Good morning. After clawing back from a 3-0 hole, the Oilers fell 2-1 to the Panthers in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final last night. More on that below, along with the sudden demise of the Ontario Science Centre. But first:
Today’s headlines
- The Conservatives have taken the Toronto-St. Paul’s riding in a major upset for the Liberals
- CSIS is warning private investigators against working for hostile foreign states
- After Julian Assange is released from British prison, his wife thanks supporters around the world
The Ontario Science Centre, in sunnier times.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
END OF AN ERA
Trouble overhead
On Friday, the Ontario government pulled the plug on the Ontario Science Centre, the 55-year-old provincially owned museum that’s as iconic to Toronto architecture enthusiasts as the Guggenheim is to New Yorkers. A sudden announcement said “professional engineers” had found “serious structural damage” to parts of the roof. While school kids on field trips were still inside, workers outside fenced off the perimeter. By 4 p.m., the science centre had shut down – evidently for good.
It was an abrupt end to a year-long battle over the future of the building, after Premier Doug Ford confirmed in April 2023 that he was moving the centre from Toronto’s northeast to a redeveloped Ontario Place on the edge of Lake Ontario. That redevelopment, of course, has faced no shortage of criticism. Plans for the smaller science centre downtown weren’t much better received.
The government said yesterday that the dicey roof meant the Ontario Science Centre wouldn’t be safe to occupy after the end of October, and required up to $40-million in repairs. But as The Globe’s architecture critic, Alex Bozikovic, points out, those professional engineers were actually fairly moderate in their recommendations: No more than 5 per cent of the roof panels needed to be replaced by November, and the rest of the roof could be repaired over 10 years. It’s a familiar bit of spin where the science centre has been concerned.
How we got here
Architect Raymond Moriyama’s sloping and soaring Brutalist masterpiece is etched in the minds of generations of Ontarians. Tons of kids have delighted in its hair-raising demonstrations; tons of parents have braced for a Saturday morning spent in its cacophonous bunkers. But the run-down building – which needs $370-million in repairs – has recently transformed into a lightning rod. On one side: the dry-eyed redevelopment enthusiasts who won’t be swayed by nostalgia. On the other: the pro-investment contingent who want to love, not list, the city’s historic sites.
The fencing goes up on Friday.Sammy Kogan/The Globe and Mail
In November, the province released a business case to bolster its Ontario Place relocation plan. According to its tallies, taxpayers would save $257-million over 50 years by the science centre’s move to the waterfront. But the acting auditor-general found that this business case didn’t take into account the $277-million cost of building a 2,000-space parking garage underneath the new science centre – nor did it factor in that $370-million price tag in repairs to the building left behind.
A city-province push-pull
Last fall, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow dropped her opposition to the Ontario Place redevelopment in exchange for a so-called new deal that gives the city much-needed money for maintaining expressways. But it’s unclear what will happen to the original Ontario Science Centre site now.
”The new deal agreement has no specifics; the province only agreed to discuss ‘partnership opportunities,’” Alex Bozikovic told me. “No one has said anything meaningful about how the city will run the science centre building.” Last year, Ford floated the idea that housing or a school or maybe a community centre could pop up in its place. Yesterday, in an interview with The Globe, Chow said the city couldn’t take on the responsibility – or the cost – of fixing the building up.
But somebody’s going to have to shell out. “During the austerity years of the 1990s, our governments established some weird compromises around maintaining public institutions,” Bozikovic said. “With schools and buildings in particular, the idea was to keep the place open, but stop maintaining the building. This didn’t work. The costs can’t be avoided.”
In the meantime, ex-Shopify VP Adam McNamara and his pals have offered to foot part of the repair bill. (Drake might want to consider joining them; his reputation could use the boost.) “The Ontario government could find the money if they wanted to; the truth is, they don’t want to,” Bozikovic said. “However, if the Shopify folks come through, it could shame the government into admitting that truth.”
The Shot
‘Everyone’s been waiting for this for 30 years.’
Devastation in Edmonton.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
After the Panthers beat the Oilers to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, fans in Edmonton dropped to the ground or froze in disbelief. Then they summoned some hope for the team’s next act – bolstered by Connor McDavid, who emerges from these playoffs a true national figure. If your heart can bear it, see more photos here.
The Wrap
What else we’re following
At home: Canada’s population could surge to 63 million in the next 50 years, Statscan projects, courtesy of migration and a threefold increase in the 85-and-up set.
Abroad: Conflict in eastern Congo has forced at least one million people from their homes in the past nine months alone – and the UN has found up to 4,000 Rwandan troops secretly crossed the border to join in the fighting.
On the wall: Yet another Norval Morrisseau knockoff has been identified in a leading art gallery, though Winnipeg’s WAG-Qaumajuq says it’s holding onto the forged painting.
On the menu: Sirloin tips. Pumpkin ale. Drive-thru pup patties. Canadian restaurants are introducing all sorts of items to cater to the canine crowd.