Ontario Premier Doug Ford has revealed the design for the new Ontario Science Centre building, to be constructed in a new location in Ontario Place. He announced the plans alongside Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, Stan Cho. It's a design Ford likened to the Sydney opera house design.
Premier Ford shared his thoughts on the new center’s features and described more space for it, despite the plan being almost 100,000 square feet smaller than the previous location.
“The new science center will be located in a state of the art, fully accessible facility with more programming space than at the previous site,” shared Ford. “It's going to be unbelievable with improvements to support Ontario's film and television industry, renovated and modernized pods that will house science themed exhibits.” The structure will seek to obtain Rick Hansen certification, indicating a fully accessible center for all.
Minister Cho expressed how meaningful the new structure is for the future of Ontario. “This is going to be one of those transformational moments that we will look back on in history and say, I remember when this was announced, and this skyline will be unrecognizable thanks to the leadership of the premier” expressed Cho.
The architects, Hariri Pontarini Architects, HPA, were a part of three firms chosen in early 2025 to submit proposals for the center’s new design, with HPA edging out its competition and receiving the contract for the new Ontario Place development.
The firms' design for the new center will feature an almost 400,000 square foot area that will be part of the downtown tourist attraction featuring an amphitheater, new multilevel playgrounds and a year-round spa, all offering scenic views of Toronto’s waterfront.
According to Ford and Cho, the project is estimated to cost taxpayers approximately $1.04 billion dollars, despite the Auditor General calculating costs closer to $2.2 billion, and completion is scheduled for 2029.
When asked whether the old center might reopen before the new location opens, Ford’s response was clear. “I wouldn't put my kids in there, and as the Premier, I'm not taking a chance. God forbid, those roofs have collapsed. The same design, those same roof designs have collapsed many places around the world. It's unsafe.”
These comments come after the report which was used to justify the closing of the building in 2024, never stated a risk of roof collapse and rather recommended panel replacement in certain areas. Co-Chair of Save the Ontario Science Centre, Jason Ash, disclosed the truth behind the report from Rimkus Consulting Group.
“The professional engineers that the government hired to assess the building a few years back, particularly the roof, came back with a report that recommended repairs on the roof," Ash explained. "And there was a very small percentage of roof panels that required urgent attention at that time prior to the closure."
The provincial government faced further backlash last month for the closure when the old roof withstood Ontario’s largest recorded single day snowfall and freezing temperatures. Inquiries were made to Infrastructure Ontario regarding the structural integrity of the roof post storm and the snow removal procedure. Member of Provincial Parliament for Don Valley East, Dr. Adil Shamji commented on the confusing responses received from the provincial agency, calling them "disingenuous".
"To hear Infrastructure Ontario say that they couldn't go on the roof to perform any sort of snow maintenance, and the very fact that they're able to return just a few days after saying that and perform snow removal and maintenance just underscores that everything that they've been doing has been to fabricate a reason to close the Ontario Science Centre abruptly," states MPP Shamji.
However Premier Ford had less than flattering remarks about the beloved Ontario building when asked about the possibility and costs of renovation to the old location compared to the new design budget.
"Old one, terrible location, first of all, and secondly, it's decrepit. The stories I saw everything or heard from mold, it was just unsafe. And you got a old dumpy building. "
Adding further insult to the scorned center is the new center's project utilizing the Design Build Finance Maintain model, which includes 30 years of maintenance in the contract, according to Minister Cho. This provision seemingly odd after the previous location was denied years of maintenance requests.
According to Ash, "For close to 10 years, the Ontario Science Centre, every year at budget time, put in a series of requests for repair and replacement. And the Auditor General came back and reported that almost all of those repairs and replacement, the decision was, no, we're not going to fund that."
Still Ford and the Government of Ontario stick to their claims and push forward with their vision in hopes of an economic boom to the province. Minister Cho detailed the growth they expect to see from this development.
"To unlock the full cultural and economic potential of Toronto's iconic waterfront. And as its momentum continues to build along the shoreline, we are laying the groundwork for a more connected, vibrant waterfront, one that strengthens tourism, supports local businesses and welcomes visitors from all over the world. And by protecting and elevating our world class public and cultural assets, we're showcasing Ontario as the premier destination we know it can be."
