Just about every neighbourhood has an old, spooky house that the local kids steer clear of on Halloween night. But for some places in Canada, the creep factor is off the charts and otherworldly presences are a year-round occurance. Ghostly voices, strange visions and objects that move on their own are just some of the symptoms afflicting our country’s most ghost-friendly haunts. If you’re looking for an authentic encounter with the supernatural this All-Hallows, we’ve got you covered. Travel advisory: Don’t go alone.
Billy Bishop Legion Hall (Vancouver, B.C.)
Considered one of the most haunted places in the world by the editors of Ghostvillage.com, Royal Canadian Legion Branch #176 is allegedly haunted by the ghost of a painter and former legionnaire, Ted Hoskinson. His unfinished portrait of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery still hangs in the lounge’s northeast corner.
Empress Theatre (Fort MacLeod, Alta.)
A rare scratch-and-sniff haunting, the playful hijinks of the Empress Theatre phantom—nicknamed “Ed” by actors and employees who claim to have encountered him—are frequently accompanied by the distinct aromas of alcohol, tobacco and… manure. Believed to be the ghost of a former caretaker who enjoyed a tipple, Ed is harmless, but does like to make a bit of a mess.
Government House (Regina, Sask.)
Rumoured to be inhabited by several ghosts—including crying infants and laughing children— the most famous and notorious phantasmal occupant of Government House is Howie, said to be the spirit of Lieutenant-Governor Archibald McNab’s former cook. More fussy than frightening, Howie busies himself by moving objects in the kitchen, padding around the back stairs and even critiquing the dining room furniture.
Fort Garry Hotel (Winnipeg, Man.)
This luxury downtown hotel has been a fixture of the Winnipeg skyline since 1913 and is the scene of several alleged hauntings. Dark apparitions appear in rooms on the second floor, and the ghost of a murdered woman is said to haunt the sealed-up underground tunnels that connect the hotel to the nearby train station.
The Olde Angel Inn (Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.)
This charming inn and tavern near the shores of the Niagara River is best known for its oldest-serving “resident,” the ghost of British Army captain Colin Swayze, who died accidentally in the cellar during the War of 1812. The pub still flies the British flag over the front door to keep the notoriously patriotic Swayze from acting up.
Plains of Abraham (Quebec City, Que.)
They say the lush lawns of the Battlefields Park grow vividly green thanks to the gallons of blood spilled here during the titanic battle between English and French troops in 1759. A turning point in the Seven Years’ War, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham took hundreds of lives, including those of opposing generals James Wolfe and Louis-Joseph de Montcalm. On cold nights in September, watch for shifting shadows and the faint aroma of sulphur.
Central New Brunswick Woodsmen’s Museum (Boiestown, N.B.)
The woods near this 15-acre museum are said to be the home of the mysterious Dungarvon Whooper, believed to be the ghost of a murdered logging-camp cook. Hunters and loggers have claimed to hear inexplicable blood-curdling howls here on cold, dark nights, allegedly the cries of the spirit angrily hunting for his killer.
West Point Lighthouse (O’Leary, P.E.I.)
For more than 200 years, witnesses have reported sighting a flaming ship off the coast of O’Leary. According to local legend, in 1786, the doomed crew of a burning pirate schooner made a pact with the devil here and were thus doomed to sail the seas in their cursed vessel for all eternity. On a lighter note, the jolly ghost of Willie, the lighthouse’s first keeper, is claimed to haunt the West Point Lighthouse Inn.
Mount St. Bernard College at St. Francis Xavier University (Antigonish, N.S.)
An encounter with the Blue Nun is a rite of passage for St. Francis Xavier University freshmen living in Mount St. Bernard’s Gilmora Hall residence. The apparition of a nun who jumped off the fourth-floor balcony is said to wander the halls and watch students sleep, while the ghost of the disgraced priest who drove her to her death can sometimes be spotted on the hall’s spiral staircase.
Queen’s Road (St. John’s, Nfld.)
One of the most paranormally active streets in all of Canada, Queen’s Road in St. John’s is allegedly home to at least two ghostly presences. A spectre dubbed “the headless captain” is said to haunt the overgrown entranceway to an old house, while the screams of a young girl hanged from the bell ropes at St. Andrew’s Church can still be heard on stormy nights.
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