Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History

Curiouscast
  • 4.7 (2.1K)
  • TRUE CRIME
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

True crime, legends, folklore, dark history and other creepy topics from the perspective of real live Canadians.

  1. 2D AGO

    Stolen Life, Stolen Identity: The Murder of Dwayne Demkiw

    Episode 406: It was a bright Sunday late-morning, on May 31, 2015, in Calgary, Alberta, when a passerby heard a bang inside an airport‑area parkade and saw smoke pouring from the trunk of a black Acura. The car was still running, licence plate gone, still aflame as firefighters moved in, and a bystander quietly filmed a lone man walking away, glancing back at the burning vehicle. When investigators opened the doors, they found no driver, but blood soaked into the driver’s seat, the door, and the back seat, telling them someone had bled heavily inside that car. The Acura was registered to a 42‑year‑old limo driver, Dwayne Demkiw, who lived three hours north in Edmonton and hadn’t been seen since he finished a late shift around 4 a.m. that same morning. While his friends frantically called his phone and posted online, police in two cities were starting to realize they might be dealing with something far worse than a stolen car. Sources: Remembering Dwayne Demkiw | Reel by Dateline NBCDwayne Demkiw - Lets bring him home | FacebookDwayne Demkiw | Global News, Videos & ArticlesR v Steadman, 2018 ABQB 1045 (CanLII)R v Steadman, 2021 ABCA 332 (CanLII)R v Sproule, 2025 ABKB 91 (CanLII)R v Sproule, 2025 ABKB 707 (CanLII)Canadian Taxi Driver Homicides: Dwayne DemkiwSomebody's Hiding Something s02e03 | Crave"Dateline NBC" The Case of the Man with No Name (2023) IMDbDwayne Eugene Demkiw | ObituaryDonate to Dwayne Demkiw - Justice, Grieving & Healing, organized by Jesta Menace5 horrifying details about the murder of Canadian limo driver Dwayne Demkiw | PrimetimerFugitive charged in Edmonton murder lived under stolen identity: investigators | Globe & MailFamily thanks the person who found the bones of their missing son | CBC NewsHomicide victim's friend removed evidence from crime scene, murder trial hears | CBC NewsAfter a limo driver disappears, a fugitive’s web begins to unravel and sets off an international manhuntLiberals grilled on trial delays after Dwayne Demkiw murder | Watch News Videos Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    57 min

  2. FEB 9

    Final Justice: The Murder of Beverley Ann Dyke

    Episode 405: On the 17th of May 1984, 48‑year‑old Beverley Anne Dyke was found brutally murdered in a wooded area near Moray Street and Saskatchewan Avenue on the edge of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her killing, a frenzied sexual assault and stabbing, left her family and the wider community fearing a predator was on the loose. For years, detectives chased dead ends and even a dramatic prison confession, but the real killer remained a mystery. It would take more than two decades, and a cold‑case DNA match, to finally reveal who murdered Beverley and why. Sources: May 25, 1970, page 1 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com™Mar 25, 1971, page 3 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com™Mar 25, 1971, page 10 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com™Aug 19, 1974, page 8 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com™Aug 19, 1974, page 11 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com™May 13, 1975, page 11 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com™Dec 30, 1984, page 10 - The Winnipeg Sun at Newspapers.com™Dec 27, 1988, page 19 - Waterloo Region Record at Newspapers.com™Dec 27, 1988, page 7 - Edmonton Journal at Newspapers.com™May 07, 2001, page 5 - The Winnipeg Sun at Newspapers.com™Feb 28, 2005, page 5 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com™Nov 19, 2005, page 4 - The Winnipeg Sun at Newspapers.com™Nov 30, 2005, page 9 - The Winnipeg Sun at Newspapers.com™Sep 14, 2007, page 5 - Edmonton Journal at Newspapers.com™Feb 26, 2010, page 2 - Fort McMurray Today at Newspapers.com™Mar 06, 2010, page 6 - Edmonton Journal at Newspapers.com™Mar 07, 2010, page 8 - Times Colonist at Newspapers.com™Nov 30, 2011, page 2 - Fort McMurray Today at Newspapers.com™"Evidence of Evil" The Murder of Beverley Ann Dyke (TV Episode 2019) - Reference view - IMDb"It was a vicious assault" | The Murder of Beverley Ann Dyke | Trace of EvilR. v. Kociuk, 2009 MBQB 154 (CanLII)R. v. Kociuk, 2009 MBQB 162 (CanLII)R. v. Kociuk (R.J.), 2011 MBCA 85 (CanLII)R. v. Kociuk, 2012 SCC 15 (CanLII), [2012] 1 SCR 529FM010_Appellant_Robert-Joseph-Kociuk | PDFSupreme Court of Canada | 34517Robert Joseph Kociuk v. Her Majesty the Queen (April 12, 2012) Case # 34517DNA Test Results In Charges | CastanetWinnipeg Homicide | Beverly Ann DykeJury finds Robert Kociuk guilty of first-degree murder in 1984 killing | Crime and Justice CanadaMar 2010: Murder verdict returned quickly | Winnipeg Free Press Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    54 min

