Brian Leslie

Brian Leslie is the General Manager of Ember Archaeology. He manages a team of dedicated professional archaeologists working throughout western Canada. He has Permit Holder status in Alberta and Saskatchewan and has worked as a professional archaeologist in 2008 and 2015 before joining Tree Time Services Inc. in April of 2016. Since then, he has honed his skills working on over 40 different projects and has extensive CRM experience in the Plains, Boreal, Parkland and Eastern Slopes regions. He specializes in directing large scale mitigative excavations (100+ m²) and has excavated archaeological sites during oil and gas development from Moose Jaw to Grande Prairie. Brian is experienced in managing large crews and has dealt with adverse conditions such as frozen ground and deep excavations. He has also spent a great deal of time conducting survey for forestry clients around Slave Lake, High Level, Fort McMurray, Rocky Mountain House and Williams Lake. Brian has extensive experience excavating complex structures and is right at home in the wilderness of Canada.

Prior to becoming an archaeologist, Brian worked for the Government of Alberta as a Type 1 Wildfire Fighter for 3 years and a Type 1 Crew Leader for another 3 years. This experience added to Brian’s extensive bush-craft skills, and he learned how to lead crews through adverse conditions in an ever-changing environment. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Alberta in 2007 and completed his Master of Arts at the same institution in 2011. During this time, Brian focused on the archaeology of human skeletal remains, and specialized in using chemical analysis to investigate the movement of people in the past. After completing his first field school at Bodo, AB, Brian spent four field seasons volunteering on the excavation of an ancient city in Northern Greece. He also spent one field season supervising a crew, and two seasons directing a team of 40+ student archaeologists in the excavation of a rural Roman villa and cemetery.

Brian’s extensive bush-craft experience and archaeological training, make him a well-rounded Project Archaeologist. When not wandering the wilderness or digging large square holes, Brian enjoys spending time with his family, reading, product testing gear, playing games, blogging, travelling and snowboarding.