{"id":529291,"date":"2026-01-20T07:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/529291\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T07:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:16:14","slug":"discovery-of-2-skulls-on-kamloops-property-leads-to-debate-over-b-c-property-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/529291\/","title":{"rendered":"Discovery of 2 skulls on Kamloops property leads to debate over B.C. property rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

A property in Kamloops<\/a>, B.C., has become the focal point of a controversial law governing First Nations archaeology and another debate over property rights in the province.<\/p>\n

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A private landowner was excavating their property in June to make a community garden for seniors when they unearthed two human skulls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you anything more about it because the RCMP was called, the coroner\u2019s office was called, the Tk\u2019eml\u00faps First Nation was called,\u201d lawyer Christine Elliott, who represents the landowner, told Global News.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we then slide into two and a half months of silence, where I can\u2019t get anyone to speak to me. The RCMP tell me I need to do a Freedom of Information search on my client\u2019s private property land, the coroner\u2019s office won\u2019t respond to me at all, the Heritage Conservation Branch won\u2019t respond to any of the emails that I send, and so I said to my client \u2018Well, time to get an archeologist\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

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After the landowner reported the discovery, the Tk\u2019eml\u00faps te Secw\u00e9pemc First Nation declared the property a \u201csacred site<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In a press release, the Tk\u2019eml\u00faps te Secw\u00e9pemc said that \u201cThe site is protected under the\u00a0United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0BC Heritage Conservation Act<\/a>. Any alteration or disturbance to the sacred site is illegal and punishable under provincial law.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As a result, Elliott said the owners are facing more than $100,000 in legal and archeological costs, including an $80,000 charge from the First Nation for a smudging ceremony, repatriation of bones, an archeological dig and a culturally-appropriate security person to guard the site.<\/p>\n

Elliott said she did find an archaeologist willing to take a look at the site.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis report\u2026. concludes that this is not an archaeological site,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are no burn marks on rocks, there are no other obvious accoutrements of an Aboriginal site, but there is about a metre and a half of sand filled with bits of broken-up concrete, pipes and other stuff that looks like it came off some other construction site on there. These skulls were located in that fill.\u201d<\/p>\n

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