As part of the 2015 budget announcement, Finance Minister Charles Souse included the creation of a new courthouse in downtown Toronto.. The courthouse will aim to consolidate 5 Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice courthouses across the Greater Toronto Area including:
- 777 College St. at College Park
- 1911 Eglinton Ave. E.
- 1000 Finch Ave. W., North York
- 2201 Finch Ave. W., North York
- Old City Hall, the 1899 E.J. Lennox-designed landmark owned by the city.
The key objective of the new facility is to provide more effective and responsive justice services delivery and to increase access to programs in the city. The move is also expected to save $700-million over 30 years in lease fees.
The consultation involved in-depth discussions on how to ensure the environment is welcoming and safe for people with lived experience of mental health issues.
CMHA Ontario’s Criminal Justice Policy Analyst and CMHA Toronto’s Director of Mental Health and Justice attended a preliminary consultation on the new courthouse, which will include a mental health court. The consultation included other representatives from the Toronto Police Services, the Ministry of Attorney General (MAG), and the Ontario Court of Justice, and involved in-depth discussions on how to ensure the environment is welcoming and safe for people with lived experience of mental health issues.
The new courthouse is set to be completed by 2022 and will be located at 11 Centre Avenue. This was the first of many consultations which will continue to be held in 2015. Consultations are being organized by Sarah McCoubrey, a strategist on access to justice issues, who is part of a team being led by Michael Waby, an Assistant Crown Attorney with MAG.
For more information on the new courthouse site, please visit urbantoronto.ca.