Video of teens exploring abandoned GM property exposes clear risks caused by City of St. Catharines’ failure to clean up crumbling industrial site

A newly circulated video showing three young urban explorers inside the former General Motors property on Ontario Street in St. Catharines is fuelling even more concern among residents about safety due to easy access into one of the region’s most hazardous vacant industrial sites.

The approximately 16-minute video, posted in late April and recently gaining wider attention after being shared on Facebook community pages, shows the trio moving through the crumbling complex, descending stairwells, exploring graffiti-covered corridors and ultimately retreating after becoming frightened by unexplained sounds inside the structure. Discussions among the teens during the video make it clear this is not the first time some of them have explored the site where the most recent testing done more than a decade ago showed the presence of some highly toxic substances at more than one thousand times higher than the allowable limits. 

Comments on the video since local residents began circulating it widely online have reflected growing concern over what it depicts and what it suggests about the condition of the site. The gap between the assurances of elected officials who continue to claim the site does not pose a health and safety risk, and the lack of updated information about the state of the former heavy industrial property to prove their claims, has frustrated local residents. They have repeatedly asked council members and senior City staff about its security and the continued lack of enforcement of property standards bylaws that could compel remediation of the heavily polluted grounds and demolition of the deteriorating structures. 

Gwen Kennedy, a spokesperson for the Coalition for A Better St. Catharines, said the video reinforces concerns her organization has repeatedly raised about the dangers posed by the GM property and the lack of meaningful enforcement action taken by municipal officials.

“Abandoned industrial properties invite curiosity, especially from young people who ignore the real risks involved,” Kennedy said. “That’s exactly what happened in Hamilton in April, resulting in the death of a 19-year-old teen.

“The GM site is a public safety issue brought on by an irresponsible property owner and the City’s lack of action. Property standards bylaws exist to ensure that neglected sites do not pose harm to the community. Allowing this situation to persist increases the likelihood of injury or worse,” she said. 

The video footage shows clear signs of risk-taking behaviour in a dangerous setting. At one point, one of them says: “I told my mom earlier today– just let me be a teenager.”

They appear to be in their mid-teens, with one remarking, “when I turn 15 I’m going to…”. It’s also clear from the footage that others have also entered what’s supposed to be a carefully secured site, where numerous hazards, from open pits, exposed beams, falling building material and chemical waste, pose a serious risk to anyone who easily trespasses the routinely breached private property. 

The former GM site has been the subject of public concern for years. Residents near the property have long argued that it remains too accessible, too exposed and too dangerous to be left in its current condition. When The Pointer visited the site in January 2025, gates around the property were unlocked and hatches leading to underground industrial tunnels were open, some on the outside of the fenced-in property. 

Reporting by The Pointer has documented how gates have been forced open and left unrepaired for extended periods, while sections of perimeter fencing have collapsed due to neglect. These issues have created multiple entry points into a vast 55-acre industrial complex that was never fully secured after its closure.

Graffiti visible throughout the newly circulated video appears to reinforce those claims. Walls, corridors and large interior spaces are heavily marked, suggesting repeated and ongoing access by trespassers and urban explorers.

Stills taken from the recently posted YouTube video show a group of teens exploring the upper floors of the crumbling General Motors building.

(YouTube)

Far from being an isolated occurrence, the video appears to reflect a broader pattern of regular activity inside the abandoned facility.

One of the most striking sequences in the footage occurs when the group descends a narrow stairway leading underground. At a landing, they pause and peer into complete darkness before deciding not to continue.

The underground sections of the former GM site have long been the subject of local speculation, with stories circulating for years about tunnels, maintenance corridors and catacomb-like industrial infrastructure beneath the facility.

In the video, the uncertainty of what lies ahead is enough to halt the teens entirely. As they turn back, one of the youths remarks: “If we come back with five people, then we’ll go down.”

The video ends abruptly after the group becomes alarmed by the sound of breaking glass somewhere else inside the building. The tone shifts immediately from curiosity to fear, as the teens begin to speculate that someone else may be on the site.

Within moments, they decide to leave, moving quickly through the structure.

Beyond the visible dangers of unstable floors, broken staircases and open shafts, one of the most serious risks in abandoned industrial facilities like the former GM plant is the potential presence of hazardous legacy materials.

A photo taken in April shows pipes wrapped in what appears to be crumbling asbestos insulation.

(Ed Smith/The Pointer)

Sites of this era commonly contained asbestos in insulation, fireproofing, pipe wrapping, ceiling tiles and other construction materials. When these materials degrade or are disturbed, microscopic fibres can become airborne.

Inhalation of asbestos fibres is associated with serious long-term health conditions, including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. These illnesses can take decades to develop; the consequences of exposure are not immediately apparent. Any potential health effects that might emerge later in life would also be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to directly attribute to a single incident of exposure.

The teens are seen moving through and touching parts of the building without protective equipment, likely unaware of what materials they may be disturbing.

The video has energized debate about whether the site is being adequately secured.

Councillor Caleb Ratzlaff has previously assured residents that the property is secured and patrolled 24/7. Despite those assurances, residents living in the shadow of the site have continued to publicly report frequent sightings of individuals on the property, raising ongoing concerns about the effectiveness of current security measures. 

 Crumbling metal and brick, open floor hatches and a myriad of other risks exist on the former GM site.

(Ed Smith/Joel Wittnebel/The Pointer)

The timing of the video has added further weight to concerns, following the April 4 death of a young urban explorer in Hamilton. The victim reportedly fell through the roof of the abandoned Westinghouse facility, an industrial structure eerily similar to the former GM site right next to downtown St. Catharines.

That tragedy has heightened awareness of the dangers associated with urban exploration across the region, particularly in older industrial sites with unstable structures.

For many residents in St. Catharines, the parallels to the recent tragedy in Hamilton are difficult to ignore.

Previous reporting by The Pointer has exposed the murky ownership structure behind the property, and the hands-off approach taken by officials with the City of St. Catharines to enforce existing laws. 

“What ultimately makes the video resonate is not simply what happens inside it, but how familiar it feels. It is a first-person glimpse into the attraction of abandoned spaces, the sense of discovery, risk and independence that draws young people into places they are not supposed to enter,” Kennedy said. 

“It is also a reminder of how quickly that curiosity can collide with environments that are structurally unstable, environmentally hazardous and unpredictably unsafe…The City should not wait for a serious incident to occur before meaningful action is taken.”

Email: [email protected]

At a time when vital public information is needed by everyone, The Pointer has taken down our paywall on all stories to ensure every resident of Brampton, Mississauga and Niagara has access to the facts. For those who are able, we encourage you to consider a subscription. This will help us report on important public interest issues the community needs to know about now more than ever. You can register for a 30-day free trial HERE. Thereafter, The Pointer will charge $10 a month and you can cancel any time right on the website. Thank you