Historic Places of Faith

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St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Halifax (EPL 2008) – a rare survivor of the Halifax explosion of 1917 – was long considered “Saved,” but was recently re-endangered when a structural assessment deemed the building unsafe.

Why it matters

There are an estimated 15,000 – 20,000 faith-related buildings in Canada and a national strategy and funding is needed (uniquely, Quebec has had the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec since 2014) to address the growing number of places of faith at risk and ripe for adaptive reuse. While these landmark buildings are often rich with cultural heritage value and beautifully constructed, they also typically provide valuable “third spaces” for non-profit and community groups (e.g. day cares, senior’s activities, municipal voting stations, meeting space), so their potential loss brings substantial community impacts.

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Why it’s endangered

Many of the places of faith currently in jeopardy across Canada have large deferred maintenance bills due to congregational decline — for example, Holy Trinity Church (Winnipeg) and Saint-Clement de Viauville Church (Montreal) — which severely hampers adaptive reuse options.

This article is also available in French.

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Every year, the National Trust for Canada publishes its Endangered Places List as part of its mission to bring people together to care for and promote heritage places.

The National Trust Endangered Places List is compiled from reports and news items the National Trust has been following throughout the year. First published in 2005, the National Trust Endangered Places List has become a powerful tool in the fight to make landmarks, not landfill.

The National Trust believes that heritage places are a catalyst for sustainable, livable, lovable communities, yet every year, more are lost due to factors like neglect, lack of funding, and weak legislation. By shining a spotlight on places at risk, the Endangered Places List raises awareness and bolsters the efforts of local heritage groups working to save them.