Everyone loves a good story– especially involving the places they’ve been before. What makes urban legends so powerful is their factor of half-truth. There’s some element to them that has to resonate with the people of a particular city. Otherwise, they never get passed around. We took to Reddit to find out which legends shape Toronto… and we have some questions.

Who’s setting those fires? 🔥

The supposed subject of an Owen Pallet song, and billboard famous by the slogan “This Lamb Sells Condos”, Brad Lamb is a real-estate developer with a mysterious track record. He has bought numerous historical and heritage buildings across his career, of which a surprising number are alleged to have burned down just afterwards. In 2020, his project called Wellington House caught fire shortly after the build (which converted two heritage homes into condominiums) was finished. Police reports suspected that at least one small explosion had taken place in the building. Licked and consumed by even hotter flames, the building caught fire for a second time just a few days later.

“Brad Lamb arson squad”, is the nickname people have given to the culprits– who they suspect to be either part of an elaborate project to foil the developer, or the developer himself. The question is, why would Brad seek to burn down buildings he had just acquired? Have mercy on the lamb, for he has made a number of mistakes over the course of his career, clashing with the City of Toronto over zoning rules and cancelling multiple large projects. 

There’s nothing better suited to a good urban legend than historical ruins, mixed with light Biblical references. I’m sure we’ll hear more about these burned up sites in the coming years. Ask your local fourteen-year-old Toronto kid what they’ve heard.

Troubled bridge or troubled waters? 🎂👻

Stories abound of the bridge on Old Finch Road in Scarborough, which Redditors agree is haunted by the ghost of a young girl. A scenic spot surrounded by trees with a quiet river running underneath, this bridge appears just old and secluded enough to have inspired a bit of spooky-talk. 

Some people say a little girl died there on her birthday by falling into the water and drowning; that if you begin singing “Happy Birthday” at night, she’ll rise from the river expecting to eat cake (or the next best thing). Another story claims that a girl hung herself off of the bridge, the image of her hanging appearing in the rearview mirrors of late-night drivers. If you see her figure in the mirror and choose to ignore it, she may end up in your back seat. Whichever version you believe, it might be best to avoid this place altogether at night.

Can Robarts Library be saved? 📚

The University of Toronto’s main research library, John P. Robarts, is said to be sinking… due to a greater number of books than anticipated. That’s right– many people think that the library is actively on the way down, standing to be totally overtaken by the ground below. That’s an unusual way for a building to go. Apparently, engineers of the library did not design the foundation strong enough such that it could support the weight of books that the floorspace allowed to be stored there. Over time, they started punching down the floor.

Many students and even some faculty believe this story. The library has even cut the number of physical books that it houses down over the years to delay this sinking. To be honest, having an underground library wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to the university. We do wonder, though, what the strategy will be for times when ground-level doors are half-sunken and unable to be opened!

Are you guys okay?

Wherever you find yourself in the dark and creepy land of the rental market, we hope that you can at least prove the bug-free part of this legend to be true. Yeesh.

If you’re from Toronto yourself, had you heard of these urban legends before? If you have friends from the city, make sure to mention Brad Lamb somewhere in your next conversation. Make it organic, of course. They’ll be curious to know where you heard the name from, and also probably give you some more leads to solving the mystery. As for the Toronto locals, we also hear that there’s a secret tunnel between Fort York and the Sheaf, so– make of that what you will.