Make No Small Plans

New Healthcare Campus Shows Possibilities for Science Centre Lands

The proposed Ontario Science Centre (OSC) move brings Ontario Place back to its roots as a family-focused hub for environmental education. It injects much needed purpose to the beloved, but long-neglected, futuristic pods and Cinesphere while reenergizing the Centre’s program in a new, iconic facility. It sets in motion a rethink of Exhibition Place as a major node along the new Ontario Line that dramatically improves public accessibility to Toronto’s waterfront.

Next, we need a clear vision for the future of the lands the Ontario Science Center leaves behind, one that takes full advantage of the once-in-a-generation opportunity to galvanize the growing community at this emerging transit hub. Adding housing and community amenities through a mixed-use development is a baseline - but why not think bigger?

A new hospital campus at the historic Science Centre lands could be the catalyst to restore and repurpose the 1969 legacy buildings as part of a holistic vision for 21st-century wellness and care. This site provides a rare opportunity to create a state-of-the-art campus of care without many of the constraints facing other facilities - where schedule and cost premiums for phased renewal of aging infrastructure pose significant challenges.

That vision should include a strong institutional anchor, affordable and market housing, retail, and community amenities. A new Flemington Park Public Library within the Trillium Pavilion, a partnership with a university or a conservation authority to redevelop the workshops in the ravine, and/or a satellite OSC exhibit space - all great ways to meaningfully integrate the site’s legacy buildings into the community.

There is no shortage of major Toronto hospitals pursuing major redevelopments where accessible, serviced land is scarce. For these institutions, moving to a multi-campus model offers a host of benefits including expanding to a community-first model of care accessible from both the Eglinton Crosstown and Ontario Line.

This is only one of many possibilities for maximizing the value of the Ontario Science Centre Lands – an opportunity which should inspire us to think big when considering the possibilities presented by the relocation of the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place.