True Crime Podcasts Worth Adding to Your Playlist
Whether they're shining a spotlight on infamous cold cases or modern-day unsolved mysteries, these Canadian podcasts are as chilling as they are addictive.
Uncover
From mysterious cults to wrongful convictions, CBC’s Uncover is one of the best true crime podcasts in Canada. Each phenomenally-researched and engaging season features a journalist unravelling a specific crime: the 14th season, Boys Like Me, explores the 2018 Toronto van attack and incel subculture; the third season, The Village, investigates Toronto’s history of anti-queer violence in the aftermath of serial killer Bruce McArthur and the death of Alloura Wells; and the 11th season, Carrie Low VS., tells a devastating story of sexual assault and institutional failure.
Island Crime
Island Crime covers events that have taken place on B.C.’s Vancouver Island; this narrow spotlight, however, is anything but a limitation. Over the course of several seasons, journalist Laura Palmer has explored local tragedies with stunning detail—interviews with the victims’ families, as well as police and affected citizens, are often presented. So far, Island Crime has called attention to the disappearance and murder of Lisa Marie Young, analyzed cases of missing men dismissed as suicides or runaways, and revisited the 30-year disappearance of four year-old Michael Dunahee—one of the largest police investigations in Canada’s history.
Check out Canada’s most riveting unsolved mysteries.
Nighttime Podcast
If you’re interested in the weird and unexplainable, the Nighttime Podcast is here for you. Host Jordan Bonaparte takes listeners on a ride through Canada’s most tragic and unusual crimes. Check out his 10-part investigation into the case of missing Victoria, B.C., resident Emma Fillipoff, which includes extensive discussions with her family and friends; or Bonaparte’s exclusive—and unsettling —interview with the now-incarcerated Lindsay Souvannarath, one of three people charged with conspiring to commit a mass shooting at the Halifax Shopping Centre in 2015.
Explore the most haunted places in Canada.
Canadian True Crime
Looking for a more nuts-and-bolts true crime podcast? Consider Canadian True Crime, which focuses on solved Canadian crimes, meaning there’s plenty of chilling stories over its more than 100 episodes, from Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka to crossbow killer Brett Ryan. Host Kristi Lee—an Australian who now calls Canada home—sources from court documents, trial reporting and news archives as she tries to answer why people commit such heinous acts. Lee’s knack for suspenseful drama makes Canadian True Crime an essential listen for true crime fans.
Here are 10 Canadian history podcasts you should be listening to.
13 Hours: Inside the Nova Scotia Massacre
Over a 13-hour period on April 18 and 19, 2020, 51-year-old mass shooter Gabriel Wortman wreaked havoc on Nova Scotia, resulting in the murders of 22 people. In this 13-part series, journalist Sarah Ritchie takes listeners on a harrowing journey, with each episode covering one hour of real-time during the worst shooting spree in Canadian history. How could this have happened, and how can we prevent it from ever happening again? 13 Hours: Inside the Nova Scotia Massacre seeks the answers.
True North True Crime
Dedicated to bringing awareness to unsolved murders and disappearances across Canada, True North True Crime isn’t the easiest listen. Hosts Caitlin and Graeme, however, address each incident with deep respect, making sure to stick to the facts and rarely providing personal insights. Some episodes feature interviews with victims’ families, such as in the chapters on Cameron Collin’s suspicious death and the murdered Lise Fredette. All this gives True North True Crime urgency as Caitlin and Graeme tell compelling cases and implore listeners with any helpful information to come forward.
These true crime shows on Netflix Canada will chill you to the bone.
The Next Call with David Ridgen
From David Ridgen, the creator of CBC’s Someone Knows Something, comes this unique podcast. In The Next Call, Ridgen investigates cold cases from his desk, calling victims’ families and friends, the police, and just about anyone else with a promising lead. Recently, the podcast tackled the unsolved murder of Terrie Ann Dauphinais, a 24-year-old Métis mother of three who was found strangled in her Calgary home in 2002. As the podcast moves from one riveting phone call to the next, the listeners feel as if they’re solving crimes too.
Check out the best documentaries on Netflix right now.
Missing and Murdered
In Missing and Murdered, Cree reporter Connie Walker investigates Canada’s egregious history of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Season one begins when Walker receives a tip on the unsolved rape and murder of Alberta Williams, whose body was found alongside Alberta’s Highway of Tears in 1989. Season two, meanwhile, follows a Cree family as they search for their missing sister, Cleo Semaganis Nicotine, and uncover why she and her five siblings were taken from their parents and adopted by non-Indigenous families in the early 1970s. Missing and Murdered, while emotionally crushing, is an absolute must-listen.
Find out how a retired cop is reheating cold cases in Halifax.
Crime Beat
In this ultra-satisfying podcast, Nancy Hixt, a crime reporter for more than 25 years, revisits Alberta’s most notorious cases, from Calgary’s deadliest massacre (“The Brentwood Five”) to lesser-known—but no less disturbing—cases like Brian Hogg, who murdered his daughter in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, in 1999. Every crime is excellently reported and thoroughly retold, complete with revealing interviews and clips from Hixt’s past TV reports. Crime Beat is crime journalism at its finest.
Here are more Canadian podcasts worth listening to.
A Million Other Choices
In 2018, 24-year-old Calgary resident Taylor Toller was killed by her boyfriend; Taylor’s aunt, Kim Toller, draws from this horrifying event as she hosts A Million Other Choices. Over the course of 30 episodes and counting, Toller revisits both known and unknown murder cases, including some set in her hometown of Calgary, like 1974’s Black Friday shootout and the 2014 disappearance and murder of Nathan O’Brien and his grandparents. Each episode focuses on a single crime and usually lasts no more than 30 minutes. Toller’s gentle storytelling humanizes the real people affected by these acts of violence, which makes for a moving, sympathetic listen.
Now that you’ve added the best Canadian true crime podcasts to your playlist, take an in-depth look at Canada’s most notorious cold cases.
