Canadian Disasters

Ken Leishman lived a fascinating life. He was beloved to the people of Winnipeg and Red Lake. The only people who weren't die hard fans?  The police.    Sources:  Norma Bailey: "The Flying Bandit" Documentary  Christian Cassidy, "This was Manitoba: Kenneth Leishman-the Flying Bandit" Mark Montgomery, Radio Canada "Canada History Mar 1, 1966: the Great Winnipeg Gold Heist "

In the 1960's, the City of Halifax decided to remove an area that they had determined to be a "slum." By 1970, the vibrant thriving community of Africville would be gone, and many of its citizens would not recover.    Sources:  Jennifer Nelson: Razing Africville  Dakshana Bascaramurty: On Africville, the razing and the racism (link: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-africville-canada-news-coverage/)  Albert Rose: Report of a Visit to Halifax with Particular Respect to Africville  Shelagh Mackenzie: Remember Africville     

On November 18th, 1929, the deadliest Tusnami in Canadian history struck the Burin Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. Ill-prepared for such a disaster, it was a race against the clock for survival.    Sources:  The Wake by Linden MacIntyre Disasters of the Century, Season Three, Episode 34: Burin Tsunami  Video: "The 1929 Burin Tsunami" Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Website

In 1819 an expedition set out from England in the hopes of mapping coastline in the remote northern stretch of Canada. What followed was a horrific bungle, more suited to the pages of a paperback thriller than actual history.  This is the story of the Coppermine Expedition   Sources:  Franklin Overland: https://franklinoverland.ca/ Sir John Franklin: Narrative of a Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea in the Years 1819-22 Fergus Fleming: Barrow's Boys (Chapter: The Man who ate his Boots) Peter Steele: The Man who Mapped the Arctic  Ken McGoogan: Dead Reckoning   

On January 28th, 1990, Darrell Night was picked up by two SPS officers and dropped off in an industrial area kilometres outside the city centre of Saskatoon. He surived. Others were not so fortunate. Having a living witness helped to uncover a systematic progam that indigenous people had been whispering about for years. This is the terrifying story of the Starlight Tours.    Sources:  Starlight Tour: The Last, Lonely Night of Neil Stonechild, revised and updated by Susanne Reber and Robert Renaud Two Worlds Colliding by Tasha Hubbard (Documentary Film)  Report into the Commission of Inquiry Into Matters Relating to the Death of Neil Stonechild by The Honourable Mr. Justice David H. Wright 

On July 6th, 2013 a train carrying thousands of tons of oil careened into the Quebec town of Lac-Mégantic, killing dozens. How did an unmanned train cause so much destruction? What was the trail of errors that led to the disaster?    Sources:  Lac-Mégantic: This is not an Accident (Documentary Television Series directed by Phillipe Falardeau Mégantic A Deadly Mix of Oil, Rail, and Avarice by Anne-Marie Saint-Cerny

June 23rd, 1985. The worst terrorist attack in Canadian History. So why hasn't 85% of the country heard of it? 

On April 28th, 1903 the town of Frank, Alberta went to sleep, never imagining the horror that would wake them up. Listen to this episode on the deadliest Landslide in Canadian History. 

For a week in June 2023 the world was captivated by a missing submersible who lost contact while diving to the wreck of the Titanic. As news of the disaster broke, a trail of bad decisions emerged. This is what happened to the Titan Submersible. 

On Dec 6th, 1989 a lone gunman entered the halls of the Université de Montréal. In less than half an hour, 14 women would be dead.  Sources:  CBC The Fifth Estate: Montreal Massacre  Rampage by Lee Mellor  Ce jour-là: parce qu'elle étaient des femme, 6 Décembre, 1989 by Josée Boileau   

On September 17th, 1949 an overnight stop in Toronto on a 7 night pleasure cruise turned to terror as passengers awoke to the smell of smoke...  

October 25th, 1918. Following an over 40 hour ordeal, the S.S Princess Sophia sinks in the waters of the Lynn Canal in Alaska's Inside Passage. It is the largest loss of life in a marine accident in the entirety of the Pacific Northwest. So why haven't you heard about it? 

Coming August 2023 to a platform near you. Canadian Disasters takes a look at the darker sides of Canada. From terrorism to tornados I'll explore events that have left a mark on this vast land. Canadian Disasters. True North Strong and Destructive.