Doug Ford says Science Centre site will get school or community centre
Premier Doug Ford says the province will build a new community centre or school at the Ontario Science Centre site after the museum is moved from Don Mills to Ontario Place.
Striking a conciliatory tone after criticism of his relocation scheme, Ford promised to work with the city and even left the door open to retaining elements of the 1969 Raymond Moriyama-designed building.
We're going to help you out with a new community centre and we're going to help you with a new school, because they're in desperate need of a school, I hear," the premier said Tuesday of services for the low-income neighbourhood where the Science Centre has been a hub for decades.
By all means, let's help them out, but it's all about working together," he told reporters in Etobicoke.
The Progressive Conservatives are under fire for the planned move of the Science Centre and the repurposing of the site to build affordable and attainable" housing.
Pressed on whether the iconic brutalist-style structure could be preserved, Ford did not completely rule that out, although he suggested the city would prefer a new facility for the community.
What we want to do is sit down with the city of Toronto ... they own the land. They might come back and say, We want a new community centre.' The thing is old and rundown. You know, it's just a mess," he said.
The premier defended the secrecy around the controversial 95-year lease by Therme, an Austrian spa company, to build a wellness centre on the Ontario Place site near where the Science Centre will be rebuilt.
That's pretty typical when someone's investing hundreds of millions of dollars. I want to make it very clear, there's no public money in this deal. I'm going to repeat that no public money in this deal," he insisted.
But Ford conceded the province would pay to build an underground parking garage to be used by Therme, the Science Centre and the revamped Live Nation concert venue.
It's not going to cost the taxpayers any money outside of us owning asset, which is a parking lot, and clearing the land - so we aren't giving them any money," he said.
As part of the revised waterfront attraction, there will be 43 acres of public parks, including a new beach.
We're going to make it 10 times better than it was before. We'll have the Science Centre, we'll have the new marina, we'll have a public beach and water area for the kids to play in, restaurants and bars and Live Nation, I can go on and on."
Ford noted the previous Liberal government closed Ontario Place in 2012 as a cost-saving measure because it was losing millions of dollars annually due to declining attendance.
Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1
Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie