Thread by @TorontoStar

Mysterious leaks, undrinkable water, and through-the-roof heating costs in a building that opened in 1893. Here’s what needs to be fixed at the Ontario Legislature.

Story by @robferguson1
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Officials at Ontario’s aging legislature think a full renovation is past due and look longingly to Parliament Hill, where the Centre Block is getting a $5-billion, decade-long renovation to bring it up to contemporary standards.
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There’s asbestos insulation, decades of jerry-rigged and exposed wiring through offices and in the ceilings, and a wonky, ancient steam heating system. Damage from flooding and other problems in the heavily retrofitted edifice that causes the most concern.
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In November, a workman got a surprise when his foot burst through the fourth floor, sending debris into the washroom of the speaker’s third floor apartment.
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“We don’t want to wait until there’s a catastrophe,” says Ted Arnott, the veteran Progressive Conservative MPP who was elected speaker of the legislature after Premier Doug Ford’s 2018 election victory.
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They have been preparing and planning for a full renovation they hope to begin in 2025 — once an alternate location can be found and MPPs, staff, civil servants and journalists moved out, as has taken place in Ottawa. thestar.com/politics/provi…

There is no official cost estimate yet, but "billion" is being used for the job that could include reopening skylights and windows long ago covered over, restoring some original grandeur along with improving the dismal lighting in darker areas.
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“There’s never a good time to start this, but right now we’re going through an emergency,” says NDP deputy leader John Vanthof, who acknowledges the value of preserving the building. “Right now, our focus should be on getting Ontario through this.”
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