[Part 2 of 2] In 2019, a late-night boat collision involving Kevin and Linda O’Leary on Ontario’s Lake Joseph, left two people dead and sparked years of intense public scrutiny and conflicting narratives.

In part two, we uncover why Canada’s most talked-about boating tragedies remained in the spotlight for years.

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IMPORTANT NOTES AND DISCLAIMERS:

– This series does not frame this incident as a crime. While it was initially investigated and reported as a potential Criminal Code matter (per Toronto Life, August 24, 2020), the charges ultimately laid fell under the Canada Shipping Act.

– If you know anyone related to this case, please respect their privacy.

– The intention of this series is to look beyond the headlines, rumours and conspiracy theories surrounding a highly publicized boating tragedy, and carefully examine the evidence to better understand what happened. 

– Kristi Lee is not a lawyer, but a member of the general public reviewing this case through the lens of the open court principle. This series has been pieced together from the public record, including court documents, online news sources and trial reporting by media outlets including the National Post, CBC News and the Toronto Star.

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Look for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime) and Apple Podcasts.

Canadian True Crime donates monthly to those facing injustice. This month we have donated in Kevin O’Leary’s name to Feed Ontario - a charity that supports food banks across the province to help end hunger and poverty.

Full list of resources, information sources, and more:

www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/212

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A two-part series | “Mr. Wonderful” built an empire on bluntness and being the reality TV villain we love to hate. So when his speedboat collided with another boat on Muskoka's "Billionaire's Row" - leaving two people dead, the public was ready to assume the worst of him.

Early reporting - and Kevin O’Leary’s own response to the tragedy - sparked suspicion that he’d “thrown his wife under the hull”, and was using his wealth and influence to control the narrative.

In this series, we go back to the summer of 2019 to trace the chain of events that ended in tragedy on Lake Joseph, examine all the evidence, and explore why conspiracy theories continue to thrive long after the case was legally closed.

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IMPORTANT:

– If you know anyone related to this case, please respect their privacy.

– This series does not frame this incident as a "crime" - the charges ultimately fell under the Canada Shipping Act.

– This series has been pieced together from the public record, including court documents, online news sources and daily trial reporting.

– Our intention is to look beyond the headlines, rumours and conspiracy theories surrounding a highly publicized boating tragedy, and carefully examine the evidence to better understand what happened. 

– Kristi Lee is not a lawyer, but a member of the general public reviewing this case through the lens of the open court principle.

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Part 2 will be available to all in a week. Look for early, ad-free release on CTC premium feeds: available on Amazon Music (included with Prime), Apple Podcasts and Patreon.

Canadian True Crime donates monthly to those facing injustice. This month we have donated to Feed Ontario - a charity that supports food banks across the province to help end hunger and poverty.

Full list of resources, information sources, and more:

www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/212

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A brief update, with our apologies.

Despite our best efforts to return with new episodes by the end of April, we need some additional time due to some behind-the-scenes challenges beyond our control. 

Thanks for your patience and understanding. As always, Canadian True Crime remains committed to presenting these cases with accuracy, care, depth and context.

Please be assured that new episodes are on the way and we’re really excited to be able to share them with you soon.

- Kristi Lee

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Part 2 of 2] With the infant recovered and the suspects in custody, the investigation only grows more disturbing. Shifting stories, buried secrets, and mounting evidence collide in a dramatic courtroom showdown — the first ever kidnapping trial in the province of New Brunswick and the last double hanging in Canada. 

— This two-part series is a carefully selected replay from our archive, originally titled "The Lake Family Murders". We'll be back with new episodes in late April.

*Additional content warning: this series includes the death of a young child. Please take care when listening.

Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at https://www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/132

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A two-part series | A New Brunswick railway worker discovers a burned‑out shack deep in the woods, with three members of a young family dead inside. But their infant is missing, and there's a trail of footprints in the snow. What begins as a desperate search for the lost baby soon exposes an unbelievable web of deception and hidden motives. 

