The Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Centre team hosted an open house in Listowel on Wednesday to gather community feedback about the project.
Chair Steve Dolson shared that they aimed to hear from locals to help shape what will be featured in the centre.
“It’s very much an opportunity for them to weigh in on what’s important to them as far as what’s in the centre for exhibits and experiences. So what else do people want to see in there, both inside and outside the centre? That’s what we want to know,” Dolson explained.
A mock-up example of a potential in-house experience that could be part of the future Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Centre in Listowel. (Photo by Ryan Drury)
The session on Wednesday afternoon at the Listowel Ag Hall was facilitated by Reitch and Petch, a Canadian-based international multidisciplinary design firm. This firm is assisting with designing attractions that will occupy space within the centre, having previously worked on projects such as the Smithsonian Institution, the ROM, Science North, and the London Children’s Museum.
Dolson emphasized that a major focus of the centre will be educating visitors about how vital agriculture is and its impact on our daily lives.
“The farm population is less than two per cent of the Canadian population, but one in nine Canadians are employed in this industry, they’re part of it. Their jobs and their economies of their local communities in rural Ontario and beyond, from one end to the other, it’s dependent on our industry,” he pointed out.
An information desk at the public input session for the future Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Centre, held at the Listowel Ag Hall on October 7, 2026. (Photo by Ryan Drury)
After considering all suggestions received during this meeting, further planning will follow with an aim to kick off a capital campaign next year. According to Dolson, certain key elements need to align for this effort.
“So we will need obviously a federal government partner, a provincial government partner, and we already have our local municipal partner in North Perth providing the land for the site (10 acres next to the Steve Kerr Memorial Complex). But for the capital funding, we have to really focus on those main players that have to come in and be partners on it,” Dolson added.
Earlier this spring when they unveiled architectural designs for it, estimates suggested that around $50 million will be required for bringing this vision into reality.
You can find out more about the Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Centre project by visiting https://www. oafdc. ca/.
Another mockup of a potential interactive installation for the future Ontario Agri-Food Discovery Centre in Listowel. This display features an educational interactive model based around soil health and different agricultural uses for various soil types. (Photo by Ryan Drury)
Source link
