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The racial heritage of a set of remains can impact whether Indigenous groups are consulted on what to do with them, Thompson said.

“OCME also attempts to determine cause and manner of death, which is sometimes possible,” she said. “Human remains that consist of more than just bones are investigated in a similar manner.”

The medical examiner does not track how often ancient bones are turned up at work sites, but it’s not uncommon.

Remains have been discovered during a number of construction projects in the Rossdale area dating back to Edmonton’s early days. A 2004 Journal article references a letter in the Edmonton archives documenting an early interview with a settler who, in 1908, witnessed an Indigenous woman collecting the bones of a baby unearthed during railway spur construction in the area.

Remains found during excavation work north of the old Walterdale Bridge in the 1960s and 1970s were reburied in August 2005. Human remains were also discovered at two separate locations near the Rossdale Water Treatment Plant.

In 1961, a bulldozer operator digging the basement for what was then Alberta College uncovered two graves. More recently, LRT construction crews near 43 Avenue and 111 Street uncovered historical remains — including the remains of a coffin.

The medical examiner’s office works with the RCMP’s National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains to determine whether the remains belong to a missing person.

Thompson said it’s possible medical examiners won’t be able to determine who the remains belonged to. Using DNA to identify a person requires a blood-related family member and due to the age of the remains, “there may not be family members remaining whose DNA is in a database,” she said.

jwakefield@postmedia.com

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