Westbank Corporation has applied for a demolition permit for Saint John’s Church. The demolition could happen as soon as Monday of this upcoming week. We need you to be on alert to show support for keeping this building in our community. West End Neighbours does not want the church demolished as there may be a possibility that it can be converted into a West End Community Centre annex.

We need many people to be available to surround the church when the demolition company arrives. This will attract media attention and raise awareness for our cause (of stopping spot rezonings and formulating a neighbourhood plan). By surrounding the church in a peaceful and orderly way, we intend to delay the demolition process and pursue better alternative community based options for the site at 1401 Comox Street.

If you’d like to participate in the opportunity of unifying forces to save the building please e-mail us your name and contact phone numbers, and we will call you upon the arrival of the demolition crew. shards@shaw.ca. If you are called, dress very quickly for the weather and be prepared to be at the site for about 1.5 hours. If you have a cell phone bring it to call other neighbours to alert them. We need as many people as possible to surround the building.

If the church is still standing next Saturday, February 12th, we intend to do our traditional West End Neighbours Walk. (Meet at the corner of Bidwell and Davie Streets at 2pm.) From there we will walk to 1401 Comox Street. Once there we want to hear your story. What does the church mean to you? What part did it play in your life? What are your memories of the church? Whether it was attending Aaron Webster’s funeral or your own baptism, we want to know about “the House that Love Built” and West Enders experiences.