Souvenirs and gifts

Ideas

  • Maple syrup is a classic Canadian gift, but it's heavy and glass bottles are risky to carry around. Better to get maple candy, IMHO.
  • Coffee Crisp and Oh Henry bars are not vegan, but classic Canadian chocolate bars.
  • I like to buy clothes when I travel, so I remember my trip whenever I put them on. I have good luck finding things in Winner's and Marshall's; if you want a Canada-only brand, take a look at Joe Fresh.
  • The usual tourist tat: keyrings, mugs, shot glasses, etc. Anything with a maple leaf on it.

Shops

  • Dollarama has lots of branches and often has Canada-branded items, especially in the run-up to Canada Day. It's a good place to get keyrings, stickers, pencils, etc.
  • No Frills is a supermarket with strong branding in their "No Name" line. It's a popular riff for joke products; they sell a few of their own.
  • Chinatown has lots of souvenir outlets at reasonable prices.
  • SoMA Chocolatier has a few branches (King & Spadina, the Distillery District, Parkdale). They're a high-quality chocolatier; expensive, but not eye-watering. Good chocolate is a nice gift already, but some bars have Canadian ingredients like ice wine sloes and Newfoundland salt. They used to sell a bar with a map of Toronto on it too.
  • Spacing has a store at Richmond & Spadina. They sell a lot of Toronto-branded goods; expect streetcars, TTC logos, neighbourhood badges, raccoons, etc.
  • Second Cup is a popular Canadian coffee chain; they often have nice mugs.
  • Balzac's is an indie coffee chain. They sell mugs and posters as well as coffee.
  • Blue Banana in Kensington Market has a wide range of unusual items.
  • Toronto Public Library sells reasonably-priced tote bags.
  • Hudson's Bay is an iconic Canadian department store, especially known for its stripes. There's a shop immediately south of the Eaton Centre.
  • Pretty much all the provincial parks have a park store that sells merchandise; a T shirt or hoodie is a good gift. They'll give you a nice reusable bag if you spend about $25.