TORONTO — Infrastructure Ontario (IO) andtheMinistry of Tourism, Culture and Gaming (MTCG) have awarded a contract of$1.04 billionto Ontario Science Partners to design, build, finance andmaintaina new Ontario Science Centre facility.
The project team includes:
- Applicantleads: John Laing Limited, Sacyr Infrastructure CanadaInc.and Amico Major Projects Inc.
- Designteam: HaririPontariniArchitects &Snøhetta
- ionteam: Sacyr Canada Inc, and Amico Design Build Inc.
- Facilitiesmanagement: Johnson Controls Canada L.P.
- Financialadviser:AgentisCapital Advisors
To belocatedon the mainland of Ontario Place, the newcentrewill include thepreservation of theCinesphereand Pod complex, areleasenotes.
The new 400,000-square-foot facility will include interactive exhibits and an improved and upgradedCinesphere, with more space dedicated to programming than at the previous site.
IO and MTCG selected Ontario Science Partnersafter aprocurement process that began in May 2024. Selection criteria includedtheevaluation ofaproposed design, technicalsubmissionand price to deliver the project.
The process started after the provincial governmentdeemedthe formerOntario Science Centre site at 770 Don Mills Rd. unsafefor public use in a highly controversial decision in the summer of 2024.
Areport from professional engineers found “serious structural deficiencies” with the roof of the buildingand it was also reaching the end of its useful life, expertsstated.
In December 2025, the Ontario government HarbourfrontCentre will serve as the interim home for the Ontario Science Centre until the new permanent facility is completed.
Ontario Science Partners willnowbegin mobilizingonsiteand construction is expected to start in the coming weeks.
The sciencecentreis slated for completion in2029.
The province says it “will be a cornerstone of the revitalized Ontario Place, providing new experiences for families, creating more than 1,000 jobs in the construction and tourism sectors, and boosting economic growth across Toronto and the region.”
Final designs for the new Ontario Place wereunveiled in June 2025andfeature more than50 acresof free public trails, expanded green space, playgrounds, interactive fountains, new beaches, event spaces, a modernized marina andthe redesigned RBC Amphitheatre.
The Ontario Place and sciencecentreplans coincide witha new waterpark and wellness facilitybyThermeCanadaat Ontario Place’s West Island. Renderingsreleased in July 2025show an elaborate, sprawling site with twisting and turning waterslides and other areas inspired by global spa traditions.
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