Sandwich roundabout construction unearths Indigenous artifacts

Archeologists are carefully hunting for Indigenous artifacts in the city's west end after construction crews discovered shards of pottery and other items last week.

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Workers came across the artifacts, which included a stone drill and fragments of slate used to make tools, while working on a new roundabout that will feature life-sized statues of iconic War of 1812 figures General Sir Isaac Brockand Chief Tecumseh.

"We're making sure that, as history's being commemorated by building the roundabout, the history in the ground is being paid attention to as well," saidJim Molnar, archeologist with the Hamilton-based Fisher Archaeological Consulting.

The team is expected to continue digging for the rest of the week, which has slowed down construction slightly, explained Wes Hicks, the city's senior manager of infrastructure and geomatics.

"The contractor is still working in areas other than where they found the artifacts," he said. "So there's still some work that they can do."

The roundaboutis expected to be completed in September. Hicks does not know if the archeology dig will delay the project.

"It's too early yet to say for certain whether we'll meet the target date to complete the construction," he said.