Canada Science and Technology Museum wants public feedback on new science park
By Idil Mussa, CBC News Posted: Jun 13, 2016
The Canada Science and Technology Museum is hoping to build a world class science park that is accessible year round. This is a rendering of what it could look like. (The Canada Science and Technology Museum)
The Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa is looking for public feedback about the design of its new science park.
The museum has been holding public consultations all month on the redevelopment of its green space. The national facility is hoping to create a world-class park that is accessible for all ages, all year round.
"We have some ideas of what we'd like to see but we want to talk to people in the community about what they want to see. We want it to really be a community hub, so whether that's places to have picnics, or concerts, or places to hang out," said exhibition and interpretation officer Britt Braaten.
The museum is also hoping to create an outdoor space that reflects the exhibits found inside the museum's main building, Bratten said.
"We imagine a very cool playground, like science-inspired, [where] play structures look like atoms or molecules, this sort of thing."
'A vision for the future'
The museum hopes to get as much input as possible from the public about what should go inside the four-hectare green space.
"We're doing consultations for a master plan that's going to allow us to have a vision for the future and then we're going to be able to build this fantastic park," said visitor researcher Gabrielle Trépanier.
Museum employees Britt Braaten, left, and Gabrielle Trépanier, right, helped facilitate a public consultation at the Alta Vista Community Association picnic on Sunday. A number of consultations have been held this month about what a new science park should look like. (CBC)
Ottawa Coun. Jean Cloutier says he supports the idea of creating an accessible space but he doesn't want his community to be on the hook.
"I would like to see something that is interactive. I would like to see something that is of no cost to the community. I would like to see something that is family-oriented. I would also like to see something for seniors," he said.
The project hasn't received any funding to date, but museum officials say the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation Foundation is working on developing a campaign to raise funds, estimated to be between $6 million and $7 million.
The last public consultation of the month is scheduled to take place on June 25 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the museum.
Pakistan's Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said Pakistan has diplomatically engaged numerous countries over the criteria-based approach for the countries that are not signatories to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"If the group forms such a uniform criteria, then Pakistan has stronger credentials for NSG membership than India," he told Dawn News.
Pakistan has bright chances of getting membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on merit, he claimed.
"Our strategy was to apply after India did, after which we would have immediately followed. We have had our application in an advance state of readiness for the past three months for this purpose," Aziz said.
He claimed that Pakistan has gradually gathered support for the criteria-based approach.
"Last week, I telephoned the foreign ministers of Russia, New Zealand and South Korea, who will in future head the NSG, and our viewpoint was that they should support the criteria- based approach and we have gathered support for it, China was already supporting it," Aziz said.
He expressed hope that due to "Pakistan's efforts and its strong credentials", if India gains entry into the 48-nation club, Pakistan will also not be left behind.
Responding to a question about nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan's proliferation network, Aziz said Pakistan has come a long way since then and everyone has witnessed Pakistan safeguarding its nuclear assets.
"If you compare it with India, when our neighbouring country conducted a nuclear test in 1974, it misused the nuclear supplies given to it for peaceful purposes, which led to the formation of NSG. After that nuclear fissile material was stolen from India, but such an instance has never occurred in Pakistan," Aziz claimed.
He said the US has formed a policy to 'build up India' as "their entire attention is towards containing the Islamic world and China".
"We cannot question them but we repeatedly tell them that you (US) are a sovereign country and can maintain any level of relations with any country, but if you increase the strategic and conventional imbalance in South Asia, our problems will increase," the foreign affairs adviser said while referring to the US support for India's inclusion in NSG.
The US has been pushing for India's NSG membership while China has been reportedly backing Pakistan's bid to join the nuclear trading club.
India, though not a member, enjoys the benefits of membership under a 2008 exemption to NSG rules for its atomic cooperation deal with the US.
The NSG looks after critical issues relating to nuclear sector and its members are allowed to trade in and export nuclear technology. The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one nation's vote against a country could scuttle its bid.