The city’s deputy chief of police said the conditions of the provincial courthouse’s cellblocks are almost inhumane for both police officers and prisoners.
That’s why the $250 million consolidated courthouse is a great opportunity for the city, Andy Hay said Tuesday following the Thunder Bay Police Services Board meeting.
“It’s a $250 million capital injection into the community,” he said. “I think overall it’s a great boon to the city.”
The police services board saw a presentation at the morning meeting on the new courthouse, slated to open in September 2013, including the advantages the new building will bring in terms of efficiencies, but also some anticipated extra costs.
The 250,000 square foot facility will have 209 employees daily and a traffic flow of up to 800 people per day. Security will be just like in an airport, with metal detectors, x-ray and a search area.
The Thunder Bay Police Service has 23 employees working in court services and in the facility they’ll need four additional positions for security purposes.
“We are going to have some increased costs in court security, but we’re hoping to realize some efficiencies as well not only in terms of the end dollars but also in terms of how we do business – the working conditions for our people and for the public and for prisoners,” said Hay.
The police service’s court services are housed in four different buildings now, but they will all move into the consolidated courthouse and be under one roof. That will free up space in the Balmoral Street station.
The move will also create efficiencies in paperwork and reduce prisoner transportation costs.
In 2011, 4,893 prisoners were transported to the Ontario Court of Justice and 111 prisoners were taken to the Superior Court of Justice.
“I think it’s well worth the cost of taking on extra security. I think it’s good news for our staff, good news for the public and good news for the downtown core in general,” said Hay.
The move to the new courthouse will also include some capital costs for furniture like desks and equipment to amplify radio signals.
Police services board chairman Joe Virdiramo said they don’t know exactly what those costs, coupled with the additional personnel, will add up to, but they will need to be absorbed.
“What we suggested is we contact the Attorney General’s office with other police boards that are incurring the same costs to see if we can get some kind of subsidy,” he said.
