The wide-open prairie can be a spooky place late at night. I discovered this last weekend, while driving across the lonely stretch of land between Spruce Woods Provincial Park and Brandon. The pale light of the full moon made every cluster of trees seem haunted and gave the mist that hung over the land an unearthly glow.
Why was I travelling across the prairie at one o’clock in the morning, instead of being sound asleep in my tent at Spruce Woods' Kiche Manitou campground? My travel partner and I were heading towards the weirdest provincial park in Manitoba – the Criddle/Vane Homestead Provincial Heritage Park.
The Criddle/Vane Homestead sits at the end of a farm road, off Provincial Road 340, 40 kilometres southeast of Brandon. Percy Criddle brought his family over from England in 1882, hoping to make his fortune by growing wheat on the Canadian Prairies.
This sounds like the story of most immigrants to Western Canada during this period, but with the Criddles there was a twist. The Criddle family wasn’t like most families. Percy not only brought his wife and children to Manitoba, but he also brought his mistress and the children he shared with her along with them. For 24 years, this very unconventional (even by today's standards) family lived in a tiny loghouse on the homestead.
In 1906, Percy built a sprawling farmhouse for his large extended family, along with tennis courts and a golf course. Percy’s descendents excelled at both the arts and sciences, establishing a weather station and Manitoba’s first entomology lab on the property.
The family sold the homestead in 1960 and in 2004 it was preserved as a provincial heritage park. Local legend has it that the farmhouse is haunted by the spirits of the Criddle family. I’m not the type of person who believes in ghosts, but the opportunity to explore a "haunted" house was too great to pass up.
As my travel partner and I drove down the isolated farm road, the farmhouse came into view from behind a small copse of trees. In the moonlight, it looked like it could easily stand in as a setting for a zombie movie. If you’ve seen Night of the Living Dead, you’ll know what I mean.
We had been at the homestead earlier in the day and the house was spooky looking - even in the daylight. At night, the house looked downright terrifying. The light of the full moon and the mist rising off the ground didn't help.
We entered the house, flashlights in hand, and began our exploration. In the main hallway of the first floor, an ominous epitaph, "Get Out!" was carved deeply into the wall, but we attributed that more to local vandals and less to angry spirits. The house was empty, just a few tables and chairs.
We climbed upstairs and wandered through the six or seven bedrooms that housed the Criddle clan. There were a lot of creaks and squeaks emanating from the floor boards, but nothing that sounded supernatural.
Back on the main level, we discovered the stairs leading down to the basement. After a couple minutes of discussion -- mostly "You go first," "No, you go first" -- we decided that it would be better if we stayed out of the basement. We had both seen too many bad horror movies and a vision of the ending of The Blair Witch Project was flashing in both our heads.
Then we heard the howls of coyotes, not far from the farmhouse. Already a little spooked, we took this as a sign to head back to our campsite. In the end, we didn’t see or hear any ghosts, but the house on its own was scary enough. It’s an interesting site to visit during the daytime, but at night it’s down right spooky.
Arriving back at Kiche Manitou, we were pulled over by a conservation officer, who wondered why we were pulling into the campground that late at night. I think my answer, "We were exploring a haunted house," threw her off because she gave me a strange look and hesitantly said, "That sounds interesting…" I can imagine that was one explanation she had not heard before.
Kiche Manitou is the main campground for Spruce Woods Provincial Park. The campground sits on the banks of the Assiniboine River, just off Highway 5, 185 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg. To the north of the campground is one of the most interesting natural sites in Manitoba, the Spirit Sands.
Often labelled a desert, the Spirit Sands actually receives roughly twice the amount of precipitation that a true desert receives. This additional precipitation means that a lot of the sand dunes are covered in vegetation, however there are still many exposed dunes.
