Critics express dismay over Ontario Science Centre closure

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The group Save Ontario’s Science Centre will be holding a rally on Sunday after the sudden closure of the east-end attraction.

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It will run from noon to 2 p.m. at Wells Hill Park at 145 Hilton Ave. in the Bathurst St. and St. Clair Ave. area.

“Everyone is welcome,” the group posted Saturday on X. “No registration!”

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A news release from the Ontario NDP said that Leader Marit Stiles plans to speak at the event along with culture and heritage critic Jill Andrew and Toronto Centre MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam.

Stiles said on X Saturday that she was “furious” about the Ford government’s decision to immediately close the facility on Friday over concerns that the building is not structurally sound.

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“We know what this is all about — his (Premier Doug Ford’s) vanity Ontario Place project,” Stiles said. “Join me tomorrow w/ @SaveOSC, @JILLSLASTWORD and @kristynwongtam to save the centre!”

As of 6:20 p.m. on Saturday, more than 27,000 people out of a stated goal of 29,000 had signed a petition on the Save Ontario’s Science Centre website in support of the facility, which now has permanent fencing around it to keep people out.

The science centre was suddenly closed on Friday after an engineering report found the roof panels were in “distressed, high-risk condition.” The news from provincial infrastructure officials came amid government plans to move the science centre from its current location to a new home at a redeveloped Ontario Place, but that isn’t slated to be open until 2028.

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Engineering firm Rinkus Consulting Group said fully negating the risk would require replacing roof panels at a cost of between $22 million and $40 million and that would take two or more years to complete with the facility closed.

“The actions taken today will protect the health and safety of visitors and staff at the Ontario Science Centre while supporting its eventual reopening in a new, state-of-the-art facility,” Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma said Friday in a statement.

The Ontario Federation of Labour said that by allowing the building to fall into disrepair, 300 jobs are at risk.

“Despite the centre’s financial challenges, experts agree that renovating the current building is both more environmentally and socially responsible and considerably cheaper than constructing a new, smaller facility at Ontario Place,” OFL president Laura Walton said in a news release. “The premier’s claim that the relocation will increase attendance remains unsupported by any public documentation.”

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Walton said the Ford government’s decision to close the 55-year-old facility is part of a troubling pattern of neglect and short-sightedness.

“Ford’s cuts to health care have left hospitals struggling and patients waiting,” said Walton. “Our children’s education should be a priority, but Ford’s actions say otherwise.”

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow also expressed her dismay about the closure, calling it a “painful loss” for the city.

“I’ve seen the wonder and joy on the faces off my grandchildren as I have taken them through the exhibits of the science centre,” she said in a statement posted on X. “It’s a special place that sparks imagination and curiosity and creates a love of science and learning that lasts a lifetime.”

— With files from Toronto Sun staff and The Canadian Press.

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