For 25 years as the Crown attorney, Dan Mitchell has had a room with a view.
The Sleeping Giant to one side and Mount McKay to the other in his office at the Superior Court of Justice, there is a measure of sadness to leaving the space behind for the new consolidated Thunder Bay Courthouse on Brodie Street.
"To leave a quarter century of my life behind and move into a new facility, I think is certainly a change. It's a major change in my life," said Mitchell Thursday afternoon, the second-last day of operations at the Camelot Street courthouse.
The Crown attorney for the District of Thunder Bay has been situated in the north-side courthouse for 50 years and Mitchell said the building is at least 100 years old.
"It is a stately building and I think a landmark piece of architecture in Thunder Bay," he said.
Although it will be hard to say goodbye, there is also excitement to move to the new facility in the downtown south core.
"There is a tremendous amount of positive energy in the new building," said Mitchell.
"Every time I visit it, I'm impressed by how well it's been put together, how spacious it is, how convenient it is for people - for witnesses, for the public. It is going to give everybody, I think, a very different perspective on the administration of justice."
And with all due respect to the current federal and provincial courthouses in the city, Mitchell said the new courthouse is a vast improvement in terms of efficiency and the ability to serve the administration of justice.
Despite the big move, courts are still running in both courthouses.
The Superior Court of Justice will be fully moved into the consolidated courthouse for Monday with the Ontario Court of Justice moving into the new building next week.
The Thunder Bay Courthouse will be fully operational by April 14.
