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Wealthy Toronto area residents are offering to more than a million dollars to keep the Ontario Science Centre open.
The 55-year-old facility was abruptly closed last week after government officials announced that engineers had found structural issues with the roof of the building.
That news arrives amid government plans to relocate the Science Centre to Ontario Place, on the city’s waterfront, but that building is not expected to open until 2028.
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In the meantime, a number of wealthy residents have vowed to help cover the costs to keep the Science Centre open and in its original location.
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Adam McNamara, an Oakville-based tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist, was one of the first to come forward, posting to X on Saturday that he would “personally pay” the cost of the panel remediation cited in the Ministry of Infrastructure engineering report.
That aspect of the repairs is estimated to cost $522,500.
“You keep Science Centre open for children all summer, and I’ll personally pay for the 2024 panel remediation recommended by your engineers,” McNamara posted.
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He later followed up on the post, adding “if lack of money for repairs is truly the only thing keeping OSC closed this summer, my friends and I are happy to help.”
On Sunday, Sabina Vohra-Miller, who co-founded the philanthropic organization Vohra Miller Foundation with her husband and former Shopify executive Craig Miller, pledged a million dollars “if it means the science centre remains where it is permanently.”
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Vohra-Miller tagged other members of an “ex-Shopify collective” to raise funds, including Fahd Ananta, Loren Padelford and Bram Sugarman, who all indicated they would support the initiative.
Shopify was founded in 2004 and made its initial public offering in 2015. The e-commerce platform is estimated to have a market capitalization of approximately $82.85 billion.
Despite the pledges, the engineering report estimates that the total costs of replacing the roof could range from $22 to $40 million, while the province previously said a minimum capital investment of $478 million was required to update the infrastructure and programming requirements of the facility.
Vohra-Miller told CP24 that her goal is to open up dialogue around the closure and see what can be done to reopen the facility, even temporarily.
“The entire city is willing to help,” she said. “There are several other philanthropists within our own Shopify network, but even beyond… Everyone said, ‘We are happy to contribute. We are ready to crowdsource this.’ Let’s do it.”
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