British Columbia is Little Canada's latest addition
Toronto attraction Little Canada is bringing something of B.C. to those who dream of seeing it but are unable to do so anytime soon.
Little Canada, which recreates Canadian jurisdictions in miniature, has now added British Columbia to its displays, and in doing so now represents the country from sea to sea.
The attraction — which already has exhibits named Little Niagara, Little Toronto, Little Golden Horseshoe, Little Ottawa, Petit Quebec, Little East Coast — has just added British Columbia, with Little Canada founder Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer saying the display — labelled Little West Coast — provides viewers with a detailed look at B.C. that reaches from the western slopes of the Rockies to coastal Vancouver Island and as far north as Haida Gwaii.
Attraction visitors can see the likes of a moving train working its way through dramatic Rogers Pass, the dry landscapes of the Okanagan, surfers in Tofino, the provincial legislature building in Victoria, and numerous Vancouver displays, among them the Capilano Suspension Bridge,a moving Skytrain, B.C. Place, Stanley Park and Gastown.
“We continue our journey to tell the stories of Canada from coast to coast to coast. Little Canada really shows the difference between the East Coast and the West Coast. Little West Coast is the bookend to the experience,” says Brenninkmeijer, noting Little Canada now has displays showcasing both this country’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts, with the next upcoming one to focus on the Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Little West Coast was 18 months in the making, with Brenninkmeijer reporting that 6 months of that involved “pure research,” with those creating it determined to get all details right.
Some 8,000 miniature trees can be seen in the 800-square-foot exhibit, with some of those trees clearly having been burnt, a reminder of the wildfires that B.C. has to contend with during summers.
The display also features a pod of orcas in the water off Vancouver Island.
Brenninkmeijer says the exhibit was done in a culturally sensitive manner, with Little Canada consulting with an Edmonton-based Indigenous group before creating it. That part of it depicting Haida Gwaii doesn’t yet show its famed totem poles, with Little Canada first awaiting permission from archipelago residents to add totem pole replicas.
Brenninkmeijer is confident that Little Canada will boost interest in tourism in this country, noting that many Canadians haven’t travelled extensively in this broad land, and recalling how he’s heard attraction guests say to each other, “When was the last time we visited that province? We should go.”
And he’s confident that those from B.C. who visit Little West Coast will give it the thumbs up.
“I’ve heard guests (who earlier saw the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario exhibits) say, ‘You captured the essence of the province,” Brenninkmeijer continues.
“I’m very confident that guests from the West Coast who come here will feel exactly the same.”
