Freaky Friday Files: Haunted Locations in British Columbia, Canada

Ash
2 hours ago
7 min read

TW: ghosts, paranormal, alleged hauntings, d*ath, etc.

Hi friends! Happy Fri-YAY! I thought that, considering our trip to Vancouver, Canada, is coming up, why not do a Freaky Friday Files edition where I look at some haunted locations in British Columbia, Canada!! Enjoy!!

If any information is wrong, please let me know!! As there isn't much in the way of academic sources, when discussing haunted locations, we tend to rely on witness accounts and secondary resources.

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Haunted Locations in British Columbia, Canada

British Columbia Penitentiary, New Westminster: This was a federal maximum security prison in New Westminster that shut down in the 1980s. I believe some of the buildings are still standing, but most of it has been demolished. One thing that has stayed, though, is the graveyard (the Boothill Graveyard). Up to 62 inmates were buried here. Inmates who were buried here were devoid of any identity markers and only given a number, but there are m*rderers, child r*pists, thieves, and some members of a sect (specifically the Doukobors) buried here. I'm not sure of this one, but I think it's possible that people from the sect were treated poorly due to their religious beliefs - something that is way more common around the world than you might think. I could probably go on a tangent here about sects and cults, so I'll leave it at that. Anyway, the Boothill Graveyard and the remaining buildings have gained attraction from many ghost hunters, who say that this place is a place with very aggressive leftover energy. Ghost hunter Amanda Quill said when she was there, she "felt an overwhelming feeling that someone was always behind here" and that she had "A feeling like I needed to protect myself". Another ghost hunter (Greg Mansfield) agreed with Quill and said that it felt like there was "a lot of unhappy, angry people," and a "funny energy that presses up against my back".
The Empress Hotel, Downtown Victoria BC: Ironically, this is on our list of places to look at when staying in Victoria, BC hahahaa! Anyway, it's now known as The Fairmont Empress (I think) and was first opened in 1908. The hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury - an architect who actually got m*rderd in England, 1935, when he was 67 by his second wife's lover - her 18-year-old live-in chauffeur (oh my god). I have so many rabbit holes to go down before we get to Canada. Anyway, the hotel welcomed lots of royal guests, like literal kings and queens in the early 20th century. Other than the ghost of Francis Rattenbury, who guests say roams the halls with his cane, there have been sightings of a construction worker who ended his life in the hotel. One other apparition that has been spotted here is a hotel maid, Lizzie McGrath, who worked at the hotel, and every night she would step out onto the fire escape on the 6th floor to say her rosary. One night, Lizzie stepped out and fell to her demise. The fire escape had been removed for renovations, and no one had been notified about it. People say they see her ghost walking around the hotel.
The Fairmont Hotel, Downtown Vancouver: This hotel is located on West Georgia Street in Downtown Vancouver. It was opened in May, 1939 and designed by two architects - John Smith Archibald and John Schofield. The hotel is 369ft high and has 17 floors. It was the tallest building in Vancouver until 1972. The hotel is allegedly haunted by a figure known as the "lady in red", who people think is the ghost of a woman called Jennie Pearl Cox (an alleged Vancouver socialite). Reports say that the lady in red haunts the 14th floor and glides through doors. Once, a Japanese family was staying there, who rang the front desk to ask if their room had been double-booked, because they were greeted by the lady in red. Also, a fun fact, I think they used some shots of this hotel for the show The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
Craigdarroch Castle, Victoria BC: Huffpost (2014) says, "The 39-room castle was built by Robert Dunsmuir, a wealthy Scottish immigrant. Construction began in 1887, but Dunsmuir died two years after construction started, and so did his second daughter later that same year. Ghost sightings of a woman dressed in a ball gown on the main staircase and a young girl roaming around in the basement have been reported. Many have also heard the sound of faint music playing from certain rooms in the castle." The castle has no piano, but many people who visit here report phantom piano sounds as well as child-like cries and laughter.
