City Hall Won’t Confirm Discovery of Millenia-old Indigenous Site

An Indigenous dancer taking part in a teepee raising ceremony at Town Square during the a city-sponsored event in the summer of 2024. (Photo Alex McCuaig)

A land acknowledgement to Indigenous peoples is one of the first orders of business during Medicine Hat city council meetings, one which states the municipality respects First Nations’ relationship to the land.

But City Hall won’t acknowledge an actual millennia old Indigenous campsite existed on municipal land, the site was excavated by a contractor commissioned by the municipality and artifacts possibly removed from a construction site within the last two years.

The City of Medicine Hat’s position is the governing authority for such areological finds – the Alberta government – instructed municipal officials they can’t comment on the nature of discover. City council has also been left in the dark about the Indigenous connections to the site, according to Mayor Linnsie Clark.

For its part, the provincial department overseeing the process for archeological finds, the Ministry of. Arts, Culture and the Status of Women, is contradicting the city’s position that the municipality is been barred by the province from speaking about the discovery.

Following inquiries to the ministry by the Medicine Hat Owl dating back to August 2024, the province acknowledged last week details of the archeological find during construction at the municipal water treatment facility.

One of several Indigenous bison processing sites located within Medicine Hat city limits. (Photo Alex McCuaig)

“The archaeological excavation in Medicine Hat revealed two deeply buried ancient Indigenous campsites, including evidence of bison bone processing and stone tool production activities that date to approximately 1,100 to 1,500 years ago,” the province said in a statement to the Owl Friday afternoon.

The Owl’s investigation into the nature of the archeological find began last year following comments by various local contractors regarding the excavation at the construction site of a new water treatment facility located next to the Trans-Canada Highway bridge.

Questions by the Owl regarding whether the site was Indigenous in nature began after excavations were complete and a city-commissioned report by Stantec was submitted to the province for review sometime between February and July 2024.

As of today, that report has yet to be released. But Stantec’s Joshua Read is scheduled to make a presentation on the “recent archaeological excavation at Medicine Hat” during the Archeological Society of Alberta’s AGM in April.

That meeting will be held in Medicine Hat.

One of several new buildings erected at part of upgrades at the Medicine Hat water treatment facility. (Photo Alex McCuaig)

While City Hall and council won’t confirm the excavation site is Indigenous in nature – despite the province’s statement and what’s anticipated to be a presentation of the municipally-funded Stantec archaeological report – it has released some information.

In January 2024, council heard of, “the discovery of unbudgeted and unexpected archeological artifact findings required Stage-1 archeological excavation cost approximately $500,000.”

That information was contained in a briefing note requesting further funds be budgeted for the completion of the project.

The “archeological artifact” finding was reiterated in a subsequent report commissioned following the request for further additional funding made to council in December 2024.

That report noted the pressures on the city to complete the project mandated by the province to improve water quality discharges into the South Saskatchewan River from the city’s water treatment facility. Initial planning for the project had begun in 2015 with the province eventually imposing a December 2024 deadline for the city to complete construction. The provincial Environment Ministry extended the deadline by one year in early 2023.

While neither the province nor city have revealed when the site was found, based on available public information, it was sometime in 2023 or earlier.

According to the province, archeological work at the site was completed along with the Stantec archeological report being submitted to the province for review by July 2024.

The city’s January 2024 briefing note stated the excavation work caused a six-month delay in construction at the site.

Following the completion of excavation work at the site and the Stantec report being submitted to the province for review, the Owl sought further information regarding the site – specifically, if it was Indigenous in nature.

In an Aug. 7, 2024 response to those inquiries from city spokesperson Terra Petryshyn, she indicated the matter was up to the province to provide further comment.

“Stantec and the City met with provincial representatives shortly after discovering the archeological findings and the city was asked not to provide any comment relating to same and to instead redirect all inquiries to the Archaeological Survey Section of the province, to ensure adherence to the Historical Resources Act,” she stated.

She would not confirm the Indigenous nature of the site and reiterated the position of the city has not changed in a March 26 request for comment.

In response to inquiries by the Owl last August, Darryl Bereziuk, provincial director of the Archaeological Survey, stated, “in this instance, the archaeological site in question has not been flagged to our department by local communities as a site of interest associated with modern or historic traditional uses.

“So, it is regulated and managed solely as an archaeological site.”

Attempts for further comment from Bereziuk based on conversations with the Medicine Hat Indigenous community stating the reason the site in question “has not been flagged” is because they haven’t been informed of the find went unresponded.

In an interview with the Owl, Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark said the city remains committed to improving the recognition of the Indigenous history of Medicine Hat.

Charlie Fox, Medicine Hat College’s first elder-on-campus, speaking at a city event at Towne Square during the summer of 2024. It is unclear whether Fox or any other members of the city’s Indigenous community was consulted during excavation of a more than 1,000-year-old campsite. (Photo Alex McCuaig)

While she stated council has not itself been briefed on information contained in the city-commissioned Stantec report, she did state transparency is an important aspect of reconciliation.

“With everything the city does we have to be consistent and committed to truth and reconciliation. . .it’s not something you can turn on and off,” said Clark. “It is beyond question that we have a lot of work to do.”

However, she was unable to state whether the city recognizes the recent find at the water treatment facility as being Indigenous in nature and is referring all questions to the province as per its direction.

Juliana Rodriguez, Ministry of Arts press secretary, stated emphatically that is simply not the case.

In response to questions as to whether the mayor is permitted access to the Stantec report, Rodriguez was even more direct.

She stated, “if they cannot find their report, they can always contact the department for another copy!”

Despite what appears to be a severe compartmentalization of information regarding the archaeological site, Medicine Hat-based Indigenous consultant Brenda Mercer said there have been small steps towards reconciliation by the municipality.

But she’d like to see artifacts recovered in the city stay in the city, whether that be recovered Indigenous pottery being displayed at the local ceramic museum, Medalta, or a new facility at the Medicine Hat Tepee.

“Why don’t we have any of these items in Medicine Hat,” Mercer questioned.

Despite working closely with city staff on several initiatives such as blanket exercises and Indigenous craft workshops, she has only recently been informed about the recent Indigenous excavation.

“I asked around and nobody was saying anything,” said Mercer.

 But Mercer stressed there have been improvements in the relationship between Indigenous peoples and City Hall.

Some of the artifacts recovered from the Ross Glen Indigenous site dating to 3,000 BC. (Photo Courtesy of Gov. of Alberta)

“We’re making strides with the city. Small strides but, like anything, there is going to be red tape,” she said.

Mercer added those small steps are adding to a blossoming relationship, however, “we should do more.”

That includes municipal recognition of previously discovered Indigenous sites in the city, including the Ross Glen find.

The archeological report from the 1980s conducted prior to development of Ross Glen described that site as, “the Ross Glen site is one of the most significant stone circle sites yet investigated in Alberta and possibly in all of the Northern Plains.”

Despite the significance of that find with the oldest artifacts dating to 3,000 BC, the municipality has no official recognition of its existence.

The site was destroyed during the development of the Ross Glen subdivision.

Mercer stressed that improving Indigenous relationships isn’t about forcing the issue but continuing dialogue.

While she said she’s been asked to offer an Indigenous prayer for the upcoming Archeological Society of Alberta’s AGM, the organization has not briefed her on the presentation concerning the recent excavation.

The Archeological Society of Alberta has not responded to requests for comment whether members of the local Indigenous community, municipal elected officials or the public will be able to attend the presentation on the local find.