Indigenous remains unearthed at Chatham area home; investigation continues

A geothermal project at a home backing onto the Thames River west of Chatham has been on hold for months after First Nations remains were unearthed.

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Angelo Ligori said he and his wife Rosella decided to try a geothermal project after successfully installing a solar panel project on the roof that now sends power back to the hydro grid.

He said while excavating the second line for the geothermal project “is where we hit the human remains.”

The ossuary, a type of First Nation burial site, was “just nicked” when the area was being dug using heavy machinery, Ligori said.

“That’s what was visible when we brought the bucket up,” he added.

He said the project was stopped immediately and the contractor was very diligent in providing the necessary legislation and explaining what needed to happen.

Ligori said the process began in January, which initially involved the police leading to an investigation under the Funeral, Burial and Cremations Services Act.

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The couple have engaged a “very reputable company,” Archaeology Research Associates, to assist them.

Ligori also reached out to a number of First Nations in the area to become involved.

Caldwell First Nation Chief Mary Duckworth is impressed with how Ligori handled the situation.

“I think it was a very lovely experience to meet Angelo, because he was so open, so honest,” she said. “What I gleaned from it more than anything, he wanted to do the right thing and he wanted to build relationships.”

Duckworth said what is known about the discovery is that there were four adults and two children buried on the property.

“It looks like this could be part of an ossuary that’s why further investigation needs to happen,” she said.

She added that the investigation is still in the preliminary stages.

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Ligori said experts he’s spoken to are not exactly sure how old the remains are at this point, but they are believed to be pre-War of 1812.

Duckworth said this is the third time in the last three years she has been involved with the discovery of First Nation remains. Once was in the Leamington area and the other was at Point Pelee National Park, she added.

The Chief said both discoveries “turned out great, because again it was a joint effort to notify the Nations and be able to speak to the archaeologist and be able to come out and honour (those found buried) by doing a ceremony.”

Ligori never considered for a moment to just bury the remains to avoid having to deal with everything that stems from this type of discovery. This is despite the fact the couple could face significant costs as the investigation continues.

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The couple has filed an application with the province for “undue financial hardship” to cover the costs.

If remains are just covered back up, Duckworth said, “I think you have to put that in the context of the settler population.

“If it was your own relatives or people who had lived here, don’t they all deserve the same respect?” she added.

The remains have been removed from the site, but it still needs to be determined what will happen with them.

“We’ll wait to hear more and then we will make decisions based on that,” Duckworth said.

Ligori said one option is to return the remains and erect something to mark the burial site on the property.

He added that the story continues, noting officials will be returning to investigate further because artifacts including pottery and an arrowhead have been found during the investigation.

Little red flags dot the property around the burial site where further investigation will take place.

“There is a sign here that someone was here a long time ago,” Ligori said.

He added it’s not just 100 years ago it could be thousands of years ago.

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