Ontario Science Centre had other options than rushed closure: report
The engineer’s report relied on by the provincial government to justify the closure of the Ontario Science Centre in the name of safety gives other options to proceed that could still save the iconic venue.
The report suggested restricting access to part of the building where roof panels could give way, as well as installing temporary reinforcements to the panels as well as horizontal hoarding that could shield the panels.
Exactly why those other options weren’t considered isn’t clear just from reading the report alone and suggests other factors are at play, said University of Toronto professor of public management Sandford Borins in an interview.
“They’ve identified around six per cent of the panels that need to be fixed. They’d have to rope off the area where those panels are. And figure out how to keep the Science Centre going,” Borins said.
“It seems to me that they had already come to the conclusion they wanted to close the building and the consultant’s report was a great justification for doing that,” he said.
The hazard of the roof panels was the main justification offered by Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma at an unrelated news conference Monday morning as she described the reasoning behind putting up gates around the science centre on Friday and shutting it down.
“It was my hope that we could keep the building alive until the new Science Centre was built, but unfortunately we have to take the warning signs of engineers seriously,” she said.
When pressed on why the report appeared to allow for options that didn’t require a complete building shutdown, Surma said the building would have to be closed for years for a complete roof repair.
“The engineers were quite specific when we spoke to them that if we were to do work on the roof, we should replace the roof in its entirety,” she said.
The PC government has been pushing a controversial, smaller replacement Science Centre as a marquee attraction to a revitalized Ontario Place, but that building won’t be finished until at least 2028.
The news was devastating to those who grew up visiting the Ontario Science Centre at its campus that stretched into the ravine off Don Mills Road in the Flemingdon Park neighbourhood.
The centre closed to visitors immediately, meaning that summer camps that had been planned are cancelled, though parents will be refunded, and the search for an interim venue has begun.
But the abrupt decision has sparked a backlash, with opposition politicians decrying the move. Several hundred people showed up at a rally to protest the closure on Sunday.
While closing the facility is one option identified in the report from engineering firm Rimkus, it’s only part of the top recommendation, which reads, “Restricted access or full closure to prevent any persons from walking in areas where high risk panels are present.”
Borins said it’s clear from the report that the panels that presented the most critical risk had already been reinforced.
The remaining high-risk panels are spread across the three main buildings, and Borins estimated that they make up some six per cent of the outstanding panels.
The cost to repair them in the first year is under $8 million, the report says. To repair all of them would cost another $18.5 million until 2034, the report says. The first work should be completed by October 31 to avoid the increased load that could weigh on the panels from snowfall, the report said.
The Science Centre also faces some $369 million in deferred and critical maintenance needs over the next 20 years.
Toronto Councillor Josh Matlow has introduced a motion to explore what it would take to have the city take over the operations of the Science Centre. He said the deal between the city of Toronto and the province was clear that any decision on the future of the Science Centre should involve consultations with the city.
“There’s no reason the roof can’t be repaired,” Matlow said. “My motion to city council is challenging the Ford government to work with us to save the Science Centre for everyone who loves it, and has always loved it, since 1969.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Watch Live Now: Canadian analysis ahead of the CNN Presidential Debate
U.S. President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are set to go head-to-head tonight in the first of two planned presidential debates. Here's how to watch the CNN Presidential Debate, Power Play's pre- and post-debate specials, and follow along in our real-time CTVNews.ca live expert analysis and commentary by debate and body-language experts.
'Hanging on for her life': Sask. family desperate to bring home sick niece from Philippines
For half a decade, a Saskatoon family has been trying to bring their orphaned niece to Canada, they say now it’s a matter of life or death.
'No additional flights will be cancelled': WestJet avoids strike as feds order binding arbitration
A potential strike by WestJet airplane mechanics would upend travel plans for 250,000 customers over the Canada Day long weekend, the airline says — and cost it millions of dollars.
BREAKING Nunavut judge sentences Toronto woman to 3 years prison for Inuit identity fraud
A Nunavut judge has sentenced a Toronto woman to three years in prison in a case of Inuit identity fraud.
Canada's top court rejects appeal from Sask. man who murdered wife
The Supreme Court of Canada has rejected an application from a Saskatoon man who murdered his wife.
Where do new Canadians come from? India and Philippines take top spots
Canada has welcomed more than 3.9 million new citizens since 2005, with nearly one third coming from India, the Philippines or China, according to a CTVNews.ca analysis.
Marilyn Monroe's former Los Angeles home declared a historic monument to save it from demolition
Fans of Marilyn Monroe have won a battle to preserve her mark on Los Angeles and are a step closer to seeing a towering statue of the silver screen icon remain in Palm Springs.
Man charged with threatening to kill presidential candidates found dead as jury was deciding verdict
A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the lives of presidential candidates last year has been found dead while a jury was deciding his verdict, according to court filings Thursday.
AI regulation 'a start,' needs to 'have teeth': Hinton, godfather of AI, says
So-called godfather of AI Geoffrey Hinton says he's 'pleased' governments are starting to take artificial intelligence, and the possible regulations of it, seriously.