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A Liberal MPP is calling on the Doug Ford government to reopen the Ontario Science Centre at its current location in Toronto given that its roof appears to be in no danger of collapsing following record amounts of snow.
Dr. Adil Shamji, who represents Don Valley East, said snowfall from a weekend storm was the “most extreme test of the Science Centre’s integrity — a test that it passed flawlessly” and the facility should be reopened for the benefit of the community, city and province.
The Ontario government closed the science centre abruptly in June 2024 with very little warning, claiming the roof needed immediate repairs. Opposition parties, advocacy groups and community leaders disagreed.
The government has said it plans to open a new, permanent science centre in 2029 at Ontario Place.
Shamji, however, said the existing science centre was valuable to the local community and its roof is holding up under the weight of the snow.
“The Science Centre must be restored, reinvigorated and reopened at its current location by providing the funding that it requires. This would deliver a full experience faster and more economically than Doug Ford’s preposterous proposal to relocate it to Ontario Place,” Shamji said in a news release this week.
“For years, the Science Centre has been a source of immense cultural, educational and economic value to the people of Don Valley East and Ontario. Its closure has extinguished the hopes and dreams of far too many. For Ontarians, that loss is a reason to grieve.”
‘The Science Centre must be restored, reinvigorated and reopened at its current location by providing the funding that it requires,’ said Dr. Adil Shamji, Ontario Liberal MPP for Don Valley East. (Michael Wilson/CBC)
In a news release in June 2024, the Ontario Ministry of Infrastructure said an engineering report by Rimkus Consulting Group showed each of the centre’s three buildings contain roof panels in a “distressed, high-risk” condition.
The panels required fixing by Oct. 31, 2024 to “avoid further stress due to potential snow load which could lead to roof panel failure,” the ministry said.
Government officials said at the time that the province would not make those repairs. Instead, they said the government would move the science centre to a temporary location until the Ontario Place location was ready.
Ford denies giving false reason for closure of centre
On Monday, when questioned at an unrelated news conference, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he did not give a false reason for closing the science centre.
“Not at all,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park.
“I had two independent engineering firms telling me it would be dangerous, and when there’s children in there and saying there’s a possibility of the roof collapsing, I’m not going to chance having children in there. And I’m responsible for that not happening.”
Another drone image of snow on the Ontario Science Centre is shown here. (Joe Fiorino/CBC)
Ford said in a couple of weeks he will show reporters the “world class design” for a new science centre that will be built.
“We’re going to have more programming than we’ve ever had. It’s going to be in a much better area and it’s going to be exciting,” he said.
“And when I show you the designs that I saw that went around the world, it’s jaw-dropping when you see it. And when I say it’s jaw-dropping, you’ll be impressed.”
In December, Tourism Minister Stan Cho announced that an interim science centre would be opened at the Harbourfront Centre this summer.
Critics have said opening a new, permanent science centre at Ontario Place is simply to provide the province cover for the spa and waterpark to be built there by Europe-based company Therme, plans that have sparked controversy.