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Ontario Science Centre

Coolibop said:
Am I reading this correctly that for ~25MM over a few years (understanding these are only parts and labour costs) to be fixed by Oct 31 we could keep going?

They are estimating roughly 5-6 percent of the roof across all three buildings are critical/high risk?

Doesn't immediately sound like we have to shutter it completely?

Obviously there is lost revenue, but looking for another temporary location for several years is going to cost less to? Curious.
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Yea those numbers are not big at all. doesnt look right. That report reads as "well we tried we cant save it"
The engineers only say that repairs must be done by October 31. Even a few months shutdown to keep it alive would be possible.
cant say im suprised knowing ford
 
The Ontario Science Centre is also exploring opportunities for alternative programming, such as mobile, pop-up experiences and virtual.
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If they were still planning to have guest speakers and presentations,
https://urbantoronto.ca/forum/threads/space-exploration-news.30608/post-2007829
maybe something could be worked out to occasionally use some of the smaller performing arts centres in the GTA?
The North York one has four theatres of different sizes, and an art gallery type of exhibit space.

TOLive Portal

tolive.com tolive.com
Some of those buildings at Exhibition Place don't seem to get used much outside of the CNE, although I don't think they're intended to be used in the winter.
 
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Give it the spectacular home it deserves at the foot of Yonge.

Zaha Hadid Architects agreed to tweak their Chengdu science (fiction) museum for T-Dot. This one would float rather than lake infill. 🙃

09204022-2_cover_1371x1144.jpg

Zaha Hadid Architects
 
A lot of people are offering the hackneyed "condos" alibi for what's being done here (which doesn't make sense as it's conservation land and hence off-limits)--I think this is more of an "owning" gesture on Doug's part. He knows there's all those namby-pamby Brutalist hysterical types wanting to save the place and eager to clamp down the designation; and he knows that any such gesture's likely to pass at City Council. But he also knows that most people don't give two hoots about who Raymond Moriyama is; the thing is, the place is old, it's falling apart, it's "dated", and that's all that matters.

So condemn it and close it, on a note of "that's it, no more". And you can be sure that he'll try to get the wreckers in there as soon as possible, in the name of "Doug Ford gets things done"; and nyaah nyaah, hysterical preservationists, you can't do nuttin', the place is gone...
 
Coolibop said:
Doesn't immediately sound like we have to shutter it completely?
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True, but it's a government building, if part of the roof did suddenly collapse, someone was injured/killed, and it was found they knew about the condition of the roof and had kept the building open, it would be a massive scandal. Simplest reason why it was immediately closed, avoiding any potential risk/liability. Almost certainly an NDP or Liberal government would also have announced at least a temporary closure based on this report. It also sounds like the repairs require the facility to be vacant (again probably for safety reasons) for work to occur, which is why it wasn't just certain parts of the building that were shut.

Now if it was the NDP or Liberals I'd assume they'd try and fix the roof, but I'm much less convinced of that with this government unfortunately.
 
TossYourJacket said:
True, but it's a government building, if part of the roof did suddenly collapse, someone was injured/killed, and it was found they knew about the condition of the roof and had kept the building open, it would be a massive scandal. Simplest reason why it was immediately closed, avoiding any potential risk/liability. Almost certainly an NDP or Liberal government would also have announced at least a temporary closure based on this report. It also sounds like the repairs require the facility to be vacant (again probably for safety reasons) for work to occur, which is why it wasn't just certain parts of the building that were shut.

Now if it was the NDP or Liberals I'd assume they'd try and fix the roof, but I'm much less convinced of that with this government unfortunately.
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I think anyone would close it if they found out. The problem is that the conservatives have been in charge for a few years now. Why hasn’t it had the maintenance it needed.
 
adma said:
A lot of people are offering the hackneyed "condos" alibi for what's being done here (which doesn't make sense as it's conservation land and hence off-limits)--I think this is more of an "owning" gesture on Doug's part. He knows there's all those namby-pamby Brutalist hysterical types wanting to save the place and eager to clamp down the designation; and he knows that any such gesture's likely to pass at City Council. But he also knows that most people don't give two hoots about who Raymond Moriyama is; the thing is, the place is old, it's falling apart, it's "dated", and that's all that matters.

So condemn it and close it, on a note of "that's it, no more". And you can be sure that he'll try to get the wreckers in there as soon as possible, in the name of "Doug Ford gets things done"; and nyaah nyaah, hysterical preservationists, you can't do nuttin', the place is gone...
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While id agree for the most part, the only thing id take exception with would be the idea that he wants to demolish it.

I think he wouldnt care what happens to it, just that the science center as we know it moves to Ontario Place. Hes said in the past "i dont care what gets built there, condos schools, more museums by the city."
Condos, museums, parks, he doesnt care, not his problem anymore.
 
TossYourJacket said:
True, but it's a government building, if part of the roof did suddenly collapse, someone was injured/killed, and it was found they knew about the condition of the roof and had kept the building open, it would be a massive scandal. Simplest reason why it was immediately closed, avoiding any potential risk/liability. Almost certainly an NDP or Liberal government would also have announced at least a temporary closure based on this report. It also sounds like the repairs require the facility to be vacant (again probably for safety reasons) for work to occur, which is why it wasn't just certain parts of the building that were shut.

Now if it was the NDP or Liberals I'd assume they'd try and fix the roof, but I'm much less convinced of that with this government unfortunately.
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sixrings said:
I think anyone would close it if they found out. The problem is that the conservatives have been in charge for a few years now. Why hasn’t it had the maintenance it needed.
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I did link directly to the Engineering Report.

It clearly states they do not envision any serious risk to the public prior to October 31st. The magic of that date, by the way, is the slight, but real risk of snow, and therefore snow load on some sections of roof.

However, when one looks at the report, it's only a very small portion of the roof system that is of high/critical concern, something in the range of 5-7% of the overall complex. The report does not suggest closing the building it suggests rehabbing the affected sections of roof and placing construction-grade hoarding around affected zones.

The 1-year out cost of essential repairs through the end of 2024 is just over 7M.

****

Don't just read lazy media script, read the underlying documents.
 
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generalcanada said:
While id agree for the most part, the only thing id take exception with would be the idea that he wants to demolish it.

I think he wouldnt care what happens to it, just that the science center as we know it moves to Ontario Place. Hes said in the past "i dont care what gets built there, condos schools, more museums by the city."
Condos, museums, parks, he doesnt care, not his problem anymore.
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In a funny way, I *can* see him opting to demolish in the name of shutting those yappers up once and for all. Like he was forced into this option. And whether on behalf of condos, schools, museums, parks, etc, he knows that a clean slate is optimum. "Do it", rather than dragging feet--and he "knows" that if the OSC just sat there as a mouldering abandoned hulk, the province would "wear it" even worse than if they simply cleared the site. Same reason why whatever its merits, an abandoned 50s house in the Bridle Path is an undesirable eyesore--clear it away so a Drake can build his McMansion, and it's all *sooo* much better.

In effect, this gesture is Doug Ford's version of Mayor Richard M. Daley's midnight bulldozing of the runway at Meigs Field.
 
Not that it means much given how expropriation-happy this government is, but it is worth noting the land the Science Centre is on belongs to the City and the TRCA. The province only leases it, with the lease saying it's to be used for a Science Centre. So either any redevelopment requires either expropriation, or the renegotiation of the lease.
 
...I think it's one of those deals where Doug gave that to The City knowing they probably don't have the budget to repair/maintain it, so it will all look bad on them when they're forced to pull it down. Also see: Given a terminally ill white elephant. /sigh
 
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