Toronto police and Ontario’s fire marshal are treating the June 2024 fire that destroyed the historic St. Anne’s Anglican Church as suspected arson.
The Anglican diocese of Toronto said the Toronto Police Service and Office of the Fire Marshal for Ontario shared the information during a Nov. 23 meeting at St. Anne’s to update the congregation on officials’ ongoing investigation.
“The diocese and the parish are profoundly saddened by the news and will continue to cooperate with the investigation,” a diocesan statement said. “We offer our thanks to fire and police officials for their ongoing care and diligence in this matter.”
A National Historic Site of Canada, St. Anne’s was renowned for its unique Byzantine Revival architecture and irreplaceable artwork by members of the Group of Seven. The parish, which plans to rebuild the church as a smaller structure within the ruins of the old building, managed to preserve three paintings and part of a mosaic damaged in the fire.
The Rev. Hannah Johnston, priest-in-charge of St. Anne’s, said officials told the parish that the main evidence suggesting arson consisted of multiple points of origin for the fire around the interior of the church.
“Obviously there’s a lot of shock and grief and anger and anxiety that’s triggered by news like this,” Johnston said. The report had re-kindled grief for many parishioners, she said, for whom “the building was more than just a building,” but “a sacred space and a place with many memories—particularly for families, some going back generations—of baptisms, weddings, funerals of loved ones that were all tied up in the memory of that place.”
Bishop Kevin Robertson, suffragan bishop of the diocese of Toronto, joined the congregation for Sunday worship Nov. 23 and the meeting with officials, returning the next day to speak with parishioners and offer pastoral care. He said the news followed months of speculation. “There were audible gasps in the room and some tears,” Robertson said.
In the diocesan statement, Robertson said, “We pray for the person or persons who may have perpetrated this act, that they might seek forgiveness and healing.” He told the Anglican Journal he did not make this statement lightly.
“There’s clearly anger, and I think that’s completely understandable … Some folks here may not be in any mood to forgive yet, because they’re angry when they contemplate the fact that a person or persons intentionally started the fire,” the bishop said.
During the congregation’s meeting with officials, he recalled, one parishioner asked a police officer if an arrest might never be made, which the officer said was possible. “So maybe there won’t be the kind of resolution that some people would want in an arrest and a charge to conviction,” Robertson said. “But that doesn’t take away the importance of working towards forgiveness and healing.”
“What I really found encouraging was at the worship service beforehand, it was the church being the church,” he added. “There was a good group of people here. We sang, we prayed, we celebrated the Eucharist together. There’s a diversity of people in this community who are clearly committed to St. Anne’s.
“The church has not stopped being the church. As a bishop, of course, I feel very encouraged by that—that even without their beautiful sacred space over the last 18 months, they have not stopped doing what the gospel calls them to do, which is to meet and to pray and to serve.”
Johnston said the news of suspected arson would not impact rebuilding efforts, which the diocese of Toronto’s synod council must still formally approve.
Synod council is working with the parish discernment committee on plans for a new space, Robertson said, but has not yet made any concrete decisions. “Even when we have a clear idea of what we would want to build, do we have the financial capacity to do it?” he said. “If we do, what would be the sources of income generation that would help to fund a project? How long would the construction take? I think those are all open questions at this stage.”
Rebuilding plans nevertheless brought “a lot of hope and energy and excitement to the congregation,” Johnston said, as did Robertson’s visit and pledge of diocesan support for ongoing ministry of St. Anne’s.
“We’re hoping that being able to share this news and process this news will provide a sense of closure ultimately for the congregation, rather than feeling in limbo waiting for the report that we’ve been waiting for now for 18 months,” she said.
Official investigation into the fire continues. The parish was informed that lab results are still pending for additional samples, Johnston said, and an official report might not appear for at least six months.
