There’s a spark in Elliott Van Dusen’s eyes when he talks about the Halifax Paranormal Symposium, calling it the biggest event of its kind in the Maritimes.
Sure, there’s the Shag Harbour UFO Expo every October, but that gathering is focused squarely on the region’s UAP lore. Van Dusen’s event, run through Paranormal Phenomena Research and Investigation (PPRI), casts a wider net, pulling in a variety of paranormal topics.
What keeps him motivated, he said, is the feedback from attendees over the past two years.
“I really like reading that feedback from the survey and just hearing the positive comments from people,” he said. “Whether it’s something simple like they’ve enjoyed their time at the symposium, or they found it educational. A lot of people are like, ‘Oh wow, it feels nice to come to this and see that there are other people who think this way. It’s not a taboo topic.’”
Now in its third year, the symposium is running full steam ahead. With one month to go, seats are filling quickly. The ghost hunt with Kim Moser, Lomar Mendez and Chelsey Decay is sold out, as is medium Laura Warren’s workshop. Even all the vendor booths have been snapped up.
“I think that’s absolutely fantastic,” Van Dusen said. “If we expand next year to a full weekend, we could easily do a lot more. We’re definitely going to be looking at that.”
The speaker list has also grown, with parapsychologist Dr. Yana Greenberg, investigators Tony Rathman and Ron Yacovetti, PARAFlixx co-founder Natalie Jones, Canadian Navy veteran Pierre Filiatreault and the Superstitious Times’ own Brian Baker all set to appear.
“I think it’s our biggest event yet,” Van Dusen said during a late September Zoom call. “This year we tried to incorporate some workshops, and I know it’s going to be a long day.”
The symposium’s main goal is to educate audiences about the paranormal, but Van Dusen acknowledged there has to be a balance between academia and entertainment.
“You can’t be too highly academic, and even academics are starting to learn that you’re starting to lose people,” he said. “You’ve got to be somewhere in between, with a bit of entertainment and that educational component.”
This year’s topics will include ancient aliens, electronic voice phenomena, digital seances, energy healing, Ouija boards and cryptozoology in journalism.
“It should be fun. It’s going to go well; it always seems to go really,” Van Dusen said. “It’s busy and then you’re exhausted by the end of it.”
He’s already thinking ahead to 2026, with hopes of adding another day to the schedule so the symposium can host a meet-and-greet with guests. Dates for next year are already secured.
The Halifax Paranormal Symposium takes place November 1 at the Halifax Town Hotel and Conference Centre. Tickets are available through the PPRI website or directly on Eventbrite.
Photo courtesy Elliott Van Dusen