While community leaders and politicians in Toronto continue to discuss the recent decision to close the Ontario Science Centre in that city, it is something that is being watched closely by Sudbury's Science North, the only other official science centre in Ontario.
If you want to get into the nitty-gritty, Sudbury has two official science centres; the main centre on Paris Street by Ramsay Lake, and the affiliated Dynamic Earth, the facility dedicated to earth sciences located at the Big Nickel Park in Sudbury's west end.
The Ontario Science Centre was closed on June 21 when Ontario government officials said an engineering report showed problems with roof tiles that made the building unsafe to occupy. It is possible a new centre will be built and reopened by 2028.
With schools closing and the arrival of summer vacation time, Science North has already expanded its hours, not that that has anything to do with closing the Toronto centre.
It's just this is the time of year when more people and more families have more time to get out to see what Science North has to offer.
Ashley Larose, the chief executive officer at Science North, said Sudbury is already well-known in Southern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). She said in peak seasons, with summertime approaching, Science North has already tracked about a quarter of all its visitors as coming from the GTA.
"So we're already pulling quite healthily from that market. And so usually, and typically, that's a result of the extra marketing efforts that we're doing," said Larose. "We don't market year-round in the GTA, but right now for example, as we normally do we have a billboard on the Gardiner (Expressway)."
She said stepping up summertime marketing in the GTA has been a normal thing in the past and will continue. That marketing effort isn’t just about getting southerners to visit Science North though, Larose adde, "but come up and see everything that Sudbury has to offer. So we've done that for a long time.
Larose said it is likely one of the reasons why a lot of Toronto-area visitors have been to Science North and it may be bringing more this summer.
"We are seeing good pulls from the GTA and there very well may be an additional uptick," said Larose. She said part of the marketing was done to let people know Ontario has another science centre. Another plus she said is that anyone who is a member of a science centre has access to any other Canadian science centre.
"So folks who are members of the Ontario Science Center can already come here for free. And so we are anticipating possibly an uptick of that as well," said Larose.
"But we're not marketing that directly. It's just something that typically if you're a member, you already know that. So as part of that reciprocal agreement, we may see an uptick, but again, we're not doing any targeted marketing."
She said the main message during the summer is not specifically to visit Science North per se, but more in terms of being part of the overall message of inviting people to see what this part of Northern Ontario has to offer.
"And make sure that people understand it's really worth coming up here; there's so much to do, and really focus on that message," said Larose.
Larose added that this doesn't even begin to spell out the importance of science centres to the wider community.
"And we like to think of science centers supporting three different spheres, or three different parts of the community. And one of those, of course, is tourism. And that speaks for itself," she said.
"The other is being a community driver, you know, we bring people together," said Larose. She said things such as Canada Day, National Indigenous Peoples day, and other local celebrations have allowed Science North to become a community hub.
"And the third sphere is, of course, the educational sector and the importance that we play in making sure that our community and in all of Northern Ontario, that we're supporting science literacy; making sure people understand the importance of science, their role in it, how it impacts their daily life, and why they should care about it," she said.
Larose also remarked that despite the suddenness of the shutdown of the science centre in Toronto, she said there is nothing to indicate anything so sudden would happen at Science North.
"It was an infrastructure decision at the Ontario Science Center and so it's important for us that our community understands that shouldn't be their concern; that our buildings are in good shape. We don't have any of the (roof) panels that the Ontario Science Center did that are causing them some challenges," said Larose.
She said Science North still relies on community support but not for any structural reasons. She said Science North has been happy to serve for the past 40 years.
"We're ready to enjoy another great 40 years in this community."
Len Gillis is a reporter for Sudbury.com.