There's a stellar vision to bring $200 million planetarium to Toronto

Should Toronto have a space for people who love, well, space? One advocacy group says yes.

In April, demolition of the former McLaughlin Planetarium finally kicked off after sitting vacant for three long decades. In its place, though with no confirmed completion date yet, will be a flashy six-storey building for the University of Toronto. 

Local group Space Place Canada (SPC) is now looking to build a new planetarium in Toronto, driven in part by renewed public interest in space and astronomy following the historic Artemis II moon mission, which made headlines in April.

SPC board member Richard McDonald tells blogTO they have their sights set somewhere in the Greater Toronto Area. The engineer and former lecturer at McLaughlin Planetarium says the challenge lies in finding about 75 feet of clear space in an accessible location that can accommodate a dome and more.

"A planetarium needs exhibit space," McDonald says, something the previous venue was lacking from the get-go. "There needs to be a place for education, where we can run classes. We need a lecture hall, and we need offices."

A rendering of the proposed planetarium by Space Place Canada. Note the name of the building says SPC but the group says it is merely a placeholder for now.

The costs involved in creating such a large facility are also significant, he says. Unlike the McLaughlin Planetarium, which cost $2.25 million when it opened in 1968 (about $21.35 million in 2026 dollars), a modern, larger planetarium would be four to five times more expensive today, once construction, exhibits, staffing, and programming are taken into account.

SPC would also need to invest in modern projector technology. Planetariums have evolved from simple star projectors to fully digital 8K systems that open up a wider range of what can be shown on a dome. This upgrade can cost up to around $200,000.

Such technology is what makes today's planetariums so immersive, McDonald explains. "We can project onto that dome and take you anywhere. We can take you to the stars. We can project what it's like to do a flyby of Mars. We can project what it's like to actually go around the backside of the Moon."

Toronto residents with a passion for astronomy are welcoming the proposal.

Former Space Channel host Ajay Fry tells blogTO that growing up in Ottawa, with access to a science and technology museum, helped spark his lifelong interest in space.

"I was blown away by Toronto's Science Centre when I started doing shoots there as a host," he said, adding that it "broke my heart and dashed my dreams" to see the centre shuttered by the Ford government in 2024.

"In Toronto, we're missing a gathering spot for astronomically minded folks to connect over our shared love of space and space exploration." Fry also says he welcomes the idea of a planetarium that could double as a unique event venue for weddings, parties and other gatherings.

McDonald explains that developing such a facility would require a phased fundraising approach, ultimately ranging from $100 million to $200 million to cover construction, exhibits, programming, and ongoing operations.

"If it's inside an existing building, that's going to be significantly less because the property is already purchased and we'd be leasing or renting space," he says. "It's more likely we can locate it in a downtown location where tourism is strong, especially if it can be part of an existing structure, because you're not going to find brand new space in downtown Toronto."

SPC, a non-profit organization run largely by volunteers, says it would welcome a partnership among the organization, the government, and the private sector.

As for whether conversations with the provincial government have begun, McDonald notes, "we've poked at it."