Truckipedia Blog Category - The Spooky Side of our Velocity Truck Centres Locations
It’s the creepiest time of the year, where ghosts and goblins come out to play! Across Canada, there are some famously haunted destinations, like the Banff Springs Hotel and Ottawa’s Chateau Laurier. But what do you know about the spooky side of some of the cities that Velocity Truck Centres calls home? We’re here to tell you some of those scary stories – if you dare.
Prince George, British Columbia
Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, the Heritage House that sits at 1624 7th Avenue in Prince George was home to Rosel’s restaurant. Prior to Rosel’s tenancy, the building was a residential home. When a past occupant stopped by the restaurant to ask Rosel Vogt and her husband Wilf how they got along with the ghost, Rosel realized that incidents she had dismissed as ‘funny things happening’ might have an eerie explanation.
Their afternoon housekeeper refused to be left alone in the restaurant because of a lingering sense that someone was always watching her. When they arrived at the restaurant in the morning, the Vogts would often find their family photos crooked to the point of being sideways. And on several occasions, Rosel and Wilf could hear someone walking above their basement office long after the doors were locked.
The couple largely found the encounters amusing until a close encounter shook Wilf. ‘(A)ll of a sudden, as I came into the bar, I saw this person out of the corner of my eye walk from the lounge into the sunroom… It was this greyish thing. I went there and reached into the room to turn on the lights and something came out of that room, touched me on both arms, turned me sideways, and went by me… I couldn’t see anything but I felt that touch and it was so cold.’
Edmonton, Alberta
Though there are several locations in Edmonton that are purported to be haunted, one of the more prominent is Alberta Block at 10526 Jasper Avenue, where CKUA Radio was the main tenant for many years beginning in the 1950’s. Staff and volunteers of CKUA spoke of regular occurrences of ghostly activity on the second, fourth and sixth floors. In fact, the Alberta Paranormal Investigators Society captured a recording of a girl singing ‘Go back, all the way back’ in 2013.
Who haunts the former radio building? The crew of ghosts is said to be led by Sam, a caretaker at the building in the 1950’s who was lobotomized for threatening the premier’s life. Billowing cigar smoke along with loud bellowing and singing are the most common unexplained sounds attributed to Sam.
Kamloops, British Columbia
The Tranquille Sanitorium in Kamloops was named one of the 10 most haunted places in Canada by Reader’s Digest in 2020. A tuberculosis hospital in the early part of the 20th century, the building was converted to a psychiatric hospital by the province in the 1960’s. The buildings have been empty since the hospital closed in 1983, but something remains. Those who have snuck onto the property over the years report echoes from its former residents, otherworldly orbs and ‘eerie, disembodied moans’.
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Earlier this year, the YouTube channel Paranormal Road Trippers investigated whether Abbotsford’s Keeping Road is the most haunted road in Canada. Over the years, there have been many suggestions of paranormal activity along its length to the northeast of the Lower Mainland city.
Several people have reported a woman standing on the road in the darkness before disappearing as they approached. Others have claimed to see a ghost in the form of a dog along the roadside. Still others have claimed that if you flash your lights into the surrounding forest, you will see a ghostly apparition.
While the YouTubers were not able to validate these stories during their investigation, they did report some unexplained activities during their time on Keeping Road, like car doors opening on their own.
Happy Halloween!
Canada is rife with tales of the paranormal, the unexplainable and the absurd. We hope you enjoyed our selection of ghastly stories from the places that Velocity Truck Centres calls home. Please have a safe and happy Halloween. And, as always, if you have questions for our team, please reach out!
Sources:
- Prince George Citizen, Christine Dalgleish, February 6, 2022 – https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/local-news/owners-tell-ghost-tale-of-haunted-prince-george-restaurant-5032130
- Edmonton Journal, Brent Wittmeier, October 30, 2015 – https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/we-see-dead-people-10-spooky-edmonton-haunts-in-which-you-might-find-some-halloween-spirit
- ca, Brie Welton, October 9, 2020 – https://infotel.ca/newsitem/kamloopss-tranquille-sanatorium-named-one-of-10-most-haunted-places-in-canada/it77600
- The Abbotsford News, Ben Lypka, June 23, 2022 – https://www.abbynews.com/news/video-is-abbotsfords-keeping-road-one-of-canadas-most-haunted-roads/
