Though The Great White North may not be home to some of the worlds most famed Great White Ghosts as, say, an Amityville or Gary, Indiana’s “Demon House” is, Canada does carve up a good helping of spooky spots in every province and territory.
With Halloween just around the corner, we take a trip from coast to coast (or is that ghost to ghost?) to visit some of the country’s most haunted locations.
St. John’s, Newfoundland Anglican Cathedral Graveyard
There’s no wonder this is the place St. John’s Haunted Hike begins. Around 6000 reside below the old graveyard and the atmosphere is certainly a tone setter for the walk to come. However it is inside the Cathedral where one of the city’s spookiest artifacts can be found. Local legend tells that one of the workers who took up the task of building the church never lived to see it to full completion. He tumbled from a scaffolding to a sad end. Still, why miss a good photo op just because you’re dead, right? Take a peek to the left of the men clad in black in the photo above. Their fellow worker may have not dressed in his Sunday best but posed for this haunting shot just the same.
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia Broughton Ghost Town
Once busting with the daily lives of soldiers in training for World War I and boot leather tough coal miners and their families, the ruins of Broughton are now a quintessential ghost town clutched within the branches and brambles of the forest growing around it. Paranormal investigators have started poking around the dilapidated buildings, including the Broughton Arms Hotel, and have discovered that perhaps not all of the former residents left when the place started to fall into decline. “There is still an energy out here and I think there’s still a story to tell,” says Community Historian Eleanor Anderson.
Blackville, New Brunswick The Dungarvon River You’ve heard about haunted houses but a haunted river? It is believed that a murdered chef roams the riverbanks. His cries by the water resemble that of a mournful train whistle. A priest was brought in to exercise the spirit but not many believe he was successful. The legend of the Dungarvon Whooper, immortalized in verse by the poet Micheal Whelan, continues “where the dark and deep Dungarvon rolls along”.
Orwell, Prince Edward Island Goblin’s Hollow Though the name evokes ghastly creatures with long noses, pointed ears and beady eyes, what spooks this section of Queen’s Road in Orwell is Annie Beaton. Savagely beaten with a gardening hoe in 1859, her murder remains unsolved. Her specter --believed to haunt the spot where she was slain-- is still seeking justice. In depositions no one spoke a word of remorse for the poor woman and Beaton’s body was treated more like a spectacle than a tragic crime. She has a lot to rage against in the cries many have have reported hearing echoing in the night.
Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Quebec Sainte Coltide De Horton Asylum Why would anybody think this creepy, abandoned asylum would be haunted? Could it be the spirits of three boys who were killed in a Christmas Day fire in 1959 or maybe the 9 taken by more flames in 1988? Then again, there are those 90 patients that have been rumored to have been used in illegal experiments. Are they lingering about as reminders of past atrocities. Though romping about abandoned buildings is against the law, that hasn’t stopped ghost hunters who claim to have seen a little girl in the woods or heard crazed laughter all around them. Above the entrance to the place reads “Ad Sinite parvulos venire Me”… which translates as “Let come the children to me”. Errr, best EVERYONE keep out, says I, especially the wee ones.
Ottawa, Ontario Fairmont Chateau Laurier The lavish hotel is one of the crown jewels of the Capital, exactly what owner Charles Melville Hayes expected it to become. If only he could have lived to see it. What he could never have known was the tragedy that would befall him and 1,502 others as they boarded the ill-fated vessel named Titanic. Melville perished before he could see the hotel open and it appears he is quite irate about it. Reports have stated that his violent ghost can be seen slamming doors and windows and even breaking thinks around the hotel. One guest is said to have fled in a fit of panic after objects in her room took on a life of their own. Others have reported the feeling of being watched even though they were quite alone.
Winnipeg, Manitoba Pantages Playhouse Theatre This one time vaudeville theatre was Winnipeg's home to the arts for decades. More recently, however, this luxurious heritage site was up for grabs. Seems the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra may have already scooped it up so you may have missed your chance if you’ve ever wanted to own a theatre. And, hey, free ghost bonus! Some will tell you that the spirit of Alexander Pantages himself awaits the next performance and, well, he can be kind of a jerk. Known in life to sack performers if he didn’t like a show, his apparition is a bit of a trickster. He apparently is fond of wrapping up actors in the theatre curtain. Talk about a bad review!
Yorktown, Saskatchewan Yorkton Cemetery While some places tend to, pun intended, bury their ghastly pasts, Yorktown revels in it! The town has embraced their spookier side with the Haunts of Yorktown, an interactive tour around the city. Of particular note is the cemetery where the ghost of John Hole (you can write your own jokes, folks) has been seen. Known as a bit of a local nutter –those who ride their hoses right into a bar and purposely crash their vehicle into a slough to settle an argument with the wife are worthy to be called such—, Hole killed himself in 1907. His mischief nature is said to still be dead and well bounding between the headstones. Then again, maybe it’s just the raccoons.
Vancouver, British Columbia Deadman’s Island The place is called Deadman’s Island. ‘nuff said! Ohhh, alright. Take a gander over the water when strolling through beautiful Stanley Park (home of a few ghosts itself). You’re looking for a graveyard on an island with a gruesome history. In the 1700s, a deadly battle between Coast Salish tribes was fought there. The site was used to bury the dead. The Indigenous land was not seen as sacred by the European settlers who also used the place as a cemetery. These day’s it is a navy base but the good seaworthy folk are doing just fine and dandy. Well, that is if you believe hearing the sounds of chains being dragged down the halls or the thudding of footsteps with no accompanying feet no cause for alarm.
Northwest Territories Nahanni National Park Reserve Disturbed spirits of the Indigenous, UFOs, Bigfoot? Yup, if you’re into the paranormal this might be your one stop shop. The wildernesses nickname should be enough to keep most out: “The Valley of the Headless Men”. Many have vanished only to be found missing their noggin. Take, for instance, two brothers off seeking gold only to be discovered decapitated. Likewise the Swiss prospector who literally lost his mind over finding gold. His skull has never been found. In 1969 over 40 people disappeared in the park. If they have their heads nobody knows. They’ve never been seen again dead or living.
Whitehorse, Yukon 406 Wood St. Barbara Robertson may have been a specter skeptic but 12 years of living in the Wood St. house changed all that pretty quick. Her family purchased the near 60 year old house in 1965. It was once known as the Captain Campbell House, named after its riverboat captain residents Campbell and McKay. Whitehorse’s first mayor called it home and there begins the first reports of a small boy floating in and out of the rooms. The child is believed to be one that drowned close by. One night Barbara jolted up in bed hearing her infant laughing hysterically. “I woke up and just felt real horror, I had no idea what it was,” she said. When she walked into the room the child pointed to a closet where he’d play peek-a-boo. Could somebody else be trying to join the fun?
Arviat, Nunavut Old Arviat Health Centre There could be a good reason why the Old Arviat Health Centre has changed locations. I mean, dodging furniture lobbed your way is a pretty big working hazard not to mention a hindrance to one’s physical well-being. Hey, I came here to treat a headache...not get a headache! Outside of a little spectral feng shui, former staff have said to have overheard the sounds of two men shouting in the basement or spotted a strange, shadowy figure wandering around the building. Well, at least the ghost of the elderly woman others have seen has a little company for canasta!
Happy Halloween, eh!