Police treating Toronto’s St. Anne’s church fire as suspected arson

Toronto police and fire officials have confirmed that the blaze, which destroyed St. Anne’s Anglican Church last summer, is now being investigated as suspected arson.

The Anglican Diocese of Toronto said the update was delivered to parishioners on Sunday, during a meeting at the Gladstone Avenue site, where a police official briefed the congregation on the ongoing probe. The Office of the Fire Marshal for Ontario continues to investigate, with a final report still pending.

The four-alarm fire on June 9, 2024, reduced the century-old Byzantine-style building to rubble, erasing Group of Seven murals and leaving the west-end community devastated. At the time, officials described the destruction as “irreplaceable.”

“We are devastated to hear that the fire that destroyed the congregation of St. Anne’s building on Gladstone may have been deliberately set,” said Bishop Kevin Robertson of the Anglican Diocese. “As this new reality sinks in, we pray for the congregation of St. Anne’s… and for the person or persons who may have perpetrated this act.”

Rev. Hannah Johnston, priest-in-charge of St. Anne’s, said the news compounded the parishioners’ grief.

“The church was more than a building; it was a sacred space that held so many memories… Its loss has been devastating, yet our community is resilient.”

Built in 1907 and designated a national historic site in 1996, St. Anne’s was celebrated for its dome and chancel murals painted by Group of Seven members J.E.H. MacDonald, Franklin Carmichael, and Frederick Varley.

Police have not released details about suspects or motives. One official described the case as “active and ongoing.”