The Ontario Science Centre, a beloved cultural institution in the Toronto region, closed rather abruptly on June 21, 2023. The policy shift followed an engineering report detailing concerns about the structure’s deteriorating roof condition. A sudden closure like this one impacts the staff as well. In its absence, the community is still reeling from a profound sense of loss and the danger of an uncertain future.
According to Jason Ash from the advocacy group Save Ontario’s Science Centre, the abrupt shutdown deprives children of valuable learning experiences. At the same time, news of a serious rodent infestation in the building pushed public opinion over the edge against them. Workers discovered mouse and possibly rat droppings throughout the basement and on the second floor, leading management to lay out numerous rodent traps, including one large trap for a raccoon.
Although the infestation was ultimately remedied, it resulted in a months-long loss of services. This two year meltdown resulted in dramatic shifts in labor conditions. As a consequence, over 20 union members took buyout packages last year. The staff members have been hit hard by the closure. The rest of the community is affected too, since so many looked to the Centre for life-saving educational materials.
Currently, the Ontario Science Centre is operating two pop-up exhibits at Harbourfront Centre and CF Sherway Gardens mall in Toronto, alongside staff-led small exhibits at various events around the city. Most educational materials have been moved to a new consolidated warehouse at 101 Resources Road in Etobicoke. From there, the warehouse is prepared to become an exhibitions and artifacts storage facility. It allows staff to pick up supplies for outreach events.
Raluca Ellis, president of Local 549 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, warned about the risks of making remote work permanent. She continued by underlining how this way of working is antithetical to employees’ DNA. She explained how her colleagues have been deeply affected since the clinic’s closure. The energy has been sad, melancholic, and a bit depressing this entire time.
The federal government response has earned its own share of criticism. The estimated cost for building and maintaining the new Ontario Science Centre has increased by nearly $400 million since spring 2023. Completion of this new location at Ontario Place has been delayed from 2028 to 2029. This unexpected delay only heightens the excitement of the imminent return of this beloved institution.
When the unseasonable weather hit Toronto in 2024, it was unprecedented. The city broke its yearly record with 1,145 millimeters of precipitation, which included two “once-in-a-century” storms that catastrophic flooded homes throughout the region. NDP infrastructure critic Jen French first sounded those alarms. She is challenging the government’s stated justification for closing the Ontario Science Centre.
“It just seems like it was a manufactured crisis and that’s the biggest betrayal,” – Raluca Ellis
French has repeatedly lambasted the government for exaggerating statements regarding the Science Centre’s roof. His rebuttal is that it actually miraculously survived without collapsing under snow loads during winter and during heavy rain conditions. The roof survived the severe snow loads in the winter and frequent rains through the roof. In the meantime, the only thing crumbling is the government’s plan for a new science centre,” she said.
The Ministry of Infrastructure defended its actions, explaining that “given the urgent requirement to find storage suitable for the Science Centre exhibits, artifacts and items in an extremely tight timeline,” 101 Resources Road was identified as a feasible solution. They promised that operations are being streamlined to adhere to health and safety standards.
Despite these reassurances from upper staff, those on staff’s front lines often tell us they are extremely frustrated with their predicament. “The whole process of all this going to Resources Road has been just very disappointing,” said one worker who asked to remain anonymous.
Melis Tokgoz, another employee affected by these changes, articulated a sense of grief experienced among her colleagues: “There’s this sense of grief amongst many employees, missing what their jobs once were, missing the fulfilment, and I’m no different.” She continued, saying that it’s been harder to trust management over time with the increased and more constant unknown.
“We keep getting these reassurances that one day we’ll be back in the business of designing exhibits, but again, it is really hard to build that trust when you have no evidence otherwise,” – Melis Tokgoz
“I’m somebody who needs a physical workplace. I thrived in the environment at the science centre… but that’s all gone now.”
As conversations go on about plugging the gaps and moving and rebuilding, Paul Kortenaar was hopeful about what’s to come. He announced that a new flagship location is in the works — on Toronto’s waterfront at Ontario Place.
“Planning is underway for our new home at Ontario Place, with a competitive design process for our new flagship location on Toronto’s waterfront,” – Paul Kortenaar
Even with all of this, a good portion of our staff still has doubts about the future. Ellis summed up this sentiment succinctly: “And the science centre is still standing.”
