Ontario Chief Justice calls for new Toronto courthouse

[bleeepbluuup]

From the Star:
http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/695503



Ontario Chief Justice calls for new Toronto courthouse

Sep 14, 2009 03:43 PM
Tracey Tyler
LEGAL AFFAIRS REPORTER

It's been hailed as an important example of late 20th century design and was once the largest building of its kind in Ontario.

But, 42 years on, it's time for a new courthouse to replace the limestone landmark at 361 University Ave. in Toronto, Ontario Chief Justice Warren Winkler says.

In a speech today to mark the opening of the courts for 2009-10, Winkler urged the province to give "priority" to infrastructure projects that will respond to Ontario's "substantial" criminal caseloads.

Toronto especially needs more criminal courtrooms to avoid a bottleneck in trials in the future, he said.

"It takes years to build a courthouse," Winkler added in an email, sent by way of his executive legal officer, responding to questions from The Star.

"A clear commitment to erect a new Toronto Superior Court courthouse at this stage is what is required to avoid problems in the future," he said.

Toronto defence lawyer Joseph Neuberger agrees. One of the problems, said Neuberger, is large-scale prosecutions, which have become a mainstay in the Superior Court of Justice over the past five years, have consumed vast amounts of court resources. They include the Project Pathfinder case, which ended in July with three gang members being convicted of a fatal 2004 drive-by shooting.

As a result, scheduling a two-to-three-week jury trial has become "somewhat challenging," said Neuberger, a board member of the Toronto Lawyers' Association and a participant in recent roundtable meetings aimed at finding ways to have cases resolved within a reasonable time.

Add to that the inefficiencies of having at least five court facilities scattered across the city and the case for consolidating court operations in a new Toronto court building makes sense, Neuberger argues. In addition to the courthouse at 361 University Ave., they include old city hall, College Park and courthouses in Scarborough and Etobicoke.

"I think it's time for Toronto to at least condense old city hall, College Park and the Superior Court (at 361 University)," he said in an interview.

Transporting prisoners would be far less complicated if they were dropped off and picked up at one courthouse and lawyers wouldn't have to worry about figuring out where a client's bail hearing is taking place, he added, and a new building could also be equipped to make the most of digital technology.

Neuberger pointed to the Brampton courthouse, the John Sopinka courthouse in Hamilton and the "aesthetically beautiful" courthouse in Pembroke as examples of new buildings that have done a good job of combining provincial and superior court operations.

Court operations could remain based at 361 University and the province could build "up" instead of searching for new land, Neuberger suggested.

But that process could be susceptible to complications if historical and architectural conservationists take an interest in the building. A 2007 report for the city suggested the building, which was erected in 1966, is a worthy of inclusion on the City of Toronto inventory of heritage properties.

The courthouse is a significant example of late 20th century "modern design," in which buildings were constructed to reflect the size and prominence of both the land they were sitting on, as well as what they were used for. The architect, Ronald Dick, said the building's design was meant to convey dignity and convenience. It was among the last provincial buildings to be made of Queenston limestone.

The report said part of the value of the courthouse is that it is also linked to the development of University Avenue during WWI as "a major ceremonial corridor in the city" and "the location of landmark buildings."

 

[Redroom Studios]

as long as they dont touch the building on University Ave! Clearly the necessity for a larger facility has been a fact for quite sometime. If a central location is important, I nominate Bay and Dundas... an area screaming out for new development.

 

[Northern Light]

I dunno

My first thought here is whether the massive expense of a new courthouse is necessary.

Now, it should be understood, that I worked in a job that had me in the courts regularly a few years back.

I am acutely aware of the facilities being overcrowded and delays etc etc.

But I have several thoughts on how to address those without spending yet more money on law enforcement or civil litigation.

***

1) There are too many things that criminal in Canada, we are not quite the law enforcement junkies that our neighbours to the south are; but still.

How many cases could be wiped out, and how many resources freed up; by

a) Legalizing prostitution related matters (ie. brothels, escort agency related issues etc.)
b) Legalizing Marijuana completely
c) Legalizing small personal possession of most drugs by adults, where the only victim is self-inflicted.

2) How can we stop spending so much of the system's resources on bail hearings and the like. Why not replace this with non-violent offenders, or first-time, low-violence offenders automatically get released on a set bail amount relative to their own net assets + an electronic bracelet and forfeiture of any passport. Period. Done. It could all be handled by police.

Leave the courts to settle bail or release conditions for either serious or repeat offenders (where the presumption would be no bail) or in any case where the Crown felt in especially necessary.

3) Reduce trivial youth offences going to the system, by reinstating the options of schools to handle most matters, including fights, which don't result in serious injury and don't involve a weapon. Let's talk detentions, in-school suspensions, voluntary restitution for damaged property or stolen lunch money. Don't clog up the time of $150,000 judges and court staff and resources at several hundred dollars per hour.

4) Finally, let's create a small, but real incentive to save the system money by pleading guilty. We don't want a big incentive either letting guilty people off the hook, or compelling innocent people who may 'look bad' to plead guilty when they are not.

However, our parking ticket system makes sense to me. Plead guilty pay the set fine of X, or ask for a court date, and if you win, you win, but if you lose you pay extra.

How about this notion, plead guilty and the minimum and maximum go down by 10%. A modest a but real incentive to consider saving the system and your family a long trial.

***

Let's also cut back on civil litigation by more aggressively penalizing silly suits; and by mandating mediation.

