Episode 352: At 5:18 a.m. on May 9, 1992, in Plymouth, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, in the Westray Mine, a methane gas explosion, followed by a coal dust blast, ripped through the underground tunnels, claiming the lives of 26 miners working the night shift. The tragedy unfolded against a backdrop of known safety violations and ignored warnings. In the aftermath, a gripping rescue attempt captivated the nation as teams of drägermen braved hazardous conditions in a desperate search for survivors. T...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 351: On March 8, 1987, a routine Sunday morning traffic stop on a quiet stretch of Route 640 between Yoho Lake and Hanwell to the southwest of Fredericton, New Brunswick, turned into a tragedy that shocked the nation. Constable Emmanuel “Manni” Aucoin, a 31-year-old highway patrol officer, husband and father of two young children, was shot and killed in the line of duty. His murderer, Anthony Phillip Romeo, an American fugitive who was wanted for another killing in New York, had been fle...
Jan 27, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 350: Ashley Wadsworth’s story is one of hope and adventure turned into a nightmare. Originally from Vernon, British Columbia, Ashley travelled to the UK to be with her boyfriend, Jack Sepple, whom she had met online. However, what began as a romantic journey ended in tragedy when she was found dead in February 2022. Her murder shocked communities on both sides of the Atlantic and raised questions about the dangers of online relationships. Join us as we unravel the details of this heartbr...
Jan 13, 2025•1 hr•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 349: In the 8th Christmas episode of the Dark Poutine podcast, we once again dive into the shadowy side of holiday traditions that often go unnoticed amidst the festive cheer. This episode will explore the dark origins of some Christmas customs, such as mummering, a practice steeped in mystery and community engagement, where masked individuals visit homes to entertain and sometimes frighten. We will also recount the chilling tale of Isaac Mercer, who met a tragic end at the hands of mumm...
Dec 23, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Ep 349•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 348: This is part 2 of our coverage of the Gay Purge in Canada. Last week, we uncovered the origins of the Canadian government’s purge of gays and queer folk, a campaign that began in the early years of the Cold War. This week, we take a chilling dive into one of the government’s most sinister methods—the Fruit Machine. This pseudoscientific device was meant to expose gay individuals through invasive tests, and how the RCMP and military’s attempted Purge of gays from civil service contin...
Dec 16, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep 348•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 347: In this episode, part one of two, thanks to Mathew’s intrepid and unflinching research, we’re peeling back the layers on one of the most harrowing chapters in Canadian history: the Gay Purge. Officially, the campaign targeted LGBTQ+ individuals as part of a national security effort—citing their supposed susceptibility to blackmail by Soviet agents - But the real story is that these purges were driven more by institutional homophobia cloaked in Cold War fears and rhetoric than by leg...
Dec 09, 2024•57 min•Ep 347•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 346: In this episode, we look into the life and mysterious murder of Annie Mae Pictou Aquash, a prominent Indigenous activist whose story continues to haunt the corridors of justice and activism alike. During the tumultuous 1970s, her journey took her from Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia, to the heart of the American Indian Movement (AIM) in the United States, where she fought for Indigenous rights. The mystery surrounding Annie Mae's death is as compelling as her life. In December 1975, she d...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep 346•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 345: In December 2015, the quiet city of Moncton, New Brunswick, was shaken to its core by a brutal crime that would leave an indelible mark on the community. Eighteen-year-old Baylee Wylie was found dead in a burned-out townhouse, the victim of a horrific murder that shocked residents and sparked a manhunt for those responsible. Three young people who Baylee thought were his friends were ultimately charged for their roles in Wylie's death: Marissa Shephard, 20 at the time, along with De...
Nov 25, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep 345•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 344: In 2002, Brandon, Manitoba, was rocked by the disappearance of Erin Chorney, a feisty and energetic teenager with her whole life ahead of her. What began as a simple outing—Erin telling her mother she'd be back in an hour—turned into a parent's worst nightmare when she never returned home. As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the community of Brandon rallied around the Chorney family, desperately searching for answers. The truth behind Erin's disappearance would only com...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep 344•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 343: This is our special Remembrance Day episode. Each year on November 11, Canadians pause to remember the sacrifices made by those who served in the armed forces, defending our country and our allies with incredible courage and resolve. Last year, we shared the story of one remarkable Canadian soldier, Leo Major. Leo was a scout and sniper who, against all odds, single-handedly liberated the Dutch town of Zwolle in 1945. Moving under cover of darkness, he confused and intimidated Germa...
