These are some of the ideas percolating for the possible uses of the property.
Updated March 25, 2026 at 1:12 p.m.
March 1, 2026
2 min read
Discussions are underway over uses for the site, including who will potentially pay for repairs.
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Residents and politicians who fought hard, in vain, to get the Ontario Science Centre reopened in Flemingdon Park have reluctantly pivoted to brainstorming new community uses for the sprawling ravine site.
With Premier Doug Ford, whose government abruptly closed the old Science Centre site in 2024, touting the designs for its dramatic new $1.04-billion home to be built at Ontario Place, people who rallied the public to reverse the move say they need to face reality.
“It’s disappointing but expected that the province is moving forward with the Ontario Place location,” Jason Ash, a Thorncliffe Park community leader and co-chair of Save Ontario’s Science Centre, told the Star on Friday.
“We’re going to focus on preserving and retaining the building for community use, not just for Flemingdon and Thorncliffe but also the Don Valley area and Ontarians who love the property and facility.”
Ideas abound for former Science Centre site
Ideas being floated for 50-acre site, which is getting an Ontario Line subway station, include an educational facility, possibly with a continued science focus, recreation including a soccer pitch, prayer space and a TTC museum.
Part of the site is owned by the Toronto Region Conservation Area (TRCA). The rest is owned by the City of Toronto, which leases land to the province that owns the renowned ravine-hugging building designed by architect Raymond Moriyama and opened in 1969.
Provincial officials have in recent months joined discussions that have included city staff, two city councillors and community members. They are pondering new uses for the site and the future of the building, including who will potentially pay for repairs estimated at about $40 million to fix roof panels and more than $100 million for a full refresh.
Ash said community members will continue pushing for preservation of the building on a site that remains open to the public, possibly with recreational and educational uses that could focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to continue giving local kids exposure to science opportunities that are moving further away.
Brainstorming session being planned
Coun. Jon Burnside, whose ward includes the Don Mills Road site, and midtown Coun. Josh Matlow are planning two public meetings in April — one for the local community and another for all Torontonians — to brainstorm ideas for the site.
Burnside said he has heard ideas ranging from moving Marc Garneau Collegiate Institute, a nearby crowded high school with enriched science programs, to the site; to a museum about Toronto’s transit service; to a long-term-care home.
He opposes housing on the site, noting the area is already densely populated, with tens of thousands more units in the works, including towers planned by the city’s CreateTO on adjacent land. The area needs more services, he said.
‘My hope is we get a win-win-win’
Matlow said: “Pragmatically speaking, we recognize the premier has made a decision for a very expensive, smaller Science Centre down at Ontario Place. Our goal is now focusing on how can we protect the building from demolition and repurpose it, and the site, for the greater public interest that could include some type of natural history or science museum.
“My hope is we get a win-win-win — for the local community, for the city and, if we can convince the Ford government whatever plan emerges is a win for them, a realistic path toward success.”
Mayor Olivia Chow, in a statement, bemoaned the closing of the original site and said discussions about possible temporary uses have included “community amenities, prayer space, soccer fields, and other gathering uses” but long-term decisions rest with the community, local councillor and partners, including the provincial government.
The TRCA noted that ravine lands on the site are considered “hazardous” due to steep slopes and flood plain that includes mature deciduous forests and a large marsh home to multiple bird and mammal species, turtles and amphibians.
“Provincial, municipal and TRCA policies require that future development be directed to areas outside of the hazardous lands,” the agency said in an email.
Asked about the province’s plans and goals for the building and site around it, a spokesperson for Ontario Tourism Minister Stan Cho said: “Discussions with the City of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority about the 770 Don Mills facilities remain ongoing.”
