Learn a little of Toronto's history as told through its plaques.
The Hoggs Hollow Tragedy
Photos by Alan L Brown - August, 2008
Here, on the west side of Yonge Street just south of its intersection with Wilson Avenue/York Mills Road, at an entrance to the York Mills Subway Station, is a 2000 City of Toronto Culture Division plaque. Here's what it says:
On March 17, 1960, five Italian immigrant workers, Pasquale Allegrezza, Giovanni Battista Carriglio, Giovanni Fusillo, Alessandro and Guido Mantella, died in a tragic accident during construction of a tunnel at Hoggs Hollow. The details of the accident, where the workers were trapped 10.5 metres underground in a cramped, dimly lit tunnel, sparked a public outcry over the lack of safety standards in construction. The Italian community was gripped with sorrow over the deaths and and angry over the conditions that led to such needless loss of life. A groundswell of public opinion and union organizing for stronger safety enforcement resulted in a Royal Commission that ultimately led to better safety and labour laws. The Hoggs Hollow tragedy was a catalyst that changed forever the safety laws in Ontario and saved many lives as a result.
Plaque Location Co-ordinates: 43.743157 -79.407034
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