(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By City of Red Deer

long time coming

Mayor Veer responds to provincial announcement about new Justice Centre in Red Deer

Sep 10, 2020 | 4:39 PM

Today marks progress on Red Deer’s new Justice Centre with the Provincial Government formally announcing the project is proceeding on schedule, as planned.

After being first announced in March 2017, the Province of Alberta reconfirmed its commitment in May 2020 to invest in and build the new Red Deer Justice Centre over five years. This decision came following longstanding City Council and community advocacy efforts that focused on the widespread community impacts of crime, and the need for changes to the system, ensuring timely justice for families in crisis and victims of crime.

Red Deer’s current seven-room courthouse was built more than 30 years ago when the population of Red Deer was half of what it is today. In many cases, the strain on Red Deer’s current courthouse has left local law enforcement, our community and the region frustrated following court delays and broader safety and justice impacts. We therefore collectively look forward to a time when a larger Justice Centre is operating with increased capacity to handle more cases, which will no doubt result in increase efficiency of court cases for Red Deer and Central Alberta.

The new Red Deer Justice Centre will increase the number of courtrooms in Central Alberta from seven to 12, with the potential to expand to 16 in the future. This includes an increase to the number of courtrooms serving Provincial and Queen’s Bench courts. The building will also include drug treatment court and resolution services to provide dispute resolution, civil and family mediation, arbitration and other alternatives to court.

The Province’s investment in this critical infrastructure is all about upholding local justice objectives, ensuring efficient legal proceedings that result in reduced crime and improved community safety for all central Albertans. The City hopes more local charges will be upheld, which responds to and aligns with The City’s enforcement and community safety efforts.

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On behalf of City Council and our community, we welcome the news that construction is moving forward on this critical infrastructure. Crime and community safety continues to be our community’s number one priority, and this Justice Centre acknowledges the needs of not only Red Deer and its citizens, but the entire central Alberta region.