Project to build St. Thomas Consolidated Courthouse attracts industry
interest

TORONTO, July 12 /CNW/ - Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General today announced that three companies have been pre-qualified to design, build, finance and maintain the St. Thomas Consolidated Courthouse.

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 courthouse design. The new building will consolidate within one modern facility St. Thomas's two existing courthouses: the Wellington Street courthouse, which houses the Superior Court of Justice, and the courts of the Ontario Court of Justice, which are located on Curtis Street.

The new St. Thomas Consolidated Courthouse will improve access to justice in the region by:

    
    -   consolidating the services of the existing courthouses;
    -   increasing the number of courtrooms;
    -   providing better access and security; and
    -   improving health and safety standards.
    

Based on a request for qualifications process that began in March 2010, three companies were pre-qualified for the project. All three pre-qualified companies will be invited to respond to a request for proposals, expected to be issued in summer 2010. The three pre-qualified companies are:

    
    Access Justice - St. Thomas
        Developer:              Meridiam Infrastructure North America
        Design:                 WZMH Architects
        Construction:           PCL Constructors Inc.
        Facilities Management:  Honeywell Ltd.
        Financial Advisor:      Bank of Nova Scotia

    Balfour Beatty Capital - Canada
        Developer:              Balfour Beatty Capital - Canada
        Design:                 Kasian/Heery International
        Construction:           Balfour Beatty Construction/McKay-Cocker
                                Construction
        Facilities Management:  Martin Facility Services (a division of
                                Compass Group Canada) and Balfour Beatty
                                Communities
        Financial Advisor:      Investec Capital Markets

    Integrated Team Solutions

        Developer:              EllisDon Inc. and Fengate Capital Management
                                Ltd.
        Design:                 NORR Ltd.
        Construction:           EllisDon Inc.
        Facilities Management:  SNC-Lavalin Operations & Maintenance Inc.
        Financial Advisor:      National Bank Financial Inc.
    

Companies were selected based on their development, design, construction, financial, and facilities management capacity to undertake a project of this size and complexity. Throughout the procurement process, bidders' strategies for using local trades and resources will be evaluated. The bidding process encourages proponents to partner with local businesses, utilize local consultants, trades and contractors.

"I am pleased we are moving forward to ensure the people of Elgin County have a state-of-the-art facility with secure, accessible justice services that will meet community needs for years to come," said the Honourable Chris Bentley, Attorney General.

"This project reaffirms the McGuinty government's commitment to creating employment opportunities across Ontario while updating and renewing vital infrastructure," said the Honourable Brad Duguid, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.

The St. Thomas Consolidated 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.

Infrastructure Ontario is working with the Ministry of the Attorney General to develop the facility. Infrastructure Ontario is a Crown corporation dedicated to managing some of the province's larger and more complex infrastructure renewal projects - ensuring they are built on time and on budget.

Visit www.infrastructureontario.ca for more information.

Disponible en français

For further information: Brendan Crawley, Ministry of the Attorney General, [phone]; Tom Boreskie, Infrastructure Ontario, [phone]