Toronto’s history of building over sacred Indigenous grounds is being questioned after ancient human remains were discovered at a construction site near Withrow and Broadview Avenue early last month.

John Brown, 74, told the Toronto Star that when he was walking home to his Withrow Avenue residence in North Riverdale on the morning of Jan. 5, he stepped onto the edge of his neighbour’s garden to avoid nearby construction crew work (workers were servicing a water line under the road). Suddenly, he felt the earth crumble beneath his feet as he fell through the ground.  He said he was at eye level with what appeared to be a stick.

“Except it wasn’t a stick — it was a bone,” Brown, who escaped the fall with minor bruises, told the Star.

Toronto Police were called to the scene to check and preserve the bones.

The discovery led to an investigation, where an anthropologist determined that the remains were from an ancient Indigenous burial ground. Further investigation is currently on hold until the ground thaws, but some are raising concerns about urban building over Indigenous sites.

The remains were found near the Withrow Avenue Junior Public School, which sits on a site of Indigenous encampments where a 7,000-year-old spear was once found

Canada’s settlers don’t care that they built their cities over sacred Indigenous sites. Canada so much disrespect https://t.co/NVdpOXG51V

— Julia Ann Landry (@Jewelanland) January 7, 2024

According to the Heritage Guide, various archaeological finds and communal gravesites have provided evidence of First Nations activity at the Withrow site—discovered in 1886 on Withrow Avenue near Broadview and East Riverdale Park—with both Archaic (pre-3000 BC) and more recent artifacts found.

The City of Toronto reported that Withrow Public School (across the street from Brown’s residence) occupies a site of former Indigenous encampments, where a spear point dating back approximately 7000 years was found by archeologist David Boyle.

In terms of what’s being done to prevent disturbances on Indigenous grounds, an archeological management plan has been implemented in the city (and across Ontario) to identify areas of archaeological potential and require assessments on these lands prior to development.

The City also acknowledges that Toronto is on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples. They have a dedicated Indigenous Affairs Office that supports city divisions in their work with all urban Indigenous communities in advancing reconciliation–including recognizing Indigenous sites.

As for the remains found at Withrow, according to the Star, once the investigation is complete, Ontario’s Registrar of Burial Sites—in consultation with the First Nations—will declare a burial site where the remains were found.