A bit of contradiction within Ontario?

[Prime]

So I've come across a rather significant contradiction about the heritage law within Ontario.

Supposedly anything of historical significance automatically belongs to the government here, whether it's buried under ground or lying under water. Yet here is something interesting......there is an old "all-boys" school not far from me, it's at least 100 years old PLUS it served as a POW camp for German officers during WW2. It's one of the last few such camps within all of Canada, yet it is now under threat of being torn down by a housing development company in order to be turned into a subdivision.

I heard it might be too late to save it, though the gov is trying to. Now tell me if that's not the most hypocritical thing you've ever heard. On the one hand I get told that if I find anything old and valuable it's automatically government property, but yet they've allowed a historic site to come into the possession of a housing company that plans on turning it into homes!

I swear, idiots sit within the government.

What's worse is that there is security there, and I can't gain access to the site. I've already talked with a guy from the company who's in charge of the property, he denied me access for liability reasons. Apparently someone started a fire there a few months back and the company is erring on the side of caution when it comes to "visitors". What gets me is that there is a guy who goes there anyways because he knows one of the guards. This guard lets him in even though that is not allowed. This irks me because I've taken the legal route, through all the proper channels, and this other guy is bypassing all of that.

 

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[Tom_in_CA]

I'm convinced that this is not just a reality in Ontario. It's probably true of EVERYWHERE, if you asked enough bureaucrats. I mean, let's face it: If you walked into any city hall (or county office, or state office, or ranger or police station, etc...) and showed them a diamond ring you found, and said "I found this on your property, can I keep it?" What do you think they would say?

There's probably heritage laws, cultural AARPA stuff, etc... everywhere. But the reality is, people detect all the time, un-bothered, and no one cares. I believe laws like you cite are written so that if you were to find the next Atocha, or go pillaging sacred ruins, etc... then they would have some sort of teeth to say "stop it" or whatever.

And as for the entry to a demolition site, this probably has nothing to do with the Ontario laws. It's simply a matter of getting into a demolition site. I too have had "in's" and gotten into demolition sites (because I work in construction related fields) that others might not get into. So that part of your dilema is just politics and who-knows-who, and who simply waits till after 5pm and just goes anyhow. Most demolition sites will tell you "no" (why should they be bothered?), but some of the foreman just wink and say "what I don't see after 5pm doesn't bother me, and you never spoke to me".

 

[Bottlecapbill]

Yup...........expecting permission through any official government channels is futile. It's just not in their best interest to make the decision. Everyone in a power position will be afraid of saying yes, and having it come back to haunt them. So they always say no no no! I'm afraid your best bet may be to get to know some security guards there yourself or move on. :/