By Tim Binnall
A grieving Canadian family has rebuked a paranormal reality show that purportedly contacted the spirit of their late teenage daughter in what they feel was a cruel exploitation of her death. The program at the center of the controversy, 'The Other Side,' reportedly features investigators allegedly speaking to people who have passed away but have yet to cross over to the hereafter. On an episode that aired earlier this year, the show visited a building in Victoria, British Columbia wherein Olivia Mahaney died of a drug overdose two years ago. During the program, the paranormal investigators asserted that a spirit at the site said the teen's name and provided some disturbing insight into her proverbial afterlife journey.
When the Mahaney family recently learned of the episode, they were deeply troubled by their daughter being featured on the show in such a fashion. "They were saying she was with evil spirits and ghosts and she was scared and she didn't know what happened to her," the teen's mother, Sarah Pollner, recalled. She went on to muse that "when you put your daughter to rest and you come to peace as much as you can about her resting and then you're hearing she hasn't the whole time? You feel like you lose her all over again." Pollner's dismay was echoed by Olivia's father, Michael, who lamented that "I haven't slept in days after watching this episode."
In response to the Mahaney's criticism of the program, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, which broadcasts 'The Other Side,' issued a statement indicating that the station was "distressed to learn that the family was not aware of the story being told by the team" behind the show. Additionally, they pledged that the episode will not be aired again and it will be removed from their website. Although pleased with the station's decision, Olivia's family expressed hope that the production company responsible for the program would also apologize for the distasteful presentation as, Michael said, "I just feel like they exploited her death for entertainment."