SASKATOON — “Devastating and disheartening to their organization” is how executive director Corinne Anthony described the fire that damaged the Crocus Co-operative office on Avenue B South on Sunday.
Crocus Co-op is a Saskatoon-based, non-profit, member-guided co-operative that provides transitional employment programs and essential support services for individuals living with mental health challenges.
Their office’s proximity to Saskatoon Fire Department’s Firehouse 1 on Idylwyld Drive allowed crews to respond quickly and extinguish the fire, preventing it from spreading through the entire facility.
The blaze damaged their work truck, a shed filled with tools used for yard work — including gasoline — and six windows. While the total cost is not yet known, cleanup alone has already cost around $20,000.
“That's not the price of replacing our vehicle and our equipment. If there's structural damage, that's not the cost of replacing all our windows. Windows are expensive, and we had some smashed three times in the last eight months. It’s worth thousands of dollars. We're a non-profit. We can't afford this. We rely on grants from the government and the United Way. We rely on donations from private donors. That is how we operate. We don't have corporate sponsorship. We don't have extra funds for all these things,” Anthony told SaskToday.
Despite the setback, she said they need to keep their doors open and continue daily operations to help people struggling with mental health issues and addictions.
Anthony, who was on holiday when the incident occurred, said the organization knows the suspect, as their cameras captured footage outside the office. Saskatoon police are investigating the case as attempted arson.
“My work program director called me. We were fortunate that a person was driving by who saw the flames and called it in. Being right behind the fire hall downtown, we were lucky. They arrived quickly and extinguished the fire. However, we lost a shed full of equipment that we use in our transitional employment program, where we help people with mental illness and addiction issues get employment that consists of yard work. We lost all our summer equipment, like rakes and shovels,” Anthony said.
She added that losing the work truck is devastating to their program, as it is used to support various community initiatives. A portion of their building also sustained water damage from hoses used to control the blaze.
“We will have a structural engineer coming to assess if our building is okay. We are open because we are a drop-in centre for people with mental health and addiction issues. We are also lucky no one was hurt. We do know who did this. It is one of the people that we help. It's an ongoing police investigation. It is arson. The person poured gasoline by the shed, and since we also store some inside, it contributed to the fire. As a non-profit, this is a real blow to us,” she said.
