"Grand Renewable Energy Park work"

Work is underway at solar sites under development by Samsung/CLL Grand Renewable Energy Park.

"The work started again after Stantec agreed to work cooperatively and respect areas that had been cordoned off by our monitors," said Haudenosaunee Development Institute Director Hazel E. Hill.

Work came to a halt a week ago after Confederacy archaeology monitors found artifacts some dating back 10,000 years littering areas under construction.

The monitors cordoned off the area and placed artifacts for safekeeping only to learn the next day the artifacts went missing and work had resumed in the marked off areas.

Hill said the HDI has been able to discuss the situation with the Stantec and CCL representatives and there had been no other incidents since the shut down a week ago.

The solar farm is near Fisherville in Haldimand County.

"Yes, work has restarted and archaeology has resumed in areas that require further field work," she said Tuesday.

She said bones that had been discovered at the site last month were identified as cow bones.

She said this past week, HDI learned that Stantec had found another bone which they failed to report to the HDI and had sent it away for analysis. It was found to be a cow bone.

"We have followed through with Stantec to find out why we were excluded from that process. We have not had any response from Stantec yet."

She said there are other monitors on the sites, but she is not sure who their actual employer is.

"We know that there was some controversy involving other monitors."

She said there had been a push to exclude HDI right off the site.

"The Haudenosaunee did a couple of things, one we worked to make sure our processes and rights were being respected and we reaffirmed to Stantec the band council may be part of the ministry's process but they are not there as part of the treaty process. That process is held exclusively by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs Council.

She said the Confederacy HDI monitors, Stantec, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports are all being kept apprised of the processes.

The HDI monitoring process was not part of the initial 2009-2012 preliminary stage one and two archaeology studies.

An engagement process with Stantec didn't begin until 2012. "We were told they were advised by Ontario to only deal with the elected band council. It is unfortunate that Ontario has taken this position in a number of areas and affected the Haudenosaunee's ability to ensure our treaty rights and the honour of the Crown are being respected. This has permeated from development into even Kanonhstaton," the former Douglas Creek Estates housing subdivision that was reclaimed by Six Nations in 2006.

She said Ontario is "misleading citizens and proponents and causing delays, unnecessary costs to developers. Had our monitors been engaged in the beginning we most likely would have found these sites as we were able to do now during the construction process."