Association of Professional Archaeologists

Latest News


  • 24 Sep 2017 9:55 PM | Anonymous

    Head to the APA Publications and Reports tab to view and download the newest online publication in this series: UAV (drone) aerial photography and photogrammetry and its utility for archaeological site documentation by Scott Hamilton and Jason Stephenson.

  • 11 Sep 2017 8:43 PM | Anonymous

    ~ Dig Connect – what is this ?!?? ~

    A new service to members, Dig Connect will circulate job postings via direct email to those members who wish to receive them.  This is not just strictly for fieldwork positions, but for any paid or volunteer opportunities that are related to what we do as heritage professionals… we just wanted a catchy name that wasn’t already being used by other employment banks in Ontario ;)

    Are you a member who would like to receive job postings right to your Inbox?

    1.      Log on to apaontario.ca with your username and password.

    2.      Click on the ‘View Profile’ link in the lower left corner of the page.

    3.      Click on the ‘Edit Profile’ button near the top.

    4.      Scroll to the Additional Information section of your profile.

    5.      Select the Yes option beside “Dig Connect”.

    6.      Save your changes by clicking the ‘Save’ button at the bottom.

    Note that your public Profile page will not display your interest in Dig Connect in any way (in case you wish to keep your interest in other job opportunities to yourself).

    Please contact the specific employers rather than replying to APA about any job postings that you have questions about or are interested in.

    Are you an employer who needs new staff or volunteers?

    1.      Email your job posting to info@apaontario.ca and be sure to include the date when the posting will close, your preferred means to be contacted, and all other pertinent info that a prospective employee or volunteer might need to know.

    2.      APA will then circulate your job posting to all APA members who wish to see it!

    In addition, active job postings will be available on the website in the Members’ Only section on the APA Job Bank tab so that they can be easily found should an email become accidentally deleted.

    Enjoy making new job connections with other APA members!


    ~ APA’s Radiocarbon Date Lottery has returned!! ~

    Those of you who have been perusing the newly updated Newsletter archives on the website may have seen talk of the lottery and its lucky recipients in the past.  The Executive has been working to revive this assistance to its members, and the added benefit for all will be the sharing of the dating results and the significance of those dates to the sites from which the samples are recovered.

    Members now have the opportunity to submit entries for the randomly-selected lottery that will take place once per year, but also there will be a second stream of funding which will also cover the dating of a sample in the Radiocarbon Date Merit Award program.  Details for this second program will soon be posted.  In the meantime, try your luck in the lottery! 

    To submit your entry for the 2017 Radiocarbon Date Lottery, simply provide us with the following information in an email to info@apaontario.ca by October 15, 2017:

    ·         Your information (name, contact, etc.)

    ·         PIF number for the project where the sample was collected

    ·         Site type, if applicable

    ·         The context from which the sample was recovered, and

    ·         The type of the material to be dated

    If you wish, you can also provide a brief note indicating:

    ·         How this date will contribute to the archaeological record in Ontario

    ·         How this award will contribute to your work as a professional archaeologist

    A random draw will be made, and the lucky winner gets the opportunity to make a lasting contribution over and above the excellent work they are already doing.

    As with everything in life, the award comes with strings attached. In this case, the strings are simply this: the winner, upon receipt of the date on the material, must provide a brief note about the site, the sample and results, with a comment on how the date relates to expectations and/or contributes to the archaeological record.


    ~ Student Bursary program for 2017-18!! ~

    Student members, sharpen your pencils because instructions will be announced soon for the first ever round of bursary applications!  Your academic studies and skills are as valuable as your field training, and the Association wants to show its support of your efforts in your studies of archaeology, culture history, cultural resource management, and such related fields that will prepare you for work in identifying and protecting Ontario’s resources.

    Submissions will be due by January 31, 2018 and will be granted during this academic year.  Stay tuned for details to be circulated to the membership and posted on APA’s website.


    ~ Apaontario.ca Updates ~

    Recent updates to the public tabs on the website include:

    - Newsletter Archives: many hard copies have been scanned and include back issues from 1990 – 2001 – these contain interesting content, much of which is still relevant!  More recent issues that were originally created in digital format are of course there as well.

