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Arushi Nath, Grade 9 Student

Most school students may be too young to vote. But we have a voice and we use it to protect our interests.

The decision of Ontario Government to destroy the existing Ontario Science Centre at the Don Mills road and replace it with a 50% smaller Centre atop a parking garage at the Ontario Place is a wrong one. With half the programming, absence of immersive exhibits such as the planetarium and tropical rainforest, and reduced staff does not protect the interest of young people.

Students account for 25% of the visitors, with over 100,000 school children from around the province visiting the Ontario Science Centre each year. Yet, the Ontario Government chose to exclude us by not consulting us. The Ontario Science Centre is one of our country’s best-performing assets, producing intergenerational returns for the past 50 years. Ask any doctor, scientist, engineer, or astronaut in Ontario, and they will have their Ontario Science Centre stories to share. There is a bit of Ontario Science Centre in everyone’s lives. And yet, the Government has chosen to underinvest in it.

As Ontario’s population grows and more immigrant families and young kids call Ontario home, we need to expand our Ontario Science Centre. We need to build more science centres, expand their activities, and invest in them so that we can inspire the next generation.

It was wonderful listening to all the amazing community speakers including politicians from the across all party lines (representing Councillors, Members of Provincial Parliament and Members of Parliament) who are asking the Ontario Government to reverse its decision of destroying the Ontario Science Centre and instead invest in it to make it bigger and better.

Here is the text of my speech I gave at the community rally organised by the Save the Ontario Science Centre group (sign the petition on their website) in the East end of the city at the Lynn Park near Danforth avenue and Woodbine park on 3 March 2024. Over a 100 people from the community and beyond joined the rally. It was a festive event with music, posters, chants, whistles and lots of kids and their parents. So many of us had an opportunity to share our experiences and visions of the Ontario Science Centre.

Ontario Science Centre: Ours to Discover, Not to Destroy

Hello, Bonjour, I hope you are well. J’espère que vous allez bien.

I am Arushi. I am a Grade 9 student from Toronto, Canada..

I am a member of the Ontario Science Centre.

My father first bought a family pass to the Ontario Science Centre when he immigrated to Canada 14 years ago. Combined with the weekend family pass of the TTC, it was a great deal that allowed us to visit the Ontario Science Centre repeatedly. I remember my Dad taking us to the Ontario Science Centre on Saturdays, and sometimes again on Sundays.

It felt like coming to my home – a safe place where I belonged. Every visit was a full-day visit. I knew all the right places to go – the planetarium for the astronomy shows, the Van De Graaff Generator for hair-raising displays, the pulleys to lift heavy loads with my finger, the tropical garden with butterflies, and the kids’ play area.

I loved meeting the friendly Ontario Science Centre staff, wearing white coats with science puzzles in their hands, interacting with children, and answering their questions. It was the only place I knew where asking great questions was rewarded and celebrated rather than just knowing the answer.

It set me into the path of following my curiosity and I developed a love for astronomy. Ontario Science Center is the place where I met my first astronaut. The place where I met a Nobel prize winner. The place where I learned about the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. The place where I realized women can be scientists, engineers and astronauts. It’s the place I learned it’s okay to be excited and passionate about science.

I started creating my own science projects and presenting them in science fairs. Each year, my projects would grow more and more complex, as I learned new skills. I was able to win the top award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair twice in both 2022 and 2023 for my project on asteroids and planetary defense. As a result I was able to represent Canada internationally at the 2023 EU Contest For Young Scientists (EUCYS) held in Brussels, Belgium where I won the second prize. A big credit for this goes to the Ontario Science Center which kept my passion for science, curiousity, and asking questions alive.

Students make up 25% of the visitors at the Ontario Science Centre, but the Government did not choose to consult the kids, students, teachers, and school boards. Every school year, I have visited the science centre, be it for geology class, physics class, or just a fun outing. Trips to the science centre are what brought us together. I have attended birthday parties, slept overnight, had play dates, and even spoken at the Ontario Science Centre. I am aghast that any government would ever consider demolishing our Ontario Science Centre. You do not destroy an intergenerational public asset to justify destroying another intergenerational asset, the Ontario Place.

My heart goes out to the growing number of immigrant families moving to Canada and Toronto. Their kids need to experience what I experienced and how the Ontario Science Centre shaped my life. To meet the growing need, we need to open more science centres in every part of this growing city. We need to fund them, invest in them because they will turn these kids and students into future engineers, doctors, astronauts, and even good policymakers.

The fight to save our public spaces and public goods is worth fighting for. I am writing letters to editors, signing petitions, meeting local, provincial and federal policymakers, sharing information with my classmates and science fair participants, and joining protests. I am confident we can win this fight and make the Ontario Government reverse its misguided decision. I urge you all to keep protesting and thank you for supporting the future and vision of young people.

Thank you.

Arushi