We are introducing a new page to our site - a place where you can ask a general question - and we will try to answer to the best of our experience and knowledge!
To send us a question - please click HERE
1.
Our first question comes from Joanne in Edmonton. She asked
"I saw on TV a team recently, and they said they are licensed -
does that mean they are licensed ghost hunters, or what exactly
does it mean?
A - Thanks Joanne. There is no 'Ghost Hunting' license that is issued, and the only legal ones in Alberta would be issued by the Provincial or Federal governments. There are licenses for fishing, hunting, driving, etc - but no Ghost Hunting ones that are government recognized, and I doubt there ever will be. When a team says they are 'licensed' - what I gather from that - is that they are licensed through the City or Municipality they are operating in so that they are a recognized business, that is now able to charge their clients for their services (though they should have a GST number to do so - and if they every do ask for money either through their investigations, or through seminars, they should be producing receipts and submitting honest financials to the Federal Government for taxes each year). This is what makes our team different. We could be making a lot of money if we were charging for our services, but our focus is research and helping clients. And there are clients out there that have been hit by the recent financial hard times, and it isn't fair to only help those who can afford such services - so we don't charge. It is not hard to get a license to operate in a municipality as a business, you just need the fee, and again a GST number from the Federal Government so you can submit your taxes at the end of each year (I used to own my own business quite a few years ago, and have certification in small business, so I do know the procedures!)
2. From Keith in Stony Plain. " This one is for Beth - I saw you a few times on TV, and everytime the host says ghostbuster or ghost hunter - you seem to get defensive, why?
A. - Thanks Keith. I don't mean to come across defensive, usually I go 'no no no thats not what we are' . Ghost Buster is a term that most serious teams take as an insult (although peronally when I was a kid - I loved the movie, and a couple of team members were calling me Venkmen jokingly when we first started). Ghost Hunter - is not a term that is technically associated with us. Ghost Hunter implies you know there is a ghost somewhere in the vicinity and you are going to find one - so you go into investigations expecting it, and unfortuately with some teams out there that are not experienced enough, this can cause them to give false readings as evidence. We are Investigators. This means when we are called out, we investigate other possible causes, natural or man made before we can get to the possible paranormal causes.
3. From Genie in Strathcona. "Do you ever have fun on these investigations? You seem so serious"
A. - Thanks Genie. Believe it or not everyone on the team has a great sense of humor, but while we are on investigations, we are very serious about what we do. Every investigation is exciting for us, as a challenge to find out what is going on, and to help our clients. We are a close knit team and we do pick on eachother occassionally, but its part of the great team dynamic we have. We even have nick names - mine is the Doctor, named after the show because of my obsession with Doctor Who, and because of how I go into explanations sometimes, and because I am a gadget geek. We also have 'Starskey', 'Lister', and have yet to come up with one for our newest team member Steve, but we are working on it!. But again when it comes to actual investigations, we may seem a bit more serious than some, but that is the professional attitude that we go into every investigation we are on, and also to show respect for our client.
A - Thanks Joanne. There is no 'Ghost Hunting' license that is issued, and the only legal ones in Alberta would be issued by the Provincial or Federal governments. There are licenses for fishing, hunting, driving, etc - but no Ghost Hunting ones that are government recognized, and I doubt there ever will be. When a team says they are 'licensed' - what I gather from that - is that they are licensed through the City or Municipality they are operating in so that they are a recognized business, that is now able to charge their clients for their services (though they should have a GST number to do so - and if they every do ask for money either through their investigations, or through seminars, they should be producing receipts and submitting honest financials to the Federal Government for taxes each year). This is what makes our team different. We could be making a lot of money if we were charging for our services, but our focus is research and helping clients. And there are clients out there that have been hit by the recent financial hard times, and it isn't fair to only help those who can afford such services - so we don't charge. It is not hard to get a license to operate in a municipality as a business, you just need the fee, and again a GST number from the Federal Government so you can submit your taxes at the end of each year (I used to own my own business quite a few years ago, and have certification in small business, so I do know the procedures!)
2. From Keith in Stony Plain. " This one is for Beth - I saw you a few times on TV, and everytime the host says ghostbuster or ghost hunter - you seem to get defensive, why?
A. - Thanks Keith. I don't mean to come across defensive, usually I go 'no no no thats not what we are' . Ghost Buster is a term that most serious teams take as an insult (although peronally when I was a kid - I loved the movie, and a couple of team members were calling me Venkmen jokingly when we first started). Ghost Hunter - is not a term that is technically associated with us. Ghost Hunter implies you know there is a ghost somewhere in the vicinity and you are going to find one - so you go into investigations expecting it, and unfortuately with some teams out there that are not experienced enough, this can cause them to give false readings as evidence. We are Investigators. This means when we are called out, we investigate other possible causes, natural or man made before we can get to the possible paranormal causes.
3. From Genie in Strathcona. "Do you ever have fun on these investigations? You seem so serious"
A. - Thanks Genie. Believe it or not everyone on the team has a great sense of humor, but while we are on investigations, we are very serious about what we do. Every investigation is exciting for us, as a challenge to find out what is going on, and to help our clients. We are a close knit team and we do pick on eachother occassionally, but its part of the great team dynamic we have. We even have nick names - mine is the Doctor, named after the show because of my obsession with Doctor Who, and because of how I go into explanations sometimes, and because I am a gadget geek. We also have 'Starskey', 'Lister', and have yet to come up with one for our newest team member Steve, but we are working on it!. But again when it comes to actual investigations, we may seem a bit more serious than some, but that is the professional attitude that we go into every investigation we are on, and also to show respect for our client.