Lorna Poplak is a Toronto-based writer, editor, and researcher.
With two award-nominated non-fiction publications with Dundurn Press, articles appearing on the TV Ontario website and in other publications, and inclusion in a new short story anthology, Lorna is establishing herself as an authority on the history of crime and punishment in Canada.
LATEST NEWS
Booze peddlers, ruffians, and railways: The checkered past of one tiny Ontario town
Biscotasing (or Bisco), located on Lake Biscotasi some 120 kilometres to the northwest of Sudbury, owes its existence to the railroads — specifically, the Canadian Pacific Railway, which, in the early 1880s, was punching its way across the Canadian hinterland tie by tie, rail by rail, to link the east and west coasts of this vast country.
Boarding houses, shanties, and tents sprang up to accommodate a fluctuating population of workers and hangers-on — sneak thieves, professional gamblers, brothel keepers, and the like.
Biscotasing was humming in the late 19th century. But the combination of money and liquor was combustible — and in 1885, it exploded into the Whiskeyville riot
Read the full article on the TVO website!
Funeral Procession of Thomas D’Arcy McGee in Montreal. (Wikimedia)
The assassination of Thomas D’Arcy McGee: A murder mystery for the record books
John Wilson Murray’s Memoirs of a great detective: incidents in the life of John Wilson was first published in 1904. (Internet Archive)
‘Old Never-let-go’: The (mostly) true story of Ontario’s first detective
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Lorna Poplak
What a pleasure it was to speak last Thursday evening about Toronto's historic jail to Al McCartie and his fellow enthusiasts of the Historical Automobile
Lorna Poplak
Our heroes! #ilovelibrarians #protest #crimes #librarians
6 Badass Librarians Who Changed History
They will not be shushed.
Lorna Poplak
On Wednesday, March 6, I'll be speaking to the Swansea Historical Society, highlighting stories about the people associated with the Don Jail – inmates, guards,
Lorna Poplak
A couple of really nice plugs from "BNN Breaking" and "Beach Metro News" for my upcoming presentation of "The Don," hosted by the Beach &
Lorna Poplak
Welcome, one and all! On Wednesday evening, February 28, I will be presenting “The Don” for the Beach and East Toronto Historical Society at the
Lorna Poplak
I’m still basking in the glow of the warm welcome from the Town of York Historical Society at Toronto's First Post Office on Thursday evening.
Lorna Poplak
Coming soon: my presentation on "The Don" at Toronto’s First Post Office for the Town of York Historical Society’s initial event of 2024. Pre-registration is
Lorna Poplak
What a thrill to receive an invitation to join the Mesdames of Mayhem! As of January 2024, I am officially the first true crime writer
Lorna Poplak
