- Laureen Bryant, City of Calgary
- Nicole Nicholls, City of Kamloops
In some parts of Canada archaeological legislative requirements sit with provincial governments, some are at the municipal level, and others include distinct participation of local First Nations. Some municipalities have predictive models to help them manage archaeological resources, while others have been exempted from having to undertake archaeological work. There is a range of regulations and polices that speak to these heritage sites across the land, and as a result there have been many interesting projects that have revealed the hidden histories within these urban settings. Consultants undertake extensive projects on behalf of, in collaboration with municipalities, or within a municipal boundary in general.
However, as many people walk through urban areas, they are unaware of the potential history beneath their feet. To understand and support heritage conservation people need to know about it. A small number of municipalities in Canada have hired in-house Archaeologists recognizing the need for policy and process development, site protection on city owned lands, and overall citizen education. But often, building public awareness still falls to consultants and advocational societies.
The goal of this session is to invite all who work or conduct research within urban settings to share papers about their interesting projects, innovations in process, public awareness building, the opportunities they see in urban archaeology and any challenges they may have faced working in urban settings.