App Store

Google Play

DK - Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

Nyd den ubegrænsede adgang til tusindvis af spændende e- og lydbøger - helt gratis

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst 

Dark Poutine / Curiouscast

True crime, legends, folklore, dark history and other creepy topics from the perspective of real live Canadians.

Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History

Episode 350: Ashley Wadsworth’s story is one of hope and adventure turned into a nightmare. Originally from Vernon, British Columbia, Ashley travelled to the UK to be with her boyfriend, Jack Sepple, whom she had met online. However, what began as a romantic journey ended in tragedy when she was found dead in February 2022. Her murder shocked communities on both sides of the Atlantic and raised questions about the dangers of online relationships.
Join us as we unravel the details of this heartbreaking case, examining the events leading up to Ashley’s untimely death and the subsequent investigation that brought her killer to justice.
Sources:
Ashley Wadsworth Obituary - Vernon, BC
Language & Culture Revitalization - Okanagan Indian Band
Timeline – Okanagan Nation Alliance
Vernon BC | The Canadian Encyclopedia
City of Vernon
The Implications of 'No Comment' in A Police Interview and the Importance of Legal Advice - Makwanas | Criminal Legal Aid Solicitors
The Power of Giving a 'No Comment' Interview During Police Questioning
Charge laid after B.C. woman killed in U.K.
Chelmsford: UPDATE Man charged with murder
Boyfriend killed Canadian teenager then filmed bloody confession | ITV News
'She wanted to help him... He repaid by taking her life' | ITV News
The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth | MacLeans
Vernon, B.C. teen’s U.K. killer sentenced to 23.5 years
‘She wanted to do so many things’: Vernon family grieving woman murdered in England
‘I was shocked’: Mother of Vernon teen murdered in England upon guilty plea
Documentary on B.C. teen’s murder airs on British TV
‘I thought England was the safest place in the world’ — DailyMail
Brit who killed girlfriend after she flew to UK was banned from meeting own mum
Mother of Vernon woman killed by boyfriend reacts to documentary about the death - Okanagan
The Murder Of Ashley Wadsworth — ITVX Documentary
Clare’s Law
Interpersonal Violence Disclosure Protocol (Clare’s Law) Act | Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transatlantic Tragedy — The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth

Episode 351: On March 8, 1987, a routine Sunday morning traffic stop on a quiet stretch of Route 640 between Yoho Lake and Hanwell to the southwest of Fredericton, New Brunswick, turned into a tragedy that shocked the nation. Constable Emmanuel “Manni” Aucoin, a 31-year-old highway patrol officer, husband and father of two young children, was shot and killed in the line of duty. His murderer, Anthony Phillip Romeo, an American fugitive who was wanted for another killing in New York, had been fleeing authorities when Aucoin pulled him over for speeding. Romeo shot Aucoin twice in the head as he wrote up a ticket, leaving him to die in his cruiser before fleeing back to the United States. Romeo was later captured, claiming Aucoin was a monster who’d been killing young men.
Constable Aucoin was the third Canadian police officer killed on duty in 1987 and was the first and only member of the New Brunswick Highway Patrol ever to die while serving.
Sources:
Joseph Emmanuel “Manni” Aucoin (1955-1987) - Find...
Anthony Philip Romeo, Petitioner, Appellant, v. James B. Roache, Respondent, Appellee, 820 F.2d 540 (1st Cir. 1987)
Cst. Emmanuel Joseph Aucoin
1991 CanLII 12407 (NB KB) | R. v. Romeo (1991) | CanLII
1991 CanLII 113 (SCC) | R. v. Romeo | CanLII
R. v. Romeo - SCC Cases
HE’S CHARGED IN ’85 GUN SLAY
Anthony Phillip Romeo - Search - Newspapers.com™
Governor General Award — Emmanuel Joseph Aucoin Police Exemplary Service Medal, Awarded on August 28, 1987
New Brunswick Highway Patrol
SUSPECT IN KILLING ON FIRE I. IS HELD IN CANADIAN SLAYING (Published 1987)
N.B. cop killer Anthony Romeo granted escorted trip for meditation class
Facebook — MURDER - CST. MANNY AUCOIN
N.B. cop killer Anthony Romeo granted escorted trip for meditation class - New Brunswick
Facing killer a life-changing event | Blue Line
Man, 25, Found Slain In Home on Fire Island (Published 1985)
SUSPECT IS NAMED IN MURDER OF SON OF EX-AIDE TO CUOMO (Published 1987)
New Yorker ordered held in Canadian cop killing - UPI Archives
PEOPLE v. ROMEO (2008)
1985 L.I. conviction is overturned
Parole board denies release of American who killed New Brunswick cop in 1987 - New Brunswick
New Brunswick highway patrol officer's killer denied full parole | CBC News
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Killed on the Job: Constable Emmanuel Aucoin

