Toronto is one of the largest, most culturally diverse municipalities in North America and has a cultural history that began approximately 11,000 years ago. The archaeological sites that are the physical remains of this lengthy settlement history represent a fragile and non-renewable cultural legacy.

Protecting these sites has become increasing important since landscape change has been occurring at an ever-increasing rate. The Interim Report – A Master Plan of Archaeological Resources for the City of Toronto, August 2004 (now referred to as The City of Toronto’s Archaeological Management Plan) identifies areas of archaeological potential and requires archaeological assessments on these lands prior to development.

 

 

The Archaeological Management Plan is a city-wide initiative that identifies lands that may hold archaeological resources.  It uses a GIS-based mapping framework to identify areas of pre-contact and historic archaeological potential.

The Archaeological Institute of America presented the 2016 Conservation and Heritage Management Award to Heritage Preservation Services and Archaeological Services Inc. for work in developing, implementing and maintaining an Archaeological Management Plan for the City of Toronto.

The Toronto Archaeological Potential Map identifies areas of potential archaeological interest.