Nov 11, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 343•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 342: In the quiet Yukon community of Carcross, a chilling tragedy unfolded on March 1st, 1992, forever changing the lives of those involved and leaving a lasting impact on the region. Krystal Nicole Senyk, a twenty-nine-year-old with her whole life ahead of her, was found dead in the doorway of her cabin, the victim of a brutal murder. The prime suspect in this heinous crime was Ronald Jeffrey Bax, the husband of Krystal's friend Lynn. In the hours between Krystal's murder and the discov...
Nov 04, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep 342•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 341: Welcome to a very special Halloween edition of Dark Poutine. This year, we’re also celebrating our seventh anniversary! Over the years, we’ve explored the darkest corners of Canadian crime and history, but tonight, we’re widening the lens to take you on a ghostly journey around the world. In the spirit of the spookiest time of year, we’ll dive into the eerie world of hauntings, ghosts and, of course, poltergeists—those noisy, mischievous spirits that have haunted homes, thrown objec...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep 341•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 340: In the early 1980s, a wave of fear with its origins in Canada, swept across North America, igniting what would become known as the Satanic Panic. This moral hysteria, fueled by sensationalized media reports and dubious claims of widespread satanic ritual abuse, had its roots in a controversial book published in 1980 titled “Michelle Remembers.” As the panic spread, it manifested in several high-profile cases across Canada. One of the most notorious incidents occurred in Martensville...
Oct 21, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep 340•Transcript available on Metacast This bonus episode of Dark Poutine is brought to you by MasterCard. In this special episode, we’re exploring a growing threat hitting more close to home than ever—cybercrime. We’ve dived deep into all sorts of dark tales before, but this one is a bit different because it’s happening right now, affecting people and businesses across Canada. Sources: Mastercard Trust Centre | Cybersecurity Solutions for Every Business mastercard.ca/trust webcrunchers.com | Wayback Machine Elk Cloner John Draper Mi...
Oct 16, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the night of September 6, 1958, Aaron “Bud’ Jenkins was stabbed to death as he slept in his barracks at the Naval base in Esquimalt on Vancouver Island here in British Columbia. A man named Leo Mantha confessed to the crime, was tried, found guilty of 1st-degree murder, and executed in 1959. He was the last person ever to be executed in British Columbia and the 3rd last to be executed in Canada. At the time, executions were rare, and most Canadian death penalty verdicts were commuted to life ...
Oct 14, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep 339•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 338: The Great North American Ice Storm of January 1998 was a devastating natural disaster caused by five consecutive ice storms affecting eastern Ontario, southern Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, northern New York, and central Maine. Montreal and southern Quebec were hardest hit, with freezing rain from January 4th to 9th accumulating up to 100 millimetres, collapsing trees, power lines, and steel towers. Nearly 3.5 million Quebecers and 600,000 Ontarians lost power, with blackouts ...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 334•Transcript available on Metacast On the evening of February 14, 1985, Valentine’s Day, at around 6:00 p.m., Bryan Hart of Colborne, Ontario, came home to a quiet house after work. He looked around the house for his wife, Betty, but could not find her. The couple’s 19-year-old son had already been home for an hour and a half. Michael said he hadn’t seen his mom but had noticed a pair of glasses she wore sitting on the landing leading into the basement. Thinking his mother was out somewhere, Michael picked up the glasses and put ...
Sep 30, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep 337•Transcript available on Metacast In November of 2002, friends and family of 25-year-old Fort McMurray DJ Robert LeVoir became concerned that they hadn’t heard from him in over two weeks. Although he’d been a troubled guy, struggling with drugs, cocaine in particular, it wasn’t like Robert to be out of touch for so long. They worried about his welfare and began searching for him, eventually involving the RCMP. To Robert’s family, the RCMP appeared to be doing little to find their loved one. However, behind closed doors, investig...
Sep 23, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep 336•Transcript available on Metacast On December 18, 2014, 101-year-old Ernest Côté, a decorated World War II veteran, became the target of a violent home invasion. The assailant, Ian Bush, gained entry to Côté's secure condo building using fake City of Ottawa identification. Bush proceeded to rob and terrorize the elderly war hero, binding his hands, taping his mouth shut, and leaving him to suffocate with a plastic bag over his head. However, Côté's remarkable strength and presence of mind allowed him to break free, cut a hole in...
Sep 16, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep 335•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 334: In this episode, we look at a tragic case of domestic violence that shook the small community of New Germany, Nova Scotia. On June 30, 2010, the quiet parking lot of a local grocery store became the scene of a horrific crime that would forever change the lives of the Eisnor family. Wayne Paul Eisnor, driven by jealousy and an unwillingness to let go, confronted his estranged wife, Tina Mae Illingworth-Eisnor, as she sat in her van. In a shocking act of violence that unfolded in broa...