Episode 352: At 5:18 a.m. on May 9, 1992, in Plymouth, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, in the Westray Mine, a methane gas explosion, followed by a coal dust blast, ripped through the underground tunnels, claiming the lives of 26 miners working the night shift.
The tragedy unfolded against a backdrop of known safety violations and ignored warnings. In the aftermath, a gripping rescue attempt captivated the nation as teams of drägermen braved hazardous conditions in a desperate search for survivors. The bodies of 15 miners were recovered during the initial rescue and recovery efforts. However, the remains of 11 miners were never recovered and remain entombed deep within the mine to this day.
Despite criminal charges being filed against the mine owners and its management, no convictions were secured due to the complexity of establishing legal responsibility. More than ten years later, the federal government introduced amendments to the Criminal Code in response to this tragedy.
Sources:
Coal Mining Fatalities
The Story of Fossil Fuels, Part 1: Coal
World Coal Consumption: Past, Present, and Future
Parks Canada - Beginnings of Coal Mining National Historic Event
Coal in Canada
History of Mining | Mining Museum
Coal in Canada | Canadian Encyclopedia
1860s Accidents | Not Your Grandfathers Mining Industry, Nova Scotia, Canada
A Short History of Blame: The Doctrine of Progress
Canada's Deadliest Mining Disaster - Coal - Alberta's Energy Heritage
Mining Disasters
Nova Scotia's Historic Underground Coal Mine Workings Information
Nova Scotia Archives | Mining Disasters
Nova Scotia Archives | Men in the Mines
Coal and Grit
Miners Memorial Day: Davis Day
Stellarton, NS | Canadian Encyclopedia
Westray | NFB Film
Westray Mine | Wikipedia
Westray Disaster | Canadian Encyclopedia
The Day the Westray Mine Blew
Westray Coal Mine Disaster | New Scotland
Nova Scotia Archives | The Westray Story | Report of the Westray Mine Public Inquiry
Justice K. Peter Richard, Commissioner
Westray.Mine.Public.Inquiry
Death by Consensus: The Westray Story
The Westray Mine Disaster and its Aftermath: The Politics of Causation
1993 CanLII 3278 (NS CA) | Nova Scotia (Commissioner of Inquiries, Westray Mine) v. Phillips | CanLII
1995 CanLII 86 (SCC) | Phillips v. Nova Scotia (Commission of Inquiry into the Westray Mine Tragedy) | CanLII
Westray Verdict
The Westray Disaster
The Road From Westray: A Predictable Path to Disaster? by Eric Tucker
The Westray Story: A Tragic Tale and the Law that Followed
Criminal liability for workplace deaths and injuries – Background on the Westray Law
20th Anniversary of the Westray Law
Westray: 30 Years - USW Canada
Still Dying for a Living by Stephen Bittle
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THe Westray Mine Disaster

Episode 354: In the quiet, close-knit community of Fosterville, New Brunswick, a crime of unspeakable horror shattered the peace on November 26, 1924. Two young sisters, Cynthia (14) and Necia Foster (10), were found bound, gagged, and brutally murdered in the lakeside camp of their uncle, Harry D. Williams. The sheer brutality of the crime sent shockwaves through the region, making it one of the most infamous cases in New Brunswick’s history.
Sources:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/new-brunswick
Fosterville, New Brunswick
Harry Williams - Search - Newspapers.com™
Fosterville Murder, Part 1
Fosterville Murder Part 2
Fosterville Murder Part 3
Fosterville Murder Part 4
Fosterville Murder Part 5
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fosterville Murders