These dunes are relics of Lake Agassiz. Over 15,000 years ago, a much larger and more powerful Assiniboine River flowed into Lake Agassiz in this area. The river deposited 6,500 square kilometres of sand at its massive delta. As plants and wildlife colonized this area, only four square kilometres of sand dunes were left uncovered.
At the west end of the dunes is the Devils Punch Bowl. This pond is in a depression between sand dunes and is fed by underground springs, which give it an unnatural lime-green colour.
The hike through the sand dunes and to the Devil’s Punch Bowl is roughly 10 kilometres, and includes a few steep climbs through loose sand. The hike through the dunes is spectacular. The Devil’s Punch Bowl isn’t worth the trek.
Leaving Spruce Woods, we stopped next at Portage Spillway Provincial Park and Yellow Quill Provincial Park, two parks literally across the Trans Canada Highway from each other just outside of Portage La Prairie. Both parks are essentially highway rest stops, so not much needs to be said about them.
For the upcoming Canada Day weekend, I'm heading to the two most northerly road-accessible provincial parks in Manitoba, Zed Lake and Burge Lake, near Lynn Lake. It should be quite the adventure.
Hauntings and Ghostly Activity on The Canadian Prairie
The Sahuarita Ghost Hunt of 1943
In the Fall of 1943, residents of Sahuarita lived in terror.
Paranormal activity plagued the area 20 miles south of Tucson, with most of the activity focused on the home of a 70-year-old woman. Bricks were tossed down her chimney. Rocks frequently pelted her roof in the dead of night. She would routinely find sand mixed in with her coffee.
Not long after the rumors of the haunted house began to circulate throughout the community, a man was robbed. The man could not see his assailants in the pitch black darkness of the night. Two other men were beaten on different nights. Residents started to carry guns, fearful that the ghosts appeared to be multiplying. The residents acknowledged that their bullets were useless against the ghosts, but they didn’t know what else to do.
When the news of the robbery and assaults reached the 70-year-old woman and she made the decision to abandon her home.
Deputy Sheriff Ben Mariscal also had enough of the paranormal activity in Sahuarita. Mariscal wasn’t afraid of no ghosts and was determined to put an end to it.
Over the course of his (paranormal) investigation, he suspected that several area youths were up to no good in the neighborhood. He targeted two boys, in particular, as the “ghost chiefs” of the bunch. One of the boys, a 15-year-old, was the grandson of the 70-year-old woman who abandoned her home.
Mariscal arranged a “ghost hunt” with the two boys at the abandoned home. He told the boys that he wanted to witness the ghostly activity for himself. The boys agreed to participate . On the night of the paranormal investigation, Mariscal arrived at the home with an innocent 15-year-old boy. The boy would be used as a decoy, according to his plan to nab the “ghosts” that evening. The deputy told all three boys to sit on a bench, with the decoy seated between the two suspected ghost boys. Mariscal turned off the lights. They all waited for the midnight hour, which was just moments away.
Through the darkness came the sound of a blood curdling scream. Mariscal turned on the lights to find the decoy with blood pouring out of his busted nose. Mariscal demanded to know which of the boys was the ghost. The two suspected ghosts immediately turned around and accused the decoy of attacking them with a metal instrument. The decoy protested, saying that he felt one of the boys’ arms move just before he was hit in the face. When Mariscal revealed that the bloody-nosed boy was a “plant”, the ghost boys ended their charade.
The boys were put in front of Judge William G. Hall in juvenile court. The “chief ghost” was given a year probation with the guarantee of being shipped off to reform school at Fort Grant, if even the slightest “ghosting” occurred again. The second boy received a slap on the hand.
Judge Hall said about his ruling: “If they had stayed with their pranks and let it go at that, I would have been inclined to show leniency, but when they began knocking down people and robbing one, it was going too far. This one boy is without doubt the leader of the little gang and supplied most of the ideas, I believe, and for that reason the terms of his probation are rather severe. The other lad was not involved to the same extent and I thought if we took care of the chief ghost the difficulty would be solved.”
