Canadian Top 11 Mass Murders

1 – 1972 Montreal QC –  37 Victims

September 1st, 1972 – After being denied entry, Gilles Eccles, James O’Brien and Jean-Marc Boutin set a fire on the staircase that served as the only entrance/exit for the upstairs of the Bluebird Cafe. The Cafe housed a cocktail lounge on the first floor, and a western-themed dance bar named the Wagon Wheel on the second. According to reports, the three drove to a nearby gas station to fill a plastic container full of gasoline. They drove back to the bar where James O’Brien and Jean-Marc Boutin poured gasoline on the stairs, only intending to make a small fire and scare people. Patrons were forced to escape through the kitchen onto a folding fire escape or through a window in the women’s restroom and dropping 20 feet the emergency exit was chained shut. The prank killed 37 people.

Eccles was arrested at 3:30 am, and O’Brien and boudin were arrested 2weeks later in Vancouver bc. Two of the three defendants were convicted of second-degree murder, the third manslaughter.
Wikipedia / Murderpedia

2 – 2020 Portapique NS – 22 victims *

April 18th, 2020 – 19th, 2020 – 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman committed multiple shootings using illegal firearms and set fires at 16 locations in Nova Scotia, killing 13 people with semi-automatic firearms and 9 in fires before the RCMP shot and killed him in Enfield, NS.

3 – 1989 Montreal QC – 14 victims

Marc Lepine applied for a firearms license in august 1989, and received his permit in October. On November 21, 1989, Lépine purchased a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle at a local sporting goods store. December 6, 1989, Lépine walked into École Polytechnique and entered a mechanical engineering class and ordered the women and men to opposite sides of the classroom and then ordered the men to leave.

Stating that he was fighting feminism, Lepine shot all 9 of the women, killing 6 and injuring the other three. Lepine then moved throughout the school including the cafeteria, corridors, and another classroom targeting women and killing another 8 before killing himself.

A total of twelve engineering students, one nursing student, and one university employee were killed in the massacre.

  • Geneviève Bergeron (b. 1968), civil engineering student.
  • Hélène Colgan (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
  • Nathalie Croteau (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
  • Barbara Daigneault (b. 1967) mechanical engineering student.
  • Anne-Marie Edward (b. 1968), chemical engineering student.
  • Maud Haviernick (b. 1960), materials engineering student.
  • Maryse Laganière (b. 1964), budget clerk in the École Polytechnique’s finance department.
  • Maryse Leclair (b. 1966), materials engineering student.
  • Anne-Marie Lemay (b. 1967), mechanical engineering student.
  • Sonia Pelletier (b. 1961), mechanical engineering student.
  • Michèle Richard (b. 1968), materials engineering student.
  • Annie St-Arneault (b. 1966), mechanical engineering student.
  • Annie Turcotte (b. 1969), materials engineering student.
  • Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz (b. 1958), nursing student
    Murderpedia

4 – 11 dead, 15 injured in Saskatchewan mass stabbing – Police arrest Myles Sanderson who died in custody.

5 –  2018 Toronto ON – 10 victims   *

April 23rd, 2018 – Alek Minassian, 25, rented a white cargo van early in the day on April 23, before driving it on a crowded sidewalk in the area of Finch Ave. and Yonge St. at approximately 1.30 pm. Minassian killed 10 people and injured another 16. The accused posted a cryptic Facebook message before the attack that read “Private (Recruit) Minassian Infantry 00010, wishing to speak to Sgt 4chan, please. C23249161. The Incel Rebellion has already begun! We will overthrow all the Chads and Stacys. All hail the Supreme Gentleman Elliot Rodger!” Minassian was arrested uninjured after attempting to commit suicide by police.

Phtot:CP24

Minassian who is now 28 had pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of first-degree murder and 16 counts of attempted murder.

Justice Anne Molloy said Alek Minassian carried out the 2018 van attack to achieve notoriety and was fully aware of the devastation he had caused. Minassian argues that he should not be held criminally accountable because of his autism spectrum disorder.

On March 3rd 2021 Molloy found Minassian guilty on all 26 counts and took the unusual step of not naming him in her ruling, saying she’d refer to him only as John Doe because she did not want to contribute to his desire for infamy.

The identities of the victims are listed in the original post
Toronto police/ Toronto star

6 – 1996 Vernon BC – 9 victims

April 8th 1996 – Mark Chahal had exchanged his own vehicle for a rental van before driving to Vernon. Chahal walked into his former home and opened fire as relatives prepared for the wedding that day of his wife’s sister.

Chahal fired 28 shots, with a .40-calibre semi-automatic handgun and a .30-calibre revolver, killing his estranged wife, Rajwar Gakhal, and eight of her relatives. Chahal first shot Rajwar Gakhal, then her parents, their son, a son-in-law, and four other daughters, including the intended bride. A 60-year-old woman and a 6-year-old girl were shot but survived. Two children were the only ones to escape the gunman entirely. Police believed he had spared them intentionally.

The groom heard of the murder while enroute to his wedding.

Rajwar Kaur Gakhal had complained about her husbands violent behavior to police in the past at their home in the Vancouver area, and then to police in Vernon.

Chahal then went to a nearby motel, where he shot himself. Police said he left a note apologizing for the massacre.
Murderpedia

7 – 1967 Shell Lake SK- 9 victims

August 15th 1967 – Victor Hoffman, 21, had been released from a mental hospital just three weeks before the murders. On August 15th 1967 Hoffman entered the Peterson’s farm armed with a .22-calibre Browning pump-action repeater rifle. Hoffman shot all but one of the members of the Peterson family, seven of them children.