  3. FEB 2

    Left in the Cold: The Winnipeg Homeless Murders

    Episode 404: In April 2015, someone began targeting some of the city’s most vulnerable residents: men living rough, sleeping outside, and often already failed by every system meant to protect them. By the time the killing stopped, three were dead: 37‑year‑old Miles Monias, 48‑year‑old Stony Stanley Bushie, and 65‑year‑old Donald Collins. Their killer was another man on the margins, a homeless drifter with a long history of violence and untreated mental illness, John Paul Ostamas. Sources: Media Release - April 28, 2015 - Winnipeg Police ServiceR. v. Ostamas, 2016 MBQB 136 (CanLII)R. v. Ostamas (J.P.) (2016), 329 Man.R.(2d) 203 (QB) | vLexR v Ostamas, 2022 MBCA 68 (CanLII)John Paul Ostamas | APTN ArchivesJohn Paul Ostamas | Global News, Videos & ArticlesWinnipeg's Duck Face Serial KillerWinnipeg's historyGarden Hill First Nation | WikipediaLittle Grand Rapids First NationApr 27, 2015, page 16 - Calgary Herald at Newspapers.com™Apr 29, 2015, page A5 - Telegraph-Journal at Newspapers.com™May 2015: Death and the homelessTHE FIRST NATIONAL INDIGENOUS BROADCASTER IN THE WORLD | APTNWinnipeg police charge man in connection with 3 murders | APTNMan charged with 3 Winnipeg killings came from ‘good family’ in Eabametoong First Nation | APTNMay 2016: Guilty plea in killing spree'3 monstrous murders': Homeless killer John Paul Ostamas will get no parole for 75 years | CBC News‘Person of interest’ located by Winnipeg Police: Sources - WinnipegPolice say suspect in Winnipeg deaths known to Ontario policeMurder charges for deaths of homeless Native men in ManitobaAccused serial killer John Paul Ostamas sought help from Kenora pastorStoney Bushie's friends, family gather for Winnipeg prayer service | CBC NewsOstamas tried to burn down Winnipeg hotel, police say - WinnipegThunder Bay-area man charged with murder after 2 homeless men killed in Winnipeg | CBC NewsFamilies honour victims of alleged serial killer John OstamasMan charged with killing 3 men in Winnipeg | CBC NewsWho is John Paul Ostamas, alleged serial killer in Winnipeg deaths? | CBC NewsHomeless in Vancouver: Homeless man charged in serial killings of three Winnipeg men | Georgia Straight Vancouver’s source for arts, culture, and eventsHomelessness – Social Planning Council of WinnipegIndigenous Peoples and Homelessness | homelesshub.caHomeless in Vancouver: Serial killer may be targeting Winnipeg homeless | Georgia Straight Vancouver’s source for arts, culture, and eventsLatest Winnipeg street census suggests homelessness at highest point in past decade | CBC NewsAMC Responds to Record Homelessness in Winnipeg | manitobachiefs.comUnderstanding Indigenous Homelessness28239_here_now_plan_report_FIN_WEB | PDF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    59 min

