Why the Science Centre debacle matters
If you grew up in this area, your elementary school experience probably included a visit to the Ontario Science Centre. Even if you didn’t like science as a subject, it was impossible not to be captivated by those visits.
Entering at ground level and descending those long, long elevators into the ravine where the building sat was a fascinating reminder that there was nature even in the big city.
Expert staff made science seem exciting as well as useful and even fun. The science arcade area taught important concepts through genuinely enjoyable games.
In June 2024, the province abruptly closed the Science Centre. An engineering report at the time said the landmark building’s roof panels needed to be fixed immediately to keep the structure safe. Although that and other repairs would take a decade and cost hundreds of millions, the report recommended that as the best option.
Premier Doug Ford arrived at a different conclusion, which was hardly surprising given that he’d already announced plans to move the Science Centre to the site of Ontario Place. The new location was, he correctly pointed out, easier for families and tourists to visit, especially by public transit.
But it’s galling to see the premier continue to vilify the old Science Centre and praise the new one without any meaningful assessment of the pros and cons. When the architect’s renderings of the centre’s new, smaller lakefront building were unveiled recently, they came with a price tag of just over a billion dollars. That’s already much more than the projected costs of fixing the old site. Given the province’s track record, we can be sure that number will increase sharply before the building is finished.
And that’s why this issue matters to all Ontarians. We deserve to have a clear picture of the data used to make such an enormous decision, assuming there was something more than the premier’s whims involved. We also deserve to know what other options were considered for Ontario Place besides the European-owned spa and waterpark complex and relocated Science Centre. Could an innovative waterfront park, for instance, not have drawn as many visitors as what one architecture critic has described as “single-use, care-oriented, big-box entertainment venues,” not to mention providing welcome green space for downtown condo dwellers?
When we can’t see the math on these decisions, it’s hard to trust the people making them. Even when we know the money wouldn’t have otherwise been used to improve doctor availability, student achievement, addiction treatment or affordable housing, it’s likewise hard not to dream of what better uses there might have been for a billion dollars.
Will the new Science Centre be beautiful and engaging? No doubt. The harder question: Will it be worth it?
Contrary to what Premier Ford says, Toronto’s waterfront is not easy to access; especially for those of us outside the GTA. I recall when the Skydome was in the planning stage and where to build was a discussion between the waterfront and possibly HWY 404 and HWY 7. The Ontario Science Centre is open to all of Ontarians and therefore should be accessible to everyone; especially students. Like most people educated here remember their first visit to the Science Centre. The location at Eglington and Don Mills wasn’t ideal, however, it was easier to access than the waterfront.
Instead of a monument on the shores of Lake Ontario, in my opinion, The Science Centre should be located along HWY 407 between HWY 400 and HWY 404, accessible from all directions, not just from the 180 degree radius on the waterfront. Or, just fix the current Science Centre and stop wasting our tax dollars building monuments, e.g. Luxury Spa.