Based on coverage from CBC, Toronto Star, CP24, blogTO, and Toronto Sun.
Ontario has officially “broken ground” on a new Ontario Science Centre at Ontario Place, with the Ford government pegging the opening for 2029 and a price tag of about $1.04 billion. The announcement is the latest big step in a waterfront redevelopment plan that has been dogged by controversy since the province abruptly shut the existing Science Centre in 2024.
Premier Doug Ford staged the milestone Monday at the Ontario Place parking lot site, pitching the new facility as a major tourist draw and a cornerstone of a revitalized waterfront.
Ontario Science Centre at Ontario Place
The province says the new Science Centre will be a 400,000-square-foot facility on Toronto’s waterfront, designed to host interactive exhibits and expanded programming. At least 120,000 square feet is expected to be dedicated to exhibit space.
While the government is marketing it as “more space” for programming and new experiences, officials have also acknowledged the new Science Centre will be smaller overall than the Don Mills building by about 100,000 square feet. Tourism Minister Stan Cho has argued the layout will be “much more efficient,” with the space better used than the older site.
The design includes a mainland building as well as renovated pods, tying into the broader Ontario Place site plan.
$1.04-billion contract and 2029 timeline
Ontario says the project is on track to open in 2029. The contract to design, build, finance, and maintain the new facility has been awarded to Ontario Science Partners, with Hariri Pontarini Architects listed as part of the collaboration.
The province puts the cost at $1.04 billion, though the auditor general has warned the final price could be higher. The government is also framing the build as an economic boost, saying more than 1,000 construction and tourism jobs are expected to be supported during the project.
Until the new building opens, the Science Centre is expected to continue operating through an interim location at Harbourfront Centre.
Don Mills Science Centre closure still debated
The move to Ontario Place didn’t come out of nowhere. Queen’s Park had already been working to relocate the Science Centre before the old building shut down. But the way the closure happened continues to fuel the backlash.
The province closed the Don Mills site in June 2024 after an engineering report found the roof was at risk, describing concerns about potential roof panel failure. Critics have questioned whether the shutdown was necessary, pointing out the building has remained standing through two consecutive snowy winters in Toronto, along with record rainfall reported in 2024.
That dispute has become central to the public argument: the government says safety concerns required urgent action, while opponents see it as a convenient off-ramp to clear the way for the Ontario Place plan.
Cinesphere IMAX upgrade and new exhibits
One of the attention-grabbers in the plan is the Cinesphere, Ontario Place’s iconic theatre. The province says it will be upgraded, with acoustic enhancements to the IMAX experience and a full interior and exterior revitalization. One report also says the updated venue would have roughly double the seating of the former OMNIMAX Theatre.
Beyond the theatre, the province is promising new interactive exhibits, new science-themed experiences in the pods, and more space for programming such as workshops and learning activities designed for school groups and families.
Ontario Place redevelopment and Therme spa fight
The Science Centre is only one piece of a much larger, politically charged rebuild. Ontario Place is also slated to include a Therme waterpark and spa, a large parking garage, a redesigned RBC Amphitheatre (formerly Budweiser Stage), and more than 50 acres of public trails, plus other outdoor features like fountains, playgrounds, beaches, and a modernized marina.
A business case for moving the Science Centre suggested the relocation could help soften public criticism of the Therme deal. The wider Ontario Place overhaul is also facing a Supreme Court of Canada challenge, keeping the entire project under a legal and political spotlight as construction planning moves ahead.
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