The Ontario Science Centre is shutting down immediately due to the risk that the building’s roof could collapse, the province announced Friday.
The closure, which the province says could last years, comes after the government’s controversial announcement in 2023 that the popular landmark and attraction would be moved to the Ontario Place site — a move the government says will save costs.
Backlash to the province’s decision to move the site has also come from the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood, as it’s a community with a high population of young children and limited recreational space.
An engineering report this week by Rimkus Consulting Group showed each of the centre’s three buildings contain roof panels in a “distressed, high-risk” condition, the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a news release.
The panels require fixing by Oct. 31, 2024 to “avoid further stress due to potential snow load which could lead to roof panel failure,” the release said.
Fixing the roof will cost between $22 million and $40 million, the ministry said, requiring the centre be closed for up to two years.
“These estimates are incomplete and subject to change,” said the ministry, noting the costs make up only a “small portion” of the funding needed to keep the science centre open.
The government says the centre needs $478 million to tackle its “failing infrastructure” and sustain programming.
Campers to be reimbursed
The science centre runs summer camps that were set to begin in early July. The province says science centre members and summer camp participants will be reimbursed within 30 days, in addition to being offered a free camp location at a nearby school.
The government says Infrastructure Ontario will put out a request for proposals on Monday for a temporary science centre location, before it is moved to Ontario Place.
In the interim, it says the science centre will be looking to host programming virtually or through “pop-up experiences.”
Closure ‘heartbreaking’: NDP
“Closing a world-class science and cultural institution is heartbreaking,” provincial NDP leader Marit Stiles said on X, formerly Twitter.
She said the government’s “real motive” is to justify constructing a spa.
“The [province] could have invested in revitalizing the Science Centre, but instead it’s using our public money to concoct a sham business case against this important community hub,” she said.
Source Agencies
