Ontario Science Center to close immediately: province

The Ontario Science Center is closing immediately after an engineering report commissioned by the province shows the roof could collapse, but while it can be fixed at a cost, the province is choosing to close the location indefinitely.

The province announced Friday that a type of lightweight concrete popular in the 1960s when the building was built has now proven problematic and requires costly repairs.

The sudden shutdown follows that of the governmentcontroversial announcementin 2023, the landmark and popular attraction would move to the site of Ontario Place, a move that saysit will save expenses.

While the building is safe to enter now, it won't be until late October with the threat of snow, the report notes. As such, the province says it must vacate now.

“The actions taken today will protect the health and safety of visitors and staff,” Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surmain said in a press release. “We are making every effort to avoid public disruption and help the Ontario Science Center continue to deliver on its mandate.”

You can read the full engineering report at the bottom of this story.

The province's decision to move the site has drawn backlash from opposition parties, advocacy groups and the Thorncliffe Park neighborhood where the science center is located in a community with a large population of young children and limited recreational space.

An engineering report this week by Rimkus Consulting Group showed that each of the center's three buildings contains roof panels in a “difficult, high-risk” condition, the Ministry of Infrastructure said in a press release.

Fixing the roof can cost up to 40 million dollars: the minister

The panels require repair by Oct. 31, 2024 to “avoid further stress due to potential snow load that 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 center to be closed for up to two years.

“These estimates are incomplete and subject to change,” the ministry said, noting that the costs make up only a “small part” of the funding needed to keep the science center open.

The government says the center needs $478 million to address its “failing infrastructure” and support programming.

The province is choosing not to implement those regulations. Instead, the science center will move to a temporary site before it ends up at Ontario Place, officials said in an online press conference Friday afternoon.

The problem of lightweight concrete: IO

At the press conference, Infrastructure Ontario (IO) said it was provided with a building analysis from engineering firm Pinchinin 2022 that showed the building was in desperate need of extensive repairs.

“The mechanical issues in the building have continued to deteriorate,” said Michael Lindsay, IO's president.

The lightweight concrete, called aerated reinforced autoclaved concrete (RAAC), featured in the science center was a popular substance when the science center was built in the late 1960s. But it is now known that the material can be problematic when exposed to moisture. , Lindsay said.

IO has identified 79 provincial buildings with concerns about this concrete, 49 of which are occupied. Those buildings have “enhanced management” to combat issues that need to be resolved with the RAAC, Lindsay said.

“Where we've found critical points … we've had appropriate mitigation measures” to manage roof water, he said. “But the reality is that the roof of the science center is really at the end of its life.”

The new science center at Ontario Place is set to open in 2028, Lindsay said.

Michael Robertson, assistant deputy minister at the Department of Infrastructure, said there were no “immediate” job losses for science center staff. But he cannot say whether there will be any guarantee of keeping jobs in the future.

Robertson said that while the building is safe today, they need four months before winter to empty the facility.

Camping will be refunded

The science center works summer camps that were set to begin in early July. The province says science center members and summer camp participants will be refunded within 30 days, in addition to being offered a free camp spot at a nearby school.

The government says Infrastructure Ontario will issue a request for proposals Monday for a temporary location for the science centre, before it moves to Ontario Place.

In the meantime, he says the science center will look to host programming virtually or through “pop-up experiences.”

In a statement, the science center team said the building is a beloved landmark.

“The memories made within these walls are truly special,” they said.

“While we are no longer able to welcome visitors to our current location, we will continue to offer innovative science experiences virtually, through pop-up experiences and in a temporary facility while we plan for our new permanent home in Ontario Place,” they said.

More details about what's next for the science center will be shared soon, they said. Refunds will be offered to all members, ticket holders, campers, school groups and tours, they added.

Ford 'trying to pull a fast one' with shutdown: MPP

Floyd Ruskin, co-chairman of the advocacy group Save Ontario's Science Centre, says Premier Doug Ford's government is focused on building a private bath on the site of Ontario Place by the Therme company.

“Doug Ford will continue to close the science center … for the sole purpose of rewarding Therme spa and Ontario Place,” he said outside the center Friday.

“This is a crisis created by the government not funding it properly,” he said.

Adil Shamji, Liberal MPP for Don Valley East, spoke alongside Ruskin.

“Of all the days that Doug Ford could claim that the roof of the science center is in danger of collapsing, it should be the same year that he is proposing to move the science center to Ontario Place … to support a private foreign spa company. “, he said.

Shamji said Ford allows public infrastructure to be torn apart to advance private interests.

“That's Doug Ford trying to pull a fast one,” he said.

The 'heartbreaking' closure: PKD

“The closing of a world-class scientific and cultural institution is heartbreaking,” NDP provincial leader MaritStiles said on X, once Twitter.

She said the government's “real motive” is to justify building a bathroom.

“To [province] could have invested in the revitalization of the Science Centre, but instead it is using our public money to fabricate a bogus business case against this important community centre,” she said.