Main Administrative Building

We received the following report from a reader about the old hospital.

The author was working as a security officer in the building after a well known College had taken control of the hospital. The author had heard all sorts of odd stories and rumours that they did not believe.

These stories included the rumour that shortly after three of the old buildings were renovated, a couple of students went to explore the tunnels that connected the buildings. After the students had been poking around some of the empty rooms, they went back towards the stairs and heard what sounded like someone whistling. The sound came from behind them, but when they turned around it stopped. As they reached the stairs leading up they heard it again, followed by a cold gust of wind.

Another story that got around involved one of the construction workers who was doing some work in the same tunnels. He was walking through the dim hallway when he rounded a corner and saw a woman walking ahead of him. He thought this was odd since it was late and there was nobody else around. the workman then noticed she was wearing a nurse's outfit. The workman called out to her, but she rounded the corner and disappeared. He followed and now saw her standing with her back to him at the far end of the hallway. There was no way she could moved that far in the time he had lost sight of her. He approached her cautiously and called out again. Slowly the woman turned around and faced him. The hapless workman was terrified to see that she had no face and only a flat blank area where one should have been.  He ran from the apparition and refused to go back into the tunnels.

Main Administrative Building Pre-Renovation (2002)

The author took these stories as "made up to scare people", and had no reservations when he was posted to midnight shift at the renovated buildings.

The first few nights were uneventful, but he did find it to be very unnerving in some areas. (One of the buildings still has the old morgue in the basement which didn't add to the comfort of the author.)

On the third night, the author had locked all the buildings and set the alarm systems when he began to patrol the grounds. While walking by one of the buildings that he had locked earlier, the author thought he saw movement behind one of the windows. After shining a flashlight at the window he saw nothing out of the ordinary. If there was anyone inside, the motion sensors installed in the building would have been tripped off.

Main Administrative Building Pre-Renovation (2002)

The author decided to check the building just to make sure there was no one inside. After turning off the alarm systems, he entered the building. Just before switching on the lights there was heard a loud noise that sounded something like a "whack". The lights came on and the author noted a plastic garbage can lid (the kind that flip around) going around and around as if someone had hit it hard.  He contacted the other guard who was stationed at the campus next door and informed him they had an intruder in one of the buildings. The author stayed on the radio with the other guard while they checked the building from top to bottom but found nothing. Every room was vacant and there was only a fire exit which would have sounded an alarm if used. The author checked the garbage can thinking maybe there was a mouse or something, but it was empty having been given a fresh bag from the cleaners.

The author told the other guard that there was no one there and went to leave the building. As the author went to turn off the lights he heard an audible sigh come from the stairway. There was no one there yet the author had the distinct impression of someone standing there staring at them. He shut off the lights and left the building in "one hell of a hurry".

Main Administrative Building Pre-Renovation (2002)

Main Administrative Building Pre-Renovation (2002)

I was in the Asylum at Lakeshore (Etobicoke), it gave me some very bad vibes, you kind of absorb a little of the fear and hate and anger and confusion that the old patients left behind like a residue. Anyone even slightly sensitive will tell you that, and add that you frequently feel like you're watched, or that any second you will "see" the place as it was. That is one creeeepy place. I remember mentioning that to someone working in the crew of a Police Academy movie, or something like that who was working down there and he said that there were all kinds of stories among the crew about weird hauntings there. There are old hospital beds everywhere, piled into corners of large rooms with high ceilings. The tunnels underground scare me from the outside, I feel that possibly something still uses them. That place gives you the same feeling as watching The Shining, it's just chilling.

What gives me the creeps is that the patients there were very disturbed and tortured while there (restraints, drugs, shock therapy, experiments). If there are a few patients still floating around, it's kinda scary that they are possibly insane ghosts instead of "normal" ones. I would seriously wonder about what walks those tunnels, they sort of grab your attention. And there are some very weird vibes in the wards.

Update - April, 2004: The following was sent in by one of our readers...

I attended Humber College for a year a while ago at the time the renovations were just in the early stages. In fact, I believe we were one of the first classes to be in the renovated buildings.

One time that stands out in particular was a day I was sitting at my locker in the basement. It was after classes and there were no other scheduled classes going on at the time and no one around to my knowledge. There were three exits from the basement, each sealed by fire doors: The central staircase and one external staircase at either end of the hallway/building. Each of the external staircases was sealed by fire doors on each level.

While doing my work, a young woman came through the fire door in the centre of the hallway, immediately turned and headed toward the door at the other end of the hallway. She had long brown hair and a long white, linen like dress and moving at a moderate to slow/steady pace. I didn't know her, had never seen her before at the school, and had a really weird feeling as she didn't acknowledge me at all and her attire just 'didn't fit'(referencing context as opposed to size). I immediately thought it might a 'visitor' and gave myself a mental shake-'stop being stupid', as she walked away from me. As she got to the doorway at the other end of the hallway, something compelled me to get up and follow her. The fire door closed loudly behind her as they do. When I entered the stair well, it was completely empty. At the speed she was going, she most certainly should have still been in the stairwell...and even if she had have gotten up the stairs to the second floor and gone through the door, I should have been able to hear it.

It was one of those situations that has stuck with me.

 One of our reader's writes:

Its interesting to read about the negativity that the writers have submitted about these buildings. I moved into the area in winter 1998. I first noticed these buildings in spring of 1999 when I would walk or run through the park. I didn't know it was a former psychiatric hospital and assumed it was a part of an old college or some kind of residential school.

