A request for qualifications (RFQ) to design, build, finance and maintain a new Toronto courthouse has been issued by Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

The new courthouse will be located at 11 Centre Avenue near the St. Patrick subway station and will consolidate many of Toronto’s Ontario Court of Justice criminal courts, explains a release.

Attorney General Madeleine Meilleur said bringing several court locations together as one will not only reduce costs and increase efficiencies, but will create and support hundreds of jobs in Toronto.

The courthouse will be designed to meet LEED Silver, focusing on energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The new courthouse will  feature:

  • Video conferencing to allow witnesses to appear from remote locations and in-custody individuals to appear from jail;
  • Closed-circuit television to enable children and other vulnerable individuals to appear before the court from a  private room;
  • Courtroom video/audio systems to allow counsel to display video evidence recorded in various formats and for the simultaneous viewing of evidence;
  • A single point of entry with magnetometers, baggage scanners, continuous video surveillance, and separate corridors for judiciary, members of the public and the accused for security reasons; and
  • Barrier-free access to all courtrooms.