    - Publications and Reports: 2 reports have been added to the one item that was formerly in the Publications tab as an Occasional Paper; both are reports of the APA’s Investigation Committee: one being the 2011 report on the site visit to Skandatut, and the other is the 2016 Burial Recommendations section from the Allandale Investigation.

    Recent updates to the members’ only section include:

    - the APA Job Bank’s “Dig Connect”, in time for this busy fall season!  Read all about it at the top of this Communiqué and get involved!

    - Member Resources: First Nations Contacts: a copy of the “Archaeological Protocol: Curve Lake First Nation” (adopted by Chief and Council in Sept of 2016) is available for download.  Also, Consultation Staff contacts for all of the Williams Treaty First Nations were provided and are current in this tab as of May of 2017.

    - in the Members Lounge: meeting minutes continue to be posted periodically as they are approved, to give you a peek behind the scenes into APA Executive meetings and APA-MTCS meetings.


    ~ upcoming Newsletter ~

    The Summer 2017 newsletter is full and is being formatted for circulation as we speak.  It contains a great variety of topics:

    • James Conolly on the CAA Middle Woodland session
    • Julie Kapykra on Remembering Relationships, a look at oral tradition of Wendat and Mississauga relationships
    • Membership graph update showing 130 members and major increases the past three years
    • and more!


    ~ APA’s Board of Directors ~

    As reported in June’s Communiqué, 3-month interim appointments to the Board were accepted by members Laura McRae and Norbert Stanchly.  During the busy summer months, Laura and Norbert have attended Executive meetings and have provided valuable input relating to APA business and correspondence as well as new memberships and renewals. 

    Laura has agreed to remain on the Board until the next AGM at which point an election will be held.  Due to time constraints, Norbert has not offered to extend his executive membership at this time, but has plans to participate with committee work once his day-to-day workload eases up.  Thank-you to Norbert for all of your assistance.


    ~ Reminders ~

    ·         Become Involved: There are many other ways for members to take an active role in achieving the aims of the Association, such as special duties and committee participation.  The Board is very excited that Scott Hamilton is taking on the role of Editor to resume APA’s Occassional Publications series.  Also, new Professional member Julie Kapyrka is taking on the role of Chair for the Training and Workshops Committee to help keep those valuable learning opportunities coming regularly for the members.  Additional members are invited and welcomed to join Julie on this committee.

    ·         Member Services: If there are any services you believe that APA should be offering to its members, don’t hesitate to communicate these to the Board and offer your assistance so that we can all benefit!  APA can only achieve as much as its member volunteers can manage.

    ·         Members Forum: Log in to apaontario.ca and visit the Members Forum in the Members Lounge; click on ‘Subscribe’ at the top to receive email notices that a new discussion topic has been initiated.

    ·         Membership Fee Discounts: Discounts of 20% on membership fees are available to Professional, Field Director and Associate members when you join or renew for a 3-year period, or just by alerting us to the fact that you have a co-worker who is also a current member – just send a quick email to members@apaontario.ca to take advantage of this offer, and then go treat yourself (to a new trowel??) with the money you have saved.


  • 09 Sep 2017 2:28 PM | Anonymous

    *new* APA job bank: "Dig Connect" -- providing members with convenient, organized and current job postings!  Employers: send your job postings to info@apaontario.ca


    *new* "Archaeological Protocol: Curve Lake First Nation" -- log in and visit Members Resources to access current information on the First Nations tab and download resources such as CLFN's archaeological protocol document

  • 31 Jul 2017 10:17 PM | Anonymous

    Two additional Newsletter back-issues have been scanned and uploaded to the 'Newsletter Archives' tab, which date to 1998 and 2000.  The latter is entitled, "Archaeology 2020: Visiting the Future."  Unbelievable to think that this far-away future milestone is now on the horizon.  These back-issues certainly provide an interesting read about where the profession was then versus where it is now.

    Besides the ever-increasing library of archived Newsletters, the 'APA Constitution & ByLaws' tab is starting fresh -- the original Constitution and ByLaws dating to 1989 are there for members' perusal, along with a note that the Constitution and ByLaws Review Committee is working its way through these founding documents and will bring forward recommendations for amendments that will align these in a clearer way with the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act.

