National churches to share office space

The Anglican Church of Canada has signed an agreement to share national office space with the United Church of Canada and the Presbyterian Church in Canada at the redeveloped site of Bloor Street United Church at 300 Bloor St. W. in Toronto. The agreement reflects the churches’ commitment to nurturing ecumenical relationships and cooperation, reducing costs and lessening their carbon footprint, the churches said in a statement.

The Anglican Church’s national office has been located at 80 Hayden St. in Toronto since 2004. The move to the new office space is expected to take place in 2026.

The new development, located in Toronto’s Annex-University of Toronto neighbourhood, will include a refurbished Bloor Street United Church, office, community, commercial and worship spaces. The floor plans, drafted with input from all three denominations, provide for a more efficient and flexible use of physical space for the new offices. The three denominations’ archives will move to the new national office building and will share space. Meeting and video production spaces will also be shared.

“The possibility of better ecumenical collaboration in this space will allow us to make more effective use of our financial and human resources,” said the Ven. Alan Perry, the General Secretary. “Being so close to good public transit allows for easy access for visitors to our offices and means we will have less impact on the environment.”