Episode 332: In this episode of Dark Poutine, we delve into a troubling chapter of British Columbia’s history that reveals the deep-seated racism and fear that plagued our past. D’Arcy Island, a small and isolated landmass off the coast of Vancouver Island, became home to a leprosy colony from 1891 to 1924. But this wasn’t just any colony; it was a place where Chinese immigrants who had contracted the disease were forcibly sent to live out their days in harsh and inhumane conditions, far from society’s view.
Leprosy, now known as Hansen’s disease, has been misunderstood and deeply feared throughout history. The disease, although not highly contagious and treatable today, was seen as a mark of shame and led to the isolation of those afflicted. The establishment of the D’Arcy Island colony was rooted not only in fear of the disease but also in the racist attitudes of the time, which viewed Chinese immigrants as expendable and less deserving of care.
Sources:
Leprosy | WHO
D'Arcy Island Marine Park
W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations: History & Territory
The Creation of Indian Reserves and their Impact On The W̱SÁNEĆ Nation
British Columbia Indian Treaties In Historical Perspective
An introduction to First Nations' history in the Gulf Islands
Tales from the Vault: The lepers of D'Arcy Island
The lepers of D'Arcy Island
The Dark Past Of D'Arcy Island • British Columbia Magazine
How a tiny island off Victoria became part of B.C.’s racist history - UBC News
‘Island of Death’: BC’s Forgotten Racist Leper Colony
Health campaigners call for an end to the use of the word leper
D'Arcy Island | Wikipedia
Chinese Canadian historic places receive provincial recognition
Chinese Canadian Historic Places | PDF
A Measure of Value: The Story of the D'Arcy Island Leper Colony By Chris Yorath | Google Books
City of Victoria Archives | International Leprosy Association - History of Leprosy
Tracadie and D’Arcy and Bentinck Islands (Canada) | International Leprosy Association - History of Leprosy
The Lepers of Tracadie
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Leprosy Colony of D’Arcy Island

On the evening of February 14, 1985, Valentine’s Day, at around 6:00 p.m., Bryan Hart of Colborne, Ontario, came home to a quiet house after work. He looked around the house for his wife, Betty, but could not find her. The couple’s 19-year-old son had already been home for an hour and a half. Michael said he hadn’t seen his mom but had noticed a pair of glasses she wore sitting on the landing leading into the basement. Thinking his mother was out somewhere, Michael picked up the glasses and put them on top of the refrigerator in the kitchen for safekeeping.
On learning about the glasses from Michael, Bryan felt compelled to check the basement. It was the only place he hadn’t checked yet. In the cellar, Bryan discovered Betty lying on her side in a vast pool of blood. She was unresponsive. Bryan raced back upstairs and told his son to call an ambulance.
Marguerite Elizabeth (Betty) Hart, 46, was dead. Among Betty’s many injuries, her throat had been slashed. Early on, the OPP presumed Betty’s wounds to be self-inflicted, but not all was as it appeared.
Sources:
1987 CanLII 124 (ON CA) | R. v. Moran | CanLII
SCC Docket | Donald Philip John Moran v. Her Majesty the Queen
Mar 09, 1985, page 3 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com
Mar 12, 1985, page 2 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com
Mar 13, 1985, page 2 - The Kingston Whig-Standard at Newspapers.com
Mar 14, 1985, page 2 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com
Apr 30, 1985, page 7 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com
Jul 23, 1985, page 5 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com
Jun 06, 1985, page 2 - The Kingston Whig-Standard at Newspapers.com
Jun 28, 1985, page 6 - The Kingston Whig-Standard at Newspapers.com
Jan 08, 1986, page 7 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com
Jan 08, 1986, page 32 - The Expositor at Newspapers.com
Jan 09, 1986, page 15 - The Expositor at Newspapers.com
Jan 16, 1986, page 62 - Waterloo Region Record at Newspapers.com
Jan 16, 1986, page 10 - The Expositor at Newspapers.com
Jan 17, 1986, page 8 - The Expositor at Newspapers.com
Jan 18, 1986, page 8 - Waterloo Region Record at Newspapers.com
http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/CTPL/CTPL002508964pf_0156.pdf
http://images.ourontario.ca/Partners/CTPL/CTPL002508964pf_0155.pdf
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Valentine’s Day Nightmare: The Murder of Betty Hart

