Reaction pours in after Morinville church razed in suspicious fire
Jonny Wakefield , Anna Junker 13 hrs ago
© Provided by Edmonton Journal St. Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville was burned to the ground on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Police are investigating the suspicious fire at the historic Catholic church.
Investigators continue to probe the cause of a fire that left a century-old Catholic church in Morinville in ruins.
Before dawn Wednesday morning, St. Jean Baptiste Parish Church in the community north of Edmonton caught fire and burned to the ground. Police believe the blaze may have been deliberately set.
On Thursday afternoon, RCMP Cpl. Candace Hrdlicka said fire investigators and RCMP were still on scene. No suspects had been identified and the cause of the fire had not been determined.
The church is one of several Catholic churches in Canada to burn amid the ongoing discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools . Others have been vandalized with red and orange paint .
Premier Jason Kenney toured the scene in Morinville Wednesday and said the fire “appears to have been a criminal act of hate inspired violence.”
Investigators continue to probe the cause of a fire that left a century-old Catholic church in Morinville in ruins.
Before dawn Wednesday morning, St. Jean Baptiste Parish Church in the community north of Edmonton caught fire and burned to the ground. Police believe the blaze may have been deliberately set.
On Thursday afternoon, RCMP Cpl. Candace Hrdlicka said fire investigators and RCMP were still on scene. No suspects had been identified and the cause of the fire had not been determined.
The church is one of several Catholic churches in Canada to burn amid the ongoing discoveries of hundreds of unmarked graves at the sites of former residential schools . Others have been vandalized with red and orange paint .
Premier Jason Kenney toured the scene in Morinville Wednesday and said the fire “appears to have been a criminal act of hate inspired violence.”
Archbishop Richard Smith of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton called the fire “heartrending” and urged empathy for Indigenous communities and local parishioners.
“That’s a monument to their faith,” he said of the church in a video message . “It’s also a very, very important monument in life in that whole city. They’re reeling right now, they’re in a lot of grief.”
A statement attributed to chief and council of nearby Alexander First Nation also mourned the loss of the church.
“We extend our sympathies to all those affected by this loss,” the statement reads. “The leadership of Alexander will continue to work with the town and support where we are able.
“Neither community has much to celebrate on this Canada Day … we ask that you give us the grace to pause and reflect on the issues before us without speculation and rumour.”
“That’s a monument to their faith,” he said of the church in a video message . “It’s also a very, very important monument in life in that whole city. They’re reeling right now, they’re in a lot of grief.”
A statement attributed to chief and council of nearby Alexander First Nation also mourned the loss of the church.
“We extend our sympathies to all those affected by this loss,” the statement reads. “The leadership of Alexander will continue to work with the town and support where we are able.
“Neither community has much to celebrate on this Canada Day … we ask that you give us the grace to pause and reflect on the issues before us without speculation and rumour.”
© Larry Wong St. Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville, Alberta was burned to the ground on Wednesday June 30, 2021. Police are investigating the suspicious fire at the historic Catholic church.
‘Sounds of collapse’
During a press conference at the Morinville Town Hall Wednesday morning, Mayor Barry Turner said the loss of the church has been “overwhelming.”
“I can’t begin to describe the range of emotions that no doubt we’re all feeling in Morinville here today,” Turner said. Construction of the church was completed in 1907.
“It’s really the heart and soul of a lot of what went on in our community. And as I said before, we cannot replace what was lost.”
The Morinville Fire Department responded to the structure fire at the church, 10034 100 Ave., at around 3 a.m. Wednesday. Iain Bushell, Morinville director of emergency management, said first responders attempted to enter the building through a side door but were “faced immediately with flame and smoke and the sounds of collapse on the inside of the building.”
“They thus backed out of the building and the remainder of the firefight was conducted from (the) exterior, using exterior operations.”
Video: Fire at Morinville, Alta., church very advanced when firefighters arrived: emergency official (cbc.ca)
At the height of the firefight, there were approximately 10 trucks and 50 firefighters. The fire was contained to the church and was declared under control just before 7 a.m.
Bushell said there was no damage to the rectory building next door. There was minor ember damage to the roof of the nearby Notre Dame Apartments — a former convent and residential school which contains 38 apartment units — as well as the Morinville Museum.
Residents of the building were safely evacuated and the Morinville Legion is acting as a reception centre for displaced residents.
