This is the first of a two-part miniseries on the relationship between the communities of Morinville and Alexander First Nation. This episode is meant to provide insight and context that has been lacking in other media coverage of the St. Jean Baptiste church fire. These episodes contain difficult subject matter, and include references to residential schools, missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and racism. I look into the way that these communities have been shaped by colonialism, the way that politicians ascribed blame, and the response from both Indigenous and settler community members.
On the morning of June 30th, 2021, the historic St. Jean Baptiste Church in Morinville burned down. Politicians and some community members quickly placed the blame on Indigenous people. I spoke with Paulette Houle, president of the Morinville Historical and Cultural Society, to learn more about the history of the town, as well as Brooks Arcand-Paul, someone who grew up in Alexander and Morinville, to get his input on the fire and the events since. I also spoke with a community member from Morinville, Vera Sandercock, about an event held by parishioners and community members after the church had burned.
This episode is by no means meant to stand alone- it provides context to the second episode in this series, which will examine the real consequences of assumptions, as well as the way these communities were shaped by colonialism and the role of the church. Please consider that none of the people I spoke to are representatives of their communities, but rather people who grew up in them.
