(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

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State-of-the-art, something to be envious of, and a space for justice to be served more efficiently.

Those words were aptly used on Monday to describe the new Red Deer Justice Centre, which media were given a long-awaited tour of.

The $191 million building will begin hosting court cases in the coming days.

A price tag of $97 million was initially announced for the facility in March 2017 by the then-governing Alberta NDP, and ground was broken in September 2020.

(rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

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The Ministry of Justice tells rdnewsNOW it is working on a statement regarding the increased cost, but could not provide it by deadline. We will add it here if provided.

“Red Deer, at the time the [current] courthouse was built, was about 50,000 people; Red Deer is [now] over 100,000 people … and the area Red Deer serves has expanded significantly over the [last] 43 years,” noted Jim Hunter, Chief Justice for the Alberta Court of Justice.

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READ MORE: Work set to begin on new Red Deer Justice Centre

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“The possibility of expanding [the old building] was not there, so this was designed and built as something that will last hopefully 40 years into the future. Every technological and innovative thing we could put into this courthouse is here.”

That includes enhanced accessibility for the hearing impaired, and better audio quality overall.

A shared provincial and King’s Bench courtroom, the biggest in the building, which seats 190 in the gallery.

Hunter, who was heavily involved in the design himself, stated further that its opening is a, “really proud moment,” both for the city, and the courts — provincial and King’s Bench.

The justice centre features 12 courtrooms, with the possibility to expand — more than the eight at the current courthouse.

The courtrooms are also significantly larger, with the biggest of them all — Courtroom 2100 — seating up to 190 in the gallery.

Chief Justice for the Alberta Court of Justice, Jim Hunter, spoke to media at the new Red Deer Justice Centre on Feb. 24, 2025. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Courtroom 5400, meantime, is one of just a couple Indigenous-centred courtrooms in the province. While it’s design is noticeably different, so too will be the cases it hosts, with restorative justice and healing circles to be the main approaches. The room is also specially ventilated to allow for smudging.

“Having an Indigenous courtroom and the ability to serve that population in a manner that’s significant to them and culturally relevant to them is extremely important to us,” Justice Hunter added.

The Indigenous courtroom at the new Red Deer Justice Centre, with the colours around the centre ring representing the Medicine Wheel. Other adornments are still being added to the room, which will serve as a venue for restorative justice and alternative types of proceedings. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“Our court is very involved with an Indigenous justice strategy, and we are very hopeful that we can move forward to serve that part of the population in a manner that’s more relevant and culturally appropriate for our Indigenous people.”

Outside the Red Deer Justice Centre, you’ll still find Parsons House, a building that does look somewhat out of place, but it carries significant heritage value. When the justice centre was announced, there was an agreement between the city and province that it would remain unharmed.

Still it stands, with the city saying there’s an agreement in place for the land to be transferred back to the city, by the province, once construction is complete. That is yet to occur, but should obviously happen soon given the opening. What the city will then do with it is to be determined.

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READ MORE

• Province purchases historic Parsons House
• City tells province they want Parsons House left alone
• City awaits province’s response on fate of Parsons House

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Historic Parsons House sits neatly on the corner of the Red Deer Justice Centre property, a survivor of demolition due to its heritage status. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

As for the current, and old, courthouse, it will close its doors once cases begin in the new justice centre on March 3; the question remains will it be closed for good?

Traffic court, which has been held out of downtown’s Baymont Inn for many years, is moving into the new building, so it won’t be needed for that.

“The new Red Deer Justice Centre represents a significant investment in Alberta’s justice system, ensuring people in central Alberta have access to a modern and accessible courthouse,” says Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General.

“With 12 fully-equipped courtrooms, advance video-conference capabilities and dedicated spaces for alternative dispute resolution, this courthouse will enhance access to justice and help provide a more efficient and inclusive justice system for all.”

A spokesperson with the Ministry of Justice says all court services will cease at the current courthouse as soon as the new one opens.