The 70-year-old grandmother of the heavily reprimanded chief ghost returned to her home. From that point forward, no rocks showered her roof. No bricks dropped down her chimney. No coffee was tainted with sand.
It is assumed that the decoy’s nose healed nicely, though there is no record of what happened to him after the ghost hunt. It is due to him, and Deputy Sheriff Mariscal, that the streets of Sahuarita became safe, once again.
Tucson Arizona Bank Ghost
The Bank of America at 902 North Stone Avenue in Tucson is closed today due to the 4th of July holiday.
That doesn’t mean that there is no activity at the bank. Ghosts don’t work bankers’ hours and they don’t take holidays. The branch is bustling with paranormal activity.
The strange goings on at this location have been reported for several years.
This particular location was established in 1948 as The Bank of Douglas. By 1960, the bank operated under the name Arizona Bank. In the 1990’s, bank mergers and acquisitions brought the names of banking giants like Bank of America and Wells Fargo to town. Banking customers at First Interstate and Arizona Bank underwent the painful process of bank account conversions. Perhaps that is what stirred up the ghost at 902 North Stone Avenue. The ghostly activity at the bank was rumored to have accelerated around that time.
Employees saw apparitions. Doors swung open. Doors slammed shut.
One dreaded door, the door to the furnace room, was avoided as much as possible. Employees considered that room to be the source of activity and simply steered clear of it. In 1997, Alan D. Fischer of the Arizona Daily Star paid a visit to investigate the rumored haunting. He witnessed the furnace door swing open for no apparent reason. He investigated the area and found no prankster around. He examined the door, which was too heavy to simply swing open by itself. He concluded: “I don’t have an answer, but I do have a strong belief that there is something going on there.”
One has to wonder whether there is something going on there today. The next thing to ponder would be whose spirit feels compelled to haunt the bank and why they would haunt it. No one knows the answers yet. It could be someone associated with the bank, or someone associated with the property prior to 1948.
While future dreaded mergers and acquisitions could change the name of the place, the activity of a nameless ghost may remain unchanged.
Ghost Trips Alarm and Seen on Security Camera
From ABC News Channel 13 in Franklin, North Carolina comes this video of what a paranormal investigator believes is a ghost seen on security tape.
The motion-sensing alarms were triggered and police were called to investigate. They found an empty storeroom. When store employees checked the surveillance video footage, however, a mysterious figure can be seen moving across the warehouse. The ghostly figure appears near a closed door, walks down a few steps and then across the area.
Years previously someone had asked employees if the place was haunted and if anyone had seen the ghost recently.
What do you think?
View the Video Here
History of a Haunting - Success at Last!
Last year, Sue St.Clair and Matthew Didier's Paranormal Blog showcased a Canadian Television pilot entitled History of a Haunting.
The newly announced show had a host of unfamiliar faces, virtual nobodies, save for a widely used actor from the now-defunct and ridiculously cheesy showcase of Canadian paranormal: Creepy Canada.
The authors, titled the blog entry as:
History of a Haunting: ANOTHER Media Letdown Before Production Even Starts...
(Visit The Blog Entry Here and View Comments)
What the authors probably did not know is how absurd and disturbing the whole production would be and how the story would unfold. At first amused by the whole idea of History of a Haunting, the paranormal community quickly were insulted by the rationale, the production and the personalities involved. And the paranormal community quickly uncovered the lies.
In 2010, the producers, decided that they would bring the show to the Banff World Television Festival. They paid to attend. Enough Said.
According to Nathan Chamberland it was a success! Read on...
- History of a Haunting producers post ads to attract actors to play major roles on their reality TV show.
- The producers post an ad looking for a scriptwriter for the reality TV show.
