Category Archives: Canada

Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital

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Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital (Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada)

Although the former psychiatric hospital (the “Asylum by the Lake”) has been closed since 1979, and the buildings are now part of the Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, there’s still nothing like gothic old asylum buildings to fill a morbid heart with contentedness.  And you can visit the cemetery and remember all the poor, misunderstood souls who suffered there over the years. (Thanks to Lady Morgana for the suggestion.)

Old Prison of Trois-Rivières

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Old Prison of Trois-Rivières (Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada) 

Jean Pascal Leblanc writes to tell me of this delightful little prison:  “In the city of Trois-Rivières, Québec. the museum there makes it possible to stay a night in the old local jail. It was the longest opened jail in North America – closed in 1986, it opened before Canadian confederation in like 1822. It still has piss odors in the basement, where the ‘recalcitrant’ were. A tour is guided by an old criminal of the Canadian justice system.”  I shall have to book a stay someday!

Ghostly Walks (Victoria)

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Ghostly Walks (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)

Recommended by Soox: “I just got back from a trip to Victoria BC and was pleased to discover a wonderfully morbid treat while I was there: the nightly Ghostly Walk tour. Who would imagine that such a picturesque little town as Victoria is as amazingly haunted as it is? For an hour and a half we trailed our guide through the streets, learning tales of love gone wrong and horrible horrible murders from Victoria’s steamy past. You can get something of an idea of the tour at their website, discover the past. For the most part, I was somewhat creeped out by the stories, but was skeptical about the presence of ghosts in the area, at least currently. However, at the end of the tour we went into a building that even the guide was uncomfortable with entering, and while we sat around the room listening to the stories of hauntings that had occurred there (no one knows why the place is so haunted), I began to feel a tingly, uneasy sensation on the side of my neck and my ear on the side of me facing the door into the room where most of the activity occurs. My girlfriend, sitting next to me, felt a similar sensation on her neck and shoulder on the side facing away from me. She thinks that something came up behind us and put its hands on our shoulders. Whether we actually had a brush with a ghost or not, the stories and places on the tour were fascinating and I certainly recommend the tours if you should find yourself on the west coast of Canada looking for something to do.”

Ghost Tours of Québec

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Ghost Tours of Québec (Québec City, Québec, Canada)

Eva writes to let me know of a pair of compelling sounding tours being offered in Quebec City, Canada:
“I write, first of all, to boast about a theatrical production and guided tours will I am currently working for. It is Ghost tours of Québec, followed by the Witchcraft on Trial, which both are currently being presented at Québec, at the Petit Champlain.
“When the settlers arrived in the colony of New France, they thought the had left beind a Europe strife with accusations of witchcraft, and the terror as the Inquisition … Little did they know , it, had followed them to the shores of Quebec. In 1661, more then 30 years before the Salem witch trials, a colonist was forced to face charges of witchcraft and heresy.
“As for the Ghost Tours of Quebec, it is a nightly tour that lasts 90 minutes. On the tour, we bring you in the most gruesome sites of Quebec, and share the 300 years of strange murders and executions, ghostly tragedies, and hauntings…… And we finish by entering one of Quebecs most haunted buildings, The Cathedral of the Saint Trinity.
“Ghost tours of Quebec have been featured on programs like Creepy Canada for CTV Travel, OLN and Discovery Channel, BBC Kids, CBC Radio, Mystery Hunters, and more.. It cost $17.50 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and free for children under 10.”

Ottawa Jail Hostel

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Ottawa Jail Hostel (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

Okay, who can possibly resist spending the night in an old jailhouse? Not I! Here’s the description from the website: “Centrally located in Canada’s capital, HI – Ottawa Jail is sure to deliver a unique overnight experience. Formerly a prison and the site of Canada’s last public hanging, this historical landmark retains much of its original character. Sleep in a former jail cell, and visit death row and the gallows during a Jail Tour. Check out The Hostel Shop, the one-stop shop for all of your travelling needs.” Thanks to Heather for sending the link!

Criminals Hall of Fame Wax Museum

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Criminals Hall Of Fame Wax Museum (Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada)

Who would have thought that in Niagara Falls, Ontario there would be something as delightful as a wax museum with a likeness of Jeffrey Dahmer looking in his fridge for a late night snack? Yet – it appears to be truth! I haven’t been here yet, but Roadside America has. (Special thanks to Morbid Mike for the link/suggestion.)

The Tunnels of Moose Jaw

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The Tunnels Of Moose Jaw (Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada)

I don’t know how morbid this spot really is, since I haven’t investigated it fully, but underground tours in themselves are kind of creepy, don’t you think? And since one of the underground tours is about the Chinese Experience in Moose Jaw, I tend to think there’s probably some skeletons in Moose Jaw’s closets. The other tour is on Al Capone and the Chicago Connection. Sounds interesting, except for the fact that animatronics characters are used for the tour (but I have been assured this is NOT as hokey as it sounds). Also, the website is great! (Special thanks to Heather for the link/suggestion.)

MsSideshow has been to The Tunnels as well, and has the following to say: “I have gone through the Capone Tunnels in Moose Jaw and it’s interesting, but not morbid. They do go through some of the gory gangster tails, depending on the age of the audience, but like I said, not morbid. The Passage to Fortune is supposed to be very depressing with tales of how the Chinese were starving and other such disturbing things. (I did not have the time to see the Passage to Fortune, but a friend of mine did and told me about it.) Not a bad way to spend $20 if you’re in the neighborhood.”

The Donnelly Homestead

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The Donnelly Homestead (Lucan, Ontario, Canada)

In the early hours of February, 4, 1880, five members of The Donnelly family met their bloody demise at the hands of their neighbors. Since that time, a mythology of sorts has sprung up about the Donnellys in Canada. Go to the site where the massacre occurred, visit the Donnelly’s graves nearby, and hear all about a great Canadian tragedy. Check out the wonderful Official Donnelly Homepage too, while you’re here. (Special thanks to Dwayne Mahoney for the link/suggestion.)