Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General announced that the construction consortium of Plenary Justice Thunder Bay LP has signed a contract to design, build, finance and maintain the new Thunder Bay Consolidated Courthouse.
The Nov. 19 announcement signifies that all contractual steps have been completed and construction can begin. Plenary Justice will begin mobilizing equipment on site over the next few weeks, with an official groundbreaking ceremony to follow.
The future courthouse will consolidate Thunder Bay’s two existing courthouses: the courts of the Superior Court of Justice, located on Camelot Street, and the courts of the Ontario Court of Justice, on East Arthur Street. The new courthouse, to be located in Thunder Bay’s downtown south core, will improve access to justice in the city by consolidating the services of the existing courthouses within one modern facility, increasing the number of courtrooms available and providing better public access and security.
The construction project will boost the regional economy by creating and supporting thousands of jobs. At the peak of construction, it is estimated that 225 workers will be on site daily. Construction of the new courthouse is expected to be completed in late 2013.
The Thunder Bay Consolidated Courthouse project will be delivered using an Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) model. Plenary Justice will receive annual payments from the Province over a 30-year period to cover construction, building maintenance, life-cycle repair and renewal, and project financing. Life-cycle repair and renewal will ensure that the courthouse building and surrounding landscape (such as the heating and cooling systems, windows, floors and roofing structures, and hard landscape) are kept in excellent working condition over the 30-year period. The annual payments are comparable to a fixed-rate mortgage, with maintenance and repair expenses included. The total cost of the contract with Plenary Justice is approximately $473.5 million after 30 years. In today’s dollars, this is equivalent to approximately $247.7 million.
Bill Mauro, MPP for Thunder Bay-Atikokan said, “I’m pleased to see the courthouse moving forward. This is a significant project. It’s expected to result in more than 200 construction jobs and that will provide a welcome boost to our local economy. The new courthouse will also provide Thunder Bay with modern court facilities and help to revitalize the downtown South Core.”
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