With VegTO Fest that happened last weekend, Toronto’s big vegan festivals have wrapped for the year.

As we shift into fall, this week’s edition leans into what’s next: IKEA Canada says its Fall 2025 food revamp puts plant-based options front and centre, Fatty Bear is back with a Saturday pop-up starting October 18, and I’ve included an important clarification on McDonald’s McVeggie and why it isn’t considered vegetarian or vegan.

In other news and events there’s a protest this afternoon, Vegan Drinks on Friday, and the Animal Law & Advocacy Conference running all weekend, plus a couple of activism events early next week.

If you want extras during the week, I’ll be sharing them on Instagram between editions.

Buy Vegan — Your vegan-only catalogue for Canada

Everything listed is verified vegan and orderable in Canada. Compare prices across retailers, see where to buy, and skip the label decoding. It’s a catalogue of vegan products and point you to the shops that sell them. As a new site, feedback and suggestions are always welcome.

What it is (and isn’t)

• Vegan-only catalogue: every item verified—no label decoding.

• Canada-ready: listings checked for Canadian shipping or local availability.

• Where to buy & price look-up: we strive to list all retailers so you can compare.

• Not a storefront: we don’t sell; we point you to the places that do.

New this week:

New listings roll out weekly as we grow toward a comprehensive vegan database for Canadian shoppers. Let’s vote with our dollars—and Buy Vegan.

Week of September 25 - October 01:

News:

• IKEA Canada says its Fall 2025 food revamp puts plant-based dining “front and centre,” with new menu items rolling out across Canadian stores. It’s part of the brand’s push to mark 40 years of its meatball while offering more vegan choices.

• Fatty Bear is returning with a fall–winter pop-up at 1607 Dupont Street, offering vegan pastries on Saturday mornings fropm 9-12 starting October 18, 2025.

• A reader has brought to my attention some more information about the McVeggie I mentioned in prior editions: McDonald’s Canada says the McVeggie patty is fried in a vat also used for Filet-O-Fish, typically in separate baskets but sometimes at the same time during busy periods, and there’s no dedicated equipment. The company claims testing found no flavour or allergen transfer, yet the burger is assembled in shared prep areas and the sandwich normally includes egg-based sauces, so it isn’t considered vegetarian or vegan (you can request no sauce, but the cooking method doesn’t change). Thought this would be useful for you to be aware of.

Events:

(Please note: Event details are provided as accurately as possible at the time of publishing. We recommend checking directly with organizers or venues for any updates or cancellations before attending.)

• Animal Law & Advocacy Conference 2025
  📅 Date: Friday to Sunday, September 26–28, 2025
  🕒 Time: Full-day programming; Friday includes a student conference and evening reception
  📍 Location: Toronto Metropolitan University
  🎟️ Tickets: Available at alaconference.ca
  The 7th annual Animal Law & Advocacy Conference, hosted by Animal Justice, returns to Toronto this fall with three days of sessions, networking, and plant-based catering. Formerly known as the Canadian Animal Law Conference, the event has broadened its focus to include advocates and community leaders beyond the legal profession. Programming kicks off Friday with a dedicated student day and a welcome reception, followed by two days of workshops and panels featuring Canadian and international experts in animal law and advocacy. Early bird tickets are now available online.

• Toronto Vegan Drinks — Fall vibes
  📅 Date: Friday, September 26, 2025
  🕒 Time: 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
  📍 Location: Nuttea – Nut Mylk Café, 637 Bloor Street West

  A casual monthly social at Nuttea with 100% plant-based drinks and snacks; expect Nuttea’s creamy nut-mylk beverages plus baked goods from Bad Attitude Bread, an open patio (weather permitting), and name tags to make mingling easy. There’s no cover—guests are encouraged to support the host by purchasing a drink or treat.

Activism:

• Protest Cruel Animal Tests on dogs, pigs & more.
  📅 Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025
  🕒 Time: 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM
  📍 Location: 2000 Ellesmere Road
  Peaceful protest outside a lab that lists canine cardiovascular testing; organizers suggest checking the Facebook link for any on-day updates.

• Loro Piana Protest + “Ending Real Fur” Screening (two-part)
  📅 Date: Monday, September 29, 2025
  🕒 Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (protest); 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM (screening)
  📍 Location: Loro Piana, 111 Bloor Street West; then Wishbone AR Lab Event Space, 108 Dundas Street West
  Short action targeting luxury-brand use of animal skins followed by a screening of Ending Real Fur, an investigative documentary on the fur industry; organizers note a vegan concession at the screening.

• Cube of Truth: September 30 (Anonymous for the Voiceless)
  📅 Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
  🕒 Time: 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
  📍 Location: Christie Pits Park (Bloor & Christie)
  Standard AV format with on-site outreach; volunteers are asked to review AV’s outreach protocol before attending.

World Vegan News:

• Magnum Ice Cream is partnering with Chilean food-tech company NotCo to pilot its Giuseppe AI platform in the US, aiming to speed up product R&D by reformulating existing items and creating new formats with improved nutrition, potentially including more plant-based and lower-sugar options. Magnum says the AI will help tackle complex formulation challenges while keeping consumer needs central, and NotCo notes Giuseppe draws on a decade of proprietary data about flavour, texture, nutrition, cost, and sustainability. The move comes amid rising demand for smaller portions, lower sugar, ethical sourcing, and especially plant-based desserts, with the US vegan ice cream market projected to grow from roughly US$917.7 million in 2022 to nearly US$1.4 billion by 2030.

In the Near Future:

*(more info will come closer to the dates)

• Vegan Pop-up Brunch
  📅 Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025
  🕒 Time: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
  📍 Location: The Lab, 108 Dundas Street West, 2nd Floor
  🎟️ Tickets: Available via Eventbrite
  Pop-up brunch by 5 Principles Cuisines with a fixed seating; listing notes limited capacity. 

• Thai Cuisine Made Vegan (hands-on class)
  📅 Date: Available any day in October

  🕒 Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
  📍 Location: Chef’s Place in Yorkdale area (exact address provided after booking)
  🎟️ Tickets: Available via Classpop
  Hands-on vegan Thai cooking with Chef Sher (spring rolls, pad thai, green curry, lemon-chia dessert); Classpop shows many Toronto sessions through October—see listing for additional dates and times.

• Vegan Cheesemaking (The Depanneur × Emily Zimmerman)

  📅 Date: Sunday, October 19, 2025

  🕒 Time: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

  📍 Location: CSI, 192 Spadina Avenue, #501

  🎟️ Tickets: Available via The Depanneur

  Hands-on workshop covering plant-based cheeses, taught by longtime vegan chef Emily Zimmerman; limited spots noted.
  

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