A crisis is looming for Canada’s estimated 27,000 places of worship, with as many as a third in danger of closing in the next 10 years.
At the same time, an affordable housing crisis is gripping the nation. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says Canada will need about 3.5 million additional housing units by 2030 to restore affordability.
Relèven, a Montreal-based organization dedicated to preserving, restoring and repurposing underutilized churches, thinks one crisis can help solve the other through what it calls the “Winnipeg Declaration.”
The declaration, which Relèven developed following a roundtable in Winnipeg last year, calls for the transformation of 20 per cent of Canada’s places of worship into affordable housing.
Leaders from Relèven were in Winnipeg Feb. 19 for a follow-up meeting with about 75 local church leaders, politicians, foundation staff and government officials to discuss the declaration’s plans.
The event was held at Westworth United Church, which is planning to convert its gymnasium into a daycare and housing for seniors in its River Heights neighbourhood.
“The Winnipeg Declaration is a national commitment,” said Dave Harder, who works with churches on behalf of Relèven to help them serve their communities better.
The declaration is designed to help bring together representatives from faith groups, government and the private sector to turn churches that are facing uncertain futures into housing, or meet other community needs, he said.
“This will take partnership at every level to move the needle,” Harder said.
Mike Wood Daly directs research for Relèven. He told the meeting that places of worship across the country are the second largest holders of land in Canada, after the various levels of government.
“There is a lot of land we can work with,” he said, adding the crisis is an opportunity for church leaders to “look creatively at their properties” to find new ways of serving their communities.
At the same time, challenges such as finding funding shouldn’t be minimized, Wood Daly says.
But the answer is not government funding, he said. “We can’t grant our way out of the challenges,” he said.
However, governments do have a role to play, he added.
“Policy makers can help unlock projects, addressing issues around zoning and heritage designations,” he said. “[I]f we talk with each other, we can surmount problems that are seen as obstacles … we can find solutions.”
Shannon Wiebe is part of Shared Ground, a research initiative that seeks to help churches in Winnipeg address the affordable housing crisis in the city.
“Churches have land assets in areas where housing is needed,” she said, adding a big hurdle facing congregations is not knowing who to call or where to start.
Groups like Shared Ground, which is working on 15 projects in Winnipeg, exist to help congregations develop a vision and find funding and partners, she said.
Also in attendance at the roundtable was Mike Moroz, minister of innovation and new technology for Manitoba’s NDP government.
“I care deeply about this conversation,” he said, noting there are 14 churches and four synagogues in his riding that are “all having the same conversations” about declining attendance, aging memberships and sustainability.
“Now we are called on to imagine what comes next,” he said.
“[T]hat is much easier if we work together … the provincial government has an active interest in the success of this conversation.”
I believe that Ottawa should advise all Canadiens but especially of the consequences for Albertans should they separate from Canada. Can they fly the Canadian flag, can they apply for grants, do they file Federal Income Tax Returns. Would Albertans be totally on their own financially, economically, trade, etc. Plus how does it affect highways, trains, hydro, forest fires,etc. . What do they gain? What advantage do they gain, loss etc.? What about isolation?