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RCMP are investigating a church fire on Thunderchild First Nation, northwest of North Battleford, that two Saskatchewan MPs say reflects a rise in hate crimes against places of worship.
Turtleford RCMP received a report of a structure fire at the Thunderchild Word Church around 8 a.m. on Sept. 1. Fire crews and officers responded, and no injuries were reported.
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“This investigation remains ongoing, which includes the circumstances surrounding how the fire started,” RCMP said in an email sent to battlefordsNOW.
For Alvina Thunderchild, who co-pastors the church with her husband Fred, the devastation is both financial and deeply personal.
“It felt like somebody died,” she said, recalling how members stood outside crying as the building went up in flames.
“They (the suspects) could have taken stuff, but why burn it down?”
“I don’t know their motives, but obviously they don’t care. They hate the church, they hate everything that represents God to them in their lives.”
The fire consumed years of renovations and destroyed instruments, equipment, and irreplaceable personal items, including a guitar gifted to Thunderchild by a late friend. She estimated the damage at more than $250,000.
Known as the ‘blue church’, the building had been a landmark and a place of warmth for families, children, and people struggling with addiction. Thunderchild said the congregation is determined to rebuild.
“Fire or no fire, the work of God will still proceed. We’re still here and we are not giving up, ” she said.
As the investigation is ongoing, whether the fire was deliberately set has not yet been determined, but Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake MP Rosemarie Falk said in a statement on Facebook that she was “heartbroken and sickened” by what she called a ‘deliberate burning’ of the church.
“This was more than an attack on a building. It was an attack on the values of faith, fellowship, and service that this church represents in the community,” Falk wrote.
“Canada is seeing a disturbing rise in hate crimes against places of worship. This growing trend is absolutely unacceptable. We need targeted action to ensure these hateful crimes are met with real consequences because no Canadian should ever fear walking through the doors of their church.”
Flames erupt from the entrance to the church on Sept. 1, 2025. (Thunderchild Word Church/Facebook)
Kelly Block, the MP for Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, also posted that the fire was evidence of “rising intolerance, if not outright hatred,” adding no Canadian should ever be afraid to enter a place of worship.
As the investigation is ongoing, whether the fire was deliberately set has not yet been determined.
RCMP have not determined whether the fire was deliberately lit. (Thunderchild Word Church/Facebook)
The blaze comes less than a year after another church in the province was deliberately set on fire in the village of Loon Lake. RCMP classified that fire as arson, and in December arrested a 25-year-old man from Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation.
Turtleford RCMP are asking anyone with information about suspicious activity on Thunderchild First Nation on the morning of the fire to contact them at 310-RCMP.
Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.
In the meantime, Thunderchild said donations to help rebuild can be sent by e-transfer to give@nawo.ca with ‘Thunderchild’ in the memo. Gifts are eligible for a tax receipt, and donors are asked to include their address in the memo line.
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