Layoffs reposition Toronto centre as 'vacation day trip for American tourists,' says advocate
The Doug Ford government has announced the elimination of 30 positions at the Ontario Science Centre, reducing its unionized workforce from 166 to 136 employees and scrapping the organization's standalone Science Unit.
Staff were informed Wednesday of the cuts, which the province is describing as "organizational changes," OPSEU/SEFPO reported. Only one of the 30 employees being let go has been offered an alternative permanent position elsewhere in the public service, the union said.
"How can you have an Ontario Science Centre with no Science Unit?" said Raluca Ellis, president of OPSEU/SEFPO Local 549, which represents workers at the centre.
Science centre without science unit
Martin Fischer, a science educator who was nearing his 30th year at the centre when he received notice of his termination, told CBC News the timing makes no sense.
"It's utterly puzzling. We are in a trade war with the United States. We're talking about collaborating and celebrating Canadian-made content. It just doesn't fit together, this idea of protecting Canadian content and then making a decision like that.”
Adil Shamji, the Liberal MPP who represents the area where the original centre was located, called the elimination of the science department "a real head scratcher," CBC News reported. "What is a science centre without its science staff? It's like a hospital without doctors and nurses or a fire department without firefighters.”
Jason Ash, co-chair of the advocacy group Save Ontario's Science Centre, said the layoffs reposition the centre as a "vacation day trip for American tourists" rather than an educational destination for children, according to CBC News. "Without a science department, why is the province bothering to operate a science centre at all?" Ash said in a statement reported by CBC News.
Dedicated to science
A spokesperson for the Ontario Science Centre said the organization is restructuring but that its mission has not changed, and that new roles will be created, according to Global News.
Scott Clark, a spokesperson for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Gaming, echoed that position.
"To be clear, science programming, expertise and exhibits remain embedded across the entire organization. There will be no change to the science programming and other learning experiences delivered by the OSC.”
In a separate emailed statement reported by CBC News, the Ontario Science Centre said its mission to deliver science education remains the same despite the structural changes, and that new roles will be created as it expands its presence at its interim location, in schools and communities, and as it plans for the new facility at Ontario Place.
Layoffs after closure
The cuts land nearly two years after the Ford government abruptly shuttered the Ontario Science Centre's east Toronto building at 770 Don Mills Road in the summer of 2024, citing an engineering report that identified deficiencies with roof panels. According to OPSEU/SEFPO, the affected tiles represented no more than six per cent of the roof and engineers found no immediate danger.
The closure was followed almost immediately by layoffs that Premier Doug Ford had pledged would not happen. More than 50 food service workers were laid off, followed by 28 cleaning staff and the eventual departure of at least 34 directly employed staff whose roles were never replaced.
"I'm tired of the lies from this premier," said OPSEU/SEFPO president JP Hornick. "He lied to the public about the need to close the building and he lied to workers about protecting their jobs."
