Big news ahead for Scarborough in 2026.Here are some of the big projects the community can expect in the year ahead.
Do good things really happen to those who wait? Scarborough residents are about to find out. After waiting – for more than 15 years in the case of the Eglinton Crosstown – 2026 promises to finally start delivering on some long anticipated construction projects in the city. From a waterpark to the zoo, to multiple transit projects, and a new medical school, read on to learn about what’s coming to Scarborough this year.
KIDSTOWN WATERPARK
Tell the kids to get excited because Kidstown Waterpark will re-open in spring 2026. After undergoing a two year closure for a complete redesign and reconstruction, Kidstown, the only water park operated by the City of Toronto, will reopen this year for fun and play.
Located in the L’Amoreaux neighbourhood of Scarborough at 3159 Birchmount Road, the new Kidstown will feature water slides, new pools, splash pad, a waterfall, water play areas, new washrooms, lockers, change stalls, picnic area with seating, tables, and a lawn area, a permit only picnic area (i.e. for birthday parties), accessibility features, and an expanded parking lot.
LINE 3 BUSWAY
While the most anticipated transit opening of the year in this city is certainly the Eglinton Crosstown, Scarborough might also see another transit project open in late 2026. Last year, the city decided to push for the accelerated completion of the Line 3 Busway, hoping to have it operational by late 2026.
Following the route of the old Scarborough RT, the busway will connect Kennedy Station to Ellesmere Station with a dedicated express bus route and then run on priority lanes on Ellesmere to Scarborough Centre Station Bus Terminal. There will be stops at Tara Rd, Lawrence Ave E, and Ellesmere Rd.
NEW ELECTRIC FERRIES
In other transit news, the City of Toronto could receive the first of its 2 new electric ferries in late 2026. The ferries will replace some of the aging fleet operating between the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and the Toronto Islands. Some of those ferries are upwards of 90 years old.
The ferry arriving this year will have ice-breaking capabilities and triple the passenger capacity of the ferry it will replace, the Ongiara. The city is also looking at updating the ticketing system, possibly allowing passengers to pay for the ferry with their Presto cards.
ZOO RENOVATIONS
What’s new at the zoo? If things go according to plan, there could be lots in 2026. At the entrance to the zoo, the Community Conservation Centre has been under construction for the past two years. The project, which includes two new buildings, a river otter habitat, garden, retail space and rooftop atrium, is anticipated to open in summer 2026.
The complex will be located just outside the zoo’s admission gates, allowing the zoo to partner with colleges and universities to offer educational programming in its four new classrooms.
It will also house the zoo’s Blanding’s turtle “headstarting” program, which hatches and raises young turtles before releasing them to the wilds of the Rouge River Watershed.
The Toronto Zoo is also looking forward to welcoming a baby Masai Giraffe in late winter/early spring 2026. On January 1 this baby giraffe’s father, Kiko, died at the zoo after an accident involving a door in his habitat. The mother, Mstari, is doing well. This new baby will be her third calf.
UTSC MEDICAL COMPLEX AND PROGRAMS LAUNCH
The University of Toronto Scarborough Campus’ new Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health will open its doors to students in September 2026. The school plans to launch three new programs: Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, and Physical Therapy, followed by a Physician (MD) program in 2027.
The programs will be housed in the newly built Myron and Berna Garron Health Sciences Complex. The modern, purpose-built building has an anatomy lab, a 21-bed clinical skills lab, 10 case-based learning instructional labs and publicly accessible teaching clinics.
