A similar situation exists in Canada, specifically in Ontario.  I conducted
research for a Museum Studies thesis in 1992 which found that the custodial
responsibility for most archaeological resources is not adequately defined
by legislation or by any existing practices, so that a large portion of the
resource sits in inaccessible locations, unable to be used for further
research or interpretation.

The responsibility for archaeological excavation traditionally had fallen
to museums in Canada, and to certain government agencies.  Funding cutbacks
have seen the responsibility transferred to private archaeological
consulting firms, and this transfer has resulted in much of the
archaeological archive remaining in attics and basements of the
consultants, because museums and governments are loath to assign adequate
repositories for the material.  Museums have enough difficulty finding
space for the archaeological materials from their own excavations, and are
often unwilling or unable to take possession of the material from these
consultants.  Existing heritage legislation is unclear where assigning
ownership of archaeological materials is concerned, so the government is
also unwilling to take responsibility for this material.  Additionally,
many of the findings remain unpublished, even though publication of
findings is a requirement of the archaeological licence.

Unfortunately, until the existing heritage legislation changes, it is
unlikely that this situation will change.  I sincerely hope that the
national and local authorities will take the MGC recommendations seriously.

Is it possible to obtain a copy of the full report for those of us who are
interested, either in print or electronic format?

Alex Avdichuk
City of Toronto
Arts, Culture and Heritage Services
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MUSEUMS & GALLERIES COMMISSION
Survey of Archaeological Archives - Summary Report
...
Excavation is now largely carried out by contractors who tender
for work funded by the developers of the sites.  Most are limited companies
but some are still local authority teams.  Developer funding is
occasionally
available for long-term storage and exploitation of the archives after
they have been transferred to museums.
It is clear that there must be a significant role for local authorities in
the
future, as they are involved both in the planning process, which results
in the commissioning of excavations, and in the care of the archives.  A
serious problem exists in some areas where there is no suitable museum
to take the archives and elsewhere, where the quantities of finds due for
transfer from the units are greater than the museums can cope with.  In
addition there are sidlis shortages in the museums which care for the
archives....