Canada’s Science and Technology Museum is due for an overhaul, but it will instead be getting nothing more than a facelift.
The federal government has shut the museum down until 2017, while it performs refurbishments slated to cost $80.5 million.
How much of this $80.5 million will actually be spent on improving the museum, rather than assuring the building is up to code, is unclear. Recent reports have shown that the roof was considered to be ‘officially’ collapsing more than a year ago, and that asbestos and mold are serious issues in the building.
As the decrepit, remote building closed down two months ago, a great deal of speculation over whether or not the museum should simply relocate became a topic of great speculation.
This speculation was warranted, as was the disappointment following the decision to refurbish the current structure, rather than simply replace it. The issues with the Science and Technology Museum extend far beyond the mold, trace asbestos, and collapsing roof.
Simply put, the museum, located on St. Laurent Boulevard just south of the Queensway, is in the middle of an industrial park. This is no place for a national museum, let alone one of such great significance to Canadians.
The LeBreton Flats, meanwhile, provides the perfect location.
The flats are receiving a massive overhaul in development in the coming years, as the National Capital Commission has officially issued a call for development proposals from private firms. It is centrally located, heavily trafficked, and already boasts the incredibly successful War Museum.
Despite this, an entirely new building in a more central location would have ran the government far more than $80.5 million, even if the NCC gave the museum a generous deal on land.
Yet when tens of millions are being spent to repair a decrepit building in an already poor location, the option of simply relocating seems a much more logical solution.
A museum showcasing Canada’s advancements in the field of science and technology, which are numerous, is not something that should be downplayed or taken lightly. Ideally, this museum would carry the same notoriety as the National Art Gallery, the National Museum of Nature, or any other major museum, the vast majority of which are located in a central location in Ottawa.
It is an embarrassment not just for the City of Ottawa, but for the entire country, that Canada’s achievements in the world of science should be kept hidden beside shipping depots and the headquarters of cab companies.
However, after an $80.5 million investment into the current location, there is little reason to expect such a move to happen in the foreseeable future.
Nonetheless, this decision is sure to go down as one of the great missed opportunities in Ottawa’s history, as the Canada Museum of Science and Technology will continue to be obscured by its abysmal location.