared to shut down all construction activity on Withrow Avenue following revelations that the ancestral remains of the Haudenosaunee people have been kept in a dump truck for over a year after being extracted from an active archaeological site. "The current location of this dump truck, and those remains, is unknown," the HDI says in the release. Aaron Detlor, legal counsel for HDI, said the Haudenosaunee wants to do its own investigation. According to city staff, the HDI made unrealistic demands that could not be met. The city did not elaborate on what those demands were. At the news conference, city staff said the remains were secured in a truck, adding that the soil was not put back into the site because they did not want to disturb it further. Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation disputes claims At Monday's news conference, Claire Sault, chief of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN), said she disputes the HDI's claims. The dispute has left the First Nation with a "feeling of unrest," she added. "The Mississaugas of the Credit should be the only point of first contact until remains are determined by experts. Then, through proper protocol, if the remains are found to be from another tribe... We'll reach out to that tribe, nation to nation," she said. The traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation includes the city of Toronto and the First Nation is the sole treaty holder in Toronto, she said. "We have a duty to speak out for these lands, to speak out for our ancestors and to speak out for our treaties," she said. "And so let me be clear and let me be blunt. The group of individuals calling themselves HDI, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute, have no rights here. These are not their lands, They have no treaty here and they have no ancestral connection here. Sault alleged the group has been "obstructing the important work that MCFN and the City of Toronto have been doing to respectfully and in a culturally appropriate way address this discovery of ancestral remains at the Withrow's burial site. This is unacceptable." Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation Chief Claire Sault speaks on ancient human remains found near Withrow Park, during a news conference at city hall, on July 21, 2025. (Evan Mitsui/CBC) Lisa Merritt, principal of infrastructure at ASI, said the company will proceed carefully. She said it doesn't know how many people were buried there. "We will begin very carefully to excavate any areas of lawn or soft scaping by hand, which will be done in one metre square units and following a grid pattern," Merritt said. Toronto sits on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.
Global News
a day ago
- Global News
Indigenous group says ancient remains found at Toronto job site are missing
An Indigenous organization is threatening to stop all construction at a Toronto job site after discovering that ancestral remains stored in a dump truck for over a year are now missing. The Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI), representing the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, said it's threatening to halt construction activities on Withrow Avenue after feeling like its pleas to find the remains were ignored. The HDI claims the City of Toronto and its consultants withheld access to the remains and denied repeated requests for involvement. The remains were excavated from a site located in what is acknowledged as historic Haudenosaunee territory. 'We've been denied basic information, denied consultation and denied respect,' said Aaron Detlor, legal counsel for HDI. 'Now we have been told, in writing, that those remains are actually sitting in a dump truck. This is beyond negligent.' Story continues below advertisement Archaeological Services Inc. (ASI), the consultant hired by the city, has confirmed that the human remains were placed in a dump truck and removed from the site, though they have not disclosed where the remains were taken. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Withrow Avenue site sits on top of an ancient Indigenous village and is designated a burial site investigation zone, according to the release. A city plaque across the street even marks the area's significance. HDI says it never consented to the excavation or handling of the remains, which it says violates both Canadian and international law. Other archaeological firms reportedly declined to work on the site due to ethical concerns. HDI alleges ASI proceeded without the required free, prior and informed consent from the Haudenosaunee. The group is calling for the immediate return of the remains and an end to all archaeological activity on the site until its jurisdiction is fully recognized. It says it's prepared to take direct action if the city does not comply. 'The remains of Haudenosaunee ancestors must not be treated like trash,' the statement read. 'They must be returned to the Earth with ceremony and dignity, not treated like garbage.' The city said it plans on holding a news conference on the issue. The remains were first uncovered in January 2024 during routine utility work. Since then, the site has been fenced off under 24-7 security, with the city spending nearly $200,000 to monitor it. Yet, no formal excavation or repatriation process has begun. Story continues below advertisement Tanya Hill-Montour, the archaeology supervisor for Six Nations of the Grand River, has previously criticized the city's lack of urgency and transparency. Hill-Montour said if the remains were of a European settler, she felt there would be more urgency to see a resolution to the matter by now. City officials have cited weather delays and ongoing negotiations with First Nations as reasons for the slow progress. However, HDI maintains that Indigenous communities with rightful jurisdiction were excluded from decision-making. The conflict also highlights growing concern over Ontario's Bill 5, which gives provincial ministers the power to override heritage and environmental protections, raising fears that more Indigenous burial sites could be compromised. For now, HDI says it will act independently to investigate and protect its ancestors unless the city reverses course. 'Due to the appalling disregard shown by the City of Toronto, we must proceed with our own investigation,' the HDI said. — with files from Matthew Bingley
Hamilton Spectator
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Stalled Waterdown bypass construction not expected to restart until 2027
Construction on the chronically delayed Waterdown bypass is not expected to restart until 2027. Work on the portion of the bypass east of Centre Road has been stalled since 2022 due to archeological studies and findings. While the project was expected to recommence in 2024, the Haudenosaunee Development Institute (HDI) told the City of Hamilton's archeologists then they did not have 'consent' to proceed. Work on the section of the bypass from Centre Road east to Avonsyde Boulevard is 'currently scheduled to begin in 2027' as the Grindstone Creek bridge replacement project on Dundas Street East is being prioritized in 2025 and 2026, the city's acting director of engineering services Brian Hollingworth said in an email. He noted the bypass project 'is dependent on the completion of archeological work along the corridor.' Jackie Kennedy, the city's director of engineering services, had previously said in an April memo it was 'expected that construction will commence in 2026.' Hollingworth said the 'scope and timing of further archeological work is still being finalized,' adding the city continues 'to work closely with the Indigenous partners in developing short-term and long-term strategies to protect Indigenous heritage in line with archeological best practices and requirements.' Flamborough councillor Ted McMeekin said in an email the process 'involves a provincially-mandated archeological study with three identified Indigenous groups.' He noted two groups have signed off on the project, but it has not been endorsed by the Haudenosaunee. 'Discussions continue in the hope of some forward movement,' he said. However, Aaron Detlor, a lawyer with HDI, a group that speaks on behalf of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council, said they have tried to set up a meeting with the city, to no avail. He said the institute reached out to the city in September 2024 and didn't get a response. The council is a group of hereditary Haudenosaunee leaders separate from the Six Nations band council. The institute again reached out to the city in May, and while the city said they wanted to connect, Detlor said HDI is still waiting to hear back. Detlor said they remain concerned about a 'flawed' environmental assessment process for the bypass — which dates back to 2012 — that he argued did not address Haudenosaunee treaty rights or involve hereditary leaders. The Waterdown bypass is slated to continue east from Centre Road toward Parkside Drive and Avonsyde Boulevard. The work in question, from Centre Road to Parkside Drive and Avonsyde Boulevard, has a budget of more than $58 million funded through development charges, Hollingworth said. He noted that the portion of the bypass will also include the extension of a water main at an additional budget of approximately $1.2 million, which will be funded through the rates budget. Hollingworth said the work required on the bypass portion east of Centre Road 'involves moving forward with elements of the Class Environmental Assessment, which includes land acquisition.' The project — which Hollingworth said is meant to reduce congestion in the community — involves the construction of roads, sidewalks, multi-use paths, water, stormwater management, traffic control devices such as roundabouts and traffic signals, bridges, culverts and landscaping, along with environmental compensation, archeological works and all permits. A portion of the bypass west of Mosaic Drive to Highway 6 is not currently included in the 10-year capital budget forecast and has an estimated cost of $13.7 million, Hollingworth said. That section is technically divided into two parts — with one constructed by a developer and the other the responsibility of the city's public works department. According to city documents, the timeline for construction of both sections is 'undetermined.' However, Kennedy said in the April memo, with the additional scope of the archeological investigations and delays to the project timeline, an inflation adjustment is required. The 2025 capital budget will be updated to reflect these additional costs, the memo said. The city did not reply to questions about an updated budget number. Kennedy noted in the April memo the detailed design for the portion of the Waterdown east-west bypass project from Centre Road to Parkside Drive has been in progress since 2019 and an archeological investigation has been underway since 2021. Construction on parts of the bypass have been underway since at least 2016 — although discussions on the project date back to the 1990s. The project is divided into two sections — the east-west bypass that is eventually planned to connect from Highway 6 to Centre Road, before connecting with Parkside Drive and Avonsyde Boulevard. The north-south section will run from Dundas Street, south on Burke Street to Mountain Brow Road, before travelling south on Waterdown Road to Highway 403. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
