REGINA - A historic church in Regina is beyond repair to the point where its owners have successfully applied to have its heritage status removed.
City council in Regina has voted to remove the municipal heritage property designation from the St. Matthew’s Anglican Church. That sets the stage for next steps in the process, which include applying to demolish the property and to ultimately replace it with a new "community hub" development in the area, but those steps are not finalized yet.
The church, located at the corner of 14th Avenue and Winnipeg St. in the city’s Heritage neighbourhood southeast of downtown, had been used for services and activities for 90 years. But it no longer houses a congregation and sits empty.
The removal of the designation came from a request from the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle which owns the property.
Rev. Mike Sinclair, appearing on behalf of the Anglican Diocese, explained to council the poor state of affairs at the old church. He told council the structure had a severely damaged foundation as well as damage to the interior and exterior walls. There is also damage to the bell tower, rendering the entire structure unsafe.
Correspondence submitted to council from the Rt. Rev. Helen Kennedy, Bishop of Qu’Appelle, stated the foundations had suffered weather and shifting damage, causing the building to become unstable. Several structural engineering reports commissioned by the Diocese about the property were also provided about the extent of the issues there.
“It would cost upwards of $3 million to attempt to repair,” said Sinclair.
Sinclair said the diocese is in no position to afford the repairs and wishes to explore alternative options for the site that would be more conducive to the needs of the community and neighborhood. “These options would give recognition for what has been, while also allowing something new and vibrant to flourish in its place.”
The Al Ritchie Community Association Inc. has voiced no objection to the removal of the designation in correspondence to the city, but has made clear its position hinges on the diocese developing a “community hub” and mixed-use residential on the property.
Sinclair confirmed to council their intention was to develop a “community hub” and that there was no thought being given to high-rise development at that location. The indication from Sinclair is that the diocese is interested in retaining ownership of the property, but be involved in a partnership with other agencies to try and develop that space.
Sinclair also confirmed the diocese had previously put the building up for sale. But upon further review of the building and the structural reports, “it was deemed that the price that would have to be asked, we would have to take a complete bath on it,” he said.
In the end the submissions satisfied council, who voted unanimously in favor of the owners’ application removing the heritage designation. Councillor John Findura noted the application had gone before Planning Commission who voted 8-1 in favor of approval.
“The archdiocese has spent quite a bit of money to shore up, as you heard, the foundation, the walls,” said Findura, who pointed to the amount of money involved to try to bring the building back to what it was.
In expressing his feelings to reporters following council’s unanimous approval of removing the designation, Rev. Sinclair said “to be honest, it’s a mixed bag.”
"It means the end of an era for a beloved place of worship. It’s been really important in the fabric of who the Anglican Diocese of Qu’Appelle is and who the St. Matthew’s congregation has been. Having said that, this does allow for something new to be born in that place.”
As for the next plans for the site, Sinclair said the rollback of the heritage designation allows them to enter into discussions with a few partners, one of whom is a group called the Trinity Foundation out of Montreal. Sinclair said that group goes into heritage properties including churches, and does community studies and work with a variety of community partners to determine what the best use for the space is.
Sinclair also said it was “too soon to say” what the timeline would be for potential demolition of the structure.
