Toronto's Leslieville Neighborhood Stinks

0:00Folks in Toronto's Lesleyville neighborhood are hit with a nasty sewage smell that hits hard, especially around Jones, Greenwood, and Coxwell avenues. Most locals point fingers at the nearby Ashbridge Bay wastewater treatment plant, one of Canada's biggest and oldest. That plant racked up 18 odor complaints in 2024 alone, the highest since at least 2019. It kicks in strongest during spring warmups and hot summer days when the wind shifts off Lake Ontario. Police float around blaming garbage dumps, construction on the Ontario line, or even garden fertilizer, but the wastewater plant tops the suspect. List every time. Residents describe it like, rotten eggs, a week old clogged toilet, or something decomposing. They dodge it by staying indoors, holding their breath or slapping on masks. Businesses feel the burn to patio diners bolt after a whiff, and garden centers just power through the funk. The city says crews tackled a mechanical glitch, causing Wednesday's blast, but they

1:00can't pin down why it occurs yearly. Back in 2007, they rolled out an air management plan with odor control gear. Yet complaints keep coming. Officials probe six cases this year and found no clear source. Locals mix frustration with grit, calling it the neighborhood's quirky charm while pushing for real fixes. Toronto waters asking for patience as they dig deeper into long term solutions. This has been Canada News Today, powered by AI. I'm Corey with the story.