Spirits, Scams & Stolen Oats

For Halloween, we head to Huron County, Ontario, to tell the story of Margaret “Maggie” Pollock, a local woman who said she could communicate with spirits and help people find lost things. In 1919, after a man asked her to locate missing oats, Pollock was charged under a Canadian law against fortune-telling and pretending to use occult powers—a law that remained on the books until 2018.Along the way, we discuss whether we believe in ghosts, what makes a horror movie scary, and why audiences connect with characters’ reactions as much as the monsters on screen. Plus: spooky-season banter, a Halloween movie chat, and a teaser for next episode’s poltergeist story. For premium content, socials, merch, to leave a voicemail or message us go to canadaisboring.com

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Spirits, Scams & Stolen Oats

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This episode is 54 minutes long.

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This episode was published on October 19, 2026.

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