Toronto's looking at how to keep Ontario Science Centre where it is — and could run its own

Toronto will investigate how to keep the Ontario Science Centre where it is, with councillors asking staff to look into a number of possible options including setting up the tourist attraction under city ownership.

On Thursday, city council voted 21-3 in favour of exploring the feasibility of keeping the centre in its current location, including any potential cash that can be raised from event rentals. Coun. Josh Matlow brought the motion to council to push back against Premier Doug Ford's plan to relocate the centre downtown on the site of Ontario Place. 

Matlow said if the provincial plan moves forward, it will rob nearby communities of a valuable community resource.

"The Science Centre has provided jobs and educational opportunities to the Thorncliffe Park and Flemington Park neighbourhoods for many, many years," he said. "We have a responsibility to do our due diligence to see if there's a way to keep it where it belongs." 

In April, Ford announced his plan to move the Ontario Science Centre and combine it with his government's controversial plan to revamp Ontario Place. The province plans to demolish the centre in Don Mills and building housing in its place.

Construction on the new centre is set to begin in 2025 with its opening expected in 2028. The current science centre will remain open in the interim. 

City could run its own science centre

The centre is run by the province on land owned by the city.

Matlow said staff will dig into the lease the province currently has with the city for use of the land. He wants to understand what the province's responsibilities are when it comes to the centre's operations on the site. 

Staff will also look at the city's options if province moves the science centre, including studying if there is a business case to be made for creating a Toronto Science Centre on the site. 

The request comes at a time when the city is cash-strapped and facing a billion-dollar budget deficit. Matlow said the business model would need to be sustainable and it's not unusual for the city to run attractions like the science centre.

"The City of Toronto runs theatres, it runs an entire zoo, it runs all sorts of agencies and has done so successfully," he said. "So, if there is a realistic way, with a feasible financial model to be able to operate a science centre … then I think the City of Toronto has a responsibility to explore options."

City staff say in a report that they may need to hire a consultant to complete the study and that it will take between nine months to a year to complete.

Neighbourhoods 'under-serviced': community groups

A number of community groups spoke up in support of the feasibility study ahead of last week's council meeting. Most would like to see science centre to remain in its current location.

"Most of the exhibits all of us love will be thrown in the garbage. The cost to close the science centre is simply too high, for Flemingdon and Thorncliffe, for Toronto, and for Ontario."

Safeera Hatia, the co-founder of the community group Friends of Thorncliffe Park, called on the city to explore a possible transfer of ownership from the province to the city.

"The current location is a tremendous benefit to local schools because school trips are within walking distance," Hatia said in a letter to council. 

"We are very densely-populated in apartment buildings and are already recognized as being under-serviced to support our community's needs, which includes many new Canadian families," she added, noting the neighbourhood has a large population of children and youth.

Science centre will move, says province

The group Save Ontario's Science Centre lauded Matlow and local councillor Jon Burnside who seconded the motion, for their work on the issue. The group's spokesperson Jason Ash said the motion creates an opportunity for both levels of government to consider a solution that keeps the centre in its current location.

"We anticipate city staff will provide an in-depth analysis that answers questions about the capital repair backlog, demonstrates the socio-economic benefits to the local community," Ash said in a statement to CBC Toronto on Friday.

Ash added he hopes city staff will meet with Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park community members in preparing their report.

Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Ontario's infrastructure minister, Kinga Surma, did not reference Toronto's study, but said the science centre will move into a new facility at Ontario Place. 

"The province will work with the City of Toronto on realizing this new opportunity and hopes to bring more affordable and attainable housing to the neighbourhood," Andrea Chiappetta said in a statement.