- Casting call results are poor, friends are put in lead roles instead. They have zero experience in anything paranormal, or with investigating, however, they are portrayed as "Team Leaders" and "Lead Investigators"
- Cast is a trance medium named Shane Flannigan, who goes by the stage name Zoltach or Sayge, who also doubles as a clown named Soupy. (No, I am not making this up!)
- Another psychic was hired on to the production - Shelly Murdock, of Niagara Falls.
- Matthew Didier posts his blog entry alerting the paranormal community.
- Production begins for the pilot episode. According to Shelly Murdock, the producers and actors were drinking while on set.
- Shelly Murdock says she exposed Zoltach as a fraud on set, but producers decided to "let her go" with the excuse that "she does not look good on camera."
- Matthew Didier's Blog Post attracts readership and comments. One, notably from Nathan Chamberland himself, the show's "producer".
- Blog comments quickly establish that Nathan Chamberland is out of his league. His feeble attempts to defend the show quickly turn to anger.
- Shelly Murdock is officially "fired" from the show.
- Photos and the address of the first house appear on the History of a Haunting web site revealing its location of a private home and a private individual.
- Shelly Murdock comes forward and suggests the show is fake, and that Zoltach is a fraud. She publicly answered questions here: The Shadows Project Forum
- The homeowners, disgusted by the production and the lack of reality refuse to let the film production film another scene in there home. The production uses another house and property as a double and bills it as the first home.
- Shelly Murdock says she was harassed and threatened by the production team.
- Producers were asked repeatedly to join in the discussion and defend their show - to which they refused.
- A promo appears on Youtube with poor viewership and negative comments.
- Another promo for "The Team Leader" appears, again with poor viewership and negative comments.
- With marketing ideas lacking, the team turns to forums on Bloody Disgusting and Fangoria to drum up an audience. It fails.
- The producers claim to have a historian dig up clues from the past. However, no historian is featured and no name is given. The public calls it BS.
- Nathan Chamberland, the shows front man, appears on the Shadows Project Forum to defend himself.
- Nathan suggests he and his show are there to help people, however he cannot answer how he can help a homeowner.
- Nathan Chamberland finds himself entangled in his own web of lies and is exposed continuously by posters on the forum.
- Nathan admits that he made "one hundred mistakes" in the production of the first pilot.
- Nathan gets ripped apart by Creepy Bastard on the TSP forum.
- Enter Divine Intervention. Zoltach (also known as Sayge or Soupy) uses a fake alias to defend the show anonymously. He lies about his person and the show and is exposed quickly.
- Zoltach appears as Sayge and pretends he has never been on the forum. He is exposed as a liar.
- A Team Leader is chosen - an artist and friend of the group. He has zero experience.
- New psychics are added to the show - The Ghost Eliminators! They profit from providing clearing services to home owners. They are showcased on Youtube talking to the spirit of a stuffed tiger in Niagara Falls.
- Betty of the Ghost Eliminators appears on the forum and quickly gets ripped apart.
- TSP's thread on History of a Haunting is locked.
- The homeowners voice their complaints to History of a Haunting and want to their privacy back. They are also concerned that the team made things up and do not know the truth.
- History of a Haunting threatens the homeowners and decided to pull the plug and reshoot another pilot episode.
- The web site www.historyofahaunting.com vanishes.
- Spoof videos of History of a Haunting appear on Youtube and elsewhere.
- Another pilot episode is produced using a friends house as the backdrop.
- A pilot episode is released via the new History of a Haunting web site.
- Viewers including their own family memebers complain of viruses, malware and pornography infecting their computers once they viewed the video.
- History of a Haunting leaves the pilot episode up - infecting the viewers computers.
- Views are low and comments negative about the production.
- The History of a Haunting web site goes down again.
- Nathan Chamberland announces that History of a Haunting is nominated for a Rocky Award (sic Rockie Award) at the Banff World Television Festival. What he fails to mention is the festival takes on any pilot IF you pay the registration fee.
- Psyched a fundraiser is created to sent Nathan and friends to Alberta.
