Parishioners Mourning Their Loss | Toronto Star

Report on recent fires at Ontario places of worship and their causes

Keywords: arson, arson statistics, arsonists, Beth Tefilah Synagogue, British Methodist Episcopal Church, causes of church fires, church fires, church renovations, classic church architecture, Detective Kim Carr, Doctor Jonathan Bashinsky, fire statistics, fire devastation, fire investigation, fires, fires at places of worship, forensic psychiatry, Grant Harris, historic churches, London, nineteenth century churches, Ontario, Ontario Fire Marshal's Office, Or Shalom Congregation, Penetanguishene Mental Health Centre, places of worship, psychology of arson, psychotic religious delusions, Reverend Canon Harold Percy, Shaw Street, Streetsville, synagogue fires, Toronto, Toronto Police Service, Toronto Star, Trinity Anglican Church, Victoria Gaitskell

1. CHURCH AFLAME: Fircfichters tri

British Methodist Episcopal on Sha

St. April 16,

Parishioners mourning their loss

was a tim n The Canadian courts still unassertve, shy pe
il. the loss of the building treat arson as a property-elat- pable of standing uy
AL am. 0 y: April could not be equated with the ed crime,” says Toronto Police agreement, who set

farold Percy lossof the church, he
00d in the parking

tive Kim C ie; inmates whi
à church, “But when we get into these in-out of anger at an institution
Anglican Church, Streets. we've lost a building out of ations, we actually find and to draw attention to them.
le, with about a hundred of Which ministry happens.” is out how frightening arson is selves, and people who appear
his parishioners and neigh: what he told his pars and what turmoil it creates in to be out of their minds and do.
hours, watching the church “The ministry is what matters. thehearts of notjustthe person not realize they are doing

o its foundations. He Itleads people toa vital faith in that it immediatel Something wrong,

y address his dev. Christ. We can do that with or all the pa ndit —the Such was the case with Dr.
«4 congregation in a mat- without a buildin xt-door and the Jonathan Bishinsky, whom an
hours Damages were pe ac Ontario court found not crim

blazing building was an more t rally responsible Tor set
example of classic church ar. yearold has been charged, E two February fires outside Bi
hitecture. ts nave dating back Fr she About 20 per cent Teflah Synagogue and Or Sha
184 and its chance to 1800... odist Episcopal Church in TO. of church fires om Congregation in London
growing congregation was ron homeless since April 16 bie ‘using S600 damage
the fina stages of SIS mil thesamedayof suspicious fires are deliberately set Bah acardlogs, sut
worship space to 400 scats Arson accounted for Al th related psycho religious

rom 150. Ti
holding servic
rishioners

ent, of the In the case of a church,
ff Worship from you're dealing with "a ful
bie School ording to the provincial Fire ing the forces of good defeat
y recalls his inital grief Marshals office, Mechanic gist at the Penetanguish- the forces of evil and was un
for th had worked on and electrical failure was the ene Mental Health Centre, has _ aware th
the church extension, raising Second biggest cause, at 19 per conducted a 25-ycar study of hazardous,
$750,000, after 10 years dis, cent. Othercauses were misuse 350 convicted firesetters, ‘But the fact arson occurs ata
ussion and thousands 0 ‘equipment, accidents, var ons place of wo
Uunteer hours. "It was important dalism, child play and install the Sarily significant, says Harris
the extent of ti fall “There is insufficient evidence
ikea fami y categories according hat the nature ofa building set
sed our house, We ere or res into motive, he says: Very aggres. fire Lo. the method used or time
proud of and tried to make places of worshipin that period sive, antisocial people with a of day say much about the per.
ns effective as we could indforS8697,044indamages. history of violent behaviour, —Sonwhoset the i

Ss, a forensie psy