Post by Max on Nov 15, 2007 22:16:58 GMT -3
Court to get $6.3M facelift; Will ease critical problems, but new building is needed
Posted By Denis St. Pierre
Posted 11 hours ago
A $6.3-million upgrade of the Sudbury Courthouse will provide significant, long-awaited security improvements to the aging facility, says Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson.
"We have been looking at improvements to the courthouse for some time," Davidson said during Wednesday's city council meeting, when the provincially funded project was reported.
"The building is very, very old and has a number of deficiencies that have been identified and the demands on the courthouse have increased," Davidson said in an interview.
"Specifically, there are issues around safety, for police officers, for the public, for witnesses, for the accused, for the judiciary. It's a very old building and as such it has what we would consider to be sub-standard physical features."
Design and space deficiencies at the Elm Street courthouse have been exacerbated by a substantial increase in activity in recent years, Davidson noted.
"In the last number of years, the number of criminal charges going through the court has gone up - somewhere in the vicinity of 30 per cent," he said.
"So the demand is astronomical and the movement of prisoners, the efficient use of the courthouse, has been compromised."
An advisory committee featuring representatives of local police, judges, defence and Crown attorneys and other groups recommended courthouse improvements to the province, Davidson said.
As well, Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, at the time the minister of Northern Development and colleague Michael Bryant, then Ontario's Attorney General, toured the local courthouse, saw the shortcomings first-hand and acknowledged upgrading was required.
"The message was sent to Queen's Park and the monies were allocated," Davidson said.
Ideally, Sudbury should have a new courthouse constructed to completely address modern security requirements and other needs for such a facility, Davidson said.
Posted By Denis St. Pierre
Posted 11 hours ago
A $6.3-million upgrade of the Sudbury Courthouse will provide significant, long-awaited security improvements to the aging facility, says Greater Sudbury Police Chief Ian Davidson.
"We have been looking at improvements to the courthouse for some time," Davidson said during Wednesday's city council meeting, when the provincially funded project was reported.
"The building is very, very old and has a number of deficiencies that have been identified and the demands on the courthouse have increased," Davidson said in an interview.
"Specifically, there are issues around safety, for police officers, for the public, for witnesses, for the accused, for the judiciary. It's a very old building and as such it has what we would consider to be sub-standard physical features."
Design and space deficiencies at the Elm Street courthouse have been exacerbated by a substantial increase in activity in recent years, Davidson noted.
"In the last number of years, the number of criminal charges going through the court has gone up - somewhere in the vicinity of 30 per cent," he said.
"So the demand is astronomical and the movement of prisoners, the efficient use of the courthouse, has been compromised."
An advisory committee featuring representatives of local police, judges, defence and Crown attorneys and other groups recommended courthouse improvements to the province, Davidson said.
As well, Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci, at the time the minister of Northern Development and colleague Michael Bryant, then Ontario's Attorney General, toured the local courthouse, saw the shortcomings first-hand and acknowledged upgrading was required.
"The message was sent to Queen's Park and the monies were allocated," Davidson said.
Ideally, Sudbury should have a new courthouse constructed to completely address modern security requirements and other needs for such a facility, Davidson said.