hillary clinton toronto

Hillary Clinton spotted at popular Toronto bookstore with President of Estonia

The iconic American politician Hillary Clinton, who throughout the course of her career has filled such high-profile roles as Secretary of State, First Lady, Senator from New York, and Democratic presidential candidate, was spotted in Toronto this week at none other than the Bay and Bloor Indigo.

And she wasn't the only political heavyweight in the house — Estonian President Alar Karis also just so happened to be visiting the popular bookstore when Clinton stopped by on Tuesday.

"I crossed paths with legendary politician Hillary Clinton while in Indigo bookstore in Toronto," he tweeted Tuesday afternoon, prompting at least a few of his followers to question how authentically random this meeting was.

It is not immediately clear why Clinton was in Toronto, but we know that Karis is currently in Canada on diplomatic business, attending the Halifax International Security Forum this weekend and meeting with government officials in Ottawa on Monday.

Clinton isn't quite as forthcoming on Twitter as the President of Estonia concerning her real time whereabouts, but a photo posted to Instagram by Indigo shows someone from the company holding a copy of her book, State of Terror.

Co-authored by Canadian mystery novelist Louise Penny, the novel was released in October of 2021... which means it's a little late for promo work. 

Perhaps the one-time Secretary of State was simply in town for personal reasons and felt like shopping for books (or slippers or kettles or grow-your-own herb gardens or any of the myriad things Indigo now sells for some reason.)

"When Hillary Clinton visits Indigo Bay and Bloor, you post on feed," wrote Canada's largest bookstore chain when sharing a photo of Clinton and GTA Regional Director Austin Campriello.

The fact that Indigo used the hashtag "#SupriseVisit" suggests that they didn't know Clinton was coming.

But did Karis? I mean, what are the chances of two hugely influential leaders bumping into each other at a bookstore? I'm sure they've got each other's phone numbers, just saying.

However this chance (or not so chance) encounter came to be, many people in Toronto are thrilled to see both public figures chilling at a store they've personally been to and, in some cases, frequent.

"Nice! I think that’s the store where I bought the book. Love her!" wrote one commenter in response to Indigo's Instagram post.

"OH MY GOD!!! What did she buy? What is she reading these days? Does she need a new best friend???" wrote another.

"No way, I was there today and missed it," lamented another Instagram user still, to which Indigo replied: "you never know who is going to pop in!"

Lead photo by

Alar Karis


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