Chronic problems with a leaky roof at the Science and Technology Museum became a crisis this fall.
New documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen show the extent of the damage, and the level of concern from museum management for the safety of exhibits and employees.
In a memo, obtained by the Citizen under Access to Information law, a senior employee warns the whole structure could cave in this winter after a heavy snowfall.
“The roof is now officially collapsing, “ CEO Alex Benay wrote in one email.
The federal government announced it is investing more than $80 million to fix the building, but the opposition is suggesting much more should have been done sooner.
The government’s plan is to “scotch tape the museum back together”, said David McGuinty, Liberal MP for Ottawa South.
NDP MP Paul Dewar said, “I’m just glad the roof didn’t collapse when there were people there”.
The internal documents also describe staff scrambling to move exhibits to the last remaining dry spots in the museum, only to have that part of the roof start leaking too.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson has complained publicly that the Federal government decided on its’ own to spend $80 million dollars renovating an “old bakery” that is clearly falling down, without any consultation with the city.
