A Kamloops-area archaeologist says she expects more ancestral human remains could be found at the West Victoria Street project.

Joanne Hammond with the Skeetchisn Natural Resource Corporation says places overlooking water in the Interior are historically common burial grounds for First Nations.

“There aren’t, to my knowledge in terms of archaeology, known sites on the south shore of Kamloops, most of the known sites are on the north shore and on the reserve. That’s mostly because people have looked for them there and are aware of their presence. And by in large, the City of Kamloops was developed in absence of any of those investigations,” Hammond says.

“While I say that none are known on the formal archaeological records, I have heard from reliable informants over the years of skeletal remains being uncovered in various developments in the downtown areas, but no processes were ever in place to manage those respectfully or effectively and they’re often just buried again by the crews who find them.”

The City and Tk’emlups are working closely after finding ancestral remains under West Victoria Street – something Hammond gives the two sides credit for doing.