This building has invited tales ever since I can remember. Rumoured to be built on an old Chinese morgue, the "Labour Lyceum" (as it was originally known) was bought in the 1970s by a large Hong Kong company to be run as a local restaurant. Business was bad and never improved over the years and soon, even though major renovations were completed, the restaurant shut it's doors.

Believed cursed as well as haunted, the restaurant remained closed for many years; however, before giving up, the company had a traditional Chinese exorcist called in and pointed out that the two billboards directly across the street pointed like an arrowhead directly at the restaurant which allowed a natural flow of evil spirits easy access to the building. On his advice, the front entrance was moved around the corner and two lion-like fu chu dogs now guard the original entrance. The incursion of new spirits then stopped, leaving only what was already there... an apparition of a man seen occasionally in the women's washroom and there were still reports of poltergeist activity in the restaurant.

The building is now home to several merchants, and on a recent visit, a girlfriend of mine picked up several pieces of women's apparel with no ill fortune to speak of to date.

UPDATE: The following has been added by one of our readers...

I am also familiar with the 'hauntings' of this building. My dad told me that the restaurant owners also had many mirrors put up in the interior of the building as a way to keep out unwanted spirits.

Also, another note on mirrors and the 'chinese belief'. If you walk around an old chinese neighbourhood, ie; Dundas and Spadina, Gerrard and Broadview, you will notice some of the homes have a red painted 'board' with a little mirror inside, or a red painted board with chinese writing. The homeowners usually put these up because their home was haunted and this 'board' is supposed to keep out evil spirits.

I tried them with my apartment and it didn't work (I just sent a brief e-mail on my haunting). Perhaps these boards didn't work in my apartment because the beings were not completely gone, I don't know).

Anyway, the next time you're in the above areas, look around at the homes and you will be sure to see quite a few of them....makes you wonder, doesn't it?

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