Update: October 2009

We've had some people inquire into stories related to and about Casa Loma that do not appear on this site.


We are aware of "new" reports via hear-say and through members of our staff visiting the castle on tours (including the recent ghost tours), but must work with the information that is and has been sent in to us by neutral sources as well as our own endeavours when they can be verified... and to be honest, what we have is what we have since this site and groups' formation in 1997.


Although there are now statements of multiple sightings from staff and visitors, these have not been verified through any normal sources we have at our disposal and e-mailed (and other) reports sent in to us have not been forthcoming about the "tales told". These newer  must be taken with a 'grain of salt' as they seem to have only emerged as part of the ghost tours now operating from the site.


We have visited the castle on three occasions prior to the tours and were unable to find any journal or files related to ghost reports from the castle from staff... and on a recent visit by one of our volunteers, when the request was made to see any type of journal or log about paranormal events experienced in the castle, they were told that there was none available.


We also know that the tours are scripted (most ghost tours are, mind you,) so again, information is seemingly coming from sources which cannot be properly verified at this time.


Current management do say that the castle has many reports of phenomena... we did point out that we'd had precious few ourselves... and when speaking to staff on initial visits prior to these newer tours, we were told quite openly that there were no "hard and fast" accounts and the discussion of ghosts was quickly dismissed. This was not only being our own findings, but that of author John Robert Colombo (on different occasions) as well.


After being "corrected" on this we also had concerns given to us from the site's management about our historical accounts which we have clearly listed on these pages... and these do seem to stand up to scrutiny.


We also have three reports from people working for the site dating from literally years prior to these new tours where all three requested anonymity as they were worried the revelation of what they experienced might affect their standing with the site... which does not seem to be the current viewpoint of management as we now know it.


For the record, all three reports were from different people and featured different "types" of phenomena in different parts of the building(s)... and although valid reports, we were unable to offer any veracity to these reports through added third-party witnesses. None were of any apparitions ("seen" ghosts) of any sort.


While we cannot and would not say Casa Loma truly isn't haunted and doesn't have a resident ghost, (though the "horses in the tunnels" is a recurring witness testimony we've received and is backed up somewhat historically as we do know the stables were built - tunnel in place - prior to the castle's construction and Pellat did use the tunnel to go from the stables to the gardens prior, again, to the completion of his house on the hill... whether he went with horses, we don't know, but since the stairs probably weren't an issue back then, the story has legs, so to speak...) we can say it's odd that these seemingly new reports were not known to us, were never communicated to us, and even kept out of the hands of Mr. Colombo for his many books on the subject... they appear to have been "unearthed" now for ghost tours.


It's not unusual for some sites, especially around Halloween, to market ghost tours and stories... often mixing folkloric tales with reports... often they are embellished a bit to make them more entertaining... and although we would never say that this is the case, we do want to show people a "yellow flag" in a sense to say that these reports should be taken with the aforementioned 'grain of salt'... as should all cases... and that these sites and museums are marvellous and wonderful places to visit, with or without a ghostly tale to liven them up.


Truth is very often far more interesting to fiction for most, but obviously not for all... and a little "spicing up" can be seen as necessary to some... but our own work, enquiries, and general research seems to suggest that any reports that one hears on certain tours should be balanced with the knowledge that they really only came to light as these new ghost tours, and media appearances came into being.


As with anything, please always remember: Caveat Emptor.