New 45,000-sq.-ft. tourist attraction offers people a little glimpse of Mississauga
Published October 19, 2021 at 9:00 am
Those who want to see a little bit of downtown Mississauga can take a little trip to Toronto.
It’ll all make sense in a moment.
Toronto, Mississauga’s spunky little neighbour to the east, has opened a big new tourist attraction called Little Canada that creators describe as a “highly detailed and immersive miniature attraction” that offers “spectacular scenery, enveloping soundscapes, animated features, and moving cars, trains and boats” from select places across the country.
Mississauga, Canada’s sixth-largest city, is represented in the exhibit by miniature reproductions of the iconic Marilyn Monroe towers, officially known as Absolute World.
The award-winning twin condo towers, one standing 50 storeys and the other 56 in the City Centre, have come to largely define Mississauga’s skyline since their completion a decade or so ago. The larger of the two skyscrapers twists 209 degrees from the base to the top, making it similar to Turning Torso in Malmo, Sweden.
In 2012, the Mississauga structures won the Emporis Skyscraper Award, the world’s most renowned prize for high-rise architecture. It has been awarded internationally each year since 2000.
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The same year, Absolute World was named among the world’s best new skyscrapers by Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a non-profit group of architects and engineers.
Now, back to the newly opened tourist attraction, which offers visitors striking miniature landscapes and intricate landmarks, Little Canada organizers say.
Ten years in the making, the 45,000-sq.-ft. attraction offers exhibits operating on a 15-minute day cycle including a sunset feature in which thousands of tiny lights illuminate the display.
Little Canada, which can be found on Dundas St. E. across from Yonge and Dundas Square, gives people an opportunity they haven’t enjoyed in nearly two years—the opportunity to travel, says the attraction’s creator.
“We are thrilled to finally be able to open our borders. People are itching to see the world and travel again,” said Little Canada founder and president Jean-Louis Brenninkmeijer, an Oakville resident. “Little Canada offers an immersive cross-country adventure all under one roof. We can’t wait for our visitors to experience the magic of Little Canada firsthand and the many great things this country has to offer, in miniature form.”
Little Canada currently offers five destinations: Little Niagara, Little Toronto, Little Golden Horseshoe, Little Ottawa and Petit Quebec.
A sixth destination, Little North, is under construction and Brenninkmeijer says they plan to expand to include other Canadian destinations each year “until the experience covers all of Canada, from coast to coast.”
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