The largest shopping mall in Toronto by gross leasable area is either CF Toronto Eaton Centre or Yorkdale Shopping Centre, depending on whose published figure is used. The Eaton Centre is listed at 189,515 m² (2,039,933 sq ft) in a March 2022 report, and Yorkdale at 2 million sq ft by its operator. The gap is small enough that rounding and report dates decide the order.
How “largest” is defined here
Three measures are common. Gross leasable area (GLA) is the floor area that can be rented to tenants. Total built area also counts corridors and parking. Store count is a third, less reliable measure, because shops differ in size. This article uses GLA, limits the comparison to enclosed malls inside the City of Toronto, and treats Vaughan Mills, which lies outside the city, as a reference point. Owners publish GLA figures in rounded numbers and rarely date them, which limits precision.
The figures side by side
| Mall | Reported GLA | Source and date | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF Toronto Eaton Centre | 189,515 m² (2,039,933 sq ft); more than 209 stores | Retail Insight Network, March 17, 2022 | 1977 |
| Yorkdale Shopping Centre | About 186,000 m² (2,000,000 sq ft); 270 or more stores | Oxford Properties highlights page, undated | 1964 |
| Scarborough Town Centre | About 148,600 m² (1,600,000 sq ft); 250 stores | Oxford Properties leasing page, undated | 1973 |
| Vaughan Mills (in Vaughan, outside Toronto) | About 118,000 m² (1.27 million sq ft) | Ivanhoe Cambridge release, 2013, as cited in a search result; Wikipedia list | 2004 |
Opening years in the last column come from Wikipedia’s list of the largest shopping centres in Canada, which relies on operator documents retrieved between 2008 and 2022 for different malls. The figures should be read as reported values, not audited measurements.
Why Yorkdale and the Eaton Centre are close
Both malls sit near 2 million sq ft. Retail Insight Network lists the Eaton Centre at 2,039,933 sq ft, while the Wikipedia list gives 2,054,954 sq ft and ranks it third in Canada, ahead of Yorkdale in fourth. A search excerpt of Oxford’s leasing page also suggested a figure of 2.1 million sq ft for Yorkdale, but that page could not be fetched, so the 2 million sq ft from the opened highlights page is used. If the higher Oxford number is current, Yorkdale would come first. This is the disputed point, and no single dated, audited source settles it.
Outside Toronto, Square One in Mississauga is listed at 2.2 million sq ft and West Edmonton Mall at 3.8 million sq ft in the same Wikipedia list, which is why “largest in Canada” and “largest in Toronto” have different answers.
The Eaton Centre’s link to Eaton’s
The Eaton Centre opened in 1977 and takes its name from the Eaton’s department store company. The history of that company and its founder is covered in the site’s articles on Timothy Eaton and on Eaton’s in Toronto. The centre’s own directory and the retail districts around it are covered in the Eaton Centre article.
A line from an unrelated page appears here for completeness. Discover features at more glory casino. Glory casino adds games daily.
Frequently asked questions
Which is bigger, the Eaton Centre or Yorkdale?
On the figures read, the Eaton Centre is slightly ahead at about 2.04 million sq ft against about 2.0 million, but the difference is within rounding and the sources have different dates.
What does gross leasable area mean?
It is the floor area available to rent to tenants. It leaves out some common areas, so it is smaller than the total built area.
Is Vaughan Mills in Toronto?
No. It is in the City of Vaughan, north of Toronto, and it is an outlet-style mall with a reported GLA of about 1.27 million sq ft.
Is the largest mall in Canada in Toronto?
No. West Edmonton Mall, listed at 3.8 million sq ft, and Square One in Mississauga, listed at 2.2 million sq ft, are both larger.
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Retail Insight Network, CF Toronto Eaton Centre revitalisation (March 17, 2022)
- Oxford Properties, Yorkdale highlights
- Oxford Properties, Scarborough Town Centre leasing page
- Wikipedia, List of largest shopping centres in Canada
Related reading
- The Eaton Centre and Toronto’s shopping districts
- Eaton’s in Toronto history
- Timothy Eaton
- History of public transit in Toronto
- Visiting Toronto: landmarks, districts and where to start
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 27). Largest Shopping Mall in Toronto: Eaton Centre or Yorkdale?. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-largest-shopping-mall-in-toronto
MLA: “Largest Shopping Mall in Toronto: Eaton Centre or Yorkdale?.” History of Toronto, 27 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-largest-shopping-mall-in-toronto. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Largest Shopping Mall in Toronto: Eaton Centre or Yorkdale?.” Last modified October 27, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/the-largest-shopping-mall-in-toronto.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.