Shanon Sinn

Investigating the Haunting of Heriot Bay Inn (With Videos)

History & Building:

Stories claiming that the century-old Heriot Bay Inn is haunted can be traced back for decades, but strange tales have always been a part of the inn’s colourful past.

In Quadra Story, author Jeanette Taylor says that it was Hosea Arminius Bull who first established the Heriot Bay Inn in 1895. After only a few years, however, a fire burned the original building down to the ground. The Heriot Bay Inn was soon rebuilt, but it was consumed by a second fire in 1911. The current Inn was then built in 1912. In the late 1920s, owner Charles Webster removed half of the building for unknown reasons. The other half remained in place, and is now the dining area and the loft above it. When Webster lost the property, residents rejoiced and immediately brought back either the same piece or a similar piece restoring the inn to its original glory.

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CTVVI News (video): Our Investigation of the Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island

CTVVI News Video: Heriot Bay Inn Ghost Hunters See Future in Ghost Tourism

In late February, travel blogger Sean Enns and myself conducted a two-night investigation of the Heriot Bay Inn on Quadra Island. Reports of the inn being haunted had already been in existence for decades; but we were determined to find out for ourselves if there was anything more to the century-old inn’s tales of the unexplained. With unprecedented access to the inn, Sean and I conducting interviews, shot hours of video, took EMF readings, and administered multiple audio recording sessions throughout the building. What we found may, or may not, surprise you…

Subscribe to Sean’s blog at offbeattravel.ca for his soon-to-be-released post on the Heriot Bay Inn’s haunting!

As for myself? Stay tuned folks! A Youtube video and blog post are sure to follow!

That be me I suppose — Me in the attic of the Heriot Bay Inn

The White Lady of Thetis Cove (With Video)

Illustration by Maurice Greiffenhagen. 1894

Ghost stories describing a Lady in White can be found all over the world. From Thailand to South America, and Australia to Russia, a lone woman’s spirit wearing a white flowing dress has been told. According to Wikipedia contributors, what is consistent about most of these tales “is the theme of losing or being betrayed by a husband, boyfriend, or fiancé.” This classic White Lady phenomenon is said to only occur in rural or secluded areas.

These specific qualities are what is said to differentiate “White Lady” tales from the countless other stories told of female-apparitions dressed in white gowns. These rigid requirements effectively disqualify many women-in-white apparitions found on Vancouver Island. Victoria, for example, reports several non-rural spirits in white dresses. The rest of Vancouver Island can add a few more women who don’t quite meet the criteria, as well — including one lonely maid who even appears without her head!

…a tale, of course, for another day…

Strictly speaking, according to the rules of qualification Vancouver Island only has two White Ladies. Interestingly, both of them hail from the Greater Victoria area.

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The Legend of Candle Lake Saskatchewan (With Videos)

Candle Lake was reputed to be haunted long before white settlers arrived.

Candle Lake — 45 minutes Northeast of Prince Albert — is located in the Canadian Province of Saskatchewan. It’s more than just a lake, though. The Provincial Park is also a resort community, boasting a population of 700 people during the winter months, and up to 2000 people in the summer. The lake’s a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts and tourists alike, making it an even busier place during the summer months than the resident population might suggest.

The Boreal Forest that Candle Lake is located in is home to a wide array of wildlife, including the wolf, bear, coyote, fox, lynx, cougar, fisher, deer, elk, moose, badgers, otters, and many others including birds such as owls, eagles, hawks, herons, loons and cranes. During the winter months, it’s not uncommon to be looking up at the Northern Lights while listening to the haunting howling of the wolves. In many ways, it truly is paradise.

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The Long Road Home

It has been a very long three years.

First, there was the chemo – which took place in November of 2011: The side effects that followed permeated into every area of my life. The army refused to acknowledge that I was sick, or that they had a moral or legal obligation to help a sick predeployed veteran out financially. As a result, I was often without income, so I lived on credit. The longest I was without pay was for 5 months while higher-ups reviewed my case in order to make any decisions. This would happen every few months or so.

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