An archaeological team is hard at work sifting through dirt and rock on the edge of the city in search of artifacts of historical significance on behalf of the region.
The Region of Waterloo has contracted the largest archaeological and cultural heritage consulting firm in Ontario, ASI, to complete the dig at McQueen Shaver and Franklin Boulevard in compliance with provincial planning and building acts.
While workers at the site could not confirm if they have found anything yet, they did note that they are looking for any signs of Indigenous activity in the area.
Little flags mark the ground in groupings as teams shovel dirt into sifter trays looking for links to the past.
Lisa Mariano is a local advocate for the Indigenous community and thinks they may have found something based on the scope of the dig.
"Looks like stage three or four, so they likely found something and they'll be determining the value and importance," said Mariano.
The site sits just up the road from another historical and culturally significant site on Myers Road.
Back in 1988, when construction was happening at the corner of Myers Road and Water Street South, nine longhouses surrounded by a palisade and approximately five human remains were found.
According to a 1989 issue of the Canadian Journal of Archaeology, the settlement was active between the years 1280 and 1360 and was an excellent example of a pre-contact settlement of southern Ontario.
As a non-Indigenous advocate, Mariano thinks it's her duty to spread awareness and push for positive change for the local Indigenous community.
"For me it's important because the river is rich in Indigenous heritage, yet the Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee (Cambridge) doesn't recognize any Indigenous heritage in the city at all," said Mariano
"Our city is 20 minutes from Canada's first ever residential school. It's the biggest part of our historical landscape and is completely ignored."
ASI declined to provide comment on the dig as they are being contracted by the region.
In project plans for the expansion of McQueen Shaver Boulevard to Branchton Road, it crosses right over where the dig is happening.
"We have an archaeological investigation underway, and under the Heritage Act, we can’t share information at this time," said Marcos Kroker, head of engineering for the region.
Mariano has been working to get Indigenous history recognized in the city and commemorate the lives of those that came before.
"It's the non Indigenous that need educating and to complete the calls to action on the path to Reconciliation," added Mariano.
"This is what we can do locally and it's pretty incredible to have this heritage to share back with the communities who where forced to give it up for residential school or to be forced onto the reserve."
