A section of construction along Dallas Road is on pause after ancestral human remains were uncovered on Monday (Feb. 1).
The discovery was made during archaeological activities near Dallas Road and Eberts Street where a 1.9-kilometre chunk of pipe is being installed as part of the wastewater treatment project.
Deputy project director Elizabeth Scott said the CRD is working closely with its Lekwungen partners – Songhees and Esquimalt Nations – and that their work has been in full compliance with the Heritage Conservation Act.
Songhees Nation Chief Ron Sam did not respond in time for publication, but the CRD’s senior manager for corporate communications, Andy Orr, said the assumption is that the remains will be Lekwungen.
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In 2013, human remains were also found during construction along Dallas Road. At that time, Sam told Black Press Media that the area has long been known as a rich archaeological site.
Scott said all human remains that have been recovered during the Trent Forcemain project will be reburied upon completion. The project, which is installing a 1.9-kilometre pipe from the intersection of Chandler Avenue and St Charles Street to the Clover Point Pump Station, will help to collect wastewater from Saanich, Oak Bay and Victoria to reduce wet weather overflow.
Construction is ongoing away from the area where the remains were found and the project is expected to be completed this spring.
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