President’s Fall Message 2024

Hello Friends,

It's time once again for the Fall Message and the sharing of news since we last gathered at the annual meeting in May. I want to begin by expressing again, congratulations to the Saskatoon Conference Chair, Tomasin Playford, and conference team for an extraordinary gathering. Delegate attendance (383) and participation was enthusiastic. The sessions were informative and timely. Indigenous archaeology and sovereignty, Black and racialized archaeology, climate change impacts, technology, collections, CRM industry challenges and well-being were all top of mind. It will be interesting to see planning and actions going forward. We all enjoyed seeing folks and having face to face conversations about archaeological work. Thank you Saskatoon!

Next, I am delighted to share some wonderful news. This past summer the CAA received a $50,000.00 donation in support of the Indigenous Scholarship and Equity and Diversity Scholarship funds. The donors wish to remain anonymous however, they expressed clearly their passion for archaeology and the promotion of diversification in the field in Canada. We are most grateful and appreciative of this tremendous support.

To pick up on the conference notes above, in recent weeks inquiries have been coming in about the CAA Annual Meeting for 2025. It may be a surprise to the membership that we have not been successful in securing a host group. Despite many inquiries and some positive interest, no organization or partnership was willing to take on the organization of the 2025 conference. I want to thank those who took the time to seriously explore venues and potential committees, but in the end arrived at a “no”. That took time and effort and it was appreciated by the Board. There are a few reasons for this result. Right now, there is a challenge within the volunteer sector. I have been speaking with a number of organizations and I am hearing similar messages. Principally, that following the pandemic, folks are not volunteering as they once did. They are still adjusting to change, work desks are very full, and commitments at home are elevated. It has been difficult for volunteer groups to get enough people together to develop and initiate large-scale events. It can’t be down to 2, 3, or 4 people to carry the load. 

So, what’s the plan ahead? The general conclusion is that the annual conference needs volunteers from the membership. Its not going to happen otherwise. This moment is also a signal to collect current information from the membership about what they want in a conference. You will see a poll this winter in your email. Please start thinking about the conference and share your insights. As per the CAA Constitution, we will organize an online spring AGM for the membership. Regarding CAA awards, nominations will be on hold this year. This break will provide the new Awards Committee further opportunity to update the nomination/evaluation process and to make sure it is in good shape for 2026. Finally, we are very excited to share that we do have host for 2026 in Canmore. More to come on that event.

Concerning Committee news, we have two new chairs in place. Robin Woywitka is Chair of the Climate Change Committee and Benjamin Kucher is Chair of the Indigenous Issues Committee. Thank you for stepping into these important roles for the CAA. Please note that the Indigenous Issues Committee and the Membership Committee (Chair, Maryssa Barras), are both looking for committee members. Please connect with the Chairs. Additionally, we have a robust Student Committee very interested in working for the CAA. If your committee needs a hand with a project, please reach out to Chairs Christie Fender and Susannah Clinker. There has also been discussion about forming an Ethics Committee. Contact the Board if you are interested.

We will be sending out a Call for Nominations this winter for President-Elect and Treasurer-Elect positions. Consider joining the Board. I can say, it has been a pleasure working with this knowledgeable and dynamic group.

Regarding the journal, starting in December, the Canadian Journal of Archaeology (CJA) will begin publishing Online First articles. These are articles that have gone through the CJA's editorial process (peer-reviewed, accepted, edited, and corrected) but are published online in advance of the full issue in which they will appear. This will allow CAA members to access CJA articles as soon as they are ready for publication, rather than having to wait for all articles in a particular issue to be ready. We will begin with CJA Volume 47, Issue 2, a special issue guest edited by Amy Fox and Michael Chazen. All articles scheduled for this issue are in the final copy-editing stage and will soon be moving on to the layout stage. We expect to post the first articles in early December and CAA members can expect to receive an email announcement when this happens. Editor Helen Dunlop and her team would also like to receive more French-language article submissions.

In May, we reported that the CJA submission website would be upgraded shortly after the conference. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the upgrade has been delayed and is now expected to be completed early in the new year. For those who are interested in what the submission process will be like with the upgraded website, you can visit the Open Journal Systems User Guide:

A reminder that the CAA webmaster, Cheryl Takahashi, is preparing to begin upgrades to the website which will include a design overhaul. Cheryl is looking for images from the field or lab. We also welcome any suggestions for improving the website in terms of design or functionality. Please send along your feedback and contributions, including example websites, to webmaster@canadianarchaeology.com

I think that is it! On behalf of the Board, we wish you all the best as the seasons change and holiday breaks approach. Please send along any inquires, thoughts or ideas as they arise. We are always glad to hear from the membership.

Yours in archaeology,

Katie Cottreau-Robins, PhD
president@canadianarchaeology.com