Ontario Issues RFPs for LEED Silver Courthouse

TORONTO — Ontario officials recently issued a request for proposals from three short-listed design-build consortia to finance, design, build and maintain a new consolidated courthouse in Thunder Bay.
 
The proposed multi-story courthouse, which will be constructed on a downtown brownfield site and designed to achieve at least LEED Silver certification, will incorporate 15 courtrooms, four conference and settlement rooms and video conferencing and arraignment capabilities.
 
The three short-listed consortia are Integrated Team Solutions, Plenary Justice and Forum Social Infrastructure.
The new courthouse will replace the existing Superior Court of Justice and the Ontario Court of Justice.
 
“The new Thunder Bay Consolidated Courthouse will improve access to justice in Thunder Bay by consolidating the services of two existing courthouses within one modern facility,” says Paulette den Elzen, communications manager with Infrastructure Ontario, the province’s development agency.
 
The facility will also provide space for regional offices for the Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice.
 
The bid-winning developers will be selected in summer 2010, with construction scheduled to start soon after.