This article was first published by TorontoToday, a Village Media publication.
Some familiar elements of the now-closed Ontario Science Centre reopened to the public in a downsized rendition near the waterfront this week.
The facility’s once popular KidSpark — an interactive play experience for children ten and under — is now located inside the Harbourfront Centre and will be open to families six days a week until May 4, 2025.
Broken down into three distinct sections — The Pond, The Health Hub and Town and Country — KidSpark invites little ones to shop for groceries at a pretend supermarket, review x-rays in a miniature doctor’s office and count blocks to build a house, among other activities.
There is also a new addition: a veterinary clinic where children can take a pet off the shelf and use a functional CT scanner to view its vitals. Replica exam tables and tools are also available for veterinary work.
Tickets are $15 for adults, children and seniors. Only those two and under can enter for free.
The province shuttered the Ontario Science Centre without notice on a Friday afternoon in June while guests were still inside. A government-commissioned engineering report warned about deteriorating roof panels on the building but did not recommend its immediate closure.
The year prior, Premier Doug Ford’s government had announced plans to permanently relocate the science centre to Ontario Place as part of the waterfront site’s redevelopment. It will have a smaller footprint and fewer staff when it eventually reopens there.
Amid public outcry about the surprise closure, Ontario Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma committed to opening temporary “satellite” science centres sites in the meantime — including KidSpark.
Jessica Shearer, the early childhood programming specialist with Ontario Science Centre, told TorontoToday the transition to Harbourfront Centre was tough. Some of the exhibits from the former Don Mills location weren’t brought in, and the team isn’t sure what will happen to KidSpark once they move out in May.
Remaining optimistic about the months ahead in their new space, Shearer noted she’s relieved to be in a centralized area that’s accessible by transit.
“This has brought us a lot of opportunities and new ways to innovate, which is what we love to do as a science centre,” she said. “Seeing the rooms set up like this, I feel excited because it’s so reminiscent of what KidSpark is and was. We’re still able to bring those hands-on experiences to the families of Toronto and Ontario.”
A second satellite site has been operating since November in Etobicoke’s Sherway Gardens Mall. A video of that site — which will close in March 2025 — was released by Minister Surma last month.
It was wonderful visiting the @OntScienceCtr satellite location at Sherway Gardens and seeing so many children enjoying the exhibits, Towers of Tomorrow and Circus! This pop-up features exciting, family friendly, interactive activities guaranteed to inspire young minds! pic.twitter.com/3PadUf7Wmg
— Kinga Surma (@KingaSurmaMPP) November 26, 2024
The fate of the Ontario Science Centre building, which was designed by Japanese-Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama and opened in 1969, remains unknown.
The province has called it a “housing opportunity.” While the building itself is nestled in the Don River ravine and is not suitable for home-building, it does have a large ground-level parking lot that will be right beside future Ontario Line and Eglinton LRT stations.
