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Beacon Hill Park might be used for First Nations reburials

Victoria is in discussions with the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations about using an ancient burial ground in Beacon Hill Park as a final resting place for First Nations human remains discovered at construction sites.

Victoria is in discussions with the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations about using an ancient burial ground in Beacon Hill Park as a final resting place for First Nations human remains discovered at construction sites.

The cairn area, on the southeast slope of Beacon Hill near the old Checker Pavilion, could be used to properly inter First Nations remains that are found during excavations, said director of parks Kate Friars in a report to councillors.

“If you were at the top of the hill at the pavilion and you were looking down toward Dallas Road, it is off to your left. You can see cairns — rock outcroppings — and that’s a traditional burial site and that is an area they had identified as a potential site to establish an area for reburials,” Friars said in an interview.

Friars’ report notes there’s a rich First Nations history in the Dallas Road and Beacon Hill Park areas.

Many First Nations remains have been discovered in the area and it’s likely more will be found as part of the Clover Point sewage pipe project that the Capital Regional District is planning, she said.

Discussions about using the ancient burial ground have been ongoing for some time, and a First Nations delegation will speak to council Thursday about the possibility, Friars said.

“It won’t be an active cemetery. It’s an area that would be utilized more for relocating the human remains that are found.”

Soil depths need to be taken to determine the best locations for burials. A rough estimate of the cost is between $180,000 and $200,000, with the budget largely dependent on the size and scale of First Nations figures (similar to totem poles) to be used in the project, the report says.

The Capital Regional District board could be approached about including the cost as part of the Clover Point sewer main project, Friars said. The city’s contribution would be for land designation and ongoing maintenance.

The report notes that as the proposed area is a known archeological site, initial discussions with the province have indicated the Heritage Conservation Act could come into play rather than the Cremation and Funeral Services Act.

The city has a protocol that requires work to stop and archeological advice to be sought whenever human remains are found during construction, Friars said.

In her report, Friars said First Nations elders have advised the city that discussion is needed on whether the area would be used for remains from all construction sites on Esquimalt and Songhees traditional territories or only from within City of Victoria boundaries.

In 1986, parks maintenance crews thought they were moving ordinary rocks to mow grass. Instead, they dug up a series of the burial cairns. The cairns were put back later in the year.

bcleverley@timescolonist.com