Mr. Peterson was shot in the kitchen, his wife Evelyn and their one-year-old infant were found in the backyard. The other six children were shot while sleeping in their bedrooms. Their ages ranged from 2 to 17 years old. 4-year-old Phyllis Peterson was the lone survivor of the massacre. Phyllis had been sleeping under the blankets between her sisters. Hoffman later said he spared the life of the child because “she had the face of an angel.”

The child victims have been identified as Larry, 1 1/2 years; Colin, 3; William, 6; Pearl, 9; Dorothy, 11; Mary, 13; Jean, 17.

The bodies were found by W. J. Lange, a neighbor who called on Mr. Peterson to begin haying operations at 9 am august 16 

Hoffman was arrested by the RCMP on August 19th at his parent’s house in Leask Saskatchewan.  He told the police that he had fought the devil before the murders

He was committed to a mental hospital in North Battleford where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Hoffman was found not guilty by reason of insanity on non-capital murder charges in February, 1968. Hoffman died of cancer under custody on May 21, 2004.
Murderpedia 

8 – 2006 Shedden ON – 8 victims

April 8, 2006 – Eight men were shot execution-style in a farmer’s field near Shedden. Six of the men killed were members of the Bandidos Toronto Branch, including the President of the organization in Canada.

The bodies were found stuffed in trunks of vehicles on a property outside of Iona Station. The victims were identified as Luis Manny Raposo “Chopper”, John Muscedere “Boxer”, Jamie Flanz “Goldberg”, George Jessome “Pony”, George Kriarakis “Crash”, Frank Salerno “Bam Bam”, Paul Sinopoli “Big Paul” and Michael Trotta “Mike T”.

According to reports the suspects  Michael Sandham, Marcelo Aravena, Frank Mather, Brett Gardiner, Dwight Mushey, and Wayne Kellestine, were members of the Banditos, half of which didn’t even own a motorcycle.

On October 29th 2009 Kellestine, Sandham and Mushey were found guilty of eight counts of first-degree murder. Mather and Aravena were found guilty of seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of manslaughter. Gardiner was found guilty of six counts of first-degree murder and two counts of manslaughter.
Wikipedia / onepercentbikers

9 – 2014 Edmonton AB – 8 victims

December 29th, 2014 – Phu Lam went to two locations where he shot and killed six adults and two children with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, most of whom were his relatives.

Thuy-tien Truong, 35, his estranged wife, and her eight-year-old son, Elvis Lam, her father Van-dang Truong, 55, her mother Thi-dau Le, 55, her sister Thanh-ha-thi Truong 33, her sister’s daughter, Valentina Nguyen, 3 and Truong’s male friend Viet Nguyen, 41 were all found dead inside their North Edmonton home.

Lam spared the lives of his toddler daughter and an infant nephew who he dropped off with a relative before heading out to shoot the 8th victim the following day. Lam shot Cyndi Duong, before killing himself in a Vietnamese restaurant that he owned in Fort Saskatchewan.

Lam had a criminal record dating back to 1987, which included drug and violence-related offenses. According to the national post, at the time of the shooting, he was in bankruptcy proceedings and owed a large amount of money on at least a dozen credit cards due to a gambling problem. He had also been arrested for sexual assault and domestic assault.
National post / Wikipedia

10 – 1969 Buffalo Narrows SK – 7 victims

January 30th, 1969 – Frederick Moses McCallum, 19, punched through the Pederson’s door and murdered the Pederson family with an axe while they slept in their beds.

Frederick Moses McCallum – Photo: amok.fandom.com

The victims included a mother, father, two girls, two boys and a family friend. A 7-year-old boy was the sole survivor.

  • Thomas Pederson, 32
  • Bernadette Pederson, 30, Thomas Pederson’s wife
  • Grace Ann Pederson, 8, daughter of Thomas and Bernadette Pederson
  • Robert Thomas Pederson, 5, son of Thomas and Bernadette Pederson
  • Richard Daniel Pederson, 4, son of Thomas and Bernadette Pederson
  • Rhoda Beatrice Pederson, 2, daughter of Thomas and Bernadette Pederson
  • John Baptiste Herman, 48

Wounded was Fred Donald Pederson, 7.

McCallum was later found drinking tea in a home According to Cpl Jack Fraser he told the teen he was under arrest when McCallum replied “sure I killed them, so what” McCallum then proceeded to tell Fraser that three were still alive. (not the case)

On the way to the police station he told police That he hopes he gets the electric chair.

He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and found not guilty by reason of insanity.
Wikipedia / Oct 18th 1969 Leader Post

11 – 2017 Quebec City – 6 victims *

A member of the mosque said Alexandre Bissonnette had met and talked with him outside the mosque on January 26, believing he was interested in Islam, but he veered away from the subject.

On January 27th, 2017 Bissonnette 27 entered a Quebec City Mosque after the evening prayer and started shooting, killing 6 people.

The shooter attempted to shoot the two men with a semi-automatic .223 rifle, but when the rifle jammed he dropped the gun and proceeded to shoot with a 9-mm Glock pistol.

Bissonnette left the scene when he emptied his weapon.

The victims were identified as Azzedine Soufiane, 57, Mamadou Tanou  Barry, 42, Khaled Belkacemi, 60, Aboubaker Thabti, 44, Ibrahima Barry, 39, and Abdelkrim Hassane, 41. Bissonnette was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder on January 30th. 

 Before the shooting, he had been living in an apartment near the mosque along with his twin brother. People who knew the accused said he had far-right, white nationalist, and anti-Muslim views. The manager of a refugee-support Facebook page said Bissonnette frequently denigrated refugees and feminists online.

He later told police that he was motivated by the 2014 shootings at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, where a Canadian soldier guarding the National War Memorial was killed.
Wikipedia / MTL CTV News