- Audience members and those present laugh at the production.
- Nathan Chamberland returns home to Niagara licking his wounds but announces that the intention was NOT to win an award at the award show.
-Albert Einstein
History of a Haunting's Team LeaderHere is the Redeveloped Pilot Episode:
Chip Coffey Visits The Banff Springs Hotel
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.
Interview with The Shadows Project
Southern Ontario certainly has a lot of suspected haunted locations and there are just as many paranormal investigation teams.
In recent years, some have scaled back investigating, while others have pursued commercial interests such as “parlour theatre” or “ghost walks” and have determined that good-old-fashioned research and investigation mean nothing – unless it brings in money and/or the promise of fame.
There are also groups who have decided that the area lacks enough haunted locations and have made up hauntings-and-histories as-they-go, keeping their whereabouts secret and making Twitter moments of the investigations.
And then there are a select few who have decided that investigating the paranormal is primarily driven by the desire to learn, understand and share.
The Shadows Project is a group of paranormal investigators who have researched and documented hauntings from Buffalo, New York to Toronto, Ontario and do so with integrity and determination.
From left to right: Elvis, Tom, Chae, Steve, GordThere isn’t one team member that stands out, nor is there one that fails to be a contributor. From sensitives to skeptics, the team comprises of a wide-variety of individuals, each bringing with them their own unique way of investigating. From drop-dead serious moments, to comedic outtakes, the team can be summarized in one word: Real.
I had the opportunity to interview members of The Shadows Project and this is the result:
Question One: What are the Shadows Project’s goals?
Gord Westwater (aka Dr. Gord):
The Shadows Project goals are to investigate as many reported haunted locations as possible and collect whichever evidence we may find. With the evidence, our findings will be presented on our website, in a fashion that all can relate to. Also the evidence will be presented in such a fashion
that, anyone who reads it, will have their own opinion of it, rather than forcing ours upon them.
Tom Hubert (aka Ace):
As always, to keep our integrity by always being honest on every investigation.
Elvis Podvorac (aka Creepy Bastard):
The goal of the Shadow’s Project is seek an answer to the question: What are ghosts?
Stephen Willett (aka nAz):
As a team, I believe our goal is quite simple, Prove or disprove the existence of Ghosts. Personally, as a believer I want to know Why? Why do they appear to us when we least expect it? Why are they here? There are too many “why’s” I want to know…
Gord Westwater of The Shadows ProjectQuestion Two: What is your favourite investigation and why?
Gord Westwater:
Personally, I have two favorite investigations. The first would be Century Manor in Hamilton, Ontario. This place was an abandoned Psychiatric Hospital and it was here that I really started to have experiences that I could not explain. The second being St.Peter’s Cemetery, as it here I have seen numerous shadow apparitions.
Tom Hubert:
I like Century Manor, but wasn't experienced enough at the time to fully get it. So, after that, Decou house foundation. Because there always seems to be shadow activity.
Elvis Podvorac:
My favourite investigation is/was in the location we dubbed The Abandoned Farmhouse, in Flamborough, Ontario (which has been torn done). The location presented a number of, what I believe to be, spirits. A number of EVPs have been captured on our recorders when left unattended in the house as well as when carried with us. On one investigation, one of the doors was locked from the inside. From our previous investigations we knew that there door locks do not work. On the following investigation the door was open again, and we checked the lock. Sure enough, the locking mechanism was not functional. What made this location for me was that we were able to visit it multiple times and each time we felt we were progressing. It was like a pattern was forming and a picture of what we were experiencing there was coming together. Of all the places I have explored, this one had the greatest potential for a breakthrough.
Stephen Willett:
I really can’t pin point a favourite investigation. Every time I record a “evp” or feel an unseen force touch me, that gives me a “rush” -a thrill. I have fun on every investigation with TSP. To me that’s what it’s all about, having fun & hoping to see that full apparition.
