Attorney General attends courthouse groundbreaking ceremony

A ceremonial groundbreaking took place Thursday for a project that has been 20 years in the making, a local MPP said.

Although construction on the Thunder Bay Consolidated Courthouse is well underway, the official ceremony took place at the Archibald and Miles Streets location Thursday afternoon. MPP Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay-Atikokan) said the project has been in the works since 2005, but people in the city have been lobbying for a new courthouse in Thunder Bay for a long time.

With more than 225 construction jobs expected, Mauro said it was an exciting day for him.

"For Thunder Bay, for a lot of reasons, it’s really fantastic to see it happen," said Mauro.
The $250 million price tag will likely change by the time the courthouse is complete in the fall of 2013, but Mauro said the province doesn’t know the final number.

"It’s still a bit fluid and a bit of a moving target," Mauro said.

Ontario Attorney General Chris Bentley was also on site Thursday to break ground.

Bentley said while major construction projects in the past have gone two or three times over budget, the courthouse project won’t overrun much over the $250 million because of a new long-term financing process.

"Of course when you pay it over 30 years or 35 years it changes just like the mortgage of a house," he said.

Bentley said many jurisdictions in the province need a new courthouse but credits Mauro and MPP Michael Gravelle (Lib., Thunder Bay-Superior North) for advocating to get a new courthouse in this city.

Starting March 1, a camera will be set up on site so members of the public can go online to watch construction take place.

The 15 courtroom building will also feature four conference suites and an Aboriginal conference settlement suite, which is a first of its kind in Ontario.