Ontario Science Centre designs unveiled by Ford government amid opposition

Ontario Premier Doug Ford revealed winning designs for a relocated Ontario Science Centre on Toronto’s waterfront, with the project budgeted at about $1 billion including a 30-year maintenance contract; the move follows the abrupt June 2024 closure of the original Flemingdon Park facility and has drawn local opposition.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled the winning designs for a relocated Ontario Science Centre to be built on Toronto’s waterfront next to the planned Therme complex. The province says the new building will cost about $1 billion, a figure that includes a 30-year maintenance contract. The designs feature white, sail-like panels and glass and plan to reuse some existing Ontario Place structures that extend into Lake Ontario. The move follows the sudden June 2024 closure of the half-century-old Ontario Science Centre in Flemingdon Park, which the government attributed to an engineering report about the roof. Key details: - Premier Doug Ford presented poster-sized renderings of the winning designs at a press event at Ontario Place. - The government estimates the total project cost at about $1 billion, including a 30-year maintenance agreement. - The new site is planned next to the future Therme spa and waterpark within the Ontario Place redevelopment. - Designs call for white sail-like panels and glass and include renovating and reusing the Cinesphere and the Pods. - Officials say the relocated Science Centre could be ready as early as 2029. - The province closed the original Flemingdon Park facility in June 2024 after citing an engineering report on the roof; critics say the report did not justify the abrupt closure and that repairs were possible. Summary: The government’s announcement advances the plan to relocate the Science Centre to Ontario Place and sets a target of readiness as early as 2029. The project has prompted sustained public opposition and debate over the closure of the original site and the use of Ontario Place land.