The Ontario government has announced the completion of construction on its downtown courthouse building in Toronto.

The fully accessible state-of-the-art courthouse will bring together most of the Ontario Court of Justice criminal court operations from across the city under a single roof at a site on Armoury Street, near City Hall.

EllisDon Infrastructure was awarded the $956-million contract to design, build, finance and maintain the facility in February 2018. Construction began later that year, with work on the exterior of the building completed in 2021. The courthouse is expected to be operational later this year.

“By integrating most Ontario Court of Justice criminal proceedings into one courthouse, we’re supporting equal access to court services that are currently dispersed across multiple court locations,” said Attorney General Doug Downey. “The consolidation of resources will permit centralized criminal case management, a greater concentration of expertise, and the effective and efficient scheduling of judges, justices of the peace, Crown attorneys, court staff, duty counsel, and interpreters to support the timely processing of criminal matters.”

The new courthouse features 73 judicial hearing rooms equipped with modern technology, including video capabilities. It also boasts upgraded security features, including a single point of entry with electronic screening and lockdown capability, video surveillance and monitoring.

It is the most accessible courthouse in Ontario with design elements that include barrier-free prisoner boxes and witness boxes and signage that is tactile and in Braille, and has been designed and built to meet the LEED Silver standard.

"I am thrilled to celebrate the opening of the new Ontario Court of Justice in downtown Toronto,” said Infrastructure Ontario President and CEO Michael Lindsay. “Featuring a barrier-free environment that allows visitors and occupants to travel with ease, this project is a prime example of what forward-thinking innovation and strong partnerships can achieve. On behalf of everyone at Infrastructure Ontario, congratulations to the Ministry of the Attorney General and all of our partners on this outstanding achievement."

Supporting the EllisDon-led consortium in a design capacity were internationally renowned architects the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in partnership with Canadian-based architecture firm NORR Architects. Renzo Piano designed the Shard skyscraper in London, England, as well as the Whitney Museum of Modern Art in New York City.