The province says construction is complete on a new $203.1 million courthouse in downtown Red Deer.
The newly built Red Deer Justice Centre will replace the city’s existing outdated court facilities that have been operating at capacity.
The new centre has space for 16 courtrooms, with 12 courtrooms fully built and the ability to add up to four additional courtrooms for future use.
Alberta Infrastructure is turning the building over to Alberta Justice, who will outfit the facility with furniture and modern equipment to prepare the building for the public.
The centre is expected to officially open and begin operating in early 2025.
“This new, state-of-the-art courthouse will increase access to justice services for residents of Red Deer and central Alberta. The new facility will meet the space and service needs of residents for generations to come,” said Pete Guthrie, Minister of Infrastructure.
Construction on the new Red Deer Justice Centre began in August 2020.
The new centre includes spaces for alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a specific suite for other dispute resolution services, such as family mediation and civil mediation, and a new Indigenous courtroom able to accommodate smudging.
Additionally, it will include modern technology to replace legacy systems at the current courthouse.
Red Deer’s current court facilities include seven courtrooms that were built in the 1980s.
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