An Investigation into the Curation of Archaeological Collections in Cultural Resource Management in Ontario, Canada

This study aims to investigate why and how there is a “curation crisis” in Ontario archaeology by examining the delegation of responsibility for archaeological collections. This research was conducted by reviewing related scholarly literature, investigating the current legislation governing Ontario archaeology, and interviewing 20 stakeholders involved in archaeological collections management, including Cultural Resource Management (CRM) archaeologists, descendant community representatives, past Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism, and Culture Industries employees, academic and avocational archaeologists, and museum or repository curators. Nearly all participants think CRM archaeologists should not be responsible for the long-term curation of archaeological collections, yet many of Ontario’s archaeological collections are in the private storage spaces of CRM consultants. The study concludes that it would be most beneficial if the responsibility for long-term care of archaeological collections was transferred to well-equipped repositories, either run by, or in collaboration with, Indigenous communities and overseen by the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries