St. Thomas Consolidated Courthouse

The future St. Thomas Consolidated Courthouse will bring St. Thomas’ two existing courthouses – the Wellington Street courthouse, which houses the Superior Court of Justice, and the Ontario Court of Justice, which is located on Curtis Street – together in one modern, accessible facility.

The courthouse will be built using the Alternative Finance Procurement (AFP) model, with the construction and renovation work financed and carried out by the private-sector. This approach brings private-sector expertise, ingenuity and rigor to the process of managing and renewing Ontario’s public infrastructure, helping the government to deliver more projects and ensure they are finished on time and on budget.

Improved Services and Access

The consolidated courthouse will also mean better access to justice for all of its users. The building is being designed to meet the capacity needs and caseload requirements of the community over the next 25 years. There will be space in the new consolidated courthouse for:

• Superior Court of Justice
• Ontario Court of Justice
• Court administration and filing offices
• Office for Crown Attorneys
• Holding facilities for in-custody accused during court hours
• Elgin County Law Association Law Library
• Court Bureau for the Police Services
• Victim Witness Assistance Program

In addition, there will be day offices for the use of external agencies such as Legal Aid Ontario, Probation and Parole, and mental health workers. Court users will also benefit from the new court's improved accessibility and high-security features.

Preservation of local heritage

The design of the new courthouse will preserve the heritage of the existing building and will also help ensure that the location meets the needs of Elgin County by:

• Providing supportive, effective and timely justice services for the community;
• Consolidating all court services into one location, in a safe, accessible and secure environment, resulting in more efficient use of resources and a reduction in operational and facilities costs.

Economic benefits

The planning and modernization of the new consolidated courthouse will help support the local economy, providing new jobs and economic development to the St. Thomas region. When the construction is complete, the courthouse will be more economical to run and manage than the two current locations, allowing for more effective use of public funds.

Going Green

The new consolidated courthouse will incorporate energy saving initiatives and green design in the construction of the expanded portion of the building and the retrofit of the existing facility. The design and construction will follow the guidelines and sustainability principles of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) rating system, a designation of the Canadian Green Building Council.

Next steps

Due diligence conducted by Ontario Realty Corporation includes a Class Environmental Assessment, which will begin in the summer of 2010. Infrastructure Ontario has issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify companies with the development, design, construction, financial, and facilities management capacity to undertake a project of this size and scope. Companies that are short-listed through the RFQ process will then be invited to bid on the project through a request for proposals process. Once an agreement is finalized with the highest ranked bidder, construction will commence.

As the St Thomas Consolidated Courthouse project progresses, more information will be available on Infrastructure Ontario’s website: http://www.infrastructureontario.ca/en/projects/jus/St. Thomas/profile.asp

Any comments or concerns about this project can be directed to: info@infrastructureontario.ca

If you have any comments or wish to be involved in the Class EA process please send an e-mail to: STCCClassEA@ontariorealty.ca