Ontario Science Centre abruptly closes due to high-risk structural issues

The Ontario Science Centre will be closed at the end of the day Friday after engineers found structural issues with the roof.

The news from provincial infrastructure officials comes amid plans from the government to move the science centre from its current home in east Toronto to a new location at Ontario Place on the city’s waterfront, but that isn’t slated to be open until 2028.

A business case released last year by the government found that the current building is facing $369 million in deferred and critical maintenance needs over the next 20 years, and the auditor general has said a lack of government funding is a key cause.

Now, an engineering report has found that there are a number of roof panels “in a distressed, high-risk condition” that could fail under the weight of snow this winter.

The engineering firm Rinkus Consulting Group says fully negating the risk would require replacing each of that type of roof panel at a cost of between $22 million and $40 million and that would take two or more years to complete with the facility closed.

“The latest engineering assessment shows that the roof structure in parts of the facility was built using construction materials and systems that are now outdated and that certain roof panels are deteriorating,” the province said of the closure.

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Summer camps had been set to start at the science centre in a little over two weeks and the government says it has identified a nearby school that can be used as an alternative location, but all participants will get full refunds within 30 days, the province says.

Previously scheduled private events will be permitted to occur over the weekend, but the centre has closed to the public.

Infrastructure Ontario is issuing a request for proposals on Monday to try to find a temporary science centre location until the new one at Ontario Place opens.

Ontario awarded nearly $1 million in contracts to various companies to write a business case on moving the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place on Toronto’s waterfront.

A report found that relocating the science centre from its current location to Ontario Place would save about $250 million over 50 years — largely because the new building will be half the size.

The current science centre building is facing $369 million in deferred and critical maintenance needs over the next 20 years, and a report from Ontario’s auditor general found a lack of government funding as a key cause.

– With files from Insauga.com