Not long ago, we heard about a place called Little Canada, a miniature replica of the second-largest country on Earth. Located in Toronto,
Little Canada was brought to life by Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer, a
wealthy immigrant to Canada. With a mixture of wealth and a passion for his “new” country, Jean-Louis and his team built his $24-million outrageously detailed miniature version of Canada in Toronto. It's so Canadian that we wanted to interview Jean-Louis about his special creation.
What inspired you to create a miniature version of Canada?
I came to Canada in 1999 not knowing anything about the country. I learned most about Canada through the eyes of my four boys, such that my wife and I fell in love with the country our family calls home. Each and every day reminding me of how fortunate we are to live in Canada, I wanted to give back and decided to create a place where new and old Canadians can visit and see what Canada has to offer and what we Canadians should be proud of.
What were you doing before Little Canada became a reality?
I am a born clothing retailer, having worked in five countries in Europe, most notably in children’s wear before coming to Canada. I worked for several years in retail (watches and leather goods) before transitioning into renewable energy starting an investment firm focused on wind development companies and technologies in Canada and the US.
What was the process like to create something so big and yet so small?
Step by step. I had no idea how well we would progress over the years as each step by step became reality. Kudos to the team helping me take an idea and making it happen.
No doubt a very ambitious project, however one could not do this any other way. Either full blown or not at all. You cannot do half of Canada without the other half.
What can visitors expect to find and will you be adding more to it?
We started with Niagara, followed by Toronto, The Golden Horseshoe, Ottawa, and Quebec.
We are adding an extension to Little Toronto end of May and an extension to Little Ottawa in July to be followed by The East Coast in 2023, The Prairies in 2024, The North in 2025, and then Montreal, The Rockies, and The West Coast the three years after that.
Aside from Little Canada, if someone was visiting or exploring Toronto, what would you recommend as an itinerary?
Toronto has a great deal to offer.
Besides the museums and Little Canada, I would recommend a walk-through St. Lawrence Market, followed by The Distillery District and the Harbour Front. Toronto is culturally diverse, so a visit to several neighbourhoods is a must to experience the culture and various foods.
If visiting from overseas (such as Europe), seeing a Leafs, or Raptors, or Jays game is a must.
Lastly, if you've explored other parts of Canada, what stands out to you? Or what else is on your Canadian bucket list?
What stands out are the coasts and cities. The West coast with its mountains and beautiful coastline and Vancouver. Cycling for hours on end in Vancouver, Stanley Park, and across the bridge into tropical forests.
The East Coast with its rugged coastline, whale watching and icebergs. Quebec City with its European history.
Due to the pandemic, trips to The North had to be cancelled/postponed. Visits to see the Northern Lights and polar bears are planned for 2023 and beyond.
