Human remains of 500 people moved as Toronto cemetery spends $2.5 million to shore up slope
A slope at St. James Cemetery in Toronto is eroding, sparking a $2.5 million project to save cremated human remains of hundreds of people from sliding into the valley.
St. James Cathedral has embarked on a plan to stabilize the slope on the south side of the Rosedale Valley.
“Many of the lots were located close to the slope. People like that, it’s picturesque. But those locations can be compromised by Mother Nature,” said John O’Brien, the director of operations for St. James Cemetery.
He said crews had identified and mapped each of some 500 plots and identified which ones needed to be moved.
“Each was disinterred by hand. They were hand-dug. They were placed into separate containers, and all of those containers were placed in a larger secure container where they will remain until the work is finished,” O’Brien said.
Tens of thousands of people are interred at St. James Cemetery, the oldest still functioning cemetery in Toronto. The graves on this slope were placed between 1960 and 2010.
One of the reasons the slope is disintegrating is because of the Norway Maples, which were planted in the 1960s. They grow faster than native trees and their broad leaves create a thick canopy that crowds out native vegetation with deeper root structures that would have kept the soil more stable.
Some of those trees are being removed as part of the project, O’Brien said. Crews are also placing an interlocking series of piles under the ground that can act as a support structure for the escarpment, as well as adding drainage.
Finding relatives of everyone affected has been a challenge. The cemetery hopes that the publicity will help. O'Brien said they believe this is the largest disinterment in Ontario's history.
He says the cathedral is paying the $2.5 million tab.
“They are the owners of the Cemetery. They have an obligation to maintain these graves in perpetuity,” he said.
“The thought is at the end of it, it will be secure for generations to come,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.