Goodyear Factory

Very large, cool-looking, thoroughly abandoned factory. This was a Goodyear factory and closed sometime between 2007 and 2009, and was then purchased by a realty company. Originally there were toxic transformers/capacitators on site, which would have caused serious environmental issues had one of them dropped or caught on fire. Environment Canada told the realty company in 2013 to have the transistors and capacitors removed, which the company ignored. Environment Canada cited them again in 2014 and the company ignored them again. So in 2016 Environment Canada pressed charges and successfully prosecuted the company, leading to $420,000 in fines/charges and 45 days in jail for the director. The property is currently for sale under a Power of Sale, but it's pretty decrepit and costs over $5 million, so I doubt investors are lining up. There was an investment attempt back in 2010 to redevelop it into a community center, but that went nowhere.

Though Environment Canada said the transistors/capacitators have been safely removed and they never leaked, there is an asbestos warning sign on the front door. There's significant damage to the building walls along the sides, so if asbestos was in the ceiling, it might be exposed.

There are fences at either side but you can see the front of the building and part of the sides (the fences are about a third of the way back along the sides) without trespassing. The front windows are mostly boarded over, with some broken glass around. It looks like there's some kind of machinery inside, and a realty listing says all "equipment/fixtures are as-is", but exploring a falling-apart place with an asbestos warning sign is not something to take lightly. There are plywood slabs on the ground near the front of the building, not sure if they cover holes in the ground or were leaned against the front wall and fell over. There's a old rusting truck-trailer that's still parked at a loading bay door at one side. The building has some cool architectural features on the front.