Courthouse transition

The Thunder Bay Police Service is looking to hire a courthouse project co-ordinator to help with the transition into the new courthouse in 2014.

The city’s police board passed a resolution Tuesday giving the police the option of fulfilling that position with a sergeant.  Deputy chief Andy Hay said the courthouse co-ordinator would be responsible for developing processes and plans to transition to the new courthouse.

The position would be effective from now until March 2014, where it would then be reassessed.

“There are a lot of challenges when you transition to a new facility. The transition is not going to be open one day, closed the next as far as facilities,” he said.

“It’s going to be a migration to the new courthouse. It’s going to take a lot of co-ordination to make sure it’s cost effective and does work,” Hay added.

The position would cost $50,000 per annum and is not included in this year’s police budget.

Hay said their budget is large and their operations include costs beyond wages and benefits and it is in those areas they will look for potential cost-savings.

The construction of the courthouse in the south core is expected to be complete by September 2013 and it is expected to be operational by January 2014.