Episode 341: Welcome to a very special Halloween edition of Dark Poutine. This year, we’re also celebrating our seventh anniversary! Over the years, we’ve explored the darkest corners of Canadian crime and history, but tonight, we’re widening the lens to take you on a ghostly journey around the world. In the spirit of the spookiest time of year, we’ll dive into the eerie world of hauntings, ghosts and, of course, poltergeists—those noisy, mischievous spirits that have haunted homes, thrown objects, and terrified families across different cultures for centuries. Buckle up for a global tour of unsettling encounters and unexplained phenomena that have left their mark in folklore, history, and, for some, reality. Get ready to be both intrigued and chilled to the bone!
Sources:
Society for Psychical Research
Difference Between Ghost and Poltergeist
Types Of Ghosts and Spirits
Ghosts, poltergeists, and demons: What’s the difference?
The Ghost Glossary: The Difference Between Ghosts, Ghouls, Goblins, And More
Hauntings and Poltergeists | SPR
The Great Amherst Mystery, 1888
Mary Ellen Fire Spook - An Antigonish Haunting
The Hanging Cage That Held An Infamous Québec Murderess
Who is Marie-Josephte Corriveau?
The “Stone Tape Theory” of hauntings: A geological perspective
Family Ghosts: Bringing Back the Dead (Part II)
My Family Ghost Stories
Reddit Users Share Their Experiences with the Paranormal
From the Ghosts community on Reddit
The Enfield Poltergeist | Psi Encyclopedia
This House Is Haunted: The Investigation of the Enfield Poltergeist by Guy Lyon Playfair
The Enfield Poltergeist Tapes by Melvyn J Willin
Watch The Enfield Poltergeist - Apple TV⁠+ (CA)
‘The Enfield Poltergeist’: New doc explores the creepy, infamous haunting - National
The Enfield Poltergeist: BBC
Bill Wilkins — Investigation and Evidence
Enfield Poltergeist Real Voice Recordings (Bill) | YouTube
The Enfield Poltergeist RARE BBC FOOTAGE | YouTube
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Halloween Road Trip: Hauntings, Ghosts and Poltergeists Around the World

Episode 347: In this episode, part one of two, thanks to Mathew’s intrepid and unflinching research, we’re peeling back the layers on one of the most harrowing chapters in Canadian history: the Gay Purge. 
Officially, the campaign targeted LGBTQ+ individuals as part of a national security effort—citing their supposed susceptibility to blackmail by Soviet agents - But the real story is that these purges were driven more by institutional homophobia cloaked in Cold War fears and rhetoric than by legitimate security concerns. The blackmail excuse became a convenient cover for the government's systemic discrimination, allowing a deeply entrenched homophobia to flourish unchecked.
This campaign stretched from the 1950s through to the 1990s, destroying lives, careers, and communities along the way. We’ll explore the origins of this agenda, how it escalated, and look at a few of the stories of individuals affected.
Sources:
Peyton V. Lyon, The Loyalties of E. Herbert Norman: A Report Prepared for External Affairs and International Trade Canada, March 18, 1990 (Ottawa: 1990).
Bowen, Roger W, Innocence Is Not Enough: The Life and Death of Herbert Norman (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1986).
Kinsman, Gary, and Patrizia Gentile. The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation. University of British Columbia Press, 2010.
The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Canada’s Cold War Purge of 2SLGBTQ2+ from Public Service"​ The Canadian Encyclopedia
Village Legacy Project: "Ottawa LGBT History: The 'Fruit Machine'"​ Village Legacy Project
https://definingmomentscanada.ca/all-for-9/historical-articles/lgbt-purge/#_edn3
https://www.trentarthur.ca/news/i-was-a-good-soldier-understanding-the-fruit-machine-2018-dir-sarah-fodey
https://ambcanada.ca/ambassadors/egerton-herbert-norman/
Arthur Newspaper
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gay Purge in Canada Part 1: The 1940’s-1960’s

