Small scale, big impressions: A day at Little Canada

Karon and Freda Thomson in front of the Parliament Building in Little Canada, a miniature display of our great country

Karon Sinning

Paris Independent Contributor

Keeping with my stay-cation plan, a recent cat-sitting job for my daughter in Toronto offered the opportunity to do a couple of fun things in Ontario's capital. 

While I had vowed to never buy, or do anything I found on Facebook, the ads for Little Canada were consistently popping up. After a little research on their official website, I asked my friend coming with me,  Freda Thomson, what she thought of the exhibit. She agreed it looked promising. 

Little Canada is exactly what the name implies, our great county (or most of it) in miniature. It is the dream of Dutch Canadian, Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer, who moved to Ontario in the late 1990s. At the end of the display, there are photos of Canadians who fought in WWII. This is once again a testament to the special place that the Dutch hold for Canadians. 

Located in the Yonge-Dundas Square, in downtown Toronto, it is easily accessible either driving or by public transportation.  As we were staying in Etobicoke, driving made more sense. Parking however, was almost the same price as the tickets!  

Admission to Little Canada varies slightly between ages, but our senior tickets were $32 each at the venue. They are less expensive on-line at $28 for seniors and children. Parking was $30 for the day until 6pm. While it is miniature, it spans 45,000 square feet. The size of 2 hockey rinks. 

Before heading to the exhibit, we stopped at the Eaton Centre for lunch and were able to find reasonably priced meals in the food court. Not exactly fast food, but good.  A short walk across the square and we were heading down to the exhibit. Little Canada covers two underground levels. There are more displays to come as they are currently working on Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. I am hoping that at some point they also continue the display to include the Yukon, NWT and Nunavut. 

Starting in Ontario, we headed to Niagara Falls and Niagara on the Lake. We were captivated from that point on! In constructing the display, they were very cognizant that while the display is miniature, everybody coming to visit is not a giant. There is a step-up rail around all the displays, and while it was probably meant for children, it allowed my friend and I (short people) to have a bird’s eye view   

Iconic landmarks such as the Skylon Tower, Maid of the Mist and of course the Falls have you leaning in to get an up-close view. There is even the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, albeit, not as congested as in the past. We also discovered flags from the popular TV show “Amazing Race Canada” throughout all the displays where the show had visited. 

Niagara on the Lake features the Prince of Wales hotel and the Main Street. The detail is amazing. Everything to scale and depending on the angle you take the picture; you actually look like you’re there!  

Of course there are trains! Go trains, transport trucks, cars, Purolator delivery vans, even planes!  All moving through one exhibit to the next. The planes are stationary, but still interesting. The vehicles move through the towns on little magnets, with little micro chips and charges similar to a roomba vacuum. They will even park themselves in a charging location when they sense they are getting low!

Moving on, we headed to Octoberfest in Kitchener.  As the displays move between day and night, you get the full effect of sparkling lights for the parade.  While Paris isn’t depicted, we did find the Brantford water tower and the Graham Bell Homestead!

The Old Town Hall building, in Toronto, is the only completely 3D printed building in the exhibit, using over a kilometre of material and then meticulously hand painted.  The Roger’s Centre is also on display with a fully functioning roof opening and closing, with a baseball game playing on the jumbotron. 

One town after the other unfolds in front of you, and you’re still in Ontario! Ottawa is spectacular with the fireworks display after dark. The Parliament Building and the Byward Market are equally impressive. We even found the Beaver Tails stand where we bought a treat last fall!

Our journey then took us to Quebec and Old Quebec City with the Frontenac Hotel in winter. You can actually feel the cold wafting from the snow-covered hills. 

From Quebec it’s on to the east coast: Moncton, New Brunswick, Charlottetown, PEI. Then the Bluenose Schooner, which bobs on the waves in a little cove in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland with Signal Hill and the Quidi Brewery (which my friend has visited). The Bay of Fundy simulates the highest tide in the world. 

In British Columbia, we visited the small Oceanside town of Tofino…a place we are actually going to in October!  

As you are exiting the display you pass by a miniature maker’s workshop (an open window) which offers a glimpse into where all the magic happens. There were two young women there who were more than happy to offer information on what they were working on. They explained that most of the tiny people (there are over 40,000 of them) start with standard miniatures and then specific figures are built up from there. Globs were added to make a Shrek!

Another fascinating feature is the “Littlization” station. Guests enter a photo booth where 128 cameras scan them and create a ¾ inch miniature of them. You can then choose to take it home or become part of Little Canada. Maybe staying in one of your favourite Canadian locations!  While we didn’t do this, it’s definitely on my list for the next visit…maybe Tofino!  I’m sure that a repeat visit will reveal many more features that I missed this time

Before we even thought to check the time, we had spent 3 hours down that rabbit hole!  They do offer 90-minute tours but these should be booked in advance. 

On our final day in Toronto, we had booked theatre tickets and went to a matinee at the CAA Ed Mirvish theatre of Back to the Future, the musical. This was excellent, the effects of the time travelling Delorean were spot on!  While we knew that “Marty” wasn’t actually Micheal J. Fox, they did a great job of casting Lucas Hallauer in the role.  

Experiencing our local attractions and enjoying what Canada has to offer has so far been very enjoyable. One of the experiences that we noted on Yonge Street was the “Hop On/Hop Off” buses. We discussed how people travelling to other cities in the world probably ride these, but we never do in our own country 

I am continuing my “stay-cation” theme with a trip next week to our nation's capital, Ottawa. Maybe we’ll try the Hop On/Hop Off buses!

Paris resident Karon Sinning loves to explore new places and share her travel adventures with readers. Whether it’s a stay-cation close to home or a journey across Canada, she brings her experiences to life with stories that highlight unique attractions, memorable moments, and the joy of discovering something new.