The leadership of a Greek Orthodox church in Winnipeg says they’re ready to move elsewhere after a major fire and a series of thefts underscored the challenges the congregation has faced in the city’s Point Douglas neighbourhood.
Fire crews responded to a blaze Tuesday afternoon inside the Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church building on Euclid Avenue, which caused significant damage.
The church said the damage is so severe it may not have enough money to repair it, leaving no choice but to close its doors.
The city said Tuesday the cause of the fire is under investigation, but church secretary Stephanie Sarlakis says it started after someone broke into the church — the latest in a series of similar incidents.
Sarlakis, who wasn’t available for an interview because she was out of the country, told CBC News via online messages the church has been broken into seven times this past year — five times in the last week alone.
Last Saturday, the church was broken into and a small fire was started, she said.
“It was discovered and put out quickly, only for it to be broken into again a couple days later and the larger fire set again.”
Sarlakis said people have stolen several items from the church since the fire, including religious items she said are historical or “irreplaceable.” Other items would cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to replace, she added.
Crime, addiction and homelessness have all been on the rise in the area, and parishioners are scared to come to services, so the congregation has seen a rapid decline, said Sarlakis.
The church has been struggling financially for many years and couldn’t afford upgrades to its electrical, water, and boiler systems that would have made the building insurable, she said.
While she doesn’t know what the future looks like for the church, “we know that it won’t be in its current location,” said Sarlakis.
“We will salvage whatever we can and it will be relocated to other parishes across the country.”
‘We’ve had too many fires’
According to the Manitoba Historical Society, the brick structure was built in 1938 and initially used as a Ukrainian Labour Hall. Sarlakis said the church has been there since the 1980s.
The city said the structure was previously damaged by fires in 2021 and 2023.
Point Douglas community advocate Sel Burrows said it’s “a tragedy” to see such historic buildings go up in flames.
“The whole community, we’ve had way too many fires,” Burrows said.
“We definitely need a better strategy on fire prevention. [It’s] particularly hard on small groups that don’t have a lot of money to fix them up.”
Burrows said his grassroots community organization, Point Powerline Inc., has been urging the city to create a task force to identify and crack down on arsonists.
“The closure rate by the police on arson investigations is eight per cent, which is telling us that it’s not being taken very seriously,” he said.
“When historic buildings, important houses, things get burned and they’re lost, many of them are lost forever. We need a better prevention policy.”