The hole was discovered on January 14 by an employee of the nearby Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. The tunnel has since been filled in. Police are still trying to determine who was responsible for the construction.
Located on the western edge of the York university campus complex, the tunnel is close to a stadium that will be used as the tennis venue for the Pan American and Parapan Am games in July, the Rexall Centre.
A statement on Monday by Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Peter Leon, part of the security unit for the games, confirmed that authorities are not treating the mysterious hole as a threat to the upcoming events. An official pointed out that students have been known to stage similar elaborate pranks before on university campuses. He said: “There is no defined threat to the Games at this point.”
The tunnel was found to be six feet and four inches high at its discovery over a month ago. It was two feet, 10 inches wide and ran for 33 feet and three inches in a north-south direction. Made of plywood-reinforced walls and ceiling, moisture-resistant lights had been connected to a generator. It is expected that it took weeks or even months to build.
Perhaps strangest of all is that left in the tunnel were a collection of unusual items. A wheelbarrow contained gloves, food, beverages, rosary and a Remembrance Day poppy.
The police are not looking for anybody specific in connection with the underground structure. No criminal motive is believed to be involved in its construction and police have ruled out the possibility of it being used as a drug lab or base for a similar illegal operation. Deputy Police Chief Mark Saunders explained “There’s no criminal offence to building a hole.”
