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←Toronto City Council · 2026-07-29 · 2026.MM43.73

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City Council to receive community engagement report on the future of the former Ontario Science Centre at 770 Don Mills Road

City Council will receive a report on community consultations conducted in spring 2026 about the future use of the former Ontario Science Centre site. The report, led by Save Ontario's Science Centre and local councillors, presents community priorities including continued public use, learning and cultural programming, and access to green space. The province relocated the Science Centre to the waterfront in 2023 and closed the building in 2024; this report seeks to establish community-informed principles to guide any future redevelopment and calls for the province to engage in good faith on the site's future.

not yet heardToronto City Council · Wed, Jul 29You can weigh inProvince decides

Who did what

Also in this item

• The province's own engineering consultants recommended repairing the Ontario Science Centre building rather than closing it, yet the province has not shared details of its plans for the site despite several City Council-approved motions requesting engagement.

• Community consultations identified key priorities including continued public use of the site, multiple purposes including learning and discovery, access to the ravine and surrounding green space, and preservation of the building's architectural significance.

The journey

Wed, Jul 29 · Toronto City Council · not yet heard

Time to act

You can weigh in

Residents can contact their councillor before the vote to express priorities for the site's future use, or engage with Save Ontario's Science Centre and community organizations involved in the consultation process.

Why is this story here?
ContainedThe report seeks to establish community-informed principles for a significant public asset and calls for intergovernmental coordination (city, province, federal, philanthropic partners). However, the decision-making power rests with the province, which has not committed to any process. Council is receiving information and forwarding a recommendation, not making a binding institutional decision. The scope is one site, not a citywide policy or precedent.Touches a narrow groupThe closure affects residents of Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park most directly, and users of the Science Centre across the region. However, the site has been closed since June 2024, and this report does not change its status or timeline. No resident's week changes today as a result of receiving this report. The effect is aspirational and dependent on future provincial action.

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Official title: Reimagining the Future of the Former Ontario Science Centre Public Consultation Report - by Councillor Josh Matlow, seconded by Councillor Jon Burnside · meeting video