For the last decade, ASI has been involved in the impact assessment of Highway 407 East with respect to archaeological heritage. It is arguably the largest and most complex archaeological assessment and mitigation project ever undertaken in the Province of Ontario. From our perspective, the primary factor responsible for the on-going success of this fundamentally collaborative enterprise has been the high level of professionalism, competence, and collegiality of the people involved, including the MTO project team, officials at the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, First Nations representatives, the lead consultants and our fellow sub-consultants, our project service providers, and of course the members of our own team. This has fostered a focussed work environment where innovative technological and methodological solutions could be successfully implemented and where challenges could be met with confidence. Examples of successful collaboration and innovation are highlighted in this presentation, including the implementation of GIS-based parcel assessment tracking, harmonization with on-going farming activities, engagement with First Nations, coordination with Species at Risk protocols, accommodation of public interests and concerns, organization of the processing, analysis, and curation of vast quantities of artifacts, and management of administration and work flow capacity and efficiency.
