One man's trash may be another man's treasure, but Councillor John Campbell could care less.

His speech at council this week, which makes this blog's notable mentions, came during a debate on the next step in the $91-million reconstruction of the North Market Building at St. Lawrence Market where archaeologists have found old foundations and the "large arched flagstone sewer" from the original 1831 brick building. A staff report said the more than 200-year-old market area is "one of the most valuable historical sites in Toronto."

Because of that discovery and provincial and city heritage rules, the city is now forced to tear down the existing building before closing a construction contract on the new building to allow for further archaeological exploration.

Campbell, speaking to the item Wednesday, was not exactly overcome with reverence for what staff called "significant archaeological findings":

"Thank you, Madam Speaker. I would like to echo Deputy Mayor Minnan-Wong’s comments and say that this looks to me like an open-ended sinkhole. You know, we started around $40 million, then we got up to around $76 (million), now we’re at $91 (million). And you know what, we’re going to be back here in a couple years and it’s going to be $120 million. I don’t find a great deal of archaeological significance in spoons and bricks from 1850. This isn’t Athens or Rome. This is Toronto and I think you could dig probably anywhere and find foundations from the 1850s, not that they’re even that significant. I mean, I love history, I’m a believer in history, but you know the sewer foundations of a building from 1850 don’t incite or inspire in me a lot of historical significance."

Local area councillor Pam McConnell, one of the longest serving members, was not impressed.

She spoke after Campbell.

"It's significant history," she said. "We have finally found some of the history that has been so lost in the 10 square blocks of the beginning of our city. And for people to throw it away as if somehow a sewer doesn't matter tells me that they don't understand that a lot of things ended up in the sewer and in fact if you go to the Shangri-La, they would tell you that they found most of their stuff in the toilets."