Ontario Court of Justice Toronto

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About the Project: • To improve courthouse accommodation and service delivery, the Ministry of the Attorney General has assigned Infrastructure Ontario to deliver the New Toronto Courthouse. • The new courthouse will bring together under one roof several of Toronto's courts currently operating out of several locations. • The New Toronto Courthouse will be located on a provincially owned site at 11 Centre Avenue. • Upon completion of an RFP for Planning, Design and Compliance (PDC) works, in March 2017, Kleinfeldt Mychajlowycz Architects Inc. and Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc. (in a joint venture) were awarded the PDC contract for new Toronto Courthouse. About the Site: To prepare the site for construction of the courthouse, IO undertook a complex archaeological excavation that uncovered thousands of artifacts from when the site was part of St. John's Ward, one of Toronto's earliest immigrant settlements. The work will ensure that the historical value of the site is documented and preserved. A large-scale, commemorative art installation was installed on the construction fence around the site. The exhibit showcases a collection of stories and photographs from those who trace their ancestral roots to the historic neighborhood. IO is committed to keeping the lines of communication open with the communities with ties to the site. A Heritage Interpretation Working Group, with representation from government and various community groups, has been struck by IO to provide a forum for information sharing, feedback, guidance and advice regarding appropriate considerations and suggestions for public interpretation themes and approaches. Work is underway to develop a plan outlining the permanent and variable measures of commemoration and interpretation that will be designed into the new Toronto courthouse. On February 22, 2017, IO and the City of Toronto launched a unique partnership to showcase artifacts found on the site of the new Toronto courthouse. Four displays were unveiled at Mayor John Tory's Black History Month reception. The inaugural display features artifacts significant to Toronto's Black history, and includes accounts of African-Americans who fled slavery and came to Canada by the Underground Railroad. The displays are free and publicly accessible at City Hall, located by the elevators to the east tower on the main floor of city hall. These exhibits will be renewed with content from the site archaeology and other accounts of life from the site, while heritage interpretation planning continues throughout the construction of the new Toronto courthouse.