The organizers of the 2026 Halifax Paranormal Symposium have claimed the Citadel as their own — for one night at least.
Paranormal Phenomena Research and Investigation (PPRI) is taking over Nova Scotia’s capital for a weekend that includes a ghost hunt at the legendary fort in downtown Halifax.
PPRI president Elliott Van Dusen had tried to connect with the Halifax Citadel Society in the past, but scheduling conflicts kept the two sides apart. This year they were able to work around those barriers.
“That’ll be great, and pretty much the same deal as what we did with (Alexander) Keith’s Brewery, where it’s going to be limited to 30 people,” he said during a Zoom conversation, adding that investigators Chelsey Lacelle, Lomar Mendz, Kim Moser and Amy Murphy will co-ordinate the tour and the investigations that follow.
The expanded format is new territory for the PPRI team. Van Dusen said he is still mulling whether to return to a one-day event in 2027. With six weeks remaining, that hesitation may ease as the symposium draws closer.
“I am excited that we’re pushing it to three days. I know people have been talking about that for a while now,” he said. “Our one day, even though it’s busy and it’s always entertaining and knowledgeable, does seem to go by quickly.”
Friday night will feature the Alexander Keith’s Brewery tour as well as a past-life regression workshop with Dr. Craig Gosse and Dr. Yana Greenberg. Guest speakers are flying in for the event and local presenters will also take part.
Day 1 will feature parapsychologist Dr. Jim Houran, automatic writer Ashley Wong, experimental psychologist Dr. Brian Laythe, controlled remote viewing instructor Dr. Paul H. Smith and Seattle-based haunting experiencer Keith Linder.
The second day will showcase some of Nova Scotia’s talent, including Akashic Records teacher Shreya Talwar, Murphy, psychometrist Jodi Russell and storytellers Vernon Oickle and Dr. Darryll Walsh.
Paranormal conferences give attendees a chance to share uncanny experiences with guest speakers. Murphy, a television host and trance medium who uses scrying as her vehicle for communication, said she is looking forward to learning from others in the field.
“I love hearing firsthand stories from fellow investigators and discovering different methods people use to communicate, whether through mediumship, equipment or other investigative techniques,” she wrote in a September email. “There’s always something new to learn in this field, and I think bringing people together to share their experiences is what makes an event like this so exciting.”
Murphy will present a workshop on scrying on October 18. She said she hopes to destigmatize the practice, in which a medium looks into a reflective surface to communicate beyond the veil.
“I’m hoping to introduce people to the art and history of mirror scrying and perhaps take away some of the fear or mystery surrounding it,” she wrote. “It can sometimes be viewed as taboo within the paranormal field, but it has become one of my preferred methods during investigations.”
She was introduced to the practice about seven years ago and it has become her go-to method for meaningful experiences.
PPRI vice-president Jodi Russell is looking forward to Murphy’s scrying workshop and to the extra programming that comes with the longer schedule.
“We’ve extended the symposium to a weekend-long experience and there are so many fun add-ons for people to enjoy, from ghost hunting at historic properties to mirror scrying and hypnosis,” she wrote in an email.
Russell will also host workshops on mediumship in paranormal investigation and on psychometry.
“What I hope people take away from my workshops is that there is nothing scary or exceptional about psychic mediumship,” she added. “We all have access to intuition and it’s a skill that you can develop through practice, time and intention.”
The Halifax Paranormal Symposium runs from October 16 to 18 at the Halifax Tower Hotel. Tickets are available through PPRI’s website.
Brian Baker / The Superstitious Times