A blog post about an unmarked Indigenous burial site in Glen Williams has created a stir online in recent days, with the Town of Halton Hills asserting that the information presented is "erroneous."
The claims in question are made on a website called 9inebuzz. The specific post that has been shared in numerous Facebook groups concerns what has been dubbed the Glen Williams ossuary - a large burial site that contained the bones of Indigenous people. The ossuary in Glen Williams was located somewhere on the sprawling grounds of Georgetown's Sheridan Nurseries. An exact location isn't definitively known.
One post in particular uses inflammatory language to weave together a narrative about the author’s journey to discover information on the Glen Williams ossuary, which included looking through the library and several online sources, and reaching out to the Town of Halton Hills and Sheridan Nurseries.
The municipality responded with the information it had and suggested the author contact the Province of Ontario as archeological sites are in its jurisdiction.
He then accused the Town of deflecting responsibility for the site and went on to level harsh accusations against civil servants in general, suggesting they would do anything to "avoid a real day's work."
“I'm a little concerned that information is going out, which doesn't seem to be reflective of things that we know to be true,” said Alexandra Fuller, director of communication for the Town of Halton Hills.
She called the information in the post “erroneous” and said it's unfair to paint all civil servants "with the same ugly brush."
In a statement issued in response to the blog post, the Town said it's "committed to developing meaningful relationships with Indigenous Nations and peoples and working collaboratively on consultation and engagement opportunities for protocols, projects and education."
It goes on to note that the municipality respects the provincial jurisdiction over managing archeological resources. Jurisdictions are divided between the various levels of government so as to prevent duplication of effort.
The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, which oversees archeological sites, did not return HaltonHillsToday's inquiries by press time.
The Town of Halton Hills’ jurisdiction over the ossuary is further removed because the land is privately owned by Sheridan Nurseries.
Company spokesperson Victoria Mulvale said Sheridan is aware of an archeological dig that occurred on its Georgetown property in the late 1960s.
"At the time of the discovery, the management of Sheridan Nurseries contacted the appropriate resources and the University of Toronto and The Royal Ontario Museum lead the subsequent exploration and dig," she said. "We do not have any additional information and those institutions may have records from their first-hand involvement in what was done on the site."
HaltonHillsToday met with the author of the blog post, along with his father, who identified himself as 17-year-old Tyler Roudoulphos Hodgson. On the 9inebuzz site, he goes by the pen name T.R. Hodgson.
The youth alleges that there are still bones buried in the area. Local resident Andrew MacDonald, who says he saw the dig in the '60s, also contends that some bones remain.
An archived Georgetown Herald article confirms that an archeological dig did occur on the ground of the Sheridan Nurseries property in 1968. It was conducted by the University of Toronto and the Royal Ontario Museum. The article - one of the few pieces of evidence that's publicly available - doesn't indicate whether or not any bones remain at the site.
In an email to HaltonHillsToday, the University of Toronto's Department of Anthropology indicated it's holding remains from the site in trust.
“We can confirm that skeletal material recovered from the Glen Williams site are currently being held in trust," said the statement from lab technician and curator Thivvya Vairamuthu. "Our understanding is that the excavators’ intent was to remove all skeletal materials from the property.”
Jody Harbour, co-founder of local Indigenous community organization Grandmother’s Voice, said she's aware of the blog post and believes there were good intentions, but wishes the Indigenous community had been contacted.
"It's important for Indigenous people because of the history and because of exploitation that we not only consult with them, but we also have them approve what goes into media,” she said.
She also emphasized the need for understanding and support for everyone involved in the story, including Sheridan Nurseries.
"Indigenous people know there are ossuaries and graves all across this nation," she added. "We know the history was not that nice. But it's the moving forward that continues to be challenging."
