Auditor General Report says Ontario Science Centre Relocation Decision Not Fully Informed
The Office of the Auditor General of Ontario recently issued a report about the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto and Science North in Sudbury struggling with financial sustainability issues and declining attendance.
On December 6, acting auditor general Nick Stavropoulos said that the government made decisions about the Ontario Science Centre’s move to Ontario Place with “preliminary and incomplete cost information” as well as insufficient input from key stakeholders.
“The province’s science centres are both facing their own challenges,” said Stavropoulos. “But decisionmakers were not fully informed when planning for the future of the Ontario Science Centre — this is critically important for all decisions going forward.”
While the Province of Ontario has been assessing the Ontario Science Centre’s move to Ontario Place since 2016, the auditor general report noted that the information provided to support the decision did not include a complete list of costs for a comparison of relocating versus remaining at the same location.
The report also noted that the financing transaction and legal costs for the construction of the new science centre projected under the public private partnership (P3) model, or similar costs associated with staying at the current location, were not included. Incremental parking costs for the relocation were also not included.
The audit also found that consultations with key stakeholders, including the centre’s landowners, were lacking, that the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority was not consulted, and that discussions with the City of Toronto were limited.
Additionally, large school boards within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) that would be directly impacted were also not consulted.
The report noted that Ontario Science Centre’s current facility requires $370 million in deferred maintenance and repairs. Additionally, the pedestrian bridge connecting the main entrance to exhibits is now closed due to major structural problems. In fiscal 2022/23, the centre had spent $2.4 million to shuttle visitors by bus from the parking lot to an alternative entrance, seriously impacting visitor experience, according to the report.
The audit highlighted that Science North embarked on an expensive expansion plan that was not backed up by sound financial planning and other key information. It also said that the cost of its model mine project went from $5 million in 2020 to $15 million by 2023 due to excavation and construction cost increases resulting from poor project management.
“Science centres are vitally important to spark interest in scientific discovery and also for the positive impacts scientific knowledge can provide for Ontario and its economy. To ensure Ontario is well placed to benefit, key decisions about these facilities should be made with the best information possible,” concluded Stavropoulos in the audit.
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