A B.C. Hydro project along Valleyview Drive in Kamloops has stopped after crews discovered a human bone while digging last week.
Workers discovered the bone while excavating a trench on Aug. 17. The Kamloops RCMP and B.C. Coroners confirmed that the bone was not recent in origin, but because it is a potential artifact, work at the site has been halted while they learn more about the area.
Archaeologists for B.C. Hydro are now consulting with the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc, as well as the Archaeology Branch of the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD).
KamloopsMatters reached out to the FLNRORD about whether the site is now protected under the Heritage Conservation Act and what the next steps are and should hear back next week.
The project originally involved digging a trench along the south side of Valleyview Drive from Rose Hill Road to Knollwood Drive, for new electrical equipment to increase the power supply the neighbourhood.
It's unclear how long work at the site will be halted.
According to B.C. Hydro communications, they follow a "chance find procedure – a process that stops work immediately if a potential artifact or heritage object is discovered at a work site."
