Radiocarbon dating using charcoal or bone collagen is difficult in boreal forest ecosystems because of the acidic soil chemistry of conifer-dominant forests and persistent forest fire regimes. Collagen is quickly broken down and rendered useless, and charcoal concentrations can often be natural, rather than an anthropogenic feature. Radiocarbon dating is typically employed by consulting mitigation projects (or HRIM), or research projects, and not typically conducted on samples collected during consulting survey projects (HRIA) identified via shovel testing. However, a case can be made for opportunistic dating of viable samples identified through shovel testing, using various mediums if the context is acceptable. Calcined bone can be an acceptable medium for opportunistic dating when found in association with other artifacts. Advances in radiometric dating of calcined bone (via carbonates) has allowed for extremely low sample sizes, lower cost relative to other mediums (~$400 CDN). This poster will present the results of four years of radiocarbon dating for various consulting projects across northern Alberta and present a case for making opportunistic radiocarbon dating standard practice for HRIA projects.