Educating Risa

Science Centres That Have Opened in Canada in the Past 25 Years

Opening Date, Family Membership Prices and Benefits

 

*Key to Benefits: Ad=Free Unlimited Admission; Disc=Discounts of various sorts, like on movies, summer camps, gift shop, etc.; Guest=Free Guest Admission(s); Inv=Invites to Members-Only Events; News=Newsletter; Other Att Disc=Discounted Admission at other local attractions; Park=Free or Discounted Parking; Rad= Free Reciprocal Admission at other science centres.

Name and Location	Date Opened	Family Membership	Benefits
Montreal Science Centre, Montreal	2000 (Expotec exhibits 1987)	$95	Ad, Disc, News, Other Att Disc, Park, Rad
Discovery Centre, Halifax	1990	$75	Ad, Disc, Guest, Inv, News, Rad
Okanagan Science Centre, Vernon	1990	$56 – $112	Ad, Disc, (Guest@$112), Inv, News, Rad
Science East, Fredericton	1999 (touring exhibits 1994)	$75	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad
Canada South Science City, Windsor	2004	$75	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad
Saskatchewan Science Centre, Regina	1989	$74.50	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad
The Exploration Place, Prince George	2001	$84.95	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad

Telus Spark is simply not “Canada’s first New Science Centre in more than 25 years” as they claim. Here’s what’s under the ‘About TELUS Spark’ link on their mobile site, a claim oft-repeated in the media and by Spark representatives, including their CEO:

Spark is, however, by far the most expensive when it comes to membership at these newer Canadian science centres, even looking at the cheaper ‘green’ prices for a family of 4 (or 6). And Spark’s ‘green’ membership comes with the poorest benefits package in the country. To get comparable benefits to what these other newer science centres offer local families for less than $100/year, Calgarians are being asked to pay $320 (‘gold’ for a family of 4) to $460 (‘gold’ for a family of 6), slightly higher if those kids are teens.

Not convinced Spark’s membership prices are out of line? Compare other major science centres around the country.

Other Major Science Centres in Canada

Name and Location	Date Opened	Family Membership	Benefits
Ontario Science Centre, Toronto	1969	$120 ‘basic’   $230 ‘gold’	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Park (50% Disc), Rad Ad, Disc (and free IMAX movies), Guest, Inv, News, Park (free), Rad
Science World, Vancouver	1989 (first exhibits in different building 1982)	$140	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Other Att Disc, Rad
Science Gallery, Winnipeg (part of Manitoba Museum)	1986	$106	Ad, Disc, Guest, Inv, News, Other Att Disc, Rad
Telus World of Science, Edmonton	1984	$134.95	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad
Canada Science and Technology Museum, Ottawa	1967	$90 – $120	Ad, Disc, Inv, News, Rad
Children’s Museum**, London	1973	$85 – $110	Ad, Disc, Guest, Inv, News, Rad
Science North, Sudbury	1984	$180	Ad, Disc, (Guest—8 admissions with early renewal 15 days before expiry), Inv, News, Rad

**Though a Children’s Museum, many of its exhibits are science-oriented and it participates in the reciprocal admission agreement with science centres in Canada

There is simply no other science centre in the country with such high prices and such poor benefits as Telus Spark—not even close! All the above offer benefits comparable to Spark’s ‘gold’ membership, which again costs $320 – $460 (family of 4 – 6, slightly higher if kids are teens). The science centres with memberships closest in price to Spark are Toronto’s Ontario Science Centre, and Sudbury’s Science North, the two largest science centres in the country—Toronto’s is about twice the size of Spark. Toronto has a far more affordable ‘basic’ membership than Spark’s ‘green’, and with better benefits; and similarly a cheaper and better (free movies!) ‘gold’ package. Family membership at Science North in Sudbury comes with benefits comparable to Spark’s ‘gold’ level membership, plus 8 free guest admissions as a perk for early renewal. All this for $180 (not $320 – $460).

Given that Spark does not require these high membership prices to pay for the new $160M building—that was covered via tax-payer dollars and corporate/private donations—why are the membership prices so high? Every one of these other science centres has to cover operating costs, just like Spark, and yet can do so and keep their membership prices accessible for far more local families and their children.

Why focus on membership? Can’t Calgary families go to Spark on day admission passes, which are priced similarly to those of other science centres in Canada? I am focusing on memberships for a variety of reasons:

1) Memberships allow repeat visits more affordably, and allow local families to get more enrichment and education from their science centre than is had by an out-of-town tourist. If Spark is to be a “resource to all Calgarians” above and beyond the resource it is to the tourist, affordable memberships are key.

2) Many families, especially those with young children, find a huge advantage in the flexibility of memberships. They can go to the science centre for just a few hours, here and there, as suits their needs—around nap times, children’s other lessons and activities, and so on. Many families with young children are hesitant to spend $70-90 on day admission knowing their children may only last an hour or two, whereas they’ll happily buy a membership that is affordable and holds good value wrt benefits.

3) Given the reciprocal admission agreement between science centres, where membership at one gets you into other science centres in Canada (and often North America) for free, there is a reason to have a degree of parity between membership rates and benefits. Anyone living 90 miles/150km or more outside Calgary can buy a far more affordable membership at a different science centre and visit Spark for free. Only locals—the very community Spark aims to serve, and the people whose tax dollars helped both build the centre and fund on-going operations via ‘operating grants’ from City of Calgary—have to pay these high membership rates.

My suggestion to Telus Spark: Bring memberships and their benefits in line with other science centres around the country. There are several options here to make memberships more affordable and better value for local Calgary families, like bringing back a family membership pass; or, if sticking with the individual membership structure, allowing families to buy ‘individual memberships’ individually, mixing ‘green’ and ‘gold’ levels as suits their needs; and improving ‘green’ benefits to current ‘gold’ level (save perhaps parking) which is standard with memberships elsewhere. Asking a family of 6 to pay a minimum of $288/year for membership—no discounts, no movies included, no parking, etc—is simply too much for many in this city. Given that our tax dollars helped build the centre and fund ongoing operations via ‘operating grants’, there is a moral argument to be made that Spark should do more to keep itself accessible to locals—our future scientists and innovators will come from all income brackets and from families of all sizes. A completely independent business can charge what they want and we need to ‘suck it up’ if we want to go—that’s capitalism—but a tax-payer subsidized business, and an educational institution at that, should be held to a different standard in my view.

I think Spark should also Improve membership benefits at the ‘gold’ level by offering a more inclusive option (‘gold plus’?) where movies and possibly traveling exhibits are included. Paying $320 – $460 / year and then having the cost of movies and traveling exhibits on top seems exorbitant. Spark could consider offering a broader range of membership options, as is done in Vancouver, with its basic $140 Family Membership to ‘Premier Memberships’ at $350 – $500 which includes the basic Family Membership, 2-4 guest passes, 25 free IMAX movie vouchers, and a $100 – $250 tax receipt. There are countless science centres across Canada and North America that Spark can look to for innovative ideas as to how to run a science centre without going in the red, yet still offer affordable memberships of good value to local families.