What Toronto lost in the St. Anne's fire

This Matters

Guests: John Degen, novelist, and Peter Gorman, Deputy People's Warden at St. Anne's

On June 9, a catastrophic four-alarm fire destroyed St. Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto's Little Portugal neighbourhood. The flames turned valuable paintings that were embedded into the very structure to ashes, including the only know religious artwork made by Canada’s famed Group of Seven. With the loss of St. Anne's, Canada has lost a historic site, but the community that built its life around the church has also lost its emotional and spiritual sanctuary. In this episode, two men deeply connected with St. Anne's church talk about what was lost; not just from a historical and cultural perspective but a deeply human one.

Audio sources: Global News

This episode was produced by Paulo Marques and Saba Eitizaz