"In a news release issued Monday, the groups said they have been informed by Toronto police and the Office of the Fire Marshal that the blaze that gutted the building in June 2024 is suspected to have been deliberately set. This information was shared with the congregation by a police official at a meeting at the church today, the news release reads."
"This has been a very difficult season for the St. Anne's community, and learning this news will add to that pain, said Rev. Hannah Johnston, priest-in-charge of St. Anne's, in a statement. 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."
"The building, built between 1907 and 1908 in the city's Little Portugal neighbourhood, housed early works by members of the Group of Seven and was designated a national historic site for the "remarkable" cycle of paintings and sculptures that decorated its interior. One parishioner told CBC News after the fire last year that it was like "being inside a jewel box.""
Toronto police and the Office of the Fire Marshal informed Anglican Diocese and St. Anne's Church leaders that the June 9, 2024 blaze that gutted the historic Gladstone Avenue church is suspected to have been deliberately set. Congregation members were told this at a meeting with a police official as the church awaits the fire marshal's report. Earlier in the probe police had said the four-alarm fire did not appear deliberate. The 1907–1908 building housed early Group of Seven works and was a national historic site. Parishioners described the loss as devastating and emphasized community resilience and faith amid sorrow.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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