Bones found on Vaughan construction site “non-human”

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Plans to build an in-ground pool and cabana came to a standstill last fall, after an archeological assessment of the site unearthed bone fragments.

 The ghost of Clarabelle the cow could soon be roaming the pool deck of a Vaughan-area golf club.

A grizzly discovery made last year on the grounds of the Thornhill Golf and Country Club has turned out to be “non-human.”

The club’s plans to build an in-ground pool and cabana came to a standstill last fall, after an archeological assessment of the site unearthed bone fragments.

The close proximity of the discovery to a historic private cemetery, where the founders and original settlers of Thornhill are buried, invited concerns that someone’s final resting place may have been disturbed.

At the time, the discovery was said to be of “bone fragments; a piece of jewelry; and the outline of a small grave.”

But, earlier this year, when the process of disinterment began, under the watch of the provincial registrar of burial sites, the experts quickly realized the bones seemed more animal than human.

“It was determined that the remains that were uncovered that day were not human and that of a small cow or horse, due to the number of ribs and size of the teeth,” said Cathy Pearson, a parishioner at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, which runs the cemetery.

 She says the site is believed to have been a tannery “way back before the golf club was there.”

The Ministry of Government and Consumer affairs confirmed the “remains were non-human.”

Neil Rodgers, vice-president of the TGCC said that, “under the current rules, everything has to stop until the (registrar’s) process has been completed. Had the consulting archeologist been allowed to do more work, within 20 minutes of the excavation, it was obvious that it wasn’t human,” he said.

Rodgers said that “the club has full approval from the registrar, ministry and the church via an agreement to proceed with the plans for a swimming pool on the lands,” he said. “No additional archeological survey or work is required on the area of the lands where the pool is proposed.”

The Star previously outlined the concerns of parishioners about the proximity of the pool to the active cemetery.

The city of Vaughan’s bylaws normally require a 15 metre buffer between cemetery and structures. But the church was told that city rules say an in-ground pool is not a structure and thus requires no buffer. The remains were found 10 metres from the cemetery.

Last year, when the club applied for a permit for the pool, the city also waived the need for an archeological assessment, until the church asked the province to intervene.

But with the identity of the bones cleared up, the plans for the pool are expected to proceed, said Pearson.

The two parties have come to an agreement which includes the addition of a 10-ft high fence with sound barrier material, and closure of a pool with 24-hour notice of a burial service.

Rodgers said the timing of the construction of the pool has yet to be finalized and will “require permits from the City of Vaughan for the pool and related cabana construction.” Rodgers “expects those to be routine in nature.”

But the lack of oversight going forward worries Pearson.

“What we were hoping for was there to be an archeologist on site for the rest of the process, but that’s not going to happen,” she said. “Just because they haven’t found human bone yet, doesn’t mean it can’t happen.”