Ontario Premier Doug Ford is revealing the new Ontario Science Centre final designs after awarding the $1.04-billion construction contract, and people have mixed feelings about it.
Accompanied by the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Gaming Stan Cho at a press conference on Thursday, Ford revealed renderings for the project, which show the new centre alongside the renovated Ontario Place.
The province revealed it has awarded the $1.04-billion contract to the Ontario Science Partners to build and maintain the new centre.
Construction is expected to be completed by 2029, and the province says it will offer more programming with increased square footage, provide interactive experiences for locals, and boost economic growth.
The new facility will include:
- Renovated pods for “science-themed experiences.”
- A “state-of-the-art” building designed for programming and interactive activities;
- An upgrade of Ontario Place’s iconic Cinesphere, with acoustic enhancements and doubled capacity.
“I’ve been dreaming of this ever since I was a city councillor and it’s coming to reality. We’re a world-class city, Toronto. We need world-class destinations when people come to our great city and our great province, and this is going to be iconic around the world,” Ford said.
In 2024, the original Ontario Science Centre at Don Mills and Eglinton closed after an engineering assessment found its failing roof panels were a safety hazard. Later that year, the province opened two temporary pop-up exhibits to maintain educational programming while the centre remained closed.
Last year, the province announced a temporary Science Centre facility at the Harbourfront Centre, which is set to open this summer until the permanent facility at the new Ontario Place is completed.
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Residents react to the new renderings
Following the announcement on Thursday, the premier shared a video online with images of the renderings for the new Ontario Place and Science Centre.
The video sparked mixed reactions, with many people saying the province should have just restored the original facility instead of building a new one.
“We like the old one. There was ZERO need to spend more than a few million in renovations,” one X user said.
“More government waste. We already have a superior Ontario Science Centre ready for use. Restore and reopen the real Ontario Science Centre for a fraction of the cost, and put the balance to work for services Ontarians really need,” another person wrote.
“Leave the Science Centre alone – just fix it, and maybe merge it with the ROM. Make that planned Science Centre into part of the AGO or something, but better yet, do nothing,” a different user said.
Meanwhile, others shared positive reactions to the new renderings.
“Deliver all components of this on time and on budget and it’ll go a long way,” one user wrote.
“Looks amazing actually! I hope the 2029 date sticks,” another person said.
“Maybe I will actually want to visit this place now…Good to see improvements being made,” a different person added.
