Ancient human remains found during construction on Toronto street

Construction work on a Toronto street has come to a temporary halt after human remains were found.

Crews on Withrow Avenue, just east of Broadview Avenue between Gerrard Street East and Danforth Avenue, were installing a water service line at around 12:30 p.m. on Friday when the discovery was made.

A Toronto Police Service spokesperson told CityNews in a statement an anthropologist was called to the area and told officers the remains are part of an ancient, marked Indigenous burial ground in the area.

Yellow police tape and a cruiser could be seen blocking off the road Saturday afternoon.

The spokesperson said officers will remain on scene to “preserve the area and bones” until they get additional direction from the anthropologist.

Meanwhile, a City of Toronto spokesperson said construction will remain on hold until the anthropologist provides instructions for the next steps.