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Ontario Awards $1.04B Contract and Reveals Final Designs for New Science Centre at Ontario Place

The move advances the contested Ontario Place redevelopment that has drawn sustained community opposition.

Overview

  • Ontario Science Partners, a team that includes Hariri Pontarini Architects, won a design‑build‑finance‑maintain deal valued at $1.04 billion, which the government says includes a 30‑year maintenance component.
  • The planned 400,000‑square‑foot facility will reuse and upgrade Ontario Place’s pods and the Cinesphere, with the theatre set to double its previous seating capacity.
  • Provincial renderings outline interactive exhibits, immersive programming, educational workshops, and expanded space for science‑themed experiences on the mainland building and pod complex.
  • Construction is expected to begin within weeks, with the province projecting completion as early as 2029.
  • The 1969 Science Centre in Flemingdon Park was closed in June 2024 over reported roof risks, a decision critics dispute; interim programming has shifted to Harbourfront Centre.