Sep 09, 2024•1 hr 21 min•Ep 334•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 333: On the evening of July 18, 1977, five local teenagers were relaxing, drinking and listening to music near Ferry Island Park on the banks of the Fraser River just east of Chilliwack. It was a beautiful summer night. At 9:40 p.m., a man appeared from the underbrush armed with a rifle and, without a word, began shooting. Four of the teens were killed: Brothers from Rosedale, Jan Christiaan “John” Den Hertog,16, and Evert “Ed” Den Hertog, 19, Egbert “Bert” Menger, 19, of Clearbrook and ...
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep 333•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 332: In this episode of Dark Poutine, we delve into a troubling chapter of British Columbia’s history that reveals the deep-seated racism and fear that plagued our past. D’Arcy Island, a small and isolated landmass off the coast of Vancouver Island, became home to a leprosy colony from 1891 to 1924. But this wasn’t just any colony; it was a place where Chinese immigrants who had contracted the disease were forcibly sent to live out their days in harsh and inhumane conditions, far from so...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 332•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 331: On November 8, 2012, in a bloody crime scene, police discovered the body of 43-year-old Panagiota “Yota” Zerbinos in her daughter’s basement suite in the Fleetwood neighbourhood of Surrey, B.C. Yota had been brutally stabbed 24 times and left under a blanket; the murder weapon, a kitchen knife, was still in her chest. Two days later, Yota’s 28-year-old daughter, Gloria Crystle Zerbinos, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder. She pleaded not guilty, citing her schizophre...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Ep 331•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 330: In this episode, we explore a horrific case that shocked both Hollywood and Canada - the brutal murder of Iana Kasian by her fiancé, graphic novelist and filmmaker Blake Leibel. On May 26, 2016, the mutilated body of 30-year-old Iana Kasian was discovered in the West Hollywood apartment she shared with Leibel. What makes this case particularly chilling is not just the gruesome nature of the crime but the background of the perpetrator himself. Blake Leibel, born into a wealthy Canadi...
Aug 12, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Ep 330•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 329: On October 28, 2022, Paul Pelosi, husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was brutally attacked in his San Francisco home. The perpetrator? A 42-year-old Canadian man named David DePape. Born and raised in British Columbia, DePape's journey from a small-town Canadian to an alleged political extremist is a disturbing tale of online radicalization. As we'll explore in this episode, DePape became immersed in far-right conspiracy theories and extremist ideologies, particularl...
Aug 05, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep 329•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 328: On June 30, 2009, the serene waters of the Rideau Canal in Kingston, Ontario, revealed a dark and tragic secret. A submerged car discovered that day contained the bodies of three teenage sisters—Zainab (19), Sahar (17), and Geeti (13) Shafia—along with their father's first wife, Rona Muhammad Amir (52). What initially appeared to be a tragic accident soon unravelled into a chilling tale of premeditated murder. The perpetrators, Mohammad Shafia, his second wife, Tooba Mohammad Yahya,...
Jul 29, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep 328•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 327: Maple Batalia, a 19-year-old college student studying health sciences, was also a working model and actress and loved to paint. On the night of September 28, 2011, after a late-night study session at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus, she was shot and attacked with a knife in a parking lot as she left the campus library. The savage nature of the attack left her with multiple gunshot wounds and severe stab wounds to her head. Despite efforts to save her, Maple succumbed to her ...
Jul 22, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep 327•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 326: Between 1869 and 1948, over 100,000 children from the United Kingdom were sent to Canada and other British commonwealth countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa as part of the British Home Children migration scheme. This movement was initiated to alleviate the burden of poverty and overcrowded workhouses in Britain by providing these children with opportunities abroad. However, the reality for many of these children was harsh. In Canada, they were often placed with...
Jul 15, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep 326•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 325: Edward H. Rulloff was a 19th-century Canadian-born serial killer renowned for his exceptional intellect and heinous crimes. Rulloff exhibited prodigious intellectual abilities from a young age. He was a polymath with expertise in various fields, including linguistics, where he made significant contributions, proposing theories on the origin of languages. Despite his scholarly achievements, Rulloff's life was marred by a series of crimes that began with the mysterious disappearance o...
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 325•Transcript available on Metacast Episode 324: Sheree Fertuck, a 51-year-old businesswoman, mother of three, and grandmother from Saskatchewan, disappeared on December 7, 2015, after leaving her family’s lunch gathering at her mother’s farm in Kenaston to return to work at a nearby gravel pit. The next day, her abandoned gravel truck was found in the pit, with her personal belongings inside, raising immediate concerns about her unexplained disappearance. Despite extensive ground searches by her family, friends, and the police ar...
Jul 01, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep 324•Transcript available on Metacast 
