THUNDER BAY -- Thunder Bay's 31-year-old police headquarters needs so much retrofitting and upgrading that it may make more sense to replace it.
That was the crux of a message delivered Thursday at a meeting of the Police Services Board.
The prospect of building a new headquarters came up during the board's discussion of a Health and Safety Committee report. The report noted that Ministry of Labour inspections of the Balmoral Street building last year resulted in a number of work orders and action items, of which "most reflect the age and condition of the building and parking facilities."
The police service's director of communications, Chris Adams, said the headquarters falls short of modern policing and building standards in many respects.
"We have to really look at the total age and the wear and tear that this building has dealt with...realistically it's probably time to work ahead and look at a new facility that would meet all the new standards as far as safety, energy efficiency, well-being and certainly helping the public out in having a more welcoming environment to come into," Adams said in an interview after the meeting.
City council would have to approve funding for any replacement.
Adams said city officials are already aware of ongoing issues with the building, and are aware of the need to start "very actively" to consider a new facility...We certainly feel that they understand the need."
He noted that policing has changed in the three decades since the Balmoral Street structure was built.
"Most new buildings in policing today also reflect the fact that they have to be more welcoming and offer more inviting spaces to the public to make them more accessible."
Adams also cited some working conditions for members of the police service working in the building, including "ongoing security issues."
In recent years, police officials have pointed to a shortage of space for storing seized property, saying the building required an expansion. According to Adams, however, the needs have since proven to be greater than that.
"That was sort of the catalyst," he said, noting other problems that have also come to the forefront.
As examples, members of the Traffic Unit are working in what he described as "a very confined space," and the holding cells are based on an old design.
Adams said that by today's standards, it's not the way a police headquarters is built.
"The police service is here as a 24/7 operation that has to be open and accessible and safe for both the employees and the public who use the facility, so we have a very big responsibility to get a headquarters in place that services those needs."
Chief of Police J.P. Levesque also weighed in on the issue Thursday, saying the police force has grown and is running out of office space.
Levesque said city council and administration will ultimately have to grapple with whether the headquarters should be renovated or replaced.