Detailed archeological work at Allandale Station could begin on-site as soon as this week to determine exactly how extensive Indigenous artifacts are on the lakeshore site.
Bone fragments have been found on the station property, located at Lakeshore Drive and Tiffin Street, but officials want to determine specifically what is there.
“Stage 4 (of the archeological assessment) is the most detailed; it’s intensive,” Mayor Jeff Lehman said of the work that will be undertaken at the station, which has been stalled in the redevelopment stage for a few years.
“There have been previous studies on the site,” he added, “but we want to make sure we’re doing everything possible.”
Lehman also said the city continues to be in close contact with the Huron-Wendat and the various Williams Treaty First Nations communities, which he called “just fantastic” to work with.
“It’s a good relationship, not adversarial. It’s collaborative,” Lehman said. “Their ancestors may be there and we want to treat it with respect."
The mayor said the area has been well used over the last several decades, and even centuries, as it has been home to the historic Allandale neighbourhood as well as the railyards in later years followed by the resurgence in rail use.
“It’s been so disturbed over the years,” Lehman said. “It’s not in the middle of nowhere.”
The Allandale train station was a hub of activity in the early 1900s for the Grand Trunk Railway. The station building was designated under the Federal Heritage Railway Stations Act, which is administered by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
The archeological assessment is beginning on schedule, Lehman said, and is expected to take five to six months.
“The idea is to be done in the fall,” Lehman said.
A representative from the various First Nation communities represented by the Williams Treaty and Huron-Wendat Nation will be on site to monitor the site excavation, participate in any decision making as the excavations proceed and ensure that the site is culturally respected. An independent consultant will conduct a peer review of the results and findings.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has completed its review of the Stage 4 work plan, allowing the field work to commence, Barrie CAO Michael Prowse said in a release. The Stage 4 work plan was approved in advance of final approval of the Stage 2/3 report, which is currently under final review by the ministry.
“The city will continue to follow the archeological processes, applicable legislation and any direction provided by the Province of Ontario to ensure protection of the archeological potential of the site,” Prowse added.
