Tonight on Northern Dark, we travel across Canada to four places where crime and tragedy left something behind.

From the Screaming Tunnel in Niagara — where fire and fear still echo in the stone. To Toronto’s Don Jail — its walls steeped in punishment, execution, and unrest. To the Banff Springs Hotel — where a bride’s last step became a legend that still dances. And finally, to the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse — where a keeper vanished into violence, and the light was never the same.

🎧 Northern Dark: True Canadian Crime — new episodes every Monday.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, and YouTube.

Follow Us on X

Subscribe to our YouTube

A quiet evening in Owen Sound turned tragic when Sharif Rahman, the beloved owner of The Curry House, was attacked outside his restaurant after confronting three men over an unpaid bill.

What followed would send shockwaves across Canada: an international manhunt, three arrests in Scotland, and a community forever changed.

In this episode, we retrace the life of a man remembered for his kindness, his dedication to his family, and the outpouring of love that followed his death.

Sources Used (with links):

1. CBC News – CBC puts faces to names of trio charged in restaurateur’s killing (Oct 14, 2025): cbc.ca/news/canada/owen-sound/rahman-evans-extradition-hearing
2. CBC News – What we know about the 3 men in Scotland charged in killing of Owen Sound, Ont., restaurant owner (Dec 19, 2024): cbc.ca/news/canada/owen-sound/rahman-case-three-men-charged
3. Bayshore Broadcasting – Three UK Citizens Charged in Sharif Rahman Death (Dec 18, 2024): bayshorebroadcasting.ca
4. Owen Sound Sun Times – Sharif Rahman remembered as good husband, friend and community member (Aug 15, 2024): owensoundsuntimes.com
5. CTV News Barrie – Police release identities of 3 men charged in Sharif Rahman homicide investigation: ctvnews.ca/barrie
6. Bayshore Broadcasting – Tree dedicated in Owen Sound in honour of Sharif Rahman (Oct 31, 2024): bayshorebroadcasting.ca
7. GoFundMe – Support for Sharif’s Family: gofundme.com/f/support-for-sharifs-family
8. YMCA of Owen Sound Grey Bruce – 2023 Peace Medal Announcement: ymcaowensound.on.ca
9. Community Foundation Grey Bruce – Sharifur Rahman Memorial Scholarship Fund: communityfoundationgreybruce.com

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube:

🔗 rss.com/podcasts/northern-dark-true-canadian-crime

📺 Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@NorthernDarkTCC

🐦 Follow us on X: x.com/northerndarktcc

For more Canadian true crime stories, subscribe to Northern Dark.

#TrueCrime #Canada #NorthernDark

On a quiet Thanksgiving night in 2008, 18-year-old Lucas Shortreed was walking home along a rural road near Alma, Ontario. A white Dodge Neon struck him — and the driver disappeared.

For fourteen years, the case haunted the community until a single tip led police to a hidden trailer, a false wall, and a shocking confession. Now, Lucas’s family has filed a $1-million civil lawsuit against the couple convicted in his death — seeking accountability after years of silence.

Episode Resources

• Episode Resources
  1. Toronto Star – Forsaken: 14 Years, 140 Officers and a Dark Secret that Consumed a Small Ontario Town
  2. Wellington Advertiser – Lucas a “Gentle Giant” (Letter to the Editor by Judie Moore, Oct. 5, 2023)
  3. CBC News – Car That Killed Lucas Shortreed Was Found Behind Fake Wall: OPP
  4. EloraFergusToday.com – Couple Accused in Lucas Shortreed Death Appear in Court
  5. Guelph Mercury Tribune – Police Continue to Look for Driver Behind Hit and Run that Killed Fergus Teen a Decade Ago (Oct. 11, 2018)
  6. CBC News – Family of Fergus Teen Killed in 2008 Hit-and-Run Files $1M Lawsuit Against Convicted Couple (2023)
  7. Wellington Advertiser Archives – Letters and Community Reflections on the Lucas Shortreed Case
  8. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) – Press statements and official case summaries, Wellington County Detachment (2022–2023)
  9. Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS) – Technical findings credited to analyst Gerri Lynn Vardy (as cited in Toronto Star)
  10. Court Proceedings (Guelph, Sept. 26, 2023) – Statements of fact and sentencing remarks by Justice Matthew Stanley

🎧 Listen now on most platforms including Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, and on YouTube.

For more Canadian true crime, follow us @NorthernDarkTCC on X and YouTube

#TrueCrime #Canada #NorthernDark #LucasShortreed

The Richardson Family Murders shook the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta. When three family members were found dead in their home, investigators uncovered a story that stunned Canada and ignited debate about justice and accountability. This episode of Northern Dark explores one of the nation’s most haunting true crime cases.

#TrueCrime #Canada #NorthernDark #MedicineHat

Episode Notes

• CBC News: “Medicine Hat girl who murdered family no longer has curfew”
• CBC News: “Steinke sentenced to life for Medicine Hat triple murder”
• Calgary Herald: “Ten years later, ‘Runaway Devil’ about to taste freedom”
• People Magazine: “How a 12-Year-Old Helped Murder Her Family With Her 23-Year-Old Boyfriend”
• Vice: “The Alberta Girl Who Had Her Family Murdered a Decade Ago Is About to Be Free”
• Murderpedia: “Jeremy Steinke”
• CBC Archives: “Photos of triple murder scene bring jurors to tears”

🎧 Northern Dark: True Canadian Crime — new episodes every Monday.

Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon, and YouTube.

Follow Us on Follow Us on X

Subscribe to our YouTube

On September 13th, 2006, Dawson College in Montréal became the scene of one of Canada’s most shocking school shootings.

A 25-year-old gunman opened fire in the cafeteria, killing 18-year-old Anastasia De Sousa and wounding 19 others. In just eighteen minutes, hundreds of students witnessed chaos, terror, and tragedy that would scar the community for years to come.

Sources

• CBC News: Woman, gunman dead in Montreal school rampage
• CBC News: Montreal gunman killed himself, autopsy shows
• CBC News: Gunman called himself Angel of Death
• Global News: Dawson College survivors mark 15-year anniversary
• Reuters Archive: Montreal shooting shocks Canada
• CTV News: Politicians express sorrow over college shootings
• Archived Montreal Gazette & Canada.com reports

York Region, Ontario has been shaken by a series of violent crimes — home invasions, arson, carjackings, kidnappings, and shootings — that have left families terrified and communities on edge.

In this special episode of Northern Dark: True Canadian Crime, we look beyond a single case to explore the wave of violence spreading across Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Bowmanville, and Lindsay. From the murder of Abdul Aleem Farooqi in front of his daughters, to an arson that killed two people in Richmond Hill, to a Markham home invasion where a man was shot and a woman kidnapped — this is the story of suburban Canada under siege.

Sources & References

• CBC News – Second victim, woman, dies after Richmond Hill house fire deemed arson
• CBC News – York police provide update on violent crimes in region
• CBC News – Boy, 12, released on bail in Markham shooting case
• CBC News – Lindsay man charged after defending home from knife- and crossbow-wielding intruder
• CTV News – ‘He’s got a knife’: 2 suspects arrested after Bowmanville carjacking and home invasion
• CTV News – Police say father of four killed during Vaughan home invasion confronted suspects inside residence
• CTV News – Suspects caught on security camera using axe to break into Vaughan home
• CTV News – 2 men, 2 teens arrested after woman kidnapped, man shot during home invasion in Markham
• Global News – Ontario father shot, killed during Vaughan home invasion
• Global News – Ontario family calls for bail reform after release of 12-year-old charged in Markham shooting
• Toronto Star – York police chief sends message after deadly Vaughan home invasion: Don’t engage
• Toronto Sun – Hate-crime legislation coming soon, bail and sentencing reform to follow: Fraser
• Toronto Sun – Ford calls Vaughan home invasion murder ‘devastating,’ vows to seek tougher bail reform
• Rebel News – At a Woodbridge home with $100,000 in security reinforcements, Poilievre pitches his party’s Jail Not Bail Act
• National Post – Yes, Liberals, Canada is pretty much the Wild West today
• YorkRegion.com – Neighbours and friends of Richmond Hill arson victims to grieve together in love and connection
• Police Association of Ontario – Police Association of Ontario calls for urgent federal bail reform to enhance community safety
• Toronto Police Association / OPPA / PAO – Police Associations Call for Immediate Legislative Change

Social Media

Follow Northern Dark on X and YouTube

Description

On April 23, 2018, a bright spring afternoon in Toronto turned to horror. A white rental van mounted the sidewalk on Yonge Street, killing 11 innocent people and injuring 15 more in just 25 minutes.

This episode of Northern Dark: True Canadian Crime recounts the chilling minute-by-minute details of the Yonge Street van attack, explores the background of Alek Minassian, and examines the hateful ideology that motivated him.

We follow the investigation and trial, the families’ long wait for justice, and the legacy of Constable Ken Lam, who ended the rampage without firing a single shot. Finally, Mark and Leah reflect on what this case reveals about online radicalization, extremism, and resilience in the face of hate.

Episode Notes / Sources

• Wikipedia – 2018 Toronto van attack
• The Globe and Mail – What we know so far
• The Globe and Mail – Twenty-five minutes of horror on Yonge Street
• The New York Times – Toronto Van Attack coverage
• USA Today – Suspect Alek Minassian
• CTV News – Trial postponement details
• CBC News – Trial decision and verdict

Social Media

X and Youtube @NorthernDarkTCC

On December 6, 1989, a gunman entered Montreal’s École Polytechnique and opened fire, targeting women in a brutal attack that shook Canada to its core. Fourteen women lost their lives, and countless others were forever changed. This episode revisits the harrowing events of that day, the survivors’ stories, and the lasting impact on Canadian society — from gun control reforms to the fight for gender equality.

Northern Dark examines the tragedy not only as one of Canada’s darkest crimes, but as a turning point in the nation’s history: The École Polytechnique Massacre (Montreal Massacre).

Episode Notes

• CBC News – “École Polytechnique massacre: 30 years later, the wounds remain”
• Hazlitt – “Marc Lépine’s War on Women”
• Globe and Mail – Archives on the December 6, 1989 Montreal Massacre
• Maclean’s – “The Day Canada Changed Forever”
• Montreal Gazette – Coverage and survivor stories from Dec. 1989 to present
• Government of Canada – National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Social Media

Follow Northern Dark on X and YouTube