  4. JAN 26

    The Melady Murders: Canada’s Last Public Hanging

    Episode 403: Nicholas Melady Jr. was 24 years old when he stepped onto a wooden scaffold above the stone walls of Goderich Gaol in December of 1869, about to become the central figure in Canada’s last public hanging after the brutal murders of his father, Nicholas Melady Sr. and stepmother, Ellen, in a quiet Huron County farmhouse. In this episode, we return to a world of bush farms, rough taverns, and bitter family feuds over land and inheritance, tracing a path from a whispered meeting on a bridge and talk of “just a robbery” to a blood‑soaked kitchen floor, sloppy police work, and a coroner making two young men stand barefoot in dried pools of blood. Sources: Double Trap by John MeladySeaforth Doors Open | shopseaforth.caAudio-Tour-of-North-Street | goderich.caHuron Historic Gaol‘Morbid curiosity’: When executions were public spectacles in Ontario | TVO TodayMar 27, 1869, page 1 - The Globe and Mail at Newspapers.com™Apr 02, 1869, page 3 - Ottawa Daily Citizen at Newspapers.com™Dec 08, 1869, page 4 - The Critic and Record at Newspapers.com™Dec 09, 1869, page 4 - Buffalo Courier Express at Newspapers.com™Dec 17, 1869, page 1 - Brampton Times at Newspapers.com™Dec 07, 1869, page 3 - Boston Evening Transcript at Newspapers.com™Carling R. Marshall ~ Public History Blog: Semi-public? - The Hoag Hanging, Walkerton - 1868Carling R. Marshall - Capital punishment: Huron County opinion in 1869Nicholas Melady | Wikipedia1869: Nicholas Melady, the last public hanging in Canada | Executed TodayResearching Canada’s ‘Last Public Hanging | Huron County MuseumThe Final Days of Nicholas Melady Jr. as Witnessed by William Dickson - Champlain Society Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 7m

  5. JAN 19

    Black Friday: The 1987 Edmonton Tornado

    Episode 402: On July 31, 1987, an ordinary summer afternoon in Edmonton, Alberta, ended in catastrophe. A powerful tornado cut through the city’s southeast, killing 27 people and leaving entire neighbourhoods destroyed in minutes. In this episode, we examine the second-deadliest tornado in Canadian history through firsthand survivor accounts and direct statements from officials who faced a disaster few believed could happen in a major Canadian city. The day would later become known as “Black Friday,” a name repeated in municipal histories and anniversary coverage. On July 31 itself, it was still just another Friday afternoon. Episode Sources: Tornado, a report : Edmonton and Strathcona County, July 31st, 1987 : Alberta Public Safety ServicesEdmonton Tornado (1987) | The Candian EncyclopediaBELLWEATHER KENNELS CANADA - EDMONTON TORNADO 1987 by Tom TaylorEdmonton Tornado | WikipediaThe Edmonton Tornado | Environment CanadaBlack Friday changed city, survivors | CBC NewsThis Was the Worst Tornado in Canada’s History | Reader’s DigestJul 30, 1988, page 92 - Edmonton Journal at Newspapers.com™From the Edmonton community on RedditEdmonton Journal front page story of the Edmonton tornado July 31, 1987 (Black Friday)Regina Cyclone | Wikipedia Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 2m

  6. JAN 12

    Vancouver’s 1907 Anti-Asian Riots

    Episode 401: At the start of the twentieth century, Vancouver, B.C., was a fast-growing Pacific port. Most residents were white settlers of British or European descent, but Chinese and Japanese communities were already well established and growing. They lived, worked, and built businesses in neighbourhoods like Chinatown and Powell Street, playing a central role in the city’s economy while being denied political rights and social acceptance. By 1907, economic anxiety and racial resentment had hardened into open hostility. Asian workers were blamed for falling wages and job insecurity, a message repeated by newspapers, politicians, and organized exclusionary groups. The riots that followed on September 7 were not sudden outbursts, but the result of years of public rhetoric that treated entire communities as threats. This episode examines how those ideas gave rise to violence on Vancouver’s streets. Sources:The 1907 Racist Riots – Union Zindabad!The Asiatic Exclusion League Riot, 1907 — Published by BC Labour Heritage CentreThe Vancouver Anti-Asian RiotsCauses of the 1907 anti-Asian riots :The Lessons of the Anti-Asiatic Riot"Images" and "Issues" : the portrayal of Asians in the Vancouver Daily Province and the Vancouver Daily World, 1907 to 1908Anti-Asian Riots of 1907 - British Columbia - An Untold HistoryMayor Ken SimDavid LamChinese Immigration ActChinese Head Tax in Canada1907 Vancouver anti-Asian riotsAsian Labour History in British ColumbiaA White Man's Province by Patricia Roy | Internet ArchiveW.L. Mackenzie King’s 1907 Report on Japanese Losses in Vancouver RiotsW.L. Mackenzie King’s 1907 Report on Chinese Losses in Vancouver RiotsThe History of Canada Series: Trouble on Main Street: Mackenzie King Reason Race And The 1907 Vancouver Riots Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 17m

