Science North is looking to have a strong presence in northwestern Ontario.
The agency that promotes science to people of all ages is planning for a permanent location in Thunder Bay and the expansion of one in Kenora.
The Minister Responsible for FedNor, Patty Hadju, says FedNor will kick in one million dollars to help.
“It’s a plan Science North has been working on for the last five years. Now they’re at the point of selecting the locations and working on the plans about what those eventual sites will look like,” says Hadju.
The province announced a commitment of one million dollars through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund in April.
Science North now occupies a small downtown office in Thunder Bay, bringing its exhibits and educational programs across northern Ontario.
Over the last few years, Science North has been conducting consultations where the new building could be built, with its first choice being the former Pool 6 location on the waterfront.
That should wrap up by 2023 and hopefully have construction completed within the next five years.
Senior Scientist Emily Kerton says they are already looking at what the new building may look like and contain.
“We’re actually thinking about what those exhibits could be. So we’re in the process of figuring that out. I think that what I would like to see are really interactive exhibits for people of all ages where they can move their bodies physically as well as learn as they’re moving,” says Kerton.
With a permanent location, Science North expects to have at least 80,000 people come through its eventual doors each year.
The Kenora project is a 4,000-square-foot expansion of the Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre.
“The Kenora project, we hope, will move in concert with the Thunder Bay project. It’s a bit of a smaller project, but the visitor experience within will have really similar experiences to Thunder bays. So it’s important that they kind of grow together,” says Kerton.
(With files from Katie Nicholls/99.9 The Bay and Tim Davidson 89.5 The Lake)
