Toronto councillors approve motion urging city to take control of Ontario Science Centre

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Toronto councillors have approved a motion urging the city to take over operation of the Ontario Science Centre from the provincial government and find ways to keep it running in its original home.

The motion passed Thursday night almost a week after the province abruptly announced the permanent closure of the 55-year-old facility, which has been set to be replaced in several years by a new science centre planned as part of the controversial redevelopment of Ontario Place.

In its decision, the provincial government cited structural issues with the building’s roof, but critics have argued those issues can be fixed without completely closing the Science Centre. Several figures from the tech industry have pledged nearly $3-million among them in an effort to keep it open.

“What this motion does is ask for our objective city staff to give a reality check on the Ford government’s business case and their obligation to us, the landholder, so that we are made right, and the Science Centre is preserved,” said Councillor Josh Matlow, who put forward the motion.

“We’re sending a very clear message to Doug Ford that he can’t make a unilateral decision … the community wants to be engaged in conversations around the future of the Science Centre.”

The province owns the Science Centre building, while the City of Toronto owns the land. The Science Centre operated under a 99-year lease between the province, the City of Toronto, and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, which oversees conservation efforts throughout the region.

The provincial government has said it plans to find a temporary home for the Science Centre until the planned replacement is finished.

The council motion passed with just one dissenter, Stephen Holyday, whose riding is in Etobicoke on Toronto’s west side. He questioned the cost for the city to operate the facility.

“Museums are places that constantly need to be worked on to remain relevant to attract people … running a science centre is very expensive,” he said.

Deputy city manager David Jollimore acknowledged that the building needs $106-million over the next few years for repairs, some of which would be immediately needed to make the building safe. He also said the facility has lost $1-million to $2-million annually over the past few years.

The building will need $478-million in repairs over the next 20 years, Mr. Jollimore said.

In response, Mr. Matlow pointed to recent offers to fund those repairs from a list of names that include Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton and former executives with Shopify. The architecture firm that built the facility, Moriyama Teshima, has offered to work for free on the restoration.

“Generous philanthropists have called the province’s bluff,” Mr. Matlow said.

The building has become a point of political contention ever since Premier Doug Ford’s provincial government expressed intent last year to relocate the facility to a smaller downtown lot at Ontario Place, a move that Mr. Matlow said bypassed community consultation. The province’s plan to relocate the Science Centre is part of a wider redevelopment of Ontario Place that also includes a $350-million luxury spa and waterpark.

But the new science centre isn’t slated to open until 2028, and the existing facility’s closure last Friday was a shock to many.

“The public is horrified,” Mr. Matlow said in an interview. “It’s fair to say anyone who has a kid or who has been a kid has personal memories here. It’s also a heritage masterpiece.”

In a press conference on Wednesday, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow called the move “heartbreaking” and expressed her support for Mr. Matlow’s motion. She said the terms of the 99-year lease agreement with the province should ensure it’s preserved.

A spokesperson for Premier Doug Ford’s office previously said the decision to close the Science Centre was to protect the health and safety of those working or visiting the facility and is based in recommendations from the Ministry of Infrastructure and the centre’s chief executive officer. They cited a report from Rimkus Consulting outlining structural integrity issues with the roof.

The report recommends replacing some of the roof panels, but only deemed around 2 per cent of the roof panels within the “high risk” area and 6 per cent in a moderate risk area. The remaining 92 per cent were placed in the low risk level.

Opponents of the Science Centre relocation are also critical of the fact that the proposed relocation site at Ontario Place is half the original building’s size. And a request for proposals for a temporary location called for a space between 50,000 and 100,000 square feet – a fraction of the original site’s size of 568,000 square feet.

Earlier on Thursday, Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie and Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles made an appearance at the site of the Science Centre to criticize the Ford government’s move and urge the government to reverse the decision.

“We’re going to keep the pressure up on the government whether Doug Ford spends his summer at the cottage or not,” Ms. Stiles said during her appearance.

A statement from the Ontario Liberals said that in the wake of the “scandalous snap closure” of the Science Centre, they will launch an investigation into the government’s “backroom deals” should they win the next election.