Updates

NDP will make repairs and open the Science Centre

“Everyone sees through this”:

Ontario NDP on Science Centre closure update

TORONTO – MPP Jill Andrew (Toronto – St. Paul’s), NDP critic for Culture and Heritage, released the following statement after Ford gave an update on the abrupt Ontario Science Centre (OSC) closure:

“You only need to look at the letters written to save the Science Centre, with nearly 80,000 sent and climbing, to know that Ontarians care deeply about this important cultural institution.

With every new update, it seems like Ford is cherry-picking numbers to suit his own scheme to build a private mega spa. What about the kids who had summer camps or special semesters cancelled? What about the families of Flemingdon Park and Thorncliffe Park, who rely on the centre for day trips and summer learning? Who’s looking out for them?

Everyone sees through this. The abrupt closure of the Science Centre could have been avoided –especially if Doug Ford and his politicians had just invested in it all along. An NDP government would make the necessary repairs to revive the Science Centre and keep it where it is”.

Background

  • An analysis of Ford’s own initial report suggests that Ford’ numbers are being cherry-picked to suit his own purposes
  • The PCs have been claiming both $478 million and $369 million as the cost to repair OSC
    • Some costs in these figures appear to have been double-counted
    • These numbers also include cosmetic ‘nice to have’ renovations, far beyond critical repairs needed to keep the building open.
  • Actual cost could be as low as $24 million, for priority repairs
  • It seems the PCs have maximized the theoretical costs of repair for the current OSC and minimized the cost the build a new one. Their own report didn’t even recommend closure.

Repair the Science Centre!

Marit Stiles: Just repair the existing Science Centre!

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles responded to Infrastructure Ontario posting a “Request for Proposal” for an interim Science Centre:

“No one is buying Ford’s excuses for permanently closing our Science Centre; we all know it’s about sweetening the deal for his luxury spa at Ontario Place.

Now we see the government planning to build an interim Science Centre for a fraction of the size of the original, with unknown costs to the public, and no chance of opening for at least a year.

Just repair the existing Science Centre!

Ford Halts Wastewater Testing

"Have we learned nothing?”

Marit Stiles on the end of Ontario wastewater testing

QUEEN’S PARK – Marit Stiles, Leader of the Ontario NDP, released the following statement in response to Ford halting wastewater testing for COVID-19 and other viruses:

“We all went through a tough time facing COVID-19 and dealing with the impacts of a pandemic and a lockdown. Reliable wastewater testing is one of the tools we have at our disposal to monitor and prepare for future public health emergencies – why would we take that away? Has Ford learned nothing from the past few years? This program needs to be expanded, not ended.”

The Ontario NDP have repeatedly called for a reversal of this decision and have called for the program to be expanded and invested in instead.

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