The Ontario Science Centre has dismissed 31 employees, as reported by their union.
In a statement sent via email on Thursday, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 549 indicated that 27 permanent positions and four contract roles at the facility were affected. An earlier announcement on their website mentioned that 30 employees were impacted.
The union highlighted that these layoffs have dissolved the centre’s “standalone science unit.”
Scott Clark, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism, stated that the Ontario Science Centre is “implementing changes to effectively and successfully provide science learning experiences” and programming at its temporary location at Harbourfront Centre as well as the forthcoming Ontario Place site.
Clark added in an emailed statement on Thursday that these adjustments will generate 1,000 new jobs, ensuring that there will be “no change” to the programming and educational experiences offered by the centre.
“New positions will be available for some of those affected at both the temporary and permanent locations,” he noted.
Worker calls layoffs ‘utterly puzzling’
Martin Fischer, who was approaching three decades as a science educator at the centre when he learned of his termination, expressed his confusion.
“It’s utterly puzzling. We are in a trade conflict with the United States. We are discussing collaborating and promoting Canadian content. This notion of protecting Canadian content clashes with such a decision,” he commented.
“I genuinely do not understand it. Everyone we knew who grew up in the Greater Toronto Area or even the broader surroundings is familiar with and fond of the science centre.”
The province unexpectedly closed the science centre in east Toronto during the summer of 2024, citing an engineering report that identified issues with the roof. (CBC)
Fischer recounted that his first encounter with a science centre occurred in Switzerland, where he was raised and studied. He worked there part-time and developed a passion for that environment.
Upon immigrating to Canada in 1999, Fischer mentioned that the Ontario Science Centre was the “only establishment to which I applied for a job.”
“That’s my world. That’s where I desire to be,” he stated.
Closure of science centre by province in 2024
In 2024, the province abruptly shut down the science centre located in east Toronto, citing an engineering assessment that uncovered deficiencies in the roof. Critics have questioned this justification, noting that the roof has withstood record snowfall and rainfall over the past two years.
The province had been planning to relocate the science centre to Ontario Place prior to the closure of the original facility. A business case for the move indicated that relocating could mitigate criticisms surrounding another significant aspect of the Ontario Place revitalization: a spa and waterpark developed by the European firm Therme.
The government is currently constructing a new $1 billion science centre at Ontario Place, aiming for completion by 2029.
In a Thursday email, the Ontario Science Centre affirmed that its commitment to providing science education remains unchanged, despite “organizational” changes.
“As we work to enhance the Science Centre’s impact at our interim location, in schools, and in communities while planning for the new Ontario Science Centre at Ontario Place, new roles will be created,” the statement conveyed.
According to Brian Rudy, a partner at Moriyama Teshima Architects, most of the roof panels requiring repair can be addressed through minor interventions. His firm has offered to assist with coordinating these repairs.
Union and advocacy group condemn layoffs
The union representing the science centre’s employees expressed strong disapproval regarding the layoffs.
“How can one have an Ontario Science Centre without a science unit?” asked Raluca Ellis, president of OPSEU Local 549, in a statement shared on the union’s website on Thursday.
“These job losses equate to over 540 years of combined experience being eliminated.”
Jason Ash, co-chair of the advocacy group Save Ontario’s Science Centre, remarked that the layoffs reframe the science centre as merely a “vacation day trip for American tourists” rather than an educational hub for children.
“Without a science department, why is the province even maintaining a science centre?” he questioned in an emailed statement on Thursday.
Ontario’s Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma defended the province’s decision to close the Ontario Science Centre abruptly last week. Surma stated that the centre’s board of directors chose to shut down the facility shortly after the province reviewed an engineering report that highlighted issues with several roof panels. As CBC’s Lorenda Reddekopp reports, the opposition is questioning the necessity of the closure.
Adil Shamji, the Liberal provincial representative for the area where the original science centre was situated, urged the province to rethink the plans for the new centre and restore programming to the previous building.
He described the decision to disband the science department as a “real head scratcher.”
“What is a science centre without its science personnel? It’s akin to a hospital missing doctors and nurses or a fire department without firefighters,” he remarked.