Interim science centre opens on Toronto waterfront as Ontario Place location is built

- Jun 30, 2026

By Allison Jones

The interim location of the Ontario Science Centre is now open to the public, as construction gets underway for a new, permanent home at Ontario Place set to open in 2029.

The province abruptly closed the science centre in its east Toronto location two years ago with only a few hours' warning, saying the roof needed urgent repairs. Critics have questioned that reasoning, given that the roof has survived record amounts of snowfall this winter.

The science centre has operated two pop-up exhibits in the meantime, and the interim location is at the Harbourfront Centre pop-up, with an expanded footprint.

There is a new space exhibit, as well as an area called Innovation Station and the KidSpark interactive exhibits, as well as outdoor space.

Tourism and Culture Minister Stan Cho said he is proud that young minds will be inspired there, "developing their own unique ways to do tremendous things."

The Harbourfront site will cover about 86,000 square feet, far less than the former location's 568,000 square feet.

Cho said the old building "had its day," but there were structural problems and a waterfront location holds a lot of promise.

"I mean no disrespect to the beauty of that area ... but you can't compare it to where we are today," he said. "This is about building a destination, a destination on the waterfront that we haven't had before."

Cho was not able to say what the interim location will cost, but the province recently signed a $1-billion contract for the construction of the permanent new building at Ontario Place.

The province's auditor general has found that it would have cost $1.3 billion to maintain the centre's east Toronto location.