Episode 348: This is part 2 of our coverage of the Gay Purge in Canada. Last week, we uncovered the origins of the Canadian government’s purge of gays and queer folk, a campaign that began in the early years of the Cold War. 
This week, we take a chilling dive into one of the government’s most sinister methods—the Fruit Machine. This pseudoscientific device was meant to expose gay individuals through invasive tests, and how the RCMP and military’s attempted Purge of gays from civil service continued unabated all the way through to the 1990s.
Sources:
Peyton V. Lyon, The Loyalties of E. Herbert Norman: A Report Prepared for External Affairs and International Trade Canada, March 18, 1990 (Ottawa: 1990).
Bowen, Roger W, Innocence Is Not Enough: The Life and Death of Herbert Norman (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1986).
Kinsman, Gary, and Patrizia Gentile. The Canadian War on Queers: National Security as Sexual Regulation. University of British Columbia Press, 2010.
The Canadian Encyclopedia: "Canada’s Cold War Purge of 2SLGBTQ2+ from Public Service"​ The Canadian Encyclopedia
Village Legacy Project: "Ottawa LGBT History: The 'Fruit Machine'"​ Village Legacy Project
https://definingmomentscanada.ca/all-for-9/historical-articles/lgbt-purge/#_edn3
https://www.trentarthur.ca/news/i-was-a-good-soldier-understanding-the-fruit-machine-2018-dir-sarah-fodey
https://ambcanada.ca/ambassadors/egerton-herbert-norman/
Arthur Newspaper
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Gay Purge in Canada Part 2: The 1960’s -1990's

Episode 349: In the 8th Christmas episode of the Dark Poutine podcast, we once again dive into the shadowy side of holiday traditions that often go unnoticed amidst the festive cheer. This episode will explore the dark origins of some Christmas customs, such as mummering, a practice steeped in mystery and community engagement, where masked individuals visit homes to entertain and sometimes frighten.
We will also recount the chilling tale of Isaac Mercer, who met a tragic end at the hands of mummers in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, in 1860.
Additionally, we’ll dig into the age-old custom of telling ghost stories during Christmas, which has deep roots in ancient traditions. This custom entertains and serves as a poignant reminder of mortality amidst the holiday festivities, adding an intriguing layer to our understanding of Christmas celebrations. We’ll share some chilly Canadian ghost stories along the way.
Sources:
Saturnalia | Celebration, Sacrifice, & Influence on Christmas | Britannica
The Wild Holiday That Turned Ancient Rome Upside Down
The Fright Before Christmas by Jeff Belanger
Mummers, Murder and Mayhem
Archival Moments: An Act Outlawing Mummering
Celebrate Christmas the old-fashioned way: with drunken mayhem | CBC News
Ep079 The Isaac Mercer Mummer Murder Case. | MUN
Statutes of Newfoundland, 1861
The Christmas Tradition With A Dark Side | The Murder Of Isaac Mercer | Youtube
Any Mummers ’Lowed In?: Christmas Mummering Traditions in Newfoundland and Labrador by Dale Jarvis
The dark side of mummering: What you may not know about a beloved tradition | CBC News
The Isaac Mercer Mummer Murder Gate | Carved by the Sea
Victorian Christmas Ghost Storytelling Traditions in Montreal
Rousing ghost of Mount Royal
The Coffin Surfing Ghost
Montreal’s Duggan House built on a foundation of the uncanny
The long journey for a body's burial
10 famously spooky Canadian ghost tales
Mysteries in Canadian History
7 Spooky Stories from Across Canada
Augustus John Peers (1848-1901)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Fosterville Murders

Lyt når som helst, hvor som helst

Other podcasts you might like ...