Heritage Resources Impact Assessment in Saskatchewan
March 31st, 2023
I’m at the end of my second week in business. It’s the end of March and the snow is still piled high in Saskatchewan, but the warming promises to come soon, as will fieldwork. Right now, I’m not in the field, but I’ve been talking to a large number of people about our new business and what we do. Getting the word out has been my goal.
In general, the main reason for our new business is to keep projects in compliance with heritage legislation. If required, Heritage Resources Impact Assessment (HRIA) may be a part of the process. But first, let’s start with heritage legislation. In Canada, heritage resources are under the jurisdiction of the provinces, unlike in the United States, where heritage is under federal jurisdiction. Under The Heritage Property Act (1980) (Saskatchewan), heritage resources include archaeological sites, built heritage, and paleontological sites, and are protected. Protection includes known archaeological sites, or areas where it is reasonable to suggest that sites might be located (i.e., heritage-sensitive locations). If your development is located in a heritage-sensitive location, it may require a Heritage Resources Impact Assessment (HRIA).
Heritage sensitivity can be determined by completing desktop screening using an online screening tool from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, Heritage Conservation Branch (HCB) (PCS Heritage Sensitivity Screening Tool (saskatchewan.ca). The HCB’s online screening tool will let you know if the project is heritage sensitive or not. If the tool says that the location is not heritage sensitive, you will be able to print out a document that you can use for heritage clearance, and your project does not require further heritage work (e.g., HRIA). However, if your project is located in a heritage-sensitive location, you will need to submit your project to the HCB for further heritage screening. This submission is called a referral. The HCB will determine if an HRIA is required. You don’t need to be an archaeologist to complete a desktop screening or to submit your project to the HCB, but you may find that hiring an archaeologist that is familiar with provincial heritage legislation and understands the specific nature of archaeological remains, or the potential of archaeological resources in the project area, will be invaluable to you by providing you with cash saving advice. An archaeologist can also keep the construction of your project on schedule by ensuring that the specific needs of the HCB referral are fulfilled. Furthermore, archaeologists are able to acquire archaeological site data from the HCB, enabling them to advise you of existing heritage resources so that you can effectively avoid them. The more complex the project is, the more important it is that an archaeologist be brought in early at the planning stage.
So, you’ve sent the referral and now you find out that you need an HRIA. HRIAs are completed by archaeologists qualified to do so by the HCB. The qualified archaeologist will submit a permit application, and the HCB will grant an Archaeological Resource Investigation permit if the proper conditions are met. The minimal requirement for a Permit Holder is a Master of Arts degree in archaeology or a related field. Archaeological fieldwork can not commence until the permit has been granted. The Permit Holder is employed by the client to ensure that the process goes smoothly, that the project-specific requirements from the HCB are met, and that heritage compliance is granted for the project.
For most projects, the goal of fieldwork is to identify the number, size, and nature of heritage resources within the project area. The specific methods used to achieve this goal may vary and will depend on a number of factors, but the most common methods include a combination of systematically inspecting the project area on foot to identify heritage resources visible on the surface (pedestrian reconnaissance), and by digging shovel tests to identify heritage resources buried beneath the surface. Archaeological artifacts can be quite small (e.g., often smaller you’re your pinky nail) and the overall size of project areas can be large. Finding archaeological sites can be best compared to finding a needle in a haystack, and it is unlikely that all archaeological resources will be detected. However, I am confident that (most) significant sites will be found if the appropriate methods are used and if a competent archaeologist completes the HRIA. Still, diligence must also be taken during construction and a fortuitous archaeological find policy should be in place and used if artifacts are found during construction.
Sometimes we find a new site during an HRIA. Finding an archaeological site does not mean that your project will be shut down. However, if the HRIA determines that the site is archaeologically significant, steps may need to be taken to protect the heritage resource, such as mitigative excavations, rerouting, or a number of other mitigative measures. Under The Heritage Property Act (1980), Sites of a Special Nature, such as human burials, rock art, or petroglyphs, are given special protection and will need to be completely avoided. However, again, this is a rarity. Most of the sites that we find simply represent land use and simple activities such as tool sharpening or manufacture and are not archaeologically significant.
So, long story short, projects/developments are required to comply with The Heritage Property Act (1980). The HCB may require that a project has an HRIA prior to development. HRIAs are completed by folks like me at RESPECT HERITAGE CONSULTING. It’s one of the main things (but not the only thing) that we do. I hope this short article helps your understanding of HRIA, heritage legislation in Saskatchewan, and what we do. Let me know if you have any questions.
