Burlington church faces high costs after human remains found under walkway

What started as a simple repair job at a church in Burlington has turned into a costly and complex project.

Earlier this summer, East Plains United Church began fixing a small walkway but when crews broke ground, they uncovered decades-old human remains.

“The thought that we have disturbed a person’s resting place is very upsetting to people,” says Jan McCormick, the Minister at East Plains United Church.

On the corner of Dovercourt Avenue and Plains Road in Aldershot, a simple project to fix a church’s sidewalk has uncovered a story that’s been buried for decades.

“We started to repair a pathway from the parking lot to the door,” McCormick says.

And when the contractors came to do that job, they hit something.

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An old oil tank just below the walkway, which prompted a call to environmental experts to have it removed safely.

“They sucked out what they could, they were about to lift the tank out onto a flatbed truck, and as they were digging around the front of the tank, to get a sling under it, one of the crew noticed something in a bucket full of dirt,” McCormick says.

That’s when this story took an unexpected turn.

“Not many churches find skulls in their walkway,” says Gayle Burnison, the Treasurer for East Plains United Church.

“So, we had to stop, call the police, and the police called the forensics unit, then the forensic unit called the coroner, then the coroner came with an anthropologist, then they said they had to conduct a burial site assessment,” McCormick says.

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The church itself is 182-years-old, but the oldest marker in the cemetery beside it dates back to 1824.

Over the years the property lines blurred, that’s likely how a simple renovation project ended up unearthing more than anyone could have expected.

Now, the small parish is faced with paying over $100,000 to cover the unexpected costs from environmental assessments and expert consultation.

“This is a huge cost that they never expected. It blindsided us, and we need help with this cost,” Burnison says.

But the cost could go up, depending on what they find next.

“We want all of this to be sorted out so we can rebury this person and lay them to rest,” McCormick says.

“And hopefully, in a place where they won’t get disturbed again.”

They’re hoping between donations, and an arts and crafts show they plan to hold in November, they can raise enough money.

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