The Ford government will change the name of the yet-to-be-opened Science Centre transit station at Don Mills and Eglinton as the province prepares to uproot the nearby educational landmark and move it to Ontario Place.
Premier Doug Ford revealed plans, on Tuesday, to demolish the current Science Centre and relocate the programming to a new facility on the grounds of Ontario Place, with construction set to begin in 2025.
Critics of the plan have claimed the decision will deny two communities — Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park — the economic and tourism benefits derived from the proximity to the Science Centre and called on the government to hold public consultations on the plan.
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The Ontario NDP, which has criticized the move as a “back of the napkin” plan, pointed out that a nearby transit station would have to be renamed if the province pressed forward.
“That subway stop, it’s called Science Centre Station,” NDP Leader Marit Stiles said during Question Period at Queen’s Park. “I guess they’re gonna have to find a new name for it.”
Provincial transit agency Metrolinx, which calls the Science Centre a “notable local landmark,” describes the Science Centre Station as a “transit hub” that would connect the Ontario Line and the Eglinton Crosstown LRT.
Government House Leader shot back at the NDP saying the benefits of the Ontario Line, Eglinton LRT and other infrastructure projects would eclipse the negative impacts of closing the Science Centre.
Calandra didn’t offer a new alternative name for the subway stop and didn’t offer an estimate for how much the potential name change would cost.
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