Canada’s Most Haunted Places: 10 Chilling Sites to Know About

Haunted places are among the most adventurous tours people feel excited to try. When creepy stories are related to real places one can visit, it is the scariest experience. Canada is one of the countries that have various haunted places. These places are mentioned in TV shows, YouTube videos, movies, and series. Here is a list of the top 10 haunted places in Canada:

Here Are The Top 10 Fascinating Haunted Places in Canada

Tranquille Sanatorium, Kamloops, B.C.

It is one of the top haunted places in Canada. The story of this place goes back to the 1890s when wealthy families started taking in people infected with tuberculosis on two ranches. Sick people were allowed to stay in tents and small buildings. The B.C. Society for the Prevention and Treatment of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis raised funds and built a tuberculosis hospital called the Kind Edward Memorial Sanatorium. 

Later, they expanded the hospital due to the high demand. They used underground tunnels to transport dry goods. However, there are some scary stories about death at Tranquille. Tranquille Farm Fresh is the company that offers a scary tour called “The Escape From Padova”. It is an hour of a terrifying tour in the abandoned tunnels where the visitors hear scary stories while in the dark. 

Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria

Another one of the haunted places in Canada was completed in 1890. it was built as a home for coal baron Robert Dunsmuir. The wealth he gathered is reflected within the castle’s four floors of exquisite glass, intricate woodwork and lavish Victorian-era furnishings. Tragically, Robert died before its completion, so only his wife Joan and a few of their family ever lived on the first 28-acre estate. From the time of Joan’s death in 1908, the castle has been changed to the Craigdarroch infirmary, Victoria College, Board of Education offices, The Victoria Conservatory Music and at last, today as a museum. 

Visitors to the museum always have the sense of not being welcome, which is a way of distress and anxiety and a skill to spread strange phenomena. Cold gusts of air will be felt throughout the building, even on the warmest summer days. Some visitors claim to have seen some artefacts levitate, have heard the faint weeping of an unseen child echoing through the hallway, and even claimed to have been pushed from behind once they are on their lonesome. On many occasions, the smell of candle wax flew through the halls, although no candles were being burned. But even more chilling than these mysterious phenomena are some patrons’ encounters with the residents’ spirits. 

During the initial restoration of the building, one worker spied on one woman who began to descend one of the castle’s stairways wearing satin shoes and trailed by a gorgeous flowing gown. He observed that because the woman started to move around the stairway, only the remainder of the girl had never appeared; therefore, the ghost had gone. 

Another incident happened in 2011 when a visitor witnessed a person ascending a group of the castle’s creaky stairs. Believing it had been an employee, he went after the person. But when he reached the highest, he found that the trail was blocked by a door made of solid wooden glass. The person on the steps disappeared at a dead end where no living human could have been capable of it. 

However, all the museum staff officially denied the existence of any ghosts or any variety of paranormal activity. They need been known to share stories of the museum’s numerous ghostly residents, which include a lady in white standing alone within the castle ballroom, a maid in an exceedingly Victoria-style uniform, a touch girl who is understood to haunt the basement and two soldiers who reside within the bedroom that was once an infirmary. As you tour the building, it’s hard not to notice the character of its odd and disturbing decoration. 

The movie industry has discovered the castle thanks to its eerie atmosphere and Victorian theming. Recently, it has become the best setting for the horror movie “The Boy” and its sequel. One of the spirits with the most substantial presence at the castle is the original lady of the house, Joan, whose spirit occupies the second-floor suite of rooms where she stayed the bulk of her final years. Mrs Dunsmuir seems actively protective of this space, and it’s known to break and rearrange the room’s contents if not to her liking. At times, the Dunsmuir’s Steinway piano sound has been heard long after the castle was closed for the night. The sad, scary melodies are said to have been played by Robert Dunsmuir, who played his lovely Steinway Piano within the house that he had never had an opportunity to inhabit while alive. So, it seems fitting that two of the foremost prominent residents of the house could also be the Dunsmuir’s, spending their afterlives within the castle that they could not enjoy together while they were alive.

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, Banff, Alberta

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is one of Canada’s most outstanding hotels, but it’s also said to be one of the most haunted places in Canada. It was built in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway. It has received guests for over 125 years. Various scary stories about the Castle of the Rockies have been mentioned, including the many guests who have passed through its doors. 

While building the original wooden hotel, there was a room without any windows or doors, which was a mistake made by the contractor, who didn’t notify the owner about this room. They discovered the room after a fire in 1926. Since then, ghosts have been seen walking in the hall outside the room. Room 837 is another room in the hotel where a family has been murdered. The door of this room was completely blocked after this tragic murder and became part of the walls. However, guests reported they saw ghosts outside this room, most probably the family members who had been killed.

There is another haunting story about the burning bride. A bride in her gown was walking down the stairs to the ballroom when her dress caught fire from the candles on the stairs. She fell down the stairs as she was frightened, but her neck got broken, and the bride died immediately. Some guests said that they sometimes see a bride in her gown dancing in the ballroom while her dress has flames on her dress. Some staff also reported seeing her on the stairs exactly where she stood before falling.

Also, bellman Sam Macauley is the most famous ghost in the hotel. He worked in the hotel in the 1960s—1970s. No one knows how or when he died. However, he is seen often in the hotel in that uniform, helping the customers guide them through or hold their bags. It is said that he disappears once you try to speak to or tip him.

Other stories involve the ghost of a bartender who both the guests and the staff have seen. He advised the guests not to drink any more as they got drunk and went to their rooms. There is also the ghost of the headless man playing the bagpipes.

