Toronto tunnel was ‘personal challenge,’ diggers say

The two men who dug the infamous tunnel in the woods near York University did it as a “personal challenge,” police told CityNews.

After interviewing the two men, in their 20s, and others with knowledge of the cave, police ruled out any nefarious reasons — from religious cults to terrorism — for the dig, Const. Victor Kwong told 680News.

“It was just two people who dug it because they wanted to,” Kwong said.

“Literally, it would have been a man cave. There was no other reason than that they wanted to dig a cave.”

Police are satisfied no laws were broken and have closed their investigation.

Toronto police announced the discovery of the tunnel on Feb. 24 and released photos of the site, prompting media coverage across Canada and abroad.

The coverage prompted people who knew the diggers to contact police, who then tracked down and interviewed the men.

Police say that they learned that some York University students were aware of the clandestine bunker and would use it to smoke marijuana.

The bunker, discovered in January by a conservation officer in a densely wooded area, was located 25 metres from the fence of the Rexall Centre, which is to host tennis events for the summer’s Pan Am Games; however, police stress the hole has nothing to do with the Games, the Rexall Centre, or York University.

Inside, police said they found plywood wall supports, a generator and a sump pump, as well as a rosary with a Remembrance Day poppy nailed to a wall. The men told police they found the poppy and rosary and used it to decorate. Police said there were food wrappers and empty beverages in the tunnel as well.

Police said the chamber was almost two metres high, 86 centimetres wide and 10 metres long.

The men were not formally reprimanded for digging the hole, Kwong said, but they did suffer some consequences.

“We did fill in a hole that took them forever to build,” Kwong said, though he couldn’t say how long, exactly, it took.

Kwong added the lack of punishment should not motivate copycats.

“There is no criminal charge for digging a hole, but that doesn’t mean we’re saying ‘go ahead and dig anywhere you want,'” Kwong said.

“We don’t suggest that anyone do this because even tough digging a hole is not a criminal offence, there may other bylaws and things you may be contravening.”

City staff confirmed no bylaws would apply in this case, but the forested area does come under the jurisdiction of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, which would be responsible for construction activity and permit approvals.

With files from The Canadian Press