BC Penitentiary — 102 years of imprisonment haunt New Westminster

The British Columbia Penitentiary in New Westminster operated for 102 years, from 1878 to 1980, making it one of the longest-serving prisons in Canadian history. The maximum-security facility housed some of Canada's most dangerous criminals and was the site of riots, escapes, murders, and executions. The prison's death row and execution chamber were used to carry out Canada's last federal executions. After its closure, portions of the former penitentiary have been used for various purposes, but the ghost stories have persisted. Former staff and visitors to the remaining structures report hearing cell doors slamming in empty corridors, the clanking of chains, and the voices of inmates calling out from sealed areas. Shadow figures have been seen moving between the cells, and some investigators have reported being physically touched or pushed in the former solitary confinement block. The prison's most famous ghost is said to be that of a guard who was murdered by an inmate during a riot — he has been spotted standing at his former post, still watching over the cell block. The penitentiary's imposing stone walls, visible from the surrounding streets of New Westminster, served as a grim reminder of incarceration for a century, and the structure's haunting continues to remind the community of the human suffering that occurred within.