Canada is spookier than you might think.
Just in time for Halloween, Google Canada is celebrating the country’s haunted landmarks with a list of the 10 spookiest locations on Google Street View.
“This is really a look at places… that a lot of people have been to in different regions in Canada that carry really great stories — that not only tell stories that are spooky and fun, especially around Halloween — but also help to draw Canadians to look at different areas of the country and the history of those locations,” Google Canada’s Alexandra Hunnings Klein said.
Thanks to this creepy compilation, people can visit these locales online from the comfort (and safety!) of their home.
“It helps Canadians get in touch with new places through a fun — or albeit scary — vehicle of ghostly encounters or things moving in the night,” Hunnings Klein said. “Folklore is a major part of our culture. It helps us remember different parts of history. Whether you’re in Ottawa or Edmonton, or Victoria or Halifax, there are stories that remind us who we are and where we come from.”
Banff Springs Hotel (Banff, Alta.)
The only Alberta venue is the notorious Banff Springs Hotel, which is home to some dark and questionable tales. Hotel staff and visitors have reported plenty of ghostly experiences at the mountain town’s historic castle.
Spooks believed to haunt the hotel include a young bride who broke her neck and died on her wedding day and wanders the hotel in her wedding dress. Some have also reported seeing the ghost of an elderly bellhop named Sam Macauley, who dons his full uniform. He died right after announcing his retirement.
Craigdarroch Castle (Victoria, B.C.)
Even from the outside, the 124-year old house looks like it could be the focus of a Hollywood horror flick. Craigdarroch Castle is perched on a hill over-looking the B.C. capital and once belonged to Robert Dunsmuir, a Canadian coal baron in the late 1800s.
Rumours of paranormal activity in the castle include sightings of a woman in white, objects that move on their own and ghostly piano-playing. You can actually take a Street View tour of the castle.
The Keg Mansion (Toronto, Ont.)
It’s now a restaurant but the Keg Mansion was once the home to the Massey family.
As the story goes, the family’s maid hung herself in the front foyer. Restaurant goers describe spotting the ghost of the maid hanging from a rope and hearing the pitter patter of children’s feet along the second floor.
Plains of Abraham (Quebec City, Que.)
Hundreds of soldiers were killed or wounded in the famous 1759 battle on this field in Quebec City.
Since then, there have been many reported sightings of the spirits of soldiers on the Plains of Abraham. Some have even said they smelled cannon smoke and heard ghostly echoes of the sounds of battle.
Chateau Laurier (Ottawa, Ont.)
This grand hotel next to Parliament Hill is reportedly haunted by the ghost of business tycoon Charles Melville Hays. Hays commissioned the Fairmont Chateau Laurier but never saw its opening in 1912 because days earlier, he died on board the Titanic.
Some hotel employees and guests believe his spirit returned and never left, and has been responsible for strange noises and spooky sightings at the hotel every since.
The Fort Garry Hotel (Winnipeg, Man.)
The hotel opened in 1913 and holds national historic site designation. According to legend, room 202 is haunted by a woman who hung herself in the closet after learning her husband was killed in a collision.
West Point Lighthouse Inn (O’Leary, PEI)
This is Canada’s first lighthouse inn. It’s a famous tourist attraction that is also said to be haunted by its original keeper, William MacDonald. People have reported seeing MacDonald roaming the halls and ships on fire off the coast.
Capitol Theatre (Moncton, New Brunswick)
Two ghosts are believed to haunt this theatre. One of them was a firefighter who died responding to a blaze at the theatre in 1926 when the main stage collapsed on him.
The other is rumoured to be a little girl who died after falling down the stairs. Visitors claim to see her behind the ticket booth.
The Five Fishermen Restaurant (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
It is now a popular seafood restaurant, but the spot used to be the city’s first morgue. It housed bodies recovered from two horrifying events: the Halifax explosion and the sinking of the Titanic.
Both employees and guests have reported hearing footsteps, seeing lights flicker, taps turning on mysteriously and a woman crying.
Darke Hall (Regina, Sask.)
The 1920s hall has become a historic venue for performing arts. Rumour has it the ghost of Francis Darke likes to sneak into concerts and disappear before the show ends. Many performers have claimed to have seen him in the audience with his top hat.
Google Canada releases this spooky list every year.
—With files from Global’s Mia Sosiak
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