Human remains of 500 people moved as Toronto cemetery spends $2.5 million to shore up slope
CTV
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.
