Chip Coffey, self-proclaimed psychic, and known from the A&E television series Paranormal State and Psychic Kids was on hand at the Banff World Television Festival taking part in a discussion about paranormal television shows.
The discussion was an absolute bore with no direction or focus. It was primarily a marketing event for current television productions such as Paranormal State. Chip Coffey went on to say that he believes the host-hotel, The Banff Springs Hotel, is haunted. He went on to say that as he entered the hotel he was met by several spirits and within 15 minutes had met them all.
Chip Coffey is a celebrity even with the dead.
Chip went on to say that the ghosts were busy mingling with the movers and shakers of the television world as the Festival was in full swing. He did not, however, explain why a bellhop, a pregnant bride or a child ghost would want from a television producer or a scriptwriter.
In an interview with the Calgary Herald after the discussion panel, Chip explained one ghost was a woman, perhaps the famous bride who died on her wedding day and is said to haunt one of the hotel's many stairwells. Her name, Coffey has determined, was Christina and she was pregnant when she died.
"Not one life but two were lost at that time," said Coffey. "With me being here, she felt very comfortable is saying, 'It's not a stigma anymore, so I will let you know I was pregnant. And the only two people who knew at the time was my mother and my husband-to-be.'"
The third was a little boy named Jack.
"He just wanted to hang," said Coffey. (Again, it must be his celebrity status that is attracting even young, ghostly children to him. Either that, or he had some candy to share.)
"He's been around and pretty active and hanging in my room. I do a show called Psychic Kids and I work with a lot of children. Children in particular feel comfortable, in spirit, to be chatting with me. The boy identified himself as Jack -- he's blond, he's about six to nine years old. He showed up in my room first and came through last night on the ghost walk."
It's not the first time the Banff Springs Hotel has had an inpromtu ghost walk or investigation. It's been rumoured to be haunted for some time and Coffey took guests around the hotel and explained what he felt. No evidence was presented and the tour was quickly wrapped up.
Chip Coffey went on to explain that during his overnight stay his computer rebooted twice and the lights in his room flickered on and off. He attributes these events to the ghosts. He failed to explain, however, why a ghost would reboot his computer of flick on and off the lights to communicate with him, when previously they presented themselves and started chatting about intimate secrets.
Some were absolutely astonished by Chip Coffey's knowledge of the suspected haunted hotel. How did he know about the Bellhop named Sam? How did he know of the bride who is said to haunt the main staircase? And what about the little boy? How did he know about him?
The answer is:
John Robert Colombo.
With several books on his person including two by Colombo, Chip Coffey simply did a quick read-up on the ghost stories of the Banff Springs Hotel to impress the crowd and his fans. Some were not so impressed by the psychic abilities, mainly because he was so vague and did not offer anything new - he simply regurgitated ghost stories that were already known to most participants.
Chip Coffey is either loved or hated by the paranormal community. For A&E and shows like Psychic Kids he earns his keep and those loyal viewers will never see him do any harm. After all, he is a "warrior of god!"
However, there are plenty of people who think his psychic abilities are bollocks and he is an unethical fraud.
Certainly, his whirlwind tour of the Banff Springs Hotel and his "discussion" of paranormal television did not prove he was real, nor did it prove he is a fraud.
It simply proved he is becoming a washed up para-celeb with trinkets to sell and demon-slaying stories to tell.
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