Item - 2026.PH27.15

The Planning and Housing Committee recommends that:

1. City Council state its intention to designate the property at 140-150 Borough Drive under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act in accordance with the Statement of Significance for 140-150 Borough Drive (Reasons for Designation) attached as Attachment 1 to the report (January 2, 2026) from the Chief Planner and Executive Director, City Planning.

2. If there are no objections to the designation, City Council authorize the City Solicitor to introduce the Bill in Council designating the property under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 140-150 Borough Drive under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance, which includes a description of Heritage Attributes found in Attachment 1.

The Scarborough Civic Centre at 140-150 Borough Drive is located on the north side of Borough Drive, northeast of Brimley Road and Ellesmere Road, in the Bendale-Glen Andrew neighbourhood in the Scarborough district of Toronto. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property are found in Attachment 2.

Completed in 1973, the Scarborough Civic Centre was designed by the acclaimed Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama (1929-2023) as a purpose-built shared facility for the former Borough (later City) of Scarborough and the Scarborough Board of Education. Moriyama designed the Scarborough Civic Centre as an opportunity to explore the meaning of democracy at the municipal level through architectural form and its open spaces. Characteristic of Modern Expressionism, the Scarborough Civic Centre exhibits a bold expression of individualism and design concept and is distinct by its geometric shapes and massive forms. Based on a multi-faceted plan, it contains a circular central core and four extending quadrants comprising two half-pyramid-shaped office wings and two open civic spaces, including Albert Campbell Square and the Ceremonial Plaza.

The Scarborough Civic Centre is a landmark. For over 50 years, its monumental scale and distinctive form has defined and contributed to the area's civic character as proposed in the 1968 Scarborough Town Centre Master Plan, establishing a new urban centre and prominent civic space for Scarborough and the City.

Staff have determined that the property at 140-150 Borough Drive has cultural heritage value and meets seven of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria.

City Council previously adopted a Notice of Intention to Designate the Scarborough Civic Centre on February 15, 2002; however, the designation bylaw was not enacted. The revised Statement of Significance, which includes a description of Heritage Attributes found in Attachment 1, provides a further understanding of the cultural heritage value of the property informed by further research and publications that have shared a deeper appreciation and understanding of the legacy of Raymond Moriyama's body of work in Toronto and across Canada.

The Scarborough Civic Centre is jointly owned by the City of Toronto and the Toronto District School Board. The property line runs north-south along the eastern edge of the northwest quadrant and the Ceremonial Plaza in the southwest quadrant of the site. In preparing this staff report, Heritage Planning consulted with Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) division and Toronto Lands Corporations, a subsidiary of the Toronto District School Board.

At its meeting on January 19, 2026 the Toronto Preservation Board considered Item PB39.2 and made recommendations to City Council.

Summary from the report (December 29, 2025) from the Senior Manager, Heritage Planning, Urban Design, City Planning:

This report recommends that City Council state its intention to designate the property at 140-150 Borough Drive under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act for its cultural heritage value according to the Statement of Significance, which includes a description of Heritage Attributes found in Attachment 1.

The Scarborough Civic Centre at 140-150 Borough Drive is located on the north side of Borough Drive, northeast of Brimley Road and Ellesmere Road, in the Bendale-Glen Andrew neighbourhood in the Scarborough district of Toronto. A location map and current photograph of the heritage property are found in Attachment 2.

Completed in 1973, the Scarborough Civic Centre was designed by the acclaimed Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama (1929-2023) as a purpose-built shared facility for the former Borough (later City) of Scarborough and the Scarborough Board of Education. Moriyama designed the Scarborough Civic Centre as an opportunity to explore the meaning of democracy at the municipal level through architectural form and its open spaces. Characteristic of Modern Expressionism, the Scarborough Civic Centre exhibits a bold expression of individualism and design concept and is distinct by its geometric shapes and massive forms. Based on a multi-faceted plan, it contains a circular central core and four extending quadrants comprising two half-pyramid-shaped office wings and two open civic spaces, including Albert Campbell Square and the Ceremonial Plaza.

The Scarborough Civic Centre is a landmark. For over 50 years, its monumental scale and distinctive form has defined and contributed to the area's civic character as proposed in the 1968 Scarborough Town Centre Master Plan, establishing a new urban centre and prominent civic space for Scarborough and the City.

Staff have determined that the property at 140-150 Borough Drive has cultural heritage value and meets seven of the Ontario Regulation 9/06 criteria prescribed for municipal designation under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act. A property may be designated under Part IV, Section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act, if it meets two or more of the nine criteria.

City Council previously adopted a Notice of Intention to Designate the Scarborough Civic Centre on February 15, 2002; however, the designation bylaw was not enacted. The revised Statement of Significance, which includes a description of Heritage Attributes found in Attachment 1, provides a further understanding of the cultural heritage value of the property informed by further research and publications that have shared a deeper appreciation and understanding of the legacy of Raymond Moriyama's body of work in Toronto and across Canada.

The Scarborough Civic Centre is jointly owned by the City of Toronto and the Toronto District School Board. The property line runs north-south along the eastern edge of the northwest quadrant and the Ceremonial Plaza in the southwest quadrant of the site. In preparing this staff report, Heritage Planning consulted with Corporate Real Estate Management (CREM) division and Toronto Lands Corporations, a subsidiary of the Toronto District School Board.