“We’ve asked them to be prepared to stay out of their homes for 48 hours, but we hope to get them back in their residence as quickly as possible,” Bushell said Wednesday.
Fire crews remained on scene late Wednesday morning dousing hot spots. Bushell said it will be some time before a final report including the cause of the fire is available.
During a press conference at the Morinville Town Hall Wednesday morning, Mayor Barry Turner said the loss of the church has been “overwhelming.”
“I can’t begin to describe the range of emotions that no doubt we’re all feeling in Morinville here today,” Turner said. Construction of the church was completed in 1907.
“It’s really the heart and soul of a lot of what went on in our community. And as I said before, we cannot replace what was lost.”
The Morinville Fire Department responded to the structure fire at the church, 10034 100 Ave., at around 3 a.m. Wednesday. Iain Bushell, Morinville director of emergency management, said first responders attempted to enter the building through a side door but were “faced immediately with flame and smoke and the sounds of collapse on the inside of the building.”
“They thus backed out of the building and the remainder of the firefight was conducted from (the) exterior, using exterior operations.”
Video: Fire at Morinville, Alta., church very advanced when firefighters arrived: emergency official (cbc.ca)
At the height of the firefight, there were approximately 10 trucks and 50 firefighters. The fire was contained to the church and was declared under control just before 7 a.m.
Bushell said there was no damage to the rectory building next door. There was minor ember damage to the roof of the nearby Notre Dame Apartments — a former convent and residential school which contains 38 apartment units — as well as the Morinville Museum.
Residents of the building were safely evacuated and the Morinville Legion is acting as a reception centre for displaced residents.
“We’ve asked them to be prepared to stay out of their homes for 48 hours, but we hope to get them back in their residence as quickly as possible,” Bushell said Wednesday.
Fire crews remained on scene late Wednesday morning dousing hot spots. Bushell said it will be some time before a final report including the cause of the fire is available.
© Larry Wong Firefighter Graham Glaubitz (Legal Fire Dept.) walks past St. Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville, Alberta, which was burned to the ground on Wednesday June 30, 2021. Police are investigating the suspicious fire at the historic Catholic church.
Canada Day festivities cancelled
Fire investigators and RCMP are treating the case as suspicious. Anyone with information about the fire, including those who may have video, is asked to contact Morinville RCMP or local police
Turner said the town council conducted a special meeting and decided to cancel Canada Day festivities in light of the fire. A community centre was instead opened to allow community members “to get together, share their stories, and move forward together.”
Kenney, Morinville-St. Albert MLA Dale McNally and Justice Minister Kaycee Madu toured the site Wednesday afternoon and announced the province will double funding for the Alberta Security Infrastructure Program , from $1 million to $2 million, to help protect churches and other faith communities targeted by vandalism and violence.
“This scale of violence attacking a faith community is an attack on constitutionally protected freedom of religion, it is an attack on Canadian values,” Kenney said. “It is an attack that could have had lethal effect right next to this church.”
“We hope that the law enforcement agencies will leave no stone unturned to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”
The Morinville case follows another Alberta church fire Monday. RCMP were called to the Siksika First Nation Catholic Church shortly after midnight. The Siksika fire department was able to put out the flames before there was major damage. That fire is also being investigated as deliberately set.
The fires come on the heels of four recent Catholic church fires in B.C.’s southern interior after the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Many were in Indigenous communities.
Other churches, including Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Edmonton and at least ten churches in Calgary , have been vandalized with paint.
Two Catholic churches in Saskatoon were similarly vandalized after the discovery of 751 unmarked graves at the Marieval Indian Residential School, which the church operated.
Some accused Kenney of jumping to conclusions about the Morinville fire. In a statement Thursday, the Chiefs of the Sovereign Nations of Treaty 8 said Kenney’s claim the fire was a “hate crime” was premature.
“This was a surprise to many Albertans and Indigenous communities who had not heard from the RCMP the official cause of the fire.”
Turner said the investigation into the fire is ongoing and would not speculate about whether this fire was connected to the other recent church fires.
“At the end of the day, what’s happened is a terrible and tragic event for our community,” he said.
Morinville is located 40 kilometres north of Edmonton.
—with files from Lauren Boothby
© Greg Southam The Roman Catholic Church of the St. Jean Baptiste Parish was built in 1907. Taken on June 7, 2011 in Morinville .
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