Chris Bentley announced this week that Etobicoke will be home to Toronto's new west-end courthouse.
Ontario's Attorney General unveiled the plans to construct the multi-million dollar, 20-courtroom Ontario Court of Justice courthouse on the long-vacant Westwood Theatre Lands the morning of Tuesday, April 7 at nearby 22 Division headquarters.
While touting Ontario's justice system as the 'envy of the world,' Bentley said many of Toronto's courts - which receive nearly 25 per cent of all criminal charges in Ontario - have seen better days and that the city needs a new facility to see them through the next 25 years.
"Courthouses are the visible symbol of our justice system. Facilities must be accessible, suit the needs of the community, and be able to accommodate all kinds of cases, from the most simple to the most complex," he said, noting that the proposed new building will include two major criminal courts and will be designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standings.
The proposed location of the site for the new courthouse (right on the subway line at the intersections of Bloor and Dundas streets west and Kipling Avenue), he added, was a cooperative endeavor, involving local representation at both the municipal and provincial levels.
Peter Milczyn lauded the proposed courthouse as the long-awaited catalyst to turn what is now a 'barren, vacant land' at Westwood into a vision of a thriving community.
"This is just the beginning of new road networks, streetscapes and parks...as well as other community development in the area," said the Etobicoke-Lakeshore councillor. "(Our vision) is beginning to bear fruit."
Construction of the courthuose is expected to begin with the next couple of years, with a projected finishing date of 2013, said a Bentley spokesperson. While the Ontario Realty Corporation, the provincial government's real estate service provider, continues to work with the city to formally establish the site at the Westwood Theatre Lands, they still need to secure the required zoning permits, master planning work, and technical studies so that the acquisition of the site can be finalized.
But once it is, construction will begin, ushering in a new era of revitalization in her riding, said Etobicoke-Lakeshore MPP Laurel Broten.
"Area residents will benefit from this investment that will not only encourage economic growth in Etobicoke, but will also provide the opportunity for future development in the north end of our community," she said.