Abstract

Alberta has, since the passage of the Alberta Historical Resources Act, been in the forefront of archaeological cultural resource management in Canada. Development proponents have spent untold dollars to conserve the past, and a staff of professionals has been hired by the Archaeological Survey to review development projects, undertake research, and review and evaluate the work of consultant archaeologists. Recorded sites in Alberta presently number approximately 12,000 and the total number of artifacts far exceeds that figure. Clearly many positive and necessary steps have been taken toward properly managing the resources; however, it still remains to take the next step into the world of directed and standardized archaeology. Does this represent shades of 1984 or only a tentative first step?