Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General announced today that the request for proposals (RFP) stage has closed for short-listed building teams to submit bids to design, build, finance and maintain a new consolidated courthouse in St. Thomas, Ontario. 

The new courthouse will be constructed on Wellington Street on the site of the historic Elgin County Courthouse, which will be incorporated into the new facility. The new building will consolidate St. Thomas's two courts: the Superior Court of Justice, currently located on Wellington Street, and Ontario Courts of Justice, located on Curtis Street. 

The new courthouse will improve access to justice for the County of Elgin by increasing the number of available courtrooms while providing better access and security, and improving health and safety standards.

The courthouse will be designed and built to meet the Canada Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards, incorporating environmentally sustainable construction practices and energy efficient design.  

An earlier request for qualifications short-listed three teams with the development, design, construction, financial, and facilities management capacity to undertake a project of this size and complexity. 

Over the next several months, Infrastructure Ontario will evaluate the bidders' proposals based on criteria set out in the RFP. The successful project team will be selected and announced in spring 2011. Construction is expected to begin shortly thereafter. The contract value will be announced publicly following financial close.

“This initiative will give St. Thomas a first class court facility that will serve the needs of people and families in the region for years to come,” said the Honourable Chris Bentley, Attorney General. 

“Through its investment in infrastructure, the McGuinty government is helping to ensure that Ontarians have access to resources and infrastructure when and where they need it most,” said the Honourable Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure. 

Infrastructure Ontario is working with the Ministry of the Attorney General to develop the new courthouse. Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to delivering some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects - ensuring they are built on time and on budget - and to providing the public sector and not-for-profit organizations with long-term financing to renew their infrastructure.

Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca for more information. 

Contacts: 

Tom Boreskie 
Infrastructure Ontario
(416) 212-6447 

Brendan Crawley  
Ministry of the Attorney General 
(416) 326-2210 

Disponible en français