The Abandoned FarmhouseQuestion Three: Where would you like to investigate in Canada and why?
Gord Westwater:
I, personally, would like to investigate historic places within Toronto and Montreal. The reason being, these are some of our oldest cities with lots of history, and it seems to go hand in hand with strong paranormal activities and locations.
Tom Hubert:
I think Banff Springs Hotel. It has to be believed to be haunted.
Elvis Podvorac:
I would like to revisit Century Manor again. I have had a few experiences very early on and would like to investigate it some more.
Stephen Willett:
No place in particular, except for some old hotel nestled in the mountains in western Canada.
Question Four: Tell us about your most recent investigation.
Gord Westwater:
The most recent investigation was to a place called Metler’s Cemetery in Fonthill, Ontario. I had a strong feeling when visiting the place one night, and took the team there to investigate. Sadly, my experience seemed to have been a one off chance as nothing revealed itself that night that the team went.
Tom Hubert:
Not much to tell. Cemetery with no activity at all.
Elvis Podvorac:
Our latest investigation was an old pioneer cemetery out in Font Hill, Ontario. Aside from the historical interest, the location yielded nothing of note.
Stephan Willett:
Metler’s Cemetery, Personally, I didn’t get anything.
Question Five: Take me through the steps of an investigation – from someone calling in saying: “I’d like you to investigate…” to the results.
Gord Westwater:
When someone approaches the Shadows Project with a chance to investigate, we offer our assistance to them, but ask that they do not reveal any knowledge or facts of what has happened at the location. From there, we will meet first at a designated spot, just to relax, catch up and then head to the location. Upon arriving at the location, we are all at the same frame of mind. Depending on the size of the location, we may either approach it in teams or all at once. We generally will not talk with one another during an investigation as this can lead to the power of suggestion. The only way of communicating is by hand signals. For example, if a team is experiencing something they cannot explain, a wave of a hand will bring another team member over to stand in that spot. A simple yes or no nod of the head will suffice and the investigation will continue. At the conclusion of the investigation, we will compare what we found with each other, and at this time, if it is a person’s home, we will then approach them with our findings. After discussing what we have found, we will reassure the person that nothing negative or hurtful will come to them. The next day or so, we will go over our audio and video and report back to the client of any evidence found or not found. If it is a public location, we will then post our findings on our website, for others to read.
Tom Hubert:
We get the call, or email, we specifically ask for no details. From this point on, this is what happens for me only. I am not told where we're investigating. I don't meditate, or try to remote view. Mainly because I don't believe there to be any value in that. The day of the investigation, when I'm driving to meet the team, I either listen to music quietly on the drive, or nothing at all, and just try to get into the right frame of mind. When we meet, we don't really discuss the details of where we're going. During the investigation, I do not use any tools or equipment other than my flashlight. Occassionally, I bring an audio recorder, but it's digital and have never had anything on it. I think equipment is useless. There is no tool specifically invented for this field. Until then, it's just a guess that these tools work. After the investigation, while at the location, we discuss in private, what we've come up with and how best to reveal that to the client. The team takes turn with their reveal to the client. Any photographic/evp evidence found later is sent to the client by email. We video ourselves after the investigation for our notes. We also never reveal our client, or post anything that would give away who they are or where they are.
Elvis Podvorac:
(Empty, creepy silence.)
Stephen Willett:
A “client” will email or contact a member of the team. That team member will contact the rest to work out a time and date, withholding any information sent in by the client. After the investigation we will sit down with the client and discuss any immediate findings before letting the client share what they have experienced in the location. After listening to audio and watching video, the team will share any possible evidence to gather opinion & will have non-tsp individuals to listen & attempt to debunk. Once any possible evidence has been gathered TSP will share that information with the client as well as any followups.
Question Six: What has made you a believer?
