When Laura is wandering in the TTC subway system as she's often unsupervised, a store owner gives her a Jamaican beef patty to eat. This is a mainstay street food across cultures in Scarborough and Toronto.
Ontario Reads is not an actual program that exists, although there are similar community programs like that.
The subway seen has the TTC logo on the side, this stands for Toronto Transit Commission. This is the largest public transit system in Canada, with subways, buses and streetcars in service. It is also one of the few major city transit systems that are mainly funded through ridership, and not heavily subsidized by the government, making it unaffordable for low income families.
The coin the cop slaps on the table after the manicure is called a loonie because it has a picture of a loon on one side. It is worth $1.
At Halloween, Bing is dressed up as a priest and says "body of Christ" as he hands out slices of Haw Flakes to his classmates. Haw Flakes is a common Asian snack, in the form of small discs wrapped in a roll.