UPDATE – April 18, 2016

Glen and Jacques have had several positive and productive meetings over the winter. A great deal of progress has been made and we will be doing some final testing of new tour routes to minimize impact upon Hostel operations. We look forward to making a major announcement soon.

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UPDATE – November 23, 2015

This afternoon our CEO and Founder, Glen Shackleton, enjoyed an amicable lunch with Jacques Perreault, owner of the HI-Ottawa Jail Hostel. At this initial meeting, a variety of key issues and opportunities were identified for further discussion. The two gentlemen will be meeting again in the coming weeks with the hopes of coming to an agreement. Updates will be posted here.

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September 28th, 2015

We are thrilled to announce that the Ottawa Jail Hostel has heard your voices and reconsidered their decision to no longer allow our tours of the old jail. With your overwhelming support, the Hostel has realized the strong link between our jail tours and the tourism, heritage and cultural communities of the city. We will begin negotiations in November after the completion of our busy Halloween Season. We enter these talks with enthusiasm and in good faith. We are determined to find a solution that protects the heritage of the building, accommodates the 30,000 people a year who wish to experience its history, respects the guests staying in the Hostel and ensures the future of the Haunted Walk. We thank you for your support and look forward to updating you in November.

We would encourage you to read this article by the Ottawa Citizen’s Don Butler on the Hostel’s change of heart: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/jail-hostel-will-continue-public-tours-after-haunted-walk-contract-ends-official-says

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September 22, 2015

Dear Friends,

Over the last 20 years, the Haunted Walk of Ottawa has offered historic and ghost tours of the Ottawa Jail Hostel to hundreds of thousands of locals, tourists and students. Despite our desire to continue offering these popular tours, the Ottawa Jail Hostel has decided to end the program in June 2016.

The Ottawa Jail Hostel plans to “exclusively focus on accommodations” moving forward. This includes ongoing changes to the historic 8th floor, which features Death Row and one of the last working gallows in Canada. We do not agree with this plan. Public tours of the building have been available since the hostel first took over stewardship of the building in 1973. We believe a city-owned building of national historic importance should have professional interpretation.

Over the years, we have been exceptional partners, generating more than $1 million in revenues toward the preservation of the building. The loss of these tours will be a catastrophic blow that will threaten our business and the jobs of over 50 people.

Please see below for some easy ways you can help save our jail tours.

As always, thank you for your incredible support.

Glen Shackleton

President / CEO

Haunted Walks Inc.

View Press Release (.pdf)