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Workers renovating an unused Barrie train station have discovered what may be a First Nations grave disturbed during the building’s 1905 construction.

On Monday, while digging in the crawlspace of the Allandale train station with a shovel and a rake, workers unearthed a small collection of bones buried just six inches down.

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The bones were scattered across an area about three meters wide and were mostly broken. “It’s not like they found a skeleton laying on its back,” says Sgt. Robert McLeod, a spokesperson with the Barrie Police.Police halted their investigation of the remains once the coroner’s service determined that the bones were more than 50 years old. On Tuesday, the City of Barrie then called in an archaeologist to survey the site.

Given that the Allandale Train Station sits atop land known to be a First Nations burial ground, the bones are most likely aboriginal. “My immediate suspicion, given the circumstances, is that they may have been disturbed during the construction of the building or the railroad,” says Michael Henry, a managing partner with AMICK archaeological consultants.