Ontario Science Centre building still viable after two years sitting empty, coalition says

A coalition of city councillors, architects, local residents, and community advocates is urging the province to preserve Toronto's former Ontario Science Centre two years after its abrupt closure.

The 47-page report titled "Reimagining the Future of the former Ontario Science Centre," released by Save OSC, Moriyama Teshima Architects, Councillors Josh Matlow and Jon Burnside, presents findings from community engagement conducted in spring. Over 98,000 people have signed a letter supporting the report and arguing the 1969 building at 770 Don Mills Road remains viable.

The community engagement found strong support for keeping the site in public use, preserving its educational purpose, retaining the existing building and its ravine setting, and preventing the property from sitting vacant. The building was abruptly closed in June 2024 following a controversial engineering report that deemed it was "at risk of potential roof panel failure."

Despite the closure, the Save OSC letter notes the building's roof withstood the largest single-day snowfall in Toronto's history in January 2026. The report states that "the province's own engineering consultants recommended repairing the building rather than closing it," and offers of professional and philanthropic support to fund repairs followed.

A critical factor in the site's future is its 1965 lease, which stipulates the site may only be used as a science centre and related facilities. The lease is silent on the province's obligations should it seek to end the agreement early, which would require a termination agreement negotiated between all three parties—the City of Toronto, the province, and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority.

Earlier this year, the provincial government unveiled final designs for a new Ontario Science Centre at Ontario Place.