Gord Westwater:
What has made me a believer in this field are too many instances of activity I could not rationally explain. From having the same images within my mind that others have found, or seeing a shadow figure walk across a field, has a resounding effect on the psyche that cannot be
explained. Also finding an evp on audio that you did not hear during the investigation, also leads to more unexplained evidence.
Tom Hubert:
Nothing at least not yet.
Elvis Podvorac:
When certain things happen, or when I get a certain feeling that ‘something’ is odd, it is easy to dismiss and my imagination. What has made me a believer is that, not only am I experiencing strange things, other people are too. What really cemented it for me was when we confirm each others feelings and they are spot-on identical.
Stephen Willett:
Way too many experiences have happened over the years to make me think otherwise. As a skeptic as well I’ve attempted to debunk everything that has happened & I cannot. When objects move infront of you and others for no logical reason…
Question Seven: Has your views changed over the course of investigating? Explain.
Gord Westwater:
My views on the paranormal have indeed changed over the course of 5 years of investigating, at the time of writing this. When I began in this field, I was the skeptic however over the course of investigations and more and more instances of unexplainable encounters, it has led me to
believe that there is more happening in this world that meets the eye.
Tom Hubert:
No. I am still the skeptic
Elvis Podvorac:
My views have definitely changed. When I first started, I was at the mercy of whatever information was available. The more I investigated, the more I experienced. The more I experienced, the more questions I had. That is the one thing I noticed most of all. The more I do this, my questions don’t get answered. They just lead to more and more questions.
Stephan Willett:
Many, many, many times. As a believer and a skeptic, I have frustrated myself with wanting to believe and at the same time explaining away what I saw and felt. In the beginning I really had fun. Checking out insane asylums, creepy tunnels and graveyards, getting those disembodied voices on tape, yeah, good times. After awhile I started taking it too seriously, thought that I should try and conform to some level of professionalism. Now I’ve realized life is too short & I’m back to having fun with my friends.
Question Eight: Many of you have been investigating the paranormal for some time, and there are years of reports from the TSP crew of various locations. Most of the reports offer similarities in the evidence and experiences. Once you find a haunted location, or one that is perceived haunted - what is the next step? What is beyond sitting in the dark, recording on tape, videotaping, photographing? What is the next step? How will TSP go beyond this foundation?
Gord Westwater:
At this current time, it is hard to show the world of evidence of the paranormal. As everyone is aware, both believer and non believer alike, spirits and paranormal activity does not happen on command. All we can do to continue, once we find a truly haunted location is keep investigating it and collecting more and more evidence. Essentially, the cream of the crop would be to find a trigger to make the activity happen and then present that to the world. From a realistic point of view though, what we do is just continue doing what we do, investigating the unknown and presenting our facts in a truly mature and sensible fashion and hope one day to find irrefutable evidence that ghosts do exist.
Tom Hubert:
(Skepto Stare of Silence).
Elvis Podvorac:
We believe that when investigating, it is important to visit and revisit that same location as often as possible. One visit, for a couple of hours, and that’s it, doesn’t work. Every location and haunting has its own personality. What may work at one location, may not work at another. Some locations yield more EVPs than others. Some locations overwhelm you with strong emotions and overload your senses. These little traits are impossible to define without repetition and experimentation. Once we find that perfect location that we feel has the potential to yield results, we will batter it with whatever method we feel may work towards finding answer to our question.
Stephan Willett:
Beyond the foundation would be simply, correlation of data and networking. As there is no real method or tools to confirm a spirit presence, correlating data from as many individuals and ghost hunting groups as possible would be the only way to come close to confirming a spirit presence.
The Shadows Project provides homeowners and businesses no-charge investigating and all notes on all their public investigations are online for visitors to read up on.
Most recently they released Episode One of their investigations on Vimeo. In the past, the group experimented with podcasts of their investigations.
For more information on the Shadows Project, and haunted locations in Southern Ontario and beyond, visit their web site at www.theshadowsproject.com
