Fire at historic Toronto church now believed to be arson, parish says

A fire that ripped through a historic Toronto church more than a year ago may have been deliberately set.

The Anglican Diocese of Toronto and St. Anne’s Church on Gladstone Avenue said in a statement Sunday they have been informed by Toronto police and the Office of the Fire Marshal that the June 9, 2024, fire at St. Anne’s Anglican Church is being treated as a suspected arson.

“We are devastated to hear that the fire that destroyed the congregation of St. Anne’s building on Gladstone may have been deliberately set. As this new reality sinks in, we pray for the congregation of St. Anne’s,” Bishop Kevin Robertson, a suffragan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, said in the statement.

“May they continue to be a light to the community, providing hope and compassion to those in need. We pray for the person or persons who may have perpetrated this act, that they might seek forgiveness and healing.”

No one was injured in the four-alarm fire at St. Anne’s, a national historic site in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood, but massive damage was reported.

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The church held early paintings by three Group of Seven members and other prominent Canadian artists, which were installed along the interior in the 1920s.

The murals decorated the chancel and the dome, which was destroyed in the blaze.

Alicia Coutts, director at Toronto Art Restoration, told Global News in June her team is working to revitalize some of the damaged pieces.

“There was definitely some loss, I mean there are some parts of this canvas that are completely charred,” Coutts said.

“But, for the most part, you can see a lot of the imagery still and a lot of the colours — even some of the original gold leaf that was on it, I was able to maintain.”

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The church remains boarded up as discussions about the rebuild continue, and the congregation has been meeting at the Parish Hall on Dufferin Street in the meantime.

“This has been a very difficult season for the St. Anne’s community, and learning this news will add to that pain. The church was more than a building, it was a sacred space that held so many memories for St. Anne’s parishioners, our neighbours and outreach community, and people across Canada and beyond,” said Rev. Hannah Johnston, priest-in-charge of St. Anne’s, in the statement.

“Its loss has been devastating, yet our community is resilient. Our faith tells us that there is hope even in the face of suffering and death, and that new life can spring from the ashes. The church is the people who gather in worship and in service of others, and we look forward to worshipping and serving in this neighbourhood for many more years to come.”

The investigation by the Office of the Fire Marshal is ongoing.

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