Bass Pro Shop Canada: Locations, Ownership, and Facts

Ask any Canadian angler where they’d love to spend an afternoon, and Bass Pro Shops often comes up. The American outdoor giant has quietly grown a network of stores north of the border, complete with a dedicated Canadian website and a loyal following.

Founder: Johnny Morris ·
Year founded: 1972 ·
Headquarters: Springfield, Missouri, USA ·
Canadian website: basspro.ca ·
Parent company: Bass Pro Shops, LLC

Six key facts that define Bass Pro Shop Canada, from its founder to its online offering:

Do They Have Bass Pro Shops in Canada?

Confirming the presence of Bass Pro Shops in Canada

• Bass Pro Shops operates retail stores in Canada, including locations in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta (Bass Pro Shops store locator).
• The official Canadian website is basspro.ca.
• Canadian stores include Vaughan (Ontario) at 1 Bass Pro Mills Drive, Calgary (Alberta), Abbotsford (British Columbia) at 1818 McCallum Road, Nanaimo (British Columbia), and Tsawwassen (British Columbia) at 5000 Canoe Pass Way (Bass Pro Shops Canada store page).

List of Canadian provinces with Bass Pro stores

• Ontario: Vaughan, Niagara-on-the-Lake (Waze listing (community data))
• British Columbia: Abbotsford, Nanaimo, Tsawwassen (Bass Pro Shops store locator)
• Alberta: Calgary (confirmed via store locator)

Is Bass Pro Shop Canadian or American?

Corporate headquarters and origin

• Bass Pro Shops is an American company founded by Johnny Morris in 1972 (Bass Pro Shops corporate site).
• Headquarters are in Springfield, Missouri, United States.
• The company is privately held by the Morris family (Bass Pro Shops corporate site).

Differences between Canadian and American operations

• Canadian stores operate under the same brand but with a separate website, basspro.ca, which shows prices in Canadian dollars (Bass Pro Shops two-site explanation).
• The U.S. site, basspro.com, offers online shopping in USD and does not directly serve Canadian transactions.
• Canadian store pages (e.g., Vaughan) use the co-brand “Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s” to reflect the merged retail experience (Bass Pro Shops Canada store page).

How Many Bass Pro Shops Are There in Canada?

Current store count

• The exact number of Canadian stores can be found on the Bass Pro Shops store locator.
• As of 2024, confirmed locations include Vaughan (ON), Niagara-on-the-Lake (ON), Calgary (AB), Abbotsford (BC), Nanaimo (BC), and Tsawwassen (BC).
• The store locator lists 182 retail stores across the U.S. and Canada combined (Bass Pro Shops store locator).

Store growth over time

• The first Canadian Bass Pro Shops opened in 2014 at Vaughan Mills in Ontario (Bass Pro Shops Canada store page).
• The 2017 acquisition of Cabela’s added dozens of Canadian Cabela’s locations to Bass Pro Shops’ portfolio.
• Since the acquisition, some Cabela’s stores have been rebranded or co-branded with Bass Pro Shops.

The trade-off: The store count is modest compared to the U.S. network, but the 2017 Cabela’s deal instantly gave Bass Pro Shops a much larger Canadian footprint without the cost of building new locations from scratch.

Who Owns Bass Pro Shops in Canada?

The owner and founder

• Johnny Morris is the founder and owner of Bass Pro Shops (Bass Pro Shops corporate site).
• The company remains privately held by the Morris family.

Ownership structure

• Canadian operations are a direct subsidiary of the U.S. parent, Bass Pro Shops, LLC.
• There is no Canadian ownership stake — the entire chain is American-controlled.
• This structure allows Bass Pro Shops to present a localized front (basspro.ca, CAD pricing, Canadian store staff) while maintaining centralized corporate governance in Springfield.

The implication: For Canadian consumers, ownership matters only insofar as it affects product availability and pricing. Since the company is not publicly traded, decisions about investments in Canadian stores come from a private family boardroom, not quarterly earnings pressure.

Why Is Bass Pro So Successful?

Business model and customer experience

• Bass Pro Shops built a unique retail experience combining outdoor gear with museum-like displays — live aquariums, taxidermy exhibits, and indoor waterfalls (Bass Pro Shops corporate site).
• The model drives foot traffic and turns shopping into entertainment, increasing dwell time and average spend.
• Focus on customer service and knowledgeable staff (often outdoorsmen themselves) builds trust and repeat business.

Key acquisitions and expansions

• The 2017 acquisition of Cabela’s for $5.5 billion expanded Bass Pro Shops’ reach into Canada and the U.S. (Bass Pro Shops corporate site).
• Bass Pro Shops also owns the White River and Tracker boat brands, giving it manufacturing and supply chain advantages.
• The company uses a multi-channel strategy: physical stores, catalogs, and e-commerce (basspro.com and basspro.ca).

Why this matters: Bass Pro Shops doesn’t just sell gear — it sells an outdoor lifestyle. For Canadian hunters and anglers, the brand offers a level of curated expertise that big-box retailers rarely match. The immersive store experience is particularly effective in Canada, where outdoor recreation is a major part of the culture.

For the Canadian outdoor enthusiast, Bass Pro Shops offers a compelling mix of quality gear, immersive stores, and a dedicated local website. But the brand’s success north of the border depends on maintaining that delicate balance between American corporate control and Canadian-friendly execution. The catch: if you’re hoping to invest in Bass Pro Shops Canada, you can’t. For those who just want to shop, the Vaughan Mills flagship or a trip to basspro.ca is the real payoff.

Frequently asked questions