The planned opening of the new Ontario Science Centre at Ontario Place has been pushed back to 2029, according to infrastructure officials. This delay comes after the original opening date of 2028 was announced and later revised to 'as early as' 2028. The delay has sparked concerns from science education advocates who worry about the impact on children's access to world-class science learning.
TORONTO — The timeline for opening a permanent new Ontario Science Centre appears to have been delayed, with infrastructure officials telling the auditor general's office the centre is expected to be up and running in 2029. When Premier Doug Ford announced last year the planned move for the attraction, from its east Toronto location to a redeveloped Ontario Place on the city's waterfront, the science centre said the new facility would open in 2028.
In June, when the government announced the abrupt closure of the science centre over structural concerns with the roof, its press release said the Ontario Place facility would open'as early as' 2028. Now, according to a report earlier this month from Ontario's auditor general Shelley Spence on the Ontario Place redevelopment,'the new building is expected to open in 2029.' That information was provided to the auditor general's office by Infrastructure Ontario, a spokesperson for the auditor said. Jason Ash, co-chair of the group Save Ontario's Science Centre, said it's a shame that there will be no permanent Ontario Science Centre for at least an extra year. 'It's really a whole generation of Ontario children who are not going to have access to world-class science education that the Ontario Science Centre has provided for 55 years,' he said. 'Simply put, the Ontario Science Centre was unique in that the majority of its business actually came from Ontarians, with tourism coming in second place. So Ontario kids aren't being served and tourists are not going to get a great experience either in the meantime.' Two requests for comment from Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma went unanswered, with a spokesperson ultimately replying to a third by saying she would not be responding. 'Due to the request submitted by the Leader of the Official Opposition to the Integrity Commissioner on October 16th, 2024, Minister Kinga Surma has been asked not to comment and will respect the process at this time,' Ash Milton wrot
Ontario Science Centre Ontario Place Redevelopment Delay Science Education
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