We are homeowners in Ontario facing severe financial impact under the Ontario Heritage Act. 

We purchased our home in 2020 and began permitted renovation work. During excavation, unexpected archaeological findings triggered heritage requirements, stopping construction and placing the project under mandatory archaeological oversight.  What began as a standard renovation has turned into a process with no clear cost limit and no ability to opt out once triggered.  This same thing can happen to anyone, even if digging for a fence, fixing your driveway or digging a garden bed.

Dictated by the government, we are being requested to complete archaeological work that is quoted into costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with expectations of costs being significantly higher.  (Other homeowners we have spoken to have had their fees swelling to a million dollars +).

Families in similar situations are being forced into debt, delaying life plans, selling their homes and retirement funds to meet these government obligations: entire life savings gone.  The government states one can apply for financial relief and while no parameters were shared, one individual representing the government agency verbally stated an example as "if you have $10k in assets, and the project will cost $9k, we will fund the project".  (This relays into the assumption that it's ok to dedicate 89% of your lifetime earnings into funding this requirement on behalf of the Crown).  

The responsibility for truth and reconciliation belongs to the Crown. It should not be transferred onto individual property owners.  In Ontario, the Crown controls what lies beneath the land, including minerals and other subsurface resources: when discoveries are made, the Crown retains authority over them. The financial responsibility for processes triggered by Crown-controlled heritage requirements should not rest with homeowners.  The current system is also becoming increasingly unaffordable over time. Compared to similar projects in the past, costs have risen dramatically, in some cases by well over 2,000 percent.

Truth and Reconciliation is important.  However, a "rob Peter to pay Paul" approach is not a fair or sustainable resolution, when this is the responsibility of the Crown. 

Watch our story here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjw0mKA_zjo&t=3s
(This story was initially covered on The National, and has since been covered by Newsweek, People (plus many more publications) and across all social media platforms.  Comments are consistent with "the government should pay". 

We are calling on the Ontario government to:

1. Review and modernize the Ontario Heritage Act
2. Transfer the full cost of archaeological requirements to the Crown
3. Establish clear limits on scope, duration, and financial exposure
4. Ensure homeowners are not left with unpredicted liability
5. Ensure finders of human remains are confident to disclose findings, vs living in fear

Please sign and share this petition. The government needs to make positive change happen.