The Town of Saugeen Shores says it will not issue any further work permits for a property in Southampton until further notice.
In a release, the Town notes, an unauthorized demolition occurred at an important Anishinaabe archaeological site.
The Town says, on November 9th, 2022, a concerned resident contacted the municipal offices to report an unauthorized demolition at 6 Rankin St., in Southampton, ON. They say Chief Building Official, Josh Planz, immediately went to the site and verbally issued a stop work order to the contractor, who did not have a Town-issued demolition permit.
The release says, “Aware of the site’s significance to Ojibway Indigenous heritage, Planz called the offices of Saugeen First Nation (SFN) and informed them of the unauthorized demolition. Planz then returned to the site and posted a Stop Work Order.”
The area is registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and has been registered as an archaeological site since the 1950s.
The Town notes, while the enforcement of archaeological sites is in the province’s jurisdiction, the municipality is aware of the site’s importance to our Indigenous neighbours, who have had a presence there for millennia. The Town is committed to supporting SFN, the Ministry and the property owner in the preservation of this historical and culturally significant area and we will assist in the process in any way we can.
A November 22nd update to Saugeen First Nation from Chief Conrad Ritchie notes many community members had been involved in ceremonies, protection actions and archaeological work at the site back in 2010 where over 100,000 cultural objects were removed from a trench beside the property. He says some of those items were part of a museum exhibit in Southampton.
That update said heavy machinery had driven over areas with a high density of archaeological artifacts, and added Chief and Council are pursuing avenues with the Town and the ministry to preserve the site in the short-term and also to ensure it
The Town says it is committed to supporting the First Nation, the ministry and the property owner in the preservation of the site.