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Science museum in Toronto, Canada

The Ontario Science Centre (OSC, originally the Centennial Museum of Science and Technology) is a science museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the Don Valley Parkway about northeast of downtown on Don Mills Road in the former city of North York. It is built down the side of a wooded ravine formed by one branch of the Don River located in Flemingdon Park. On April 23, 2023, Premier of Ontario Doug Ford announced the Ontario government's general plan to replace the Ontario Science Centre with a smaller new institution on the Toronto waterfront. The controversial proposal has aroused significant opposition. In August 1964, Premier of Ontario John Robarts announced the creation of the Centennial Centre of Science and Technology as a Centennial Project. Toronto architect Raymond Moriyama was hired to design the site. Construction started in 1966 with plans to open the Centennial Centre of Science and Technology as part of the Canadian Centennial celebrations in 1967. However, construction was not completed in 1967, and the Science Centre did not open to the public until two years later, on September 26, 1969. The official opening was held on the morning of September 27 and attended by VIPs, and was followed by opening to 30,000 invited guests in early afternoon. and remain an example of the brutalist style. In 1990, the Ontario Science Centre announced a contract with Oman to design a children's museum. The Ontario Science Centre had agreed to boycott Israeli goods and services while under contract. The Ontario Science Centre later amended the contract to specify that all goods sold to Oman would be produced in North America. The centre's Director General Mark Abbott was later fired for knowingly signing the original contract. In 2001, the Centre embarked on a capital project called "Agents of Change", which focused on innovation and renewed about 85% of the Centre's public space, including the creation of seven new experience areas. The Centre received $47.5 million in contributions from the government of Ontario, private sector companies, and individuals. The Agents of Change transformation was completed 2007, culminating with the opening of the Weston Family Innovation Centre and the Teluscape plaza. In response to the COVID 19 pandemic in Ontario, the Science Centre received $500,000 from the Government of Canada to promote COVID 19 vaccine uptake among children and their families. Due to structural decay which required closing of the pedestrian bridge leading to the exhibits, a shuttle bus line temporarily runs, bringing people from the main entrance to Level 6, the main exhibits area at the bottom of a ravine. The detour uses Mercedes and Ford custom built minibuses. as of 2023, plans to rebuild or replace the decayed bridge have not been announced. On 18 April 2023, Doug Ford, premier of the province of Ontario, announced the provincial government's plan to replace the existing Science Centre with a new institution on the Toronto waterfront. This location would be on the grounds of Ontario Place, a former theme park. Moreover, the relocation would create a naming conflict with Line 5 Eglinton's yet to be opened Science Centre station. The municipal government of Toronto strongly opposes the Ontario provincial demolition plans, and is investigating alternative ways to continue museum operations in the current location. A grassroots group called Save Ontario's Science Centre has held rallies and launched a letter campaign for the Ontario government to reverse its decision. In December 2023, the Auditor General of Ontario concluded the government's relocation decision "was not fully informed and based on preliminary and incomplete costing information, and had proceeded without full consultation from key stakeholders or a clear plan for the existing site."

Designed in the early 1960s, the original buildings incorporate Brutalist designs. The building complex is made up of three main buildings connected by a series of bridges and escalators set in a parkland of over 100 acres. For most of the time since opening in 1969, the Science Centre has hosted a demonstration amateur radio station. Formerly located in the Hall of Space, the station is now located on Level 4 of the Centre, next to the elevator. The station has the call sign "VE3OSC", and licensed amateur radio operators volunteer there daily from 10 am to 3 pm.

Lotic Meander by Stacey Levy is an outdoor installation in polished and blasted granite and cast glass set into the solar terrace of the Ontario Science Centre. The work depicts the patterns of water as it moves through a stream bed. In 2007, the Ontario Science Centre unveiled the Teluscape Exploration Plaza, providing several interactive exhibits adjacent to the science centre's exterior main entrance.

As originally built, the Science Centre had a large fountain area directly in front of the entranceway, located to create a traffic roundabout. The fountain virtually screened views of the building from the street, and provided cooling for the building. In 2003, the Strange Matter exhibition opened, and the Body Worlds 2 exhibition attracted almost half a million visitors over five months when it came to the Centre in 2005. The Centre hosted Harry Potter: The Exhibition, a collection of props from the film series in 2010. Leonardo da Vinci's Workshop (2011) featured physical models of da Vinci's inventions, built from drawings in his Codices. It also included interactive touch screen digital reproductions of his Codices, the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Circus: The Exhibition ran in 2012. Game On 2.0, a video game history exhibition, ran March 9 to September 2, 2013. In June 2014, the Centre welcomed The Science of Rock 'N' Roll, which explores how advances in science and technology have revolutionized music. The exhibition features eight areas that comprise different interactive components, historical artifacts, informational walls, documentary videos and more. The exhibition was followed by In Knowledge We Trust (October 4 to December 7, 2014), which explored the role trust plays in making us willing to share or use the knowledge we receive. During summer 2015, the Centre hosted MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition, based on the popular television series MythBusters. On June 4, 2016, the Centre hosted a one day exhibit promoting the Nintendo 3DS game Kirby: Planet Robobot, which also featured activities pertaining to the Kirby video game series and a visit by a performer in a full Kirby costume. In 2017, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Canada, the Centre opened the exhibition Canada 150: Discovery Way, featuring Canadian stories behind transformational inventions and innovations.

The science centre has several hundred interactive and passive permanent exhibits, featuring geology, the science of nature (in the west wing), astronomical science, how to play music and technology in the south wing, human anatomy, communication and bias, and some miscellaneous artifacts of science.

A Question of Truth is an exhibit that explores the methodologies, biases, and beliefs of scientific research setup in 2000. The exhibit provides visitors an opportunity to test controversial theories.

The AstraZeneca Human Edge replaced the original human anatomy gallery, opened in December 2013 with sponsorship from AstraZeneca. In addition to detailing anatomy, the exhibit explores the possibilities of the human body with activities to simulate the experiences of adventure seekers, elite athletes, and extreme sports enthusiasts. There are more than 80 exhibits in the hall, which were all developed and built by the Science Centre's staff with input from more than 120 neuroscience, physiology, bio mechanics and sports medicine experts. The exhibit also features a climbing wall. The exhibition also has a rolling ball machine built by George Rhoads, and a music studio.

The Ontario Science Centre Science School (OSCSS) offers grade 12 University Preparation courses in STEM subjects: physics, biology, chemistry, calculus, and advanced functions. All students also complete an interdisciplinary studies credit in science communication while enrolled with the OSCSS. The credits are issued by either the Toronto District School Board or the Toronto Catholic District School Board, which also fund the program so it is available at no cost to students from anywhere in Ontario. While at the Science Centre, students earn practicum hours through volunteering and interacting with visitors.

As an Agency of the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Science Centre is overseen by Trustees appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, who selects not fewer than sixteen and not more than twenty six trustees, and designates one of them as chair and another as vice chair. Meetings are held four times a year, and Trustees serve for a term not exceeding three years but may be reappointed for one or more terms.

The Ontario Science Centre is affiliated with the Canadian Museums Association (CMA), Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN), and Virtual Museum of Canada. The Ontario Science Centre is a member of the international Association of Science Technology Centers (ASTC).

Ontario Science Centre was used by David Cronenberg as a location for his 1970 film Crimes of the Future.

Ontario Science Centre was featured on the Rick Mercer Report in 2016. In his CBC news satire program, Rick Mercer visited numerous scientists' exhibits, took part in a wildlife conservation show, and partook in a psychological fear study during a workshop there.