City inspectors scrambled to respond to Ontario Science Centre shutdown: documents
CTV
On the day that the Ontario Science Centre was abruptly shuttered this summer, a city of Toronto staffer rushed to the building to inspect it – but didn’t mark down any immediate hazards, according to documents obtained by CTV News through a freedom of information request.
On the day that the Ontario Science Centre was abruptly shuttered this summer, a city of Toronto staffer rushed to the building to inspect it – but didn’t mark down any immediate hazards, according to documents obtained by CTV News through a freedom of information request.
Instead, the inspector noted how the “critical” roof panels had already been secured, taking photos of the work that had been done, and visually inspecting the rest of the building, according to the records, which also detail an earlier effort by the Science Centre to fix a part of its roof.
“Critical areas shored as per engineer’s report and no immediate concerns observed based on random sample areas looked at,” wrote Inspector Brett Martin, according to the records.
That was the same day the Science Centre was dramatically shut down with just hours’ notice, with provincial government officials highlighting the potential danger of collapsing roof panels identified in an engineering report.
It turned out that the engineering report they relied on gave other options than closing the building, including cordoning off potentially unsafe areas. Critics, including the firm of the architect who designed the building, have said the building could be saved.
Responding to questions from CTV News in an unrelated news conference Wednesday, Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma said the ministry was putting safety first.
“We knew that children were going to be within the building. We shared that information with the board, and the board made a decision to close the Science Centre down. It’s an unfortunate circumstance but we’re now working with the board on a new science centre and an interim location,” she said.
