Historical Downtown Ghost Walk

Mark Leslie is a Canadian author, storyteller, and paranormal researcher with more than thirty years of experience weaving together history, legend, and the unexplained. A long-time resident of Southern Ontario, he is the author of six non-fiction paranormal books published by Dundurn Press, beginning with Haunted Hamilton: The Ghosts of Dundurn Castle and Other Steeltown Shivers (2012), the book upon which his Historical Downtown Ghost Walk is based. His other paranormal titles include Spooky Sudbury, Tomes of Terror: Haunted Bookstores and Libraries, Creepy Capital, Haunted Hospitals, and Macabre Montreal, with Ghost Stories of the Great Lakes forthcoming in late 2026 from Wolsak & Wynn.

Mark's research process for each book involves extensive archival work, interviews with eyewitnesses and paranormal investigators, and where possible, on-site exploration of the locations he writes about. He has collaborated with groups such as Haunted Hamilton Ghost Walks & Events, Haunted Montreal, and The Haunted Walk (Ottawa Ghost Tours), and worked with local libraries, historical societies, and conservation authorities to uncover the stories that breathe life into the places people walk past every day. His writing balances a storyteller's atmospheric instinct with a journalist's commitment to primary sources and cultural sensitivity.

Beyond his paranormal work, Mark is an accomplished fiction author of more than forty books, including the humorous urban fantasy "Canadian Werewolf" series of novels, host of the Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing podcast, a public speaker who has presented across Canada, the United States, and at international events in London, Paris, and Frankfurt, and a former President of the Canadian Booksellers Association.

Mark's deep understanding of narrative, audience engagement, and audio storytelling makes him uniquely suited to crafting immersive walking tour experiences that transform sidewalks and streetscapes not only into portals to the past, but helping people to appreciate the wonders that we too often ignore that are right in front of us.

This tour begins at The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry building located at 200 James Street North, in Hamilton, Ontario. One of the closest municipal parking lots is off of Cannon Street West (at the corner of Cannon and MacNab, just a block away).

The following Hamilton (HSR) bus routes go past this location. (2) BARTON; (20) A-LINE; (3) CANNON; (4) BAYFRONT.

There is a coffee shop directly across James Street on Mulberry where you might want to grab a drink before you begin your walk, which should take about half an hour.