— This two-part series is a carefully selected replay from our archive, originally titled "The Lake Family Murders". We'll be back with new episodes in late April.

*Additional content warning: this series includes the death of a young child. Please take care when listening.

Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at https://www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/132

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Part 3 of 3] A surprise witness comes forward to testify against Colin Thatcher. His own contribution from the stand? Deny, deny, deny. Even after the jury reaches a verdict, Thatcher continues to make headlines for decades to come...

*Additional content warning: this episode contains mentions of domestic abuse.

— This series is a carefully selected replay from our archive.

Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at https://www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/135

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Part 2 of 3] As she recovers from her gunshot wound, JoAnn Wilson decides to back down from the custody fight with her former husband.

Colin Thatcher has won this battle, but his fixation is far from over. A series of witnesses would later come forward with information almost impossible to believe...

*Additional content warning: this episode contains mentions of domestic abuse.

— This series is a carefully selected replay from our archive.

Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at https://www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/135

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A three-part series—A man walking home from work suddenly hears screams coming from a house... then a single sharp crack.

He follows the sound to the garage, where he finds a woman bleeding out on the floor.  

It's JoAnn Wilson, mother of three and ex-wife of Colin Thatcher, a high-profile Saskatchewan politician. 

Her murder was the tip of the iceberg of a decades-long saga that gripped the nation and drew comparison to the show Dallas — but would prove far darker than anything on TV.

*Additional content warning: this episode contains mentions of domestic abuse.

— This series is a carefully selected replay from our archive.

Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at https://www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes/135

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

[Part 2 of 2] After picking up his pregnant wife from Saskatoon train station, Sergeant John Wilson drives them north to their new home.

They just have one stop to make on the way to take care of some "police business"...

*Additional content warning: brief details of an attempted suicide at approx. timestamp 29:00 to 30:30. Please take care when listening.

Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A two-part series—A gripping, action-packed miniseries about a mountie who finds himself at the centre of a sordid love triangle.

Pieced together from a treasure trove of real love letters, forged letters and police and court memos, this series paints a vivid snapshot of Canada as World War I raged on.

— This series is a carefully selected replay from our archive, and was originally titled The Murderous Mountie.

Full list of resources, information sources, credits and music credits:

See the page for this episode at www.canadiantruecrime.ca/episodes

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A quick update and some thanks!

Over the past 12 months... Canadian True Crime has had the opportunity to take on several meaningful projects alongside the usual podcast production. These included the CBC documentary Breaking Idol, the co-founding of Beyond The Verdict survivor-led advocacy group, and in-depth coverage of the 2025 Hockey Canada trial. While incredibly rewarding, the extra activities made for a very intense year behind the scenes. After the recent Robert Pickton series ended, it became clear we needed to pause, step back and reset things.

Your support by listening to the podcast is what makes all of this work possible, so this year we're focusing on getting the podcast back into balance for sustainability.

New episodes will return in April. Until then, we'll be replaying a few carefully selected episodes from our archive with new personal introductions from Kristi.

Thank you again for listening and supporting the show! Your patience and understanding is appreciated.

Mentioned in this episode:

Breaking Idol - new CBC TV documentary

Beyond The Verdict - new survivor-led advocacy group

Mysterious letter - Beverley Rowbotham's family believes it could shed light on the case (25th anniversary)

Guest appearances:

CTV – The Social - with co-hosts Melissa Grelo and Jess Allan about survivor-centered storytelling, deep research, and the Jacob Hoggard case

The Soundoff Podcast - with host Matt Cundill about the business side of podcasting and more

Broadcast Dialogue - Kristi shares the ups and downs of her podcasting journey with host Connie Thiessen, including managing burnout and perfectionism...

Special thanks to Castbox and Apple Podcasts.

More information about Canadian True Crime: 

Visit canadiantruecrime.ca or follow us on Instagram or Facebook.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.