With Halloween fast approaching, we got to thinking about paranormal activities and spooky settings. So, where are the most haunted places in all of Canada? Well, we’ve got a few right in our own area code! I’m sure you can guess a couple of them – hint: this place will scare the spaghetti right out of you!
10 Most Haunted Places in Canada
Image via thechive
The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown – Vancouver, BC
Where else can you order some spaghetti and see an apparition of an old train conductor? The Old Spaghetti Factory in Gastown is one of the most notorious places for so-called hauntings. Employees claim he likes to move around cutlery, and have even seen him sitting in the trolley car. The building sits atop an old underground railway track where a tragic accident possibly took the life of the conductor.
If you get the chance, peep the photo of the decommissioned trolley (the same one featured in the restaurant) and look for the ghostly figure standing on the steps.
Image via Ciao Bambino
Jasper Park Lodge – Jasper, Alberta
It is said that Point Cabin, one of the signature cabins at the lodge, has an insidious staircase that is haunted by a housekeeper who broke her neck after falling down it. Aside from feeling the gusts of chilly winds she creates, guests have apparently been pushed around while walking up and down the stairs, and even report a feeling of being watched by someone in the connecting hall.
Others claim to have seen a senior couple in old-fashioned clothing dancing around or sitting at a table in one of the lodge’s restaurants. We suggest you keep your puppy away from the stairs, as animals are hesitant to go up and down them.
Image via Winnipeg Free Press
Room 202 at the Fort Garry Hotel – Winnipeg, Manitoba
Most guests try to avoid the room and book as far away from it as possible, and we don’t blame them! This 1913 hotel has seen many guests come and go, but it’s the creepy story of a woman who committed suicide in the closet of Room 202 that brings this place on to our list. People who have stayed in the room claim to have seen a cloaked figure standing at the end of their bed during the night. Housekeepers even say they’ve witnessed blood ooze from the walls!
Image via www207
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel – Banff, Alberta
This gorgeous hotel built in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway is a picturesque accommodation in Banff that is home to some of the most seen ghosts in all of Canada. Making this place one of the country’s spookiest places, the Fairmont hosts a variety of apparitions including a dead bride who fell down the marble staircase, a murdered family in room 873 and the spookiest of all, a retired bellhop who roams the hotel in his uniform. His name is Sam Macauley, so don’t forget to say hi!
Image via Billy Wilson Photography
The Keg Mansion – Toronto, Ontario
Once home to Toronto’s most elite families, the McMasters and the Masseys, the mansion was built in 1868 and became The Keg restaurant in 1976. Customers have witnessed the ghost of a boy playing on the central staircase in the restaurant, as well as hearing phantom footsteps around the women’s washroom.
Legend has it that one of the Massey’s maids hung herself because she was afraid her affair with a Massey man would surface. Guests have seen images of the hanging woman in the restaurant.
Image via 3dpete
Fairmont Empress – Victoria, British Columbia
The second Fairmont hotel on our list is even spookier than the other! Built between 1904 and 1908, the halls of the Empress are haunted by a variety of ghosts, including a thin, moustached man with a cane who is believed to be the building’s architect. On the 6th floor, the apparition of a former maid has been seen cleaning the rooms.
The most common sighting is that of an elderly woman in pajamas who knocks on guests doors and asks them to help her find her room. She leads them towards the elevator, but vanishes mysteriously. The previous room she used to haunt had been torn down and replaced by more elevators – probably the reason why she can’t find her room.
Image via thevisiblecity
Vogue Theatre – Vancouver, British Columbia
Yet another landmark place in Vancouver makes this list due to the eerie man in a tuxedo who sits in the theatre’s seats, roams the stage and hangs around the projection booth. The ghost is a young man with dark hair and a severe look to himself.
The general Manager of the theatre has had many encounters with the resident spirit, including seeing the three dimensional, grey figure behind him, hearing him play drums on the stage, and seeing him 7 to 8 rows back from the stage, just staring back at him and then vanishing. Many staff members have had encounters with the young ghost, who always seems to be angry looking.
Image via hauntednorthamerica
The Blue Ghost Tunnel – Thorold, Ontario
Since 1913, the tunnel has been permanently closed after only operating for 39 years. Formally known as the Merritton, the tunnel reportedly has a demonic energy about it including green slime on the walls and unexplained ghastly noises. During the building of the Welland Canal (close by to the tunnel), many of the men working on the canal were mangled and killed, which could explain the haunted tunnel.
Image via flickr
Delta Bessborough Hotel – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
We thought we’d include this hotel even though the resident haunter is more like a Casper the friendly ghost. The Delta Bessborough Hotel is home to the spirit of an older man, typically dressed in a grey suit and a Fedora hat. He usually wanders the hotel at the banquet level and is not considered a threat – he smiles at anyone who crosses his path.
It is believed that the old man had worked at the hotel, and one night while trying to quiet down a group of guests in their room, he was thrown over the railing and fell almost eight stories to his death. A crack on the marble floor marks the place where he died.
Image via flickr
Peggy’s Cove – Halifax, Nova Scotia
Aside from the Peggy’s Point Lighthouse, Peggy’s Cove is home to another iconic figure – the ghost of the lady in blue.
Legend has it that the woman was an immigrant from Europe who had left behind her kids. She missed them dearly and would walk the rocky shore of the Cove regularly. One night, her new husband tried to cheer her up by dancing on the slippery rocks, and fell to his death. The woman was so distraught, she walked into the water where he died and vanished. People claim to see the lady in blue standing on a rock, ready to jump. Whenever someone tries to help her, she disappears.
If you like spooks, paranormal activity and the overall feeling of being watched by un-explainable spirits, add these haunted places in Canada to your bucket list! Just remember to bring your Proton Pack (think Ghostbusters) and lots of spare underwear!
Written by Crystal Scuor