These Metro Vancouver historians say B.C. is more haunted than you think
Spooky season is right around the corner, and you may be surprised to learn just how haunted B.C. actually is, according to two Metro Vancouver authors and historians.
Gina Armstrong and Victoria Vancek, the sister duo behind Haunted History BC, spend their time digging into eerie tales, historic archives, and haunted hotspots across the province.
“We’re not just telling spooky stories; we’re keeping history alive,” said Vancek.
“Think of us as ghostly guardians of B.C.’s past, with a flashlight in one hand and a history book in the other.”
Armstrong said their focus is on more than just the scare factor.
“We look at the history behind each story and share it in a way that’s both respectful and spooky,” she told Daily Hive.
Haunted History BC sisters Gina Armstrong and Victoria Vancek explore the province’s spookiest stories. (Supplied)
For Armstrong, the fascination started young.
“I was about nine or 10 when I discovered Alfred Hitchcock’s eerie tales for kids,” she said. “That early spark grew into a love for haunted places, leading us to ghost walks and historic hotels. The thrill never left.”
For Vancek, her curiosity came from old landmarks.
“I’ve always been intrigued by the stories behind forgotten buildings,” she said. “That curiosity grew into a deeper interest in the paranormal and the histories that shape it.”
The sisters describe themselves as open-minded skeptics.
“Paranormal work is a mix of science, history, and intuition,” said Vancek. “It’s not about chasing ghosts–it’s about documenting activity and listening to stories.”
Armstrong agrees.
“Energy doesn’t vanish. It lingers. I’ve seen and heard enough to believe,” she said.
“But I also know investigations are full of ambiguity. Sounds echo, equipment glitches, and some things get debunked.”
B.C.’s haunted hotspots
Some of their most surprising cases have taken place in familiar places.
The sisters don’t just collect stories, they actively visit sites, bringing along recorders, cameras, and other tools to document paranormal activity.
They also interview staff, visitors, and community members to cross-check stories with lived experience.
At the Vancouver Police Museum, Armstrong stated that they had captured unexplained voices and noises.
The museum itself is a fittingly eerie setting: it once served as the city’s first morgue, with an autopsy theatre that remains intact.
Visitors have long reported chills in its preserved crime exhibits, and some even claim to hear whispers in the former morgue drawers.
Haunted History BC considers it one of the most active paranormal locations in Vancouver.
Vancouver Police Museum & Archives is considered one of the most haunted spots in the city, according to Haunted History BC. (Vancouver Police Museum & Archives/vancouverpolicemuseum.ca/)
At the Dominion Building, they recorded what sounded like a child’s voice in an empty hallway.
Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock
Vancek recently visited the Washington Avenue Grill in White Rock for the first time this August.
“The owners openly acknowledge ghostly apparitions, and the building’s spooky backstory is even printed on the dessert menu, which invites patrons to share any paranormal experiences with staff,” she said.
White Rock’s Washington Avenue Grill is home to waterfront views, and a few ghost stories too. (Washington Avenue Grill/washingtonavenuegrill.com)
She also points to Pitt Lake in Pitt Meadows, her longtime home, as a hotspot for Sasquatch sightings, strange lights, and the infamous legend of Slumach’s gold.
The legend dates back to the late 1800s, when a man named Slumach was executed in New Westminster for murder.
Before his death, rumour spread that he had discovered a rich gold deposit near Pitt Lake but cursed it so no one else could claim it.
Over the decades, many prospectors have tried, and failed, to find the so-called lost mine, with tales of mysterious deaths and disappearances adding to the lore.
StandbildCA/Shutterstock
Sometimes, the discoveries feel more magical than scary.
At New Westminster’s Irving House, the sisters once stumbled upon a surprising historical artifact, a signed letter from Captain Irving’s granddaughter tucked inside a book.
The home itself was built in 1865 for Captain William Irving, a Scottish-born steamship magnate known as the “King of the Fraser River” for his role in pioneering riverboat travel during B.C.’s gold rush era.
His family lived in the house for four generations, and it’s now preserved as one of the province’s oldest community heritage sites.
“Several staff and visitors would occasionally smell pipe smoke, hear the faint sound of bagpipes being played and on a couple of rare occasions, a white feather would mysteriously waft down from the staircase,” reads the Haunted BC website.
Finding Mary Aline Cox’s handwritten letter, Irving’s granddaughter and the author of Saga of a Seafarer, felt almost otherworldly to the sisters.
“It wasn’t paranormal, but it felt cosmic,” said Armstrong. “A nod from history itself.”
Real research is required
Not all ghosts are malevolent, the sisters say.
“Most spirits we’ve encountered are neutral,” said Vancek. “And paranormal activity doesn’t have to happen in creepy old houses. It’s about energy, not age.”
Armstrong stresses that television has shaped a narrow view of paranormal work.
“Shows are entertainment,” she said. “Real research is about respect, accuracy, and community.”
They stick to a simple ethical code: don’t trespass, ask permission, and tell the truth.
The pair are also releasing new books.
Armstrong said Ghost Stories for Winter was inspired by the Victorian tradition of telling supernatural tales during long nights.
“It’s the perfect book to curl up with on a stormy evening,” she said.
Ghost Stories for Winter is the debut blend of fiction and non-fiction from Haunted History BC sisters Gina Armstrong and Victoria Vancek. (Supplied)
Vancek mentioned the upcoming Evenings & Avenues: Hauntings in the Outskirts, part of the ongoing Evenings & Avenues series.
Now in its fourth volume, the series focuses on paranormal cases that aren’t as well-known or widely reported, spotlighting lesser-documented sites across B.C.
“It’s about uncovering hidden histories that aren’t on anyone’s radar until we dig into them,” said Vancek.
“While many landmarks are already known for their ghost stories, there are countless communities across B.C. that aren’t considered haunted until we explore and research their past.”
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“It’s about uncovering hidden histories that aren’t on anyone’s radar until we dig into them,” she said.
Haunted History BC also hosts live events across the province, from garden walks to ghostly investigations. Check their full calendar on their website.
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