Deadman's Island: This is an island that isn't accessible to the public, but it's located southeast of Stanley Park. The Squamish name for the island is skwtsa7s (pronounced roughly skwuh-tsahs). It was used as a sacred burial site by the Squamish peoples, where the deceased were placed in red cedar boxes and hung high in trees. The island was also used as a place of battles and had a reported massacre of roughly 200 northern warriors pre-European settlement, and from 1888 to 1892, it was used as a quarantine island during the smallpox epidemic. From 1899 to 1930, there was conflict about who would own the island - a person called Theodore Ludgate had leased the island from the federal government and wanted to place a lumber mill there, but before he could do so, the mayor arrested him. Then in 1911, Ludgate won his case but failed to follow through with his plans as he was unable to meet his lease's requirements. In the 1940s, the island was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy and is now where the HMCS Discovery ship lives. Regarding hauntings, I feel like this place has a long history, and so would just have some very dark energy there anyway. The Little House of Horrors (2026) says, "Most of the paranormal phenomena are experienced by reservists. Normally, the island is unoccupied at night, but on some occasions, naval personnel spent a night or two there. And everyone who stayed over, experienced strange things. Building No. 1 seems to be the most active paranormal spot. Those who spent the night there, claim to have heard footsteps in the rooms above them. They even heard furniture moved. When they went up to check, no one was there. They thought it was someone of security but later they discovered they were on the island all by themselves! Some reservists have seen full apparition bodies, some heard disembodied voices and others have witnessed a strange glow through the trees which formed into a human shape." Spooky.
The Old Spaghetti Factory, Gastown: I looked up this restaurant's menu, and now I wanna go here haha! I think this restaurant is famous for starting in a tram carriage, and now the carriage is inside the restaurant. Anyway, the most famous ghost at this location is a tram conductor who appears in an old trolley inside the restaurant.
Hatley Castle (Historic Site), Colwood: This castle is now home to Royal Roads University, but previously was owned by Lieutenant Governor James Dunsmuir, who purchased the castle in 1906. He was of Scottish descent. Allegedly, the building is haunted by James Dunsmuir Jr (the son), Laura Dunsmuir (the wife), and a maid called Annabelle. Laura's ghost has been known to drag cadets out of their beds and literally pull them across the floor. James Dunsmuir Jr was k*lled in WWII, and people have said they have seen him walking near the pond. Fun fact - the building has been used in films such as Deadpool and X-Men.
Vogue Theatre, Vancouver: This is an event location for performing arts located in Vancouver's Theatre Row. Two ghosts like to spook guests here. One is a dark-haired man who likes to hang out by the stage and catwalk, and another is a man who wears a tuxedo and a bowtie. Many performers have reported seeing these two apparitions in the audience of shows. I feel a bit sceptical about this one, haha.
Waterfront Station, Downtown Vancouver: Apparently, this terminal is considered to be the most haunted location in all of Vancouver, damn. Many people have reported things like furniture moving on its own here, but it's the station's night security guards who have the most experience with the "paranormal" here. Here are some accounts: one guard said that he saw a woman in a 1920s-style dress dancing alone in the west side of the building and that he could also hear music, another guard said that he encountered the ghost of an old woman when he entered an empty room in the northwest corner of the station, who was a glowing phosphorescent white with a mournful look on her face. She reached out to the guard, who ran out terrified. Damn, what if that was a real person? Another guard said that he experienced poltergeist activity on one of the upper levels where old desks all moved together behind him without a sound - he then realised he was blocked from leaving the room, so he jumped on the desks and made a run for it.
New Westminster Secondary School: This one is quite a sad one, but this school allegedly had a drowning incident in the 1970s of a young boy who is said to haunt the school. However, I've just confirmed that this never actually happened, so I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this one is a story made up by some kids or an urban legend. The school never had a pool, oh my gosh, the internet loves to dupe us!!

Have you been to any of these locations? Let me know in the comments below!

Stay safe!

Ash xx

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Haunted Locations in British Columbia, Canada