Published 29 Oct 2008: Waterloo Region Consolidated Courthouse Project attracts industry interest

KITCHENER - Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of the Attorney General today announced the short-listed companies that will be invited to participate in the request for proposals to design, build, finance and maintain the new Waterloo Region Consolidated Courthouse.

The new facility will improve courthouse services and consolidate the Superior Court of Justice and Ontario Court of Justice, which are currently operating in three locations across the Waterloo Region.
Consolidating local courthouses into a single location will provide a modern, effective and accessible courthouse to the community. As well, it will reduce costs and provide a more effective use of resources.

Based on a request for qualifications (RFQ) process that began in June 2008, six companies were pre-qualified for the project. Following evaluations, three companies were short-listed and will be invited to submit proposals for the project in late 2008. The short-listed companies are:

  • Access Justice Waterloo consisting of Babcock & Brown, PCL Constructors, Honeywell, WZMH Architects and Cannon Design
  • Integrated Team Solutions consisting of EllisDon, SNC Lavalin-Profac, LPF Infrastructure Fund, CIT, NORR Ltd. and Spillis Candela DMJM
  • Plenary Justice consisting of Plenary Group, Bird Construction, Johnson Controls, Adamson Associates and Ricci Green Associates.

The remaining pre-qualified companies will be reserved to replace any of the short-listed bidders should they be unable to participate.

"We are pleased to see such interest in the Waterloo Region Consolidated Courthouse project from the construction industry," said George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure."

"This project is part of ReNew Ontario, the government's five-year $30-billion-plus infrastructure investment plan to modernize public infrastructure as well as creating economic benefits for the community."

"We are committed to creating a more modern and effective justice system," said Attorney General Chris Bentley. "I am pleased we are moving forward to ensure the people of Waterloo Region have accessible justice services."

"Over the next 25 years, Kitchener will become more diverse, be better served by transit, be a focal point for investment and provide residents and visitors with more choices to live, work and play in the heart of the community," said John Milloy, MPP Kitchener Centre and Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. "The Waterloo Region Consolidated Courthouse will contribute to community growth and economic development for the city and the region as a whole."

"The population and court caseloads of Waterloo Region will continue to grow in the coming decades," said Leeanna Pendergast, MPP Kitchener Conestoga. "Under ReNew Ontario, our five-year $30 billion plus infrastructure renewal plan to build strong and prosperous communities, the McGuinty government is making the new courthouse a reality."

The remaining pre-qualified companies are:

  • Carillion Courthouse Solutions consisting of Carillion, Vanbots, National Bank Financial, Parkin Architects and PSA Dewberry
  • Themis Courthouse Consortium consisting of Bilfinger Berger, Bondfield, Black & MacDonald, Zeidler Partnership and KMD Architects
  • Veritas consisting of John Laing, Dineen, Ainsworth, Scotia Capital and CS+P Architects.

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.