Inside a Pig Slaughterhouse

Ontario, Canada

Quality Meat Packers was a pig slaughterhouse in downtown Toronto, hence Toronto’s nickname, “Hog Town”. Every day, for over 80 years, up to 7,000 young pigs were forced into this building, gassed, stabbed, then cut into pieces. Being inside this dark place was extremely emotional and frightening - a real-life horror movie. The energy dark and full of despair. Looking down into the dark, depth of the gas chamber was overwhelming, in my mind hearing the screams for help of the millions of pigs who lost their lives down inside. The door of the gas chamber accurately had the word “Hell” inscribed on it. I remember a worker there telling us that he had to wear special ear protection as the screams of the pigs being gassed were, literally, deafening. It was disturbing to see that the gas chamber was only feet away from the pens that held thousands of pigs. Imagine their terror as they heard the pigs before them screaming for mercy. The gates of the holding pens, scarred with attempts to escape, clearly reflect this. There were approximately 20 pens, each holding up to 250 pigs. Sprayers hung from the ceiling to shower the pigs before they were gassed.

Witness the gassing of pigs here.

Another building contained rows of incinerators, still filled with ash.

Numbers. Showers. Gas chamber. Incinerators. All of these bringing to mind the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Directly across the street from this slaughterhouse is a dog park where condo dwellers bring their dog companions to socialize and exercise. When the slaughterhouse was running, the screams of the pigs were clearly heard from this park. Yet, people just seemed oblivious to it - going about their business, chatting, laughing, playing with their dogs. Truck after truck filled with terrified pigs, as sensitive and sentient as their beloved dogs, turned into the slaughterhouse only 50 feet away from them. The disconnect, the apathy, and denial was disturbingly surreal.

In April 2014 the killing factory suddenly closed it’s doors to bankruptcy. I would like to say this was a win for the pigs but unless the closing of it’s doors was due to the lack of demand for their flesh then they’re simply sent elsewhere to be killed. In the future, I’m certain of it, people will look back at our callous, violent, and arrogant treatment of our fellow animals with disbelief and horror - as I do now.