Standards of Practice

The BCAPA has established various standards of practice for conducting archaeological work, and additional standards will be developed as needed. The Bylaws of the BCAPA contain a Grievance Procedure that provides a mechanism for addressing complaints of unprofessional conduct by members. Unprofessional conduct is defined as conduct that violates the bylaws of the society generally, the guidelines set out in the Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct, or the operational standards of the society. These bylaws, codes and standards bind all members. In addition, members of the BCAPA adhere to all applicable operational, reporting and safety guidelines and standards set by the provincial and federal governments. The following table lists all guidelines and standards that apply to members of the BCAPA, and includes links to the appropriate documentation sources.

Field and Research Methods

Standard Year Agency
Code of Ethics
1995
BCAPA
Code of Conduct
1995
BCAPA
BC Archaeological Impact Assessment Guidelines
1989
Archaeology Branch
BC Archaeological Inventory Guidelines
2000
Archaeology Branch
Recording Petroglyphs
1997
Archaeology Branch
Recording Culturally Modified Trees
1997
Archaeology Branch
Found Human Remains
1999
Archaeology Branch
Winter Methodology for Oil and Gas AIAs
2004
Archaeology Branch – Bulletin 5
Defining Culturally Modified Tree Sites
2004
Archaeology Branch – Bulletin 12
Sampling Culturally Modified Tree Sites
2000
Ministry of Forests, Aboriginal Affairs Branch
Notes Clarifying The Culturally Modified Trees of British Columbia Handbook
1999
BCAPA
Standard for Reassessment of Archaeological Site Potential
1999
BCAPA
Standards for Conducting an Audit of Another Archaeologist’s Fieldwork
2005
BCAPA
Standards for Field Collection of Samples for Mitigative Dating of Culturally Modified Trees 2011 BCAPA
Standard of Practice – Defining Site Boundaries in the Field 2012 BCAPA

Reporting

Standard Year Agency
BC Archaeological Site Inventory Form Guide 2010 (rev) Archaeology Branch
Interim Permit Reporting Procedures 2004 (rev) Archaeology Branch
Standards for Electronic Submission of Permit Reports 2009 (rev) Archaeology Branch – Bulletin 7
Using the Archaeological Site Inventory Form and Detailed Data Table to Record CMT Features 2006 Archaeology Branch – Bulletin 16
The Significance and Management of Culturally Modified Trees 2001 (rev) Vancouver Forest Region
General Reporting Standards 1999 BCAPA
Standards for Interim Reporting on Archaeological Impact Assessments 1999 BCAPA
Archaeological Site Recording Standards 1999 BCAPA
BC Archaeological Shipwreck Recording Guide 1991 Archaeology Branch

Training/Qualifications

Standard Year Agency
Field Director Qualifications 2006 Archaeology Branch – Bulletin 17
Culturally Modified Trees of British Columbia Version 2.0 2001 (rev) Resource Inventory Standards Committee
Archaeological Inventory and CMT Training for Crew Members (link unavailable) 2003 Archaeology Branch/Resource Inventory Standards Committee

Safety

Standard Year Agency
Latest Bulletins

Current Canadian Avalanche Centre
Wilderness First Aid Training

Current Slipstream