THUNDER BAY, ON - February 2, 2009 - George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister 
of Energy & Infrastructure, announced on Monday that a new combined court house will be built in the heart of the South Core of downtown Thunder Bay. The new court house, Smitherman stated, will be environmentally friendly and reflect the new energy efficient standards for new buildings. Construction is expected to begin in 2010 once the building siting and design is completed. Shortly, the City of Thunder Bay will be hiring consultants to do a traffic, transit and parking study of the area as the new Court House will impact on the present Brodie Street parking lot and bus terminal. The new Thunder Bay consolidated courthouse will be located between Brodie and Archibald streets, south of Miles Street.
It will help improve access to justice by increasing the number of available courtrooms and providing better security and easier access for the disabled. The building project will also create new jobs to spur economic development and downtown revitalization in Thunder Bay.
IBI Group Architects, selected through a competitive procurement process, are responsible for preparing the guidelines and performance requirements that the successful courthouse building team must follow when preparing the overall courthouse design.
A request for qualifications will be issued shortly by Infrastructure Ontario for the design, building, financing and maintenance of the new courthouse. The courthouse will be owned by the province.
“Today’s announcement helps our community meet a 15 to 20 year request to consolidate and modernize court facilities in Thunder Bay and will have the added benefits of significant job creation and may become a catalyst for further downtown rejuvenation,” said Bill Mauro, MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan.
“Today’s announcement illustrates our government’s commitment to invest in our community’s infrastructure and spur economic development,” said Michael Gravelle, MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North.
“Not only will this project bring a modernized courthouse to Thunder Bay, it is also one of many examples of lasting investments we are making in the north,” said George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy & Infrastructure. “Through these investments we are furnishing the building blocks for the future.”
“Thunder Bay will have greater access to justice through a new courthouse designed with Ontarians in mind — with secure, accessible justice services consolidated in one location to maximize the use of public funds,” said Chris Bentley, Attorney General.
The new facility will consolidate two existing courthouses (Superior Court of Justice at 277 Camelot Street and the Ontario Court of Justice at 1805 East Arthur Street) within one modern facility.
Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to managing some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects — ensuring they are built on time and on budget.
Thunder Bay Consolidated Courthouse
The location of the new Thunder Bay Consolidated Courthouse, along with its Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC) team was announced today. It will be located on a parcel of land that is bordered by Archibald Street on the West, Brodie Street on the East, and Miles Street on the North.
The planning and construction of the courthouse will help to support the local economy, providing new jobs and economic development to the Thunder Bay region. It will also help to revitalize downtown Thunder Bay, bringing new life to the community. When the construction is finished, the courthouse will be more economical to run and manage than the two current locations, allowing for more effective use of public funds.
The new consolidated courthouse will also mean better access to justice for all of its users. In addition to providing more courtrooms, the Crown prosecutors' offices and Courts administration will all be under the same roof, as will the Victim/Witness Assistance Program. Court users will benefit from the new court's improved accessibility and high-security features.
The selection of the PDC team is one of the earliest steps in the project. The PDC team will prepare key documents to form the guidelines and performance requirements that the proponent who is chosen to design, build, finance and maintain the facility must work with when preparing the overall design. IBI Group Architects has been selected as the PDC team for this project. The building is being designed to meet the capacity needs and caseload requirements of the community over the next 25 years.
NEXT STEPS
Now that a conditional agreement is in place regarding the acquisition of the site, further due diligence, including a Class Environmental Assessment must be conducted. Following successful study of the property, which is expected to continue through spring 2009, the agreement can be finalized and the property can be transferred to the Province of Ontario.
Infrastructure Ontario will issue 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 (RFP) process. Once bids are received and thorough evaluation by Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General is complete, a preferred proponent is selected and a final agreement is negotiated. Once the agreement is signed, construction can begin.
This project will be delivered using the Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) model. Under this model, risks associated with the design, construction and financing of complex courthouse projects are transferred to the private sector while the public sector establishes the scope and purpose of the project. AFP allows the government to deliver more infrastructure projects sooner by using private sector expertise.
Infrastructure Ontario will work with the Ministry of the Attorney General to build the courthouse, which will remain publicly owned, publicly controlled and publicly accountable. Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to managing some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects - ensuring they are built on time and on budget.