The province of Ontario announced Friday that the Ontario Science Centre would be closed immediately due to fears that the building’s roof could collapse.
Provincial officials say the closure could take years to complete, but it comes ahead of the government’s controversial announcement that the popular landmark and attraction will be relocated to the Ontario Place site in 2023. The government says the move will save costs.
Opposition to the state’s decision to relocate the site has also come from the Thorncliffe Park neighborhood, which has a large population of young children and limited recreational space.
An engineering report released this week by Rimkus Consulting Group showed that roof panels on all three buildings at the center are in a “deteriorated, high-risk” condition, the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a news release.
The panels must be secured in place by Oct. 31, 2024 to avoid further stress from snow accumulation that could lead to roof panel failure, according to the release.
Repairs to the roof will cost between $22 million and $40 million, the ministry said, and the center will be closed for up to two years.
Workers began erecting fencing around the perimeter of the Ontario Science Centre on Friday after provincial officials announced it would close immediately due to fears its roof would collapse. The Ontario Science Centre opened in 1969 and the Ford government plans to relocate it to Ontario Place. (Christian Gomez/CBC)
“These estimates are incomplete and subject to change,” the ministry said, noting the costs represent “only a small fraction” of the funding needed to operate the science center.
The government says it needs $478 million to address the centers’ “dysfunctional infrastructure” and maintain the program.
Refund to campers
The science center is running a summer camp scheduled to begin in early July, and state officials said science center members and summer campers will be refunded within 30 days and will be provided with free camp sites at nearby schools.
The government said Ontario Infrastructure will issue a request for proposals on Monday for a site for the interim science centre before it is relocated to Ontario Place.
For the time being, the science center is considering hosting programs virtually or through “pop-up experiences,” he said.
Closure ‘heartbreaking’: NDP
“The closing of this world-class science and cultural institution is heartbreaking,” NDP Leader Marty Stiles said on Twitter.
She said the government’s “real motivation” was to justify building a private spa on the Ontario Place site.
” [province] “They could have invested in revitalizing the science centre, but instead they are using our public money to fabricate a false business case for this vital community hub,” she said.
