Poll: Most Ontarians want the Ontario Science Centre to re-open and remain where it is

TORONTO, Sept. 5, 2024 /CNW/ - The message from Ontarians is loud and clear: The Ontario Science Centre should stay where it is in Don Mills. A new poll commissioned by OPSEU/SEFPO Local 549 found that a substantial majority (72%) of Ontarians in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area want the Science Centre's current building to be reopened immediately and repaired, citing it as in the best interest of all Ontarians.

"We've known all along that the people of Ontario were not on board with Doug Ford's closure of the Ontario Science Centre in June, nor his costly plan to relocate the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place," said JP Hornick, OPSEU/SEFPO President. "Families, teachers and communities have been protesting, writing, calling and emailing the Premier demanding that he reverse his decision."

The results of the poll are consistent across demographics including age, gender, and location: relocating the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place is the wrong move.

• Nearly 8 out of 10 (78%) Ontarians from the GTHA say they do NOT believe that Premier Ford and his government are putting Ontario's best interests first by closing the Ontario Science Centre immediately and moving it to Ontario Place in 2028, including:
  • 93% of Ontario NDP voters
  • 90% of Ontario Liberal voters
  • 50% of PC voters.
• The vast majority of respondents (86%) are concerned about the cost of building a new Science Centre at the redeveloped Ontario Place.
• Most respondents (76%) are concerned about the loss of a cultural and educational institution in neighbouring Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park communities, where most residents are racialized and immigrants.

"As scientists, those of us who work at the Ontario Science Centre believe in data," said Martin Fischer, President of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 549, which represents staff at the centre. "Now, we have hard data that shows that most Ontarians who live in the GTHA want the Science Centre to stay open in its current location, and so do our members."

The Ford government closed the Ontario Science Centre without warning on June 21, 2024, claiming that the state of the repair of the roof was too dangerous to stay open in case of heavy rains or snowfall. However, neither of the two engineering reports commissioned by the Ford government recommended shutting down the Science Centre - they recommended immediate repairs to the building.

Further, there have been hundreds of staff working inside the building since it was shut down to the public, including during a record torrential rainfall that flooded the city on July 16, 2024, contradicting the Ford government's claims that the building is unsafe.

"Ford's plan to move the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario Place was never about safety or about what's best for the people of Ontario," said Hornick. "Ford is focused on helping a wealthy foreign company build a spa on the waterfront; meanwhile, families and kids had their summer plans torn apart by the closure of the Science Centre and now, as a new school year begins thousands of students will miss out on field trips and other learning opportunities at the Centre throughout the year."

"A democratic government must listen to the people and the evidence. Reinvest in the current Ontario Science Centre and reopen it!" added Fischer.

Complete polling data is available upon request.

Survey Methodology:
These findings are from a survey commissioned by OPSEU/SEFPO Local 549 from August 12th to August 16th, 2024, among a representative sample of 1,003 online Canadian adults who reside in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area (GTHA) and are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

SOURCE Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/SEFPO)

Media Contact: Ahmar Khan, OPSEU/SEFPO Communications Officer, [416-802-8121], [email protected]