Saskatchewan ghost hunters seek proof of life after death

While many fear the unknown and the supernatural, a select few run toward it.

Halloween tends to be a spookier time of year, filled with costumes, ghost stories and haunted houses. But for some in the province, the goal is to catch a glimpse of the real deal.

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Curtis Riersgard is with Purgatory Adventures, a group of Saskatchewan-based ghost hunters searching for proof that there is indeed a life after death.

He and other members travel throughout the province, recording and documenting their encounters at some of Saskatchewan’s most haunted destinations.

Speaking on the CKOM Morning Show with Mark Loshack, Riersgard said ghost hunting involves a fairly in-depth preparation process.

“Most of the time, people contact me about places they have heard about being haunted, and then I get in contact with the owners of the location to see if we can set up a potential investigation,” he said.

“We get there, we interview the owners, and they tell us about the background, about the murders, about any deaths in the building, and we use that information later on in our investigation to help figure out what exactly is haunting the place,” Riersgard said.

When it comes to the investigations themselves, Riersgard said he has seen it all. The most haunted destination he has encountered is the Tommy Douglas Centre in Weyburn.

Built in 1906 as Calvary Baptist Church, the building was moved from the community’s downtown in 1985 and transformed into a performing arts centre. In 1991, it became the Tommy Douglas Centre, a tribute to the late T.C. Douglas, a former Baptist minister who preached his first sermon in the building in 1930.

The centre now houses the Tommy Douglas Memorabilia Room, a Steinway grand piano and a 130-seat theatre.

Riersgard said the building has been the site of some of his most convincing encounters.

“The thing that happened to me at that location was hearing footsteps run down the stairs at us, and I genuinely thought there was a person in the building who had broken in while we were doing our investigation. But we searched the entire building. There was nobody there. I’ve captured screams in that building lots of times while we were sleeping, and there are noises that happen, like banging on the walls. I’ve had footsteps walking towards me while sleeping in that building, so that is a very active location for me,” he said.

As for the saying, “You have to see it to believe it,” Riersgard said he can do one better: he’s felt it.

“We actually captured the ghost touching me on camera. We captured it twice, the investigator was filming me, and he saw a ball of light come down and touch my arm. At that exact same time, I felt something touch my arm in that same spot,” Riersgard said.

While some would be scared chasing after the paranormal, for him, it’s normal.

“Most of the time, I’m excited. I’m really, really excited. I’m pumped. I’m ready because you never know what the night is going to bring. You’re hoping for lots of activity. Sometimes you get more than you want, but most of the time it’s excitement.”