Spike in church arsons puts reconciliation at risk: Ken Coates and Edgardo Sepulveda for Inside Policy Talks – MLI
May 16, 2025
Sepulveda’s study for MLI found a spike in church arsons was correlated to the 2021 reports of unmarked graves at residential schools.
Ken Coates, director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s Indigenous Affairs Program, is joined by journalist and economist Edgardo Sepulveda, an expert data storyteller.
Sepulveda’s new study for MLI analyzed data for church arsons in Canada and around the world. He found that following reports in 2021 of unmarked graves at residential schools, Canada saw a spike in church arsons compared to other Anglosphere countries, suggesting a correlation to news of the unmarked graves. He says the lack of serious policy response puts reconciliation at risk.
You can read Sepulveda’s full study here.
