Haines was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He began researching murders from around the world, past and present as a hobby. His "Crime Flashbacks" column made its debut in the Toronto Sun in 1972. Since then, he has researched over 2,000 crimes. Today "Crime Flashbacks" is syndicated across Canada and in several Latin and South American countries. Readership is over 3 million per week. He resides in Toronto, Ontario with his wife Marilyn. He began selling individual stories to the Sunday Sun, and he eventually joined their team, appearing in the paper every week.