  7. JAN 5

    The Clara Ford Affair: Race, Rumour, and the Shooting of Frank Westwood

    Episode 400: In October 1894, 18-year-old Frank Westwood was shot on the doorstep of his Parkdale home. The killing shocked Toronto and sparked a frantic search for a suspect. Weeks later, a mixed-race tailor named Clara Ford walked into a Toronto police station and was quickly accused of the murder. With no weapon, no motive, and a disputed confession, her trial exposed deep racial bias and divided the city. This episode looks at Clara’s life, the investigation that targeted her, and the aftermath of the trial that captivated Canada’s largest city. Episode Sources:Clara at the Door with a Revolver — Carolyn Whitzman (UBC Press, 2023)Toronto Public Library – Digitized Toronto newspapersNewspapers.com – Historical Toronto press coverageCity of Toronto ArchivesArchives of Ontario – Mercer Reformatory & judicial recordsRace on Trial: Black Defendants in Ontario’s Criminal Courts, 1858–1958 — Barrington WalkerAfua Cooper – Black Canadian history resourcesDEWART, HERBERT HARTLEY – Dictionary of Canadian BiographyJOHNSTON, EBENEZER FORSYTH BLACKIE – Dictionary of Canadian BiographyDeath in the Queen City: Clara Ford on Trial, 1895 By Parick BrodeA blood-drinking monster? When this Toronto woman was accused of murder, the newspapers of 1894 went wildA sensational Toronto murder from 1894 – Bill Gladstone GenealogyTranscript: The Story of a Black Woman Accused of Murder in 1894 | Feb 15, 2023 | TVO TodayInterview: Carolyn Whitzman on the archival story behind novel Clara at the Door  – MOBA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 6m

  8. 12/29/2025

    Out With the Old: The Dark and Weird Side of New Year’s Traditions

    Episode 399: As the clock strikes midnight, not everyone welcomes the New Year with champagne and resolutions. In this episode of Dark Poutine, we explore the darker, stranger, and sometimes dangerous traditions used around the world—and across Canada—to chase away bad luck and invite prosperity. From gunfire and forgotten parades in Newfoundland, to Hogmanay superstitions, poverty-banishing rituals, icy polar bear swims, and fire-lit celebrations meant to ward off evil, these customs reveal what people have been willing to risk for a clean slate. We also venture beyond Canada, examining ancient sacrifices, ritual fights, smashed plates, burning effigies, and other unsettling ways humanity has tried to reset the calendar. It’s a look at New Year’s Eve not as a party—but as a threshold, where superstition, fear, and hope collide.  Episode Sources:Guns, parades and superstitions: A host of forgotten New Year's traditions in N.L. | CBC NewsOut with the old, in with the new — East Coasters share their unusual past and present New Year’s Eve traditionsNewfoundland and Labrador CustomsNew Year's Day in Canada: Traditions, History and InsightsNew Year's leveeTop safety tips for New Year’s Eve revellers35 Crazy New Year’s Eve Celebrations Throughout HistoryBizarre New Year’s Eve Traditions From Around the World | Ripley's Believe It or Not! | Aquariums, Attractions, MuseumsDecision of the Intergovernmental Committee: 6.COM 13.26New Years in Ecuador: Yellow Panties and EffigiesThe Traditional Fighting Festivals of PeruDivers had Set the Christmas Tree Underwater of the Baikal Lake6 traditions from around the world for marking a Jan. 1 new year | CBC Life Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    57 min
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True crime, legends, folklore, dark history and other creepy topics from the perspective of real live Canadians.

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