The world-class Quinte Courthouse is a cornerstone civic building that will make a significant contribution to the revitalization of Belleville's downtown core, now and for years to come.  

One of the important design features of the new courthouse is its ability to adapt to future needs and a changing justice landscape impacted by population growth, new legislation and new technologies. Areas of the courthouse can be modified to accommodate changing caseload volumes and the latest court technology. 

Examples of the building's flexibility include:

  • Courtrooms with moveable and removable public rails and seating, moveable and modular prisoner boxes, and portable interpretation booths, all of which allow for a variety of courtroom setups.
  • The ability to build extra courtrooms in existing administrative space to accommodate future growth.
  • Courtrooms that can be used for either Superior Court or Ontario Court matters. The judicial Coat of Arms, which denotes which court is presiding, can be changed with a simple slide of a panel. As well, the glass panel on the front of the prisoner box is removable, allowing it to be set up for either a Superior Court or an Ontario Court matter.
  • Mobile video conferencing carts that can be used in a variety of spaces, including 
    courtrooms, conference settlement rooms and meeting rooms.  
  • Barrier-free courtrooms to accommodate users with physical disabilities in the public area, including the dais, counsel tables, the witness and accused boxes, and the court clerk and reporter's desk. Nine of the eleven courtrooms have a barrier-free dais, and all jury boxes have one barrier-free seating position to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility devices. 

Participants from across the justice system were instrumental in helping the project architects plan for the future needs of courthouse users. Representatives from the Superior Court of Justice, the Ontario Court of Justice, Court Services, Crown Attorney's Office, Probation and Parole, Belleville Police Service, Victim/Witness Assistance Program, and Legal Aid Ontario all provided valuable input into the design. 

Contacts:  

Jennifer Asals
Infrastructure Ontario  
416-326-9357 

Brendan Crawley  
Ministry of the Attorney General   
Communications Branch  
416-326-2210