Save the Ontario Science Centre: Ours to Make Discoveries, Not to Destroy

Arushi Nath, Grade 9 Student, Toronto

*Speaking at the Save Ontario Science Centre Rally*

Childhood comes only once, and some of the most memorable joys are visits to places where children are welcomed, entertained, and inspired. The Ontario Science Centre has been such a place, igniting curiosity and wonder in young minds for generations. it have been a gateway to discovery, a place where children with families or on school trips return repeatedly, each visit fostering a love for science and learning.

The Ontario Science Centre, designed by Japanese-Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama and opened in 1969, has been permanently closed by the Ontario Government. It is a direct consequence of its willful neglect and underfunding that meant deterioration of certain roof panels along with other issues, with the risk of potential roof panel failure. There is a danger that this vital institution be lost forever robbing hundreds of thousands of children of their childhood joys.

I recall January 24, 2019, when the Ontario Science Centre celebrated its 50th anniversary. My brother and I were honored to speak at the event, sharing our experiences with the Centre’s significant role in our journey through science, space, and making. We were joined by Elizabeth Dowdeswell, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and Michael Tibollo, the Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Sport. In our speech titled “Dare to Dream Big,” we mentioned we are glad we walked a small part of your 50 years journey and we look forward to an exciting journey ahead. Little did we know that the Ontario Government would cut this journey so short.

The proposed plan of the Government to demolish the iconic building and replace it with a 50% smaller building without a planetarium, butterfly garden, and stripped down science programming atop a parking garage by destroying another iconic place, the Ontario Place is worrisome. The Government fails to understand the public and intergenerational role of the science centre in lives of kids and reduces it to a mere tourist attraction like a spa or a casino.

We need to put pressure on the Ontario Government to repair, reinvest and reinvigorate the Ontario Science Centre and preserve its role. A rally was organised on 23 June 2024 (Sunday) at Wells Hill Park, St. Clair West, Toronto by the Save Ontario Science Centre group.

Arushi with her brother Artash with the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable Michael Tibollo, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, and Maurice Bitran, CEO of the Ontario Science Centre. They were invited speakers at the Ontario Science Centre 50 years celebration on 24 January 2019 and gave the speech “Dare to Dream Big”.

I was honored to be one of the speakers alongside others kids and adults who benefited from the Ontario Science Centre and see the value of keeping it open. The complete text of the speech is given below.

*Joining Other Students and Children Protesting Against Ontario Science Centre Closure*

Actions You Can Take: Sign the Petition

We need your help to send a message that Ontarians care about the Ontario Science Centre. Send a message to the Premier, provincial Ministers of Infrastructure and Tourism, Members of Provincial Parliament, and the City of Toronto’s Mayor and City Councillors today. Demand that proper investments are made in the Ontario Science Centre so that it continues to be a world class educational institution that Ontarians can be proud of and enjoy for decades to come.

https://act.newmode.net/action/evidence-democracy/save-ontarios-science-centre

*Over 200 People Gathered for the Save Ontario Science Centre Rally*

Ontario Science Centre: Ours to Make Discoveries Not to Destroy

Hello, Bonjour, I hope you are well. J’espère que vous allez bien.
I am Arushi, a Grade 9 student from Toronto, Canada.

My family has been a member of the Ontario Science Centre since I was born. My Dad bought a family pass to the Ontario Science Centre when we immigrated to Canada 14 years ago. I remember my Dad combining it with the TTC weekend pass to bring us to the Ontario Science Centre on Saturdays, and sometimes again on Sundays.

It felt like coming home – a welcoming place where kids belonged. I knew all the right places to go: the bridge with rocks of different ages, the planetarium for the astronomy shows, the Van De Graaff Generator for hair-raising displays, the tropical garden with butterflies, the kids’ play area,

I loved meeting the friendly Ontario Science Centre staff, wearing white coats with science puzzles in their hands, interacting with kids and answering their questions. It was a place where asking great questions was celebrated as much as knowing the answers.

There are Ontario Science Centre memories in everyone’s lives. For me, it is the place where I met my first astronaut, met a Nobel Prize winner, watched through a telescope, and learned about the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. It’s where I realized women can be scientists, engineers, and astronauts. It’s where 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 grew more complex as I learned new skills. I ended up winning the top award at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in 2022 and 2023 for my project on detecting and deflecting asteroids. I proudly represented Canada internationally at the 2023 European Union Contest For Young Scientists in Belgium, where I won the second prize. A big credit goes to the Ontario Science Centre for keeping my passion for science and curiosity alive.

I find it unbelievable that our provincial government is permanently closing the Science Centre and robbing children of their science, curiosity, and childhood joys. Students make up 25% of the Ontario Science Centre users, but the Ontario Government never consulted us, our families, teachers, and the school boards who are directly impacted. The Government was determined to destroy the Ontario Science Centre, an intergenerational public asset, to justify destroying another intergenerational asset, the Ontario Place.

*Need to Protect Public Places: Our Ontario Science Centre*

My heart goes out to the growing number of kids and families in Ontario. These kids need to experience the Ontario Science Centre as I did. We need to open more science centres and invest in and take care of existing ones, as they turn these kids into future engineers, doctors, artists, astronauts, and even good policymakers.

Instead, the provincial government chose to neglect and underfund the Ontario Science Centre, and now it stands fenced off and permanently closed.

The fight to save our public spaces and public goods is worth fighting for. I cannot vote, but I have a voice. I am writing letters to editors, meeting local, provincial, and federal policymakers, signing petitions, using social media to organize classmates and science fair participants, and joining protests. And I am waiting to become of voting age so that I can cast my vote against those who vote against science and the future.

I am confident we can win this fight and make the Ontario Government reverse its misguided decision, reinvest, and reopen the Ontario Science Centre. Ontario Science Centre is ours to Make Discoveries Not to Destroy. I urge everyone to keep protesting, keep organizing, and to step out and vote during elections to support the future of young people in this province.

Thank you.

Sign the petition to protest against closure of the Ontario Science Centre: https://act.newmode.net/action/evidence-democracy/save-ontarios-science-centre