Keg Mansion, Toronto

The mansion was built in 1867. It was once the home of The Masseys, one of the most well-known families in the city. Lilian, the only daughter of Hart and the responsible one for the mansion died in 1915, 6 years after her husband’s death. It is said that there was a maiden who loved Lilian a lot. Upon Lilian’s death, the maid got depressed and was found swinging over the hall near the stairs. It is reported that the maid’s ghost has been seen on the second floor. There are two stories about the reason behind the maid’s death. The first reason is believed to be out of grief after Lilian’s death. The second reason is that there was a secret affair between the maid and one of the married family members, and the maid was afraid of the secret being exposed, so she committed suicide. 

Fairmont Chateau Laurier, Ottawa

It is one of the most gorgeous hotels in Ottawa. Construction was completed in 1912. A grand opening was scheduled, but unfortunately, Charles Melville Hays, the hotel’s delegate, and many of the guests who planned to attend the opening were lost at sea aboard the Titanic. It is said that Hays was seen walking through the hall. Some guests reported that they had heard a rattling noise as well. Some staff said that sometimes the furniture had been moved after leaving the room.

They have spirits attached to them; the other two ghosts are a little girl with a red balloon and a small man with red hair. The small man is known to frighten women in the restroom. Meanwhile, the little girl’s spirit is said to be lost and looking for her mother.

The Old Spaghetti Factory, Vancouver 

The Spaghetti Factory is known for its unique locations, primarily on historical buildings. It is located in the Gastown district of Vancouver, Canada. It opened its doors in 1970. It is believed that in the early 1900s, there was an accident that claimed the lives of a few people, including a little boy who was said to haunt the location. The boy’s ghost is known for running around the restaurant at night pending cutlery and moving chairs on top of tables. Some staff reported seeing the boy running around the restaurant and hiding under tables.

In 2012, a female server was closing the restaurant and resetting tables when a boy ran past her. All the customers left the restaurant. She followed him. He ran under a table, then turned around and looked up at her. When she looked at his face, she saw his eyes’ empty sockets. She reported what she saw to the manager and quit. 

Trolley number 53 in the restaurant is said to be haunted by a tram conductor who may have died in an accident. The man and the boy are believed to be part of four spirits haunting this location. A psychic medium was brought to the area. She identified the ghost of the little boy as Edward. She claimed that the restaurant is decorated with artefacts and spirits attached. The other two ghosts are a little girl with a red balloon and a small man with red hair. The small man is known to frighten women in the restroom. Meanwhile, the little girl’s spirit is said to be lost and looking for her mother.

Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto

It was built in 1885 and originally housed the Bank of Montreal. Later, in 1993, the Hockey Hall of Fame moved to this building. The story goes back to 1953 when an employee named Dorothea shot herself on the second floor of the bank. The 19-years girl died in the hospital the next day. Then, it is reported to the branch manager, Rowena Brook, that the workers started experiencing strange incidents right after Dorothea’s death. 

Workers witnessed lights turn on and off, doors and windows open and close independently, and footsteps sometimes heard while no one was around. Some workers also reported that when they left their desks for a few minutes, they found them disorganised when they returned. The strong presence of the spirit was present in the second-floor bathroom. They felt like someone was watching. Finally, the bank moved to another place. 

Still, the guests and employees in the Hockey Hall of Fame reported the same feeling of not being alone. A young boy also reported seeing a lady with long, dark hair walking in and out of the wall. Also, one of the guests noted that during a tour on the second floor, he went to the restroom and heard a terrifying scream coming from the women’s restroom—however, everyone around was near the same place, and he had heard nothing.

Plains of Abraham, Quebec City

The plains of Abraham witnessed one of the most famous battles in the history of Canada between the French and the English in 1759. The commanders of both groups died along with over 1000 souls in one day from both sides. Throughout the years, people reported seeing ghosts of soldiers in uniform and sometimes smoking as well, especially around 13 September, which is the anniversary of the battle. Many tourists also reported the cannons being fired at night. 

West Point Lighthouse, O’Leary, P.E.I.

The West Point Lighthouse was built in 1875. The bottom floor was used as a reception, the first two floors were part of the keeper’s residence, and the second floor consisted of two bedrooms. There were two keepers for the lighthouse. The first was William Anderson MacDonald, a lighthouse keeper from 1876 to 1925. He was married and had eight children who lived on a farm two miles away from the lighthouse in winter, but they spent summer in the lighthouse. After  MacDonald’s retirement, they lived on the farm.

The second keeper is Benjamin MacIsaac. He lived with his wife and 15 children on a farm a few miles away from the lighthouse, as there was not enough space for the whole family. He retired when the lighthouse became automated in 1963. 

The Lighthouse was part of the West Point Lighthouse Inn and Restaurant. Customers reported witnessing the ghost of MacDonald. The staff also reported abnormal happenings, including lights being turned on and off, voices coming out of nowhere, and cold spots. Other guests noticed the ghost of a burning ship near Northumberland Strait. In 1992, nine people witnessed a sea serpent with a long, slim neck covered with dark reddish-brown fur. 

Maritime Museum of British Columbia, Victoria

The museum was at a courthouse built in 1889 in the mid-1960s, but it had to move to a new and current location in 2014. The former museum building is one of the most haunted buildings in Bastion Square. It was formerly a courthouse that included Victoria’s gallows. It is said that the bodies of the hanged people are buried under the building. Judge Begbie, called the Hanging Judge, who presided over the hangings along with former prisoners, is believed to haunt the place. Some witnessed a ghost of a thin, bearded figure, Begbie, moving down the stairs at the old entrance of the museum. As mentioned, the Maritime Museum of BC is now in a smaller storefront at 744 Douglas St. and is most definitely worth visiting.