PhD candidate Chloe Sher and Associate Professor Caroline Fusco recently contributed an article to The Conversation in which they weigh in on the debate surrounding the fate of the Ontario Science Centre. We share an excerpt of the article below.
In June, Ontario Premier Doug Ford abruptly announced that the Ontario Science Centre was closing permanently after engineers found structural issues with the building’s roof.
The closure sparked public outcry, as well as skepticism about the reasons behind it. In April 2023, Ford said the Science Centre would be moving to Ontario Place. However, in December, Ontario’s auditor general said that the province’s case for moving the science centre was “missing key information.”
We are not advocating for the Ontario Science Centre to close, however, as things stand, it seems unlikely it will be reopened at its current site. That raises the question: what should be built on the original site?
As researchers who study physical activity participation and inequities, we contend that the site is ideal for a multi-purpose, state-of-the-art sports complex.
Here are several reasons why.