One Sunday afternoon in early spring in 2000, my mother, husband, friend and her boyfriend at the time went for a leisurely walk down and along the water through the marina and coming up through the park. It was the first time we decided to walk around the grounds of these old buildings and check out the buildings. It was before the renovations so the buildings were still in their neglected state At this time I was still unaware of the history of the buildings. When I approached the site I felt very drawn to it. I had this overwhelming sense that I felt so protected by the buildings. I remember we all stood there and stared at the buildings and each guessing what these may have been at one time (none of us were familiar with the neighbourhood at the time). I just stood there and had this overwhelming feeling to go inside and explore. I even dared my friend's boyfriend to break in there with me but of course, that didn't go over well with the rest of the party. As I stood staring I just felt like a protective barrier was all around me in a positive way - not at all negative or confining. The rest of the party actually had to drag me away and we walked on.

Later on in the week I took a stroll again down that way with my husband. I was surprised that I was drawn to an old 3 story house not too far from the former psychiatric site and that house gave me such a feeling of warmth and a feeling that I should be there for some reason. We just lingered outside and sat in the little children's play area right outside the house. I just stared up at the house and at every window that was within my view until finally my husband had enough of "hanging around" and demanded we leave.

I don't know if this house has any history or ties with the hospital but its something that I will look into one day.


I didn't find out the history of psychiatric hospital buildings until I heard they they will be renovated and part of Humber College. I was really surprised to learn that it was a hospital - a psychiatric hospital.

I never thought anything of the site after. Even now when I would go for a run and sometimes run through the grounds of the old hospital (sometimes at night in the dark - albeit it has always been well lit) I never get any sense of foreboding or negative feelings. In fact, the only reason I change my route and run through that area is if I happen to be running later in the evening and it gets too dark for me to run the other direction through the park - I go that way because I actually feel so safe running by the hospital. Yes, probably because of the fact its well lit BUT  I actually feel like there is something protective around there. That I will be safe.

I would like to thank our reader for sharing her positive feelings towards these wonderful historic buildings. It is certainly refreshing!

Update November 2008

I am a student at Humber College.  I've read up on the history of the buildings and "sightings" that others have reported.   I am fortunate enough to have had access to the school's tunnels for 3 years now.  I can quite honestly say that I haven't experienced a thing down there!  I even went down there with another person in April of last year, and we explored the whole tunnel, going to every building.  There are rumors going around  campus that there are old hospital stretchers and straight jackets kept kept in the tunnels, which I can assure anyone, there isn't!  So let's put that rumor to rest!

I did have one strange experience, however.  During midterms in second semester, I had to go to J Building - of which I had never been - on an assignment that involved me talking to Humber students and having them fill out a survey.  Because it was a Friday where most students have the day off, AND we were in the middle of midterms, the building was very quiet, with hardly any students around.  However, I was instructed to be there for a full 3 hours!  While I was sitting in a chair, with nothing to do, I found myself almost falling asleep!  This is when I heard a humming noise.  It sounded like a young child humming "Ring Around The Rosey" but I can't say for sure if that was the tune.  I woke myself up, and straightened up in my chair, to listen more closely and make sure I wasn't hearing things - but the humming continued for almost a full minute.  As soon as you walk into the building there's a hallway of offices, and only one was occupied by a woman, so I asked if it was her that was humming and she said she wasn't.  Also, there are only 2 classrooms on the main floor, where both doors were closed, so you couldn't even hear the profs speaking to the students.

I haven't gone back to the building since - mainly because I have no need to.  But I did do my research and found that the building next to it is K Building, which has not been renovated yet, and it was formerly the Child and Adolescent Unit.

Our thanks to the witness for sharing this experience with us.

We received the following account in October 2012

"Not sure if you're still adding stories onto your page for Humber (or the former Lakeshore Psychiatric Hospital), but I've got one personal account of something that happened to me this past Monday.


I've just started attending school at Humber. I know a bit about the history of the campus and about the supposed hauntings that have occurred over the years, but had never met anyone who had actually experienced anything personally. Anyway. This past Monday night, I went to campus to print off some assignments for my class the next day. I went into what I had thought was the H building (still not too familiar with each building, also it was quite dark and I went through a backdoor stairwell entrance - not often used, but a decent enough shortcut I thought). Upon entering the stairwell, I was instantly struck by a strong, sweet, floral scent that I had never smelled before. I figured it was a quirk of the H building - HOWEVER, I had heard about hauntings in H and thought "hmm, maybe this is something?" After making my way through the stairwell, I realized I was not in H, but the F building. Any hopes I had that what I experienced was in any way paranormal were dashed. As far as I knew, there was nothing at all "wrong" with F, so what I experienced must have been nothing. I left the building and went to H.


Yesterday, I found myself in conversation with several of the security guards on campus (I have a small job there and we often chit-chat about little things). The topic of the campus hauntings came up and they instantly started sharing story after story of things that have happened to them and other guards. One piped up and said "have you heard of the ghost of the woman who haunts the F building?" He proceeded to tell me that the ghost manifests itself through the scent of flowers - the same smell as the one I had experienced just the other night. I told them what had happened to me and they confirmed that that would have been her. I later found out that the basement of the F building was where the hospital morgue once was, though I'm still not sure who the woman was or what her connection to this building might have been. They do say that she is friendly and means no harm - she might actually be looking out for people who enter the building late at night.


They told me many, many more stories of experiences they and the cleaning staff have had over the years. Many of them patrol the grounds in pairs at night, refusing to walk alone because of things that have happened.


Thank you for letting me share this story."


Our thanks goes out to the witness for sharing their experiences with us. Have you had a similar experience? If so, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Your privacy will be protected, and confidentiality is assured.