Mysterious mountain of dirt appears in Toronto neighbourhood

Residents of a Toronto neighbourhood want answers after a massive pile of dirt appeared and no one seems to know where it came from.

“It's an eyesore. Look at it. It's a mountain. A three-storey mountain of dirt,” Francesca Pivetta told CTV News Toronto at the site near Old Weston Road and St. Clair Avenue West.

“We can't open up the windows. The house is full of dirt. It's difficult to breathe,” she said.

Those who live in the area said they first noticed the dirt piling up about two months ago at the parking lot of the former Toronto Weston Flea Market, which closed down in 2019.

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Gord Autterson rents a plot of land at the Silverthorne Allotment Garden next door and said the residual dust rolling off the mountain is a problem.

“We don't know where that dirt, that soil, is coming from all the dust is blowing over onto stuff that we need,” Autterson said.

A massive dirt pile has been growing in Toronto's Stockyards District for two months and no one seems to know where it came from.

Contractors working in the area who spoke to CTV News Toronto said the dirt did not come from nearby construction projects.

Toronto City Councillor Ana Bailão, who represents Ward 9 – Davenport where the pile is located, could not be reached for comment.

At the same time, a spokesperson for the City of Toronto said in an email that staff are investigating the accumulation of dirt and its origins.

"The City is investigating the activity taking place at 404 Old Weston Road and a referral has been made to the Ministry of Environment for their investigation into this issue," the spokesperson said, adding that a site foreman has "assured" the city that they are working to remove the soil as quickly as possible.

With files from Sean Leathong