Unexploded military shell discovered in North York neighbourhood

Several homes in a North York neighbourhood were evacuated for several hours after a landscaper stumbled upon a fascinating discovery while digging in a backyard.

Police, firefighters and members of the bomb squad were called to a residence on Whitman Street near Steeles Avenue and Yonge Street just before 11 a.m.

When they arrived, they discovered a two-foot long unexploded artillery shell.

“We were just doing traditional grading at the site, basically scraping everything up to do some planting,” landscaper James McWhirter tells 680 NEWS.

“Basically as we were filling up the bucket, they dumped it and we noticed a heavy piece in there. One of the guys thought it was a tank bullet but as soon as we jumped on Google we realized it was an artillery shell.”

“This thing had quite a bit of size and weight to it so, a bit of a shock.”

Residents in the area also reacted with shock and amazement at the bizarre discovery.

“I was really amazed,” said one resident. “This country has never been in a war so how come a shell is in the middle of the city.”

Roads in the area were closed off as officials waited for members of Canadian Forces Base Borden to come and collect the ordnance, which a museum curator who specializes in World War I era artifacts tells 680 NEWS that the shell still has the fuse attached.

The military collected the shell just after 4 p.m. without incident.