HOUSTON, B.C. – The OGC says artifacts allegedly found near the construction of the Coastal Gas Link Pipeline was not their original location.

The B.C. Oil and Gas Commission received a complaint from Dark House/Unist’ot’en of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation at 3:51 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. In a report released to the media at that time, Unist’ot’en clan spokeswoman Freda Huson said supporters recovered two stone tools.

A report released by the Oil and Gas Commission says “the soils upon which the artifacts were found would not typically contain any such cultural artifacts and this was likely not their original location.” The report also says the artifacts referred to in the complaint as “recovered” were not present.

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The original complaint received by the OGC stated two “lithic stone tools” had been found and recovered from Camp 9A by Unist’ot’en supporters and additional artifacts were observed but left in place.

The Oil and Gas Commission said Coastal Gas Link established a 100-metre buffer around the area as an additional exclusion zone. When crews entered the marked area and cleared some snow, the team from the OGC observed lithics on top of the frozen clay soils.

Coastal Gas Link has now developed an archaeology mitigation plan for the site and work will be allowed to continue in the area if no cultural material is found.

See the full report from the OGC below.