***

I will follow up on the What if we do replace it......in the next post

 

[Northern Light]

Now if we do get a new court

Now if we do go for a new court house, the questions are:

What do we do, if anything, with the existing building?

Where would a new building go?

First, to be honest, I have never cared for the current building at all.

I find it phenomenally dull, inside and out.

I don't like the spaces around it, the court rooms within it, or much of anything else about it.

The stone is nice, but in my mind mis-used on this building.

On the other hand, I loved the old Armoury.....

*********

So my suggestions are as follows:

Move the court (to where you ask!)

I vote for the corner of University and Dundas, south-east side.

The boring squat building at the corner is hideous, and there's not much to the south of it worth keeping either.

Level the 2 (or 3) most northern buildings, and replace them with the new court house.

Save the lime stone from the existing building and incorporate it somehow, but with a much better looking, much more dramatic building.

One without that bloated public space around it, but yet which adds to the streetscape.

I would say a normal depth University Ave. Sidewalk; then widen Dundas to the same width as the Eaton Center sidewalk and create a beautiful promenade with trees in the middle, along that first block to the east.

While we're at it, lets' make sure and move the entrance to St. Patrick Station into the building.

*****

Now, let's tear down most of the rest of that block and build a new Toronto Detention centre, so we stop the wasteful cost of shipping inmates half way across the city for trial dates; let the jail be attached to the court!

They can save the nice building with the Staples in it.

*****

Next, let's move the armoury back from Moss Park to the its original site, where the courthouse now is, in a recreation of the original building.

*****

Now we'll use the Moss Park Armoury site to house the new John Innes Community Centre and Moss Park Arena, putting a twin-pan arena underground and a new community centre on top featuring a child care centre, a twin-gym, an Olympic or leisure pool, sauna/steamroom, hot towel service, 2 restaurants 1 at street level with a patio facing the park; the the other on the roof with a spectacular view; a full service sporting goods store on site, any exisiting rec amenities and damn it a dedicated badminton facility! (cause I want one!)

****

Now we can tear down the existing Community Centre and Arena, and redesign Moss Park to full embrace Sherbourne and meet Jarvis framing the new Rec Centre.

There! A complete Vision, for under $1 Billion, I think, Ta Da!

 

[wyliepoon]

The Americans have been churning out some interesting courthouse designs for quite some time...

Brooklyn

Cleveland

Denver

Eugene, Oregon (by Morphosis)

Charleston WV

Boston

... and Buffalo

 

[adma]

*********

So my suggestions are as follows:

Move the court (to where you ask!)

I vote for the corner of University and Dundas, south-east side.

The boring squat building at the corner is hideous, and there's not much to the south of it worth keeping either.

Level the 2 (or 3) most northern buildings, and replace them with the new court house.

Save the lime stone from the existing building and incorporate it somehow, but with a much better looking, much more dramatic building.

One without that bloated public space around it, but yet which adds to the streetscape.

I would say a normal depth University Ave. Sidewalk; then widen Dundas to the same width as the Eaton Center sidewalk and create a beautiful promenade with trees in the middle, along that first block to the east.

While we're at it, lets' make sure and move the entrance to St. Patrick Station into the building.

*****

Now, let's tear down most of the rest of that block and build a new Toronto Detention centre, so we stop the wasteful cost of shipping inmates half way across the city for trial dates; let the jail be attached to the court!

They can save the nice building with the Staples in it.

*****

Huh? Beyond the fact that a Toronto Detention Centre wouldn't exactly be a University Avenue enlivener (consider the function), other than the fact that it's limestone-clad and a little retardataire-classical (i.e. it's Not Modernist), I don't see what's particularly savable about the Staples building within/against this clear-cutting scenario. Really; if you want to get rid of everything "unimportant" on that block, you might as well get rid of that one, too...

 

[Hypnotoad]

The scheme to consolidate the various courthouses is a good one. There is a lot of space available in the institutional area, specifically the empty lot behind City Hall on Chestnut/Armory. Or, if the city is keen on bring good jobs to the waterfront, a courthouse structure would make an excellent anchor for the north side of Queen's Quay in the Easy Bayfront District. Perhaps it could be placed further east along the proposed "University Avenization" of Lakeshore when/if/never the Gardiner is torn down east of Jarvis.

Finally, the proposal interests me more because it would free up Old City Hall for more accessible, cultural uses such as the envisioned City of Toronto Museum.

 

[maestro]

built it across the street on the huge parking lot.

 

[Platform 27]

I vote for the corner of University and Dundas, south-east side.

The boring squat building at the corner is hideous, and there's not much to the south of it worth keeping either.

Level the 2 (or 3) most northern buildings, and replace them with the new court house.

Save the lime stone from the existing building and incorporate it somehow, but with a much better looking, much more dramatic building.

One without that bloated public space around it, but yet which adds to the streetscape.

I would say a normal depth University Ave. Sidewalk; then widen Dundas to the same width as the Eaton Center sidewalk and create a beautiful promenade with trees in the middle, along that first block to the east.

While we're at it, lets' make sure and move the entrance to St. Patrick Station into the building.

*****

Now, let's tear down most of the rest of that block and build a new Toronto Detention centre, so we stop the wasteful cost of shipping inmates half way across the city for trial dates; let the jail be attached to the court!

They can save the nice building with the Staples in it.

*****

Another vote here for the SE corner of University and Dundas being ideal. It's an important civic crossroads that's less than forgettable at present that would benefit from having a high-quality piece of architecture, and building here keeps a relatively compact "legal precinct" between here and Osgoode Hall so various personnel who might have to work in multiple buildings are near one another.