June 28, 2021
2 mins read

Two more churches burned down in British Columbia

Lower Similkameen Indian Band Chief Keith Crow said he received a call at about 4 am PT that the Chopaka church was on fire….reports Asian Lite News

Days after two Catholic churches were destroyed by fire in the British Columbia province of Canada, two more Catholic churches were burned down in the province’s Interior on Saturday morning.

Lower Similkameen Indian Band Chief Keith Crow said he received a call at about 4 am PT that the Chopaka church was on fire. By the time he arrived about 30 minutes later, it had burned to the ground, reported CBC News.

“I am angry. I do not see any positive coming from this and it igoing to be tough,” said Crow.

Crow further said that he later received a call from the Upper Similkameen Indian Band, near Hedley, that a church on that reserve had burned down as well.

The Upper Similkameen Indian Band confirmed that St Ann’s Church was destroyed overnight and a representative for the band said officials are currently working with Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) at the site of the fire.

In a written statement, RCMP said both fires started within an hour of each other early Saturday morning. They said the Chopaka church fire had spread to nearby brush, but BC Wildfire crews were able to attend to it before it spread.

Meanwhile, Crow said that the fire in his community is still under investigation, adding that the fact it came on the heels of overnight fires that destroyed two other churches in the Okanagan earlier this week is suspicious.

“There’s got to be something more to it,” he said. “It’s not just coincidence.”

RCMP said they’re treating Saturday’s fires as suspicious, and investigating any possible links to the Okanagan church fires, reported CBC News.

The RCMP on Monday said that the Sacred Heart church on Penticton Indian Band lands and St. Gregory’s church on Osoyoos Indian Band lands burned to the ground and police were treating the fires as suspicious.

The incident comes days after 751 unmarked graves at the site of a former residential school for indigenous children in Canada’s Saskatchewan province, the second such discovery here in less than a month as the country confronts one of the darkest chapters in its history.

The discovery came less than a month after the mass burial place of 215 children, some as young as three years old, was found at the site of a school, closed in 1978, near the Canadian town of Kamloops.

Following the discovery of graves, a probe has been opened into the circumstances and the accountability of these fatalities.

Under the Canadian schooling system for indigenous children during the 19th century, at least 150,000 students were forcibly separated from their families and incarcerated in residential schools. It is estimated that up to 6,000 children could have died in such schools. (ANI)

ALSO READ: US welcomes Baghdad summit

Previous Story

US welcomes Baghdad summit

Next Story

Biden admin mulls lifting sanctions on Khamenei

Latest from Canada News

Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada

Ontario-funded $75M ads on US TV trigger sudden halt in trade talks…reports Asian Lite News US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday night that all trade negotiations with Canada would be terminated,

Delhi, Ottawa Hit Reset

The Canadian Foreign Minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday in New Delhi, vowing to strengthen the ties…reports Asian Lite News As India and Canada

Canadian FM Anand to Visit India Oct 13

Anand will visit Mumbai to engage with Canadian and Indian firms focused on investment, job creation, and economic opportunity across both nations….reports Asian Lite News Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand will embark

Khalistan Network Under Fire in Canada

Indian agencies regularly share intelligence with their Canadian counterparts, including on groups like Babbar Khalsa International, but the current focus is firmly on SFJ….reports Asian Lite News The arrest of Inderjeet Singh
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Russia takes on Canada, imposes sanctions

The restrictions were introduced in retaliation for the anti-Russian hostility

Canada to help repair power grid in Ukraine

Additionally, Canada is announcing an additional 3 million Canadian dollars