FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
25 May 2026
QUEEN’S PARK – Today, Dr. Adil Shamji, Member of Provincial Parliament for Don Valley East, released the following statement regarding the groundbreaking of the new Ontario Science Centre:
Today, the Premier provided an update on the construction of a new Ontario Science Centre at Ontario Place. His choice to provide this update while breaking ground couldn’t be a more ironic metaphor for his broken promises.
Despite the Premier’s many claims, multiple sources have now confirmed that a new Science Centre will have less programming space than the original. The cost to build it – most recently estimated at $1.04B – vastly exceeds the estimate to simply repair and modernize it where it stands now. And the new Science Centre will surely be delayed beyond the projected 2029 opening – consistent with this government’s abominable track record for delivering infrastructure on time.
Meanwhile, countless students are missing out on high quality education even as the current Science Centre roof repeatedly withstands record-breaking rain and snowstorms.
Instead of relocating the Science Centre to bolster the government’s unpopular plan to build a mega-spa and taxpayer-funded parking garage, the Premier should be repairing the existing facility and turning his attention to the issues that Ontarians are desperate for him to deliver results on: healthcare, housing and cost-of-living.
Investment in provincial infrastructure and education can be a good thing – but not when it’s driven by false promises, unrealistic budgets, and a lack of meaningful consultation.