Provincial courts evicted from Toronto Old City Hall

Toronto City Council want to turn the site into something more tourist friendly
Toronto City Council want to turn the site into something more tourist friendly

Toronto Old City HallToronto City Council voted this week to kick the provincial courts out of Old City Hall (left) when the province’s lease expires in 2016, the Globe and Mail reports today. The city apparently feels the court’s current location is a waste of a good heritage site, and wants to turn it into something more tourist-friendly.

Councillor Kyle Rae is quoted saying that the province has dragged its feet in building a new courthouse, and that the new deadline — December 31st, 2016 — will give Queen’s Park the jolt it needs to start planning ahead. Although the councillors were enthusiastic about the idea, voting 28 – 6 in favour of the plan, Frank Addario, the president of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association, is quoted as saying that the building has sentimental value, and that it ‘made lawyers feel like lawyers.’ So if you want to spend some quality time with the courthouse before it moves, remember you’ve only got 3,139 days to do it…


(Creative Commons-licenced photo courtesy ‘Freakapotimus‘)