Staff Numbers Shrink at Ontario Science Centre After Sudden Closure, Advocates Warn of Long-Term Impact

The workforce at the Ontario Science Centre has continued to decline months after the iconic attraction was abruptly shut down last summer, raising concerns among advocates about the future scale and quality of its programming.

According to information confirmed to media, 34 employees have left the science centre since it closed its longtime home at Don Mills and Eglinton in June 2024. At the time of the shutdown, the centre employed 219 full-time staff. That number has since dropped to 185.

The closure was announced and implemented within hours, after the provincial government cited an independent engineering report that flagged concerns about the structural integrity of the building’s roof. While the decision was sudden for the public, it later emerged that political staff had been planning the move for more than a week while engineers finalized their findings.

The Ford government said safety concerns made the closure unavoidable. Critics, however, questioned the urgency of the decision, arguing that repairs could have been made and suggesting the move was influenced by the province’s long-term redevelopment plans for Ontario Place, where the science centre is ultimately expected to relocate.

Following the shutdown, the science centre shifted to a scaled-down model, launching temporary pop-up exhibits at Harbourfront Centre and Sherway Mall. As operations shrank, staffing levels were adjusted to match the reduced footprint.

A spokesperson for the science centre stressed that no employees were laid off as a direct result of the closure.

“To be clear, there were no job losses resulting from the closure of the facility at 770 Don Mills Road,” the spokesperson said. “Approximately half of the reduction in full-time equivalents is due to regular exits, primarily retirements. The remainder reflects normal attrition and seasonal operational changes.”

Advocacy groups are not reassured. Jason Ash, co-founder of Save Ontario Science Centre, said the official numbers don’t account for contract workers who once provided services such as catering at the Don Mills site. He also warned that fewer staff often means fewer programs.

“Attrition is just another word for downsizing,” Ash said. “If you don’t replace people who leave, you end up with less programming, lower quality, and reduced access for the public.”

Later this year, the science centre is expected to move from pop-up exhibits to an interim location at Harbourfront Centre. The temporary space will measure roughly 86,000 square feet significantly larger than the current pop-ups, but still far smaller than the former 568,000-square-foot Don Mills complex.

The province has provided little clarity on the long-term timeline. The most recent update came in June, when Premier Doug Ford said the science centre’s permanent reopening at Ontario Place would happen “hopefully” by 2029.

Officials have not confirmed how many staff will be employed at the interim site or at the future Ontario Place location.

“Specific job numbers have not been finalized,” the science centre’s spokesperson said. “Any assumptions at this stage would be premature.”

For now, staff reductions, uncertainty over employment levels, and questions about programming continue to fuel debate over the future of one of Ontario’s most recognizable cultural institutions.