  • 27 Apr 2017 9:41 PM | Anonymous

    We are gradually expanding our collection of APA newsletters here in the Newsletter Archives.  The latest issues to join the collection are from 1998 and 2002 -- outdated, perhaps? Not in the least!  Topics covered include competitive pricing of consulting projects, ethics, licencing, collections management, and a special interview with Paul Lennox!  Visit the *Newsletter Archives* tab and enjoy.

  • 09 Feb 2017 9:29 PM | Anonymous

    Minutes from the latest meeting between APA and MTCS Culture Staff are now available in the Members Lounge tab, as are the minutes from the recent APA Board meetings.

  • 09 Jan 2017 1:47 PM | Anonymous

    Notes from the most recent meeting between MTCS staff and APA Directors are now published for members in the Members Lounge under 'Meeting Minutes'.

  • 29 Apr 2016 8:11 PM | Anonymous

    See below letters sent to MTCS.  We are still trying to set up our first meeting with the ministry and are waiting on a response from Blair.  The second letter did garner some response from Peter Armstrong, however not specific enough and we will pursue this issue of concern further.

    9Mar2016 MTCS-APA TOR.pdf

    21Mar2016 OHA licence renewal fact sheet.pdf

  • 01 Feb 2016 7:04 AM | Anonymous

    Please be advised that Michael D'Mello retired from the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS) effective January 15, 2016 and has accepted a position with the Bereavement Authority Ontario (BAO) as Manager of Licensing, Education and Outreach. The BAO is now responsible for cemetery and crematoria licensing and enforcement in Ontario.

    However, MGCS has retained responsibility for burial sites, war graves, abandoned cemeteries and cemetery closures, and Nancy Watkins has been appointed as Registrar with responsibility for these matters.

    Nancy Watkins

    Senior Policy Advisor and Analyst

    Registrar of Burial Sites, War Graves, Abandoned Cemeteries and Cemetery Closures

    416 212 7499

    nancy.watkins@ontario.ca


  • 12 Nov 2015 9:25 AM | Anonymous

    Dear APA Members,

    As a result of the vote held on Sunday, October 18, 2015 at the APA Annual General Meeting, the following directors were elected:

    • Andrew Hinshelwood
    • Carla Parslow
    • Bill Fox
    • Cathy Crinnion
    • Margie Kenedy
    • Dave Norris
    • Laurie Jackson
    • Shane McCartney

    As many of you will note, this marks a significant change from the previous board. The new directors have begun to work on your behalf, but the transition may take some time to fully implement. We ask for your patience and cooperation during the transition.

    Communication among the directors elected identified a potential list of Executive positions. This list was circulated among all elected directors. None of the positions were contested, and the directors agreed that the positions would be confirmed by a vote held electronically (through email).

    The new executive for the APA is:

    President – Margie Kenedy
    Vice-President – Andrew Hinshelwood
    Secretary/Treasurer – Cathy Crinnion
    First Nations – Bill Fox
    Newsletter/Investigations – Laurie Jackson
    Northern Director – Dave Norris
    Membership – Carla Parslow
    Field Directors – Shane McCartney
    Past President – Sue Bazely

    The first meeting of the executive was convened October 31, 2015, and was conducted electronically. Minutes of the meeting will be available soon. The meeting was a start-up meeting at which the executive addressed the list of immediate concerns facing the organization, and to discuss pressing house-keeping matters. 

    The APA exists to represent member interests collectively, and to offer appropriate support to individual members as the need arises. We are aware of the issues that escalated over the past year and we will strive over the coming year to ensure that members' interests remain our primary focus.  It is our firm intention to ensure that the organization is run in an open and collaborative manner.

    Please feel free to contact any member of the Executive with any questions or concerns you may have that relate to the mandate of the APA, or post your thoughts on the members’ board section of the APA website.  Our next meeting will be held on December 8, 2015.

    We look forward to working together to our mutual benefit as professional archaeologists, and for the benefit of the archaeological heritage of Ontario. 

    Regards,

    Margie Kenedy, President APA

    Andrew Hinshelwood, Vice-President APA

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