This week, the Ontario Science Centre seemed a bit like a fortress, or the temporary detention facilities that popped up in Toronto during the G20 conference in 2010.
Security guards let cars in and out through a new wire gate. Outside, a small group of activists waited to talk to passing journalists.
On the wall of the building, a banner promoted a documentary about sea turtles at the Cinesphere: "Follow the daily life of a beautiful sea turtle named Bungee and all of her largest obstacles."
Anyone who wanted to learn about Bungee, however, faced obstacles of their own in the form of a stout new fence and a series of NO TRESPASSING signs.
What are the rights and wrongs of the Science Centre's abrupt closing last Friday afternoon? As always, it depends who you ask.
Speaking for the provincial government, Infrastructure Minister Kinga Surma pointed to issues with the building's roof, which an engineering report said needed to be dealt with before winter.
“One must remember that this was a warning, a health and safety warning, and as a representative of government, I have to take that seriously,” she said.
Others, working from the engineering report, argued that the closure was overkill.
"(The report) suggests that the building’s key exhibition areas could continue to operate safely for years to come — even if the Ontario government chooses not to invest in any structural roof repairs this year," wrote Elsa Lam in Canadian Architect.
This week in an online poll, we asked what you thought. Just over two-thirds of you disagreed with the decision.
Interestingly, given the Science Centre's location in Toronto, there is no clear regional division of opinion:
And, unusually for our polls, no very strong or clear division based on age:
Not surprisingly, there is a strong division based on the original decision to move the Science Centre to a smaller site on the Toronto waterfront:
People who are open to buying electric vehicles opposed the closure more strongly than those who aren't:
Not surprisingly, there is a very strong partisan division on the issue. It's notable, though, that about half of PC voters disagree with the decision.
Women oppose it much more strongly than men:
University graduates and people with a community college or trade background had similar views, but people with a high school education or less were less inclined to oppose the decision;
And people who said they would rather have a cold but interesting winter than a mild one were more inclined to say the province made the wrong call:
