Eight courtrooms and more private areas are to be added with $17.5M in provincial funds.
Eight courtrooms will be added to the London courthouse as part of a $17.5-million upgrade announced yesterday.
Liberal MPPs Deb Matthews (London-North-Centre), Chris Bentley (London West) and Khalil Ramal (London-Fanshawe) announced the funding at the courthouse.
"It's no secret that this court house is in need of upgrades and has needed upgrades for some time," Matthews said of the 31-year-old building at 80 Dundas St. "If we can make changes to the facility, that'll mean faster access to justice -- that is a good thing."
The funding will be spread over four years. It will be used to add eight courtrooms, expand basement holding cells for prisoners and add more private areas and conference rooms.
Susan Fullerton, vice-president of the Middlesex Law Association, said the courthouse is inadequate.
"A big issue is the use of the space. We don't have enough. In the family law (area) on the second floor, there are a lot of small court rooms, but very few private areas," she said.
"If you've got a couple in the middle of a divorce, you want, as a lawyer, to be able to keep them away from one another."
Bentley, who practised criminal law for more than 20 years before becoming an MPP, said the changes will make delivery of justice more efficient. There will be more places for families to meet to discuss issues, he said, which could lead to agreements without having to go before a judge.
The funds are part of the government's ReNew Ontario plan to invest $30 billion in Ontario's infrastructure.
