Doug Ford says repairing science centre would be 'foolish'

Premier Doug Ford called any repairs to the Ontario Science Centre building "foolish," as he addressed the site's closure for the first time Wednesday.

"That place is absolutely just a total mess, from top to bottom, to front to back, to every single building," Ford said at a news conference in Etobicoke Wednesday.

Fixing the building would be "a foolish decision," he said. Ford said he understands that people are "passionate" about the building — but the new science centre will be "modernized."

The premier also said the province will hold a news conference Thursday on the current issues with the science centre building and the upcoming new facility.

Ford's comments come after weeks of public outcry over the abrupt shuttering of the building on June 21 and cancellations of programming, including summer camps at the original building. Those registered were offered an alternative camp for free at a different location.

The province said at the time of the closure that the building's roof is in danger of collapse come winter and pointed to an engineering report it commissioned from Rimkus Consulting Group that outlines repair needs.

That's why it said it moved to close the building now. The building will be emptied out by late October. The science centre will be eventually moved to Ontario Place and an interim location will be found until then, the province said.

However, CBC Toronto spoke to several engineers last month who said the province's messaging and what's in the Rimkus report do not match and the building's closure could have been avoided.

Those experts found that no more than six per cent of the roof panels are "high risk" and at an increased risk of collapsing.

The engineering reports said the high-risk panels would be safe only until Oct. 31 because they might not be able to handle snow.

The reports recommend more support or roof panel replacements for the high-risk panels ahead of the winter.

But Ford doubled down on the government's messaging Wednesday.

He said there are "issues all over" the building and said the building is not safe. "'I'm just not going to chance kids or people to be in there," he said.

Instead, the province will build a "state of the art" facility that will be bigger and more appealing to tourists, he said.

When asked about offers from individuals to pay for the costs of fixing the building, Ford didn't answer the question and instead talked about the new facility.

The province has said repairing and eventually replacing all roof panels — regardless of their risk level — would cost between $22 million and $40 million and would take over two years to complete. 

Ash Milton, a spokesperson for the Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma, told CBC Toronto earlier this month that the full capital investment to fix the building would be $478 million. 

Opposition calls Ford 'irresponsible'

 In response to the premier's comments, Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said Ford's decision-making with the science centre has been "irresponsible."

Closing the building "has left too many kids without summer camp, high school students without a semester at OSC and Ontarians without a beloved institution to visit," she said in an email to CBC Toronto.

"Just this week, Ford blocked an NDP attempt to have his infrastructure minister finally provide the public with much needed answers, which means we're still left with far too many questions about what is going on," she said.

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Ford is "grasping at straws" to justify the science centre shutdown.

"The engineering report that his own government commissioned outlines a clear pathway to repair, restore and reopen the Science Centre at its current Don Valley location," said Schreiner in a news release.

"The premier's story is nothing more than an attempt to prop up his own political interests, and no amount of technical briefings are going to convince Ontarians otherwise," he said.

Professional opinions 'misused' by province: engineer

Yasser Korany, a forensic engineer with KSI Engineering, a firm that examines structures that fail, said he's looked at the Rimkus report in depth and there is no imminent safety concern for the science centre.

He explained that maintenance could be done on the building to extend its life at least another two decades, but the province is choosing not to.

WATCH | Engineer says science centre could remain open: 

Here’s what the Ontario Science Centre engineering reports found

5 months ago

Duration 2:57

Questions have swirled for the past week about why the Ontario Science Centre was suddenly and permanently closed on June 21. But four engineers and architects told CBC’s Bobby Hristova that what's been said about the reports, and what's in the reports, don't match — and closing the building could've been avoided.

"The overreaction is the unjustified ... total closure," he said. "The decision is not really founded on solid professional and technical findings ... the professional opinions have been misused to suit a predetermined direction that the government has decided on."