Unique Gifts to Bring Home From Eastern Canada
Ideas for Finding Great Souvenirs from the Provinces and Territories
Nov 5, 2009
Canada is a vast country with many unique cultures and places. T-shirts, fridge magnets and key chains are alright, but really special gifts are also easy to find. The best places to shop for uniquely Canadian and made-in-Canada gifts are at Farmers Markets and craft sales, museums and galleries. Look for locally made handicrafts, books by local authors, cards and paintings by local artists.
Here are some creative gift ideas that reflect the special nature of the places and people of Canada.
What’s Special About the Maritimes?
Famous Cities
- Halifax
- St. John’s
- Charlottetown
- Fredericton
- St. John
Life in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island focuses on the sea. Gifts with a nautical theme are popular. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are also famous for their huge wild blueberries. Prince Edward Island was homed to famed author Lucy Maude Montgomery. Look for gifts based on the following ideas:
- Fishing and lobster catching
- The Bluenose sailing ship
- Dulse (a popular sea weed often eaten as a snack)
- Seashells
- Anne of Green Gables
- Light houses
- Wild blueberries (dried or preserves)
- Bay of Fundy
What’s Special About Ontario and Quebec?
Famous Cities
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Montreal
- Quebec City
Canada had its beginning as a nation in what is now Ontario and Quebec. Fur traders based in this area explored the country via waterways, bringing tonnes of beaver pelts and other furs to trading posts to ship to Europe. Ottawa, the nation’s capital, is the home of Parliament. Quebec City, Montreal, Toronto and Niagara Falls are all popular places to visit. Look for gifts based on the following ideas:
- Maple syrup, sugar, leaves
- Quebec Winter Carnival and the happy snowman, Bonhomme
- The Great Lakes
- Nickel mining
- CN Tower
- Beaver
What’s Special About the Northern Territories?
Famous Cities
- Iqaluit
- Yellowknife
- Whitehorse
Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon spread over vast stretches of land, ice and sea. Few people live here. But the land is rich in wildlife and natural resources. The polar bear stalks the ice, narwhal (the tusked whale) and walruses swim the frigid seas. Musk oxen and caribou inhabit the treeless tundra. This is the land of the midnight sun. It’s also a sparkling land with diamond and gold mines deep below the permafrost. Look for gifts based on the following ideas:
- Aurora borealis (northern lights)
- Igloos
- Diamonds
- Gold
- Inukshuk
- Polar bears, narwhal, caribou, musk oxen
- Kiviut products (muskoxen wool)
- Native handicrafts: soapstone and caribou antler carvings, colourful moose hair tufted pictures, moccasins, porcupine quilling, birch bark baskets, needlework, prints, jewellery
Tourist trinkets are okay, but finding the perfect gift made in Canada is easy. Just look in local shops, museums and markets. Celebrate what’s special and unique about Canada with meaningful mementos.
For more great Canadian gift ideas, see